RECENTLY-ANNOUNCED CONGRESSIONAL SPENDING DEAL INCLUDES SEVERAL ROSEN-LED PROVISIONS

Spending Package Excludes Funding for Yucca Mountain, Includes Rosen-led Provisions to Help Train Nevada’s Workforce through Apprenticeships

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Congresswoman Jacky Rosen (NV-03), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after several of her provisions were included in the recently-announced spending package that funds the Departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education for Fiscal Year 2019 and will extend funding for other agencies through December 7, 2018. The final spending package also does not include funding for Yucca Mountain.

“I was proud to see the funding I fought for that will support apprenticeships and promote job training for Nevada’s workforce included in the final bipartisan spending package,” said Rosen. “I also successfully obtained funding for programs that will support our servicemembers and veterans and improve health information technology. Preparing Nevada’s future workforce, taking care of our servicemembers and veterans, and keeping our health information technology updated are all important issues that I will continue to fight for in Congress.”

BACKGROUND: Highlights from the spending package include:
 

• Robust funding for Apprenticeships: Rosen led a bipartisan letter to appropriators with Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) and 26 other Members from both parties, supporting the DOL Office of Apprenticeship and expressing support for robust funding. Last year, DOL apprenticeship programs were funded at $145 million. As a result of Rosen’s letter, the House bill included $150 million in funding. The conference report, released on Thursday, includes $160 million, $15 million above the FY18 enacted level.
   
• ​Robust funding for the ONC Health IT:  The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) supports the accessibility of electronic health data, health cybersecurity, and the security of health information. Rosen led a letter with four other Members asking appropriators to protect funding for these critical services from being cut by nearly 40 percent, which the President’s budget proposed. The conference report funded ONC at $60.367 million, which is level funding.
   
• Funding for the nonprofit organizations that connect service dogs with servicemembers and veterans: Rosen was one of only 23 Members to sign a bipartisan letter to appropriators requesting $10 million through the Defense Appropriations Act to support nonprofit organizations that connect service dogs with servicemembers and veterans. The House bill included this $10 million. The Senate bill did not. The conference report includes the $10 million from the House bill.

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