SUMMARY: CONSOLIDATED APPROPRIATIONS ACT OF 2016
The bill includes:
OMNIBUS SUMMARY
AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES
Bill Summary
The fiscal year 2016 Agriculture,
The Agriculture,
The bill makes substantial investments in improving job opportunities and the quality of life in rural America. Almost
The bill further provides funding for critical programs such as PL 480 Title II and the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program, which will help feed millions of people around the world.
Key Points & Highlights
The bill provides
Within
The bill provides the following additional increases above the fiscal year 2015 levels:
Nutrition
The bill provides
The bill provides
The bill provides
The bill provides
International Food Aid
The bill provides total funding of
The bill provides
The bill provides
The bill increases community facilities grants to
The bill provides
The bill provides
The bill provides total funding of
The bill includes the full budget request to repair and renovate aging
Additionally, at the
Conservation and Disaster Programs
The bill includes
This includes
Policy Riders
The agreement does not include a House provision that would have made it easier for thousands of new tobacco products, many of which are marketed to children, to come to the market without any review by the
The agreement includes a
The agreement includes language that repeals parts of the Country of Origin Labeling Law that were recently ruled discriminatory by the
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES
Bill Summary
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) bill totals
The CJS bill invests in a wide range of critical programs that affect the lives of all Americans. The bill provides
The bill makes investments in public safety, economic growth, innovation, job creation and trade promotion. The
Science agencies supported by the bill include the
Key Points & Highlights
* Fighting Terrorism and Violent Extremism. The bill has
* Gun Violence. This bill fights gun violence with
* Heroin Crisis. Heroin use continues to ravage communities across the nation as it is often an inexpensive substitute for prescription pills, costing as little as
* Crime Victims. The cap on the
* Addressing Violence Against Women. The bill contains
* Medical Marijuana. This bill again contains language preventing the
*
* NOAA Ships. The bill provides
*
*
* Weather Satellites. This bill provides
*
* No new harmful policy riders. The bill does not include new harmful policy riders included in the House bill: four gun riders that would have been made permanent and seven new gun riders; cuts to NSF's Geosciences research; restrictions on participation in climate change activities; prohibitions on negotiating trade agreements that include climate or visa provisions; a rider that would have made the Census's
Bill Summary
The Subcommittee's allocation eliminates the OCO gimmick and conforms to the recently enacted Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, providing additional resources to protect America, build infrastructure, create opportunity and spur economic growth.
Key Points & Highlights
(1) Supporting our Troops, Veterans, and their Families
(2) Investing in Innovation to Maintain our Technological Edge
(3) Investing in
(4) Restoring Readiness
(5) Improving Military Capabilities and International Cooperation
Supporting our Troops, Veterans, and their Families
The men and women and families of those that serve our country on active duty, in the reserves and as civilians are the backbone of our Armed Forces. Support for these Americans in the defense bill include:
* Funds the President's budget request of a 1.3 percent pay raise for military and civilian employees, 0.3 percent higher than in 2015.
* Adds
* Rejects consolidation of TRICARE.
* Provides an additional
* Maintains a provision eliminating the five percent discount for tobacco and tobacco-related products sold at military exchanges.
* Adds
* Adds
* Continues efforts to improve medical record transfer between DoD and the
* Adds
* Adds
* Adds
Investing in Innovation to Maintain our Technological Edge
Continuing to invest in basic and advanced research and development is essential to maintaining our technological edge on the battlefield and enhancing our national security. The bill supports these efforts:
* Adds
* Adds
* Adds
* Adds
* Adds
* Adds
* Adds
* Adds
* Adds
* Adds
Investing in
Just as investing in basic and advanced science has paid great dividends, similar investments in medical research and battlefield medicine are saving more lives while improving care options and quality of life after injuries. This knowledge helps better inform treatment for everyone. In addition, DoD disease research is advancing our knowledge of the effects on our troops and their families and leading to improved disease management and other breakthroughs. The bill supports these efforts:
* Adds
* Includes
* Includes
* Includes
* Includes
* Includes
Restoring Readiness
The high operational tempo of the last decade and the effects of budget sequestration have made maintaining the readiness of our military an increasing challenge. The bill fully supports the President's request while taking additional steps to keep us on the path toward full spectrum readiness:
* Adds
* Provides an additional
* Adds
Improving Military Capabilities and International Cooperation
* Adds
* Adds
* F-35 Lightning II Procurement:
* Adds
* Adds
* Adds
* Adds
* Funds the President's budget request of
* Adds
* Adds
* Adds
* Adds
* Adds
* Accelerates long-lead procurement of the Amphibious Assault Ship replacement, the Dock Landing Ship replacement and the Landing Craft Utility replacement.
* Supports important international efforts, including:
* Full funding for the President's budget request of
*
* Full funding for the President's budget request of
*
ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Energy and
Bill Summary
The Energy and
The bill provides
The bill also provides
Title I--Corps of Engineers
The Energy and Water bill provides
Highlights
Investigations of Water Resource problems and needs: The bill provides
Water Resources Operation and Maintenance: The bill provides
Title II--Department of the Interior
The bill provides
Highlights
Providing water and power to the West:
Title III-Department of Energy (DOE)
The Energy and Water bill provides
Highlights
Scientific Discovery: The bill provides
Next-Generation Computing: The bill provides
Cybersecurity: The bill provides
Nonproliferation: The bill provides
Nuclear Weapons: The bill provides
Naval Reactors: The bill provides
Environmental Cleanup: The bill provides a total of
Title IV--Independent Agencies
The Energy and Water bill provides
FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT
Bill Summary
The fiscal year 2016 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations bill includes a total of
The bill includes
Key Points & Highlights
Investing in our communities is more critical than ever as our economy works to recover.
Failing to collect what taxpayers owe leaves the federal budget short about
The agreement provides
The agreement directs that the funds provided above the fiscal year 2015 level be devoted to making measurable improvements in the customer service representative level of service rate, improving the identification and prevention of refund fraud and identity theft, and enhancing cyber security to safeguard taxpayer data.
The agreement provides
The Judiciary:
The agreement provides
The agreement includes
Title VIII of the agreement includes 18 general provisions applicable only to the District. The agreement also mirrors current law permitting use of funds for syringe exchange to address HIV/AIDS epidemic, except in locations deemed inappropriate by local law enforcement or public health officials. The agreement includes a one-year provision allowing the District to spend its fiscal year 2017 local funds on and after
The agreement provides
From communicating during emergencies to promoting economic growth to fostering political debate and individual expression, promoting and maintaining a robust yet adaptable communications network is critical to our daily lives. The agreement includes
A marketplace can only thrive if consumers can count on robust, open competition and trustworthy information about products and services. The agreement provides
The agreement provides a total of approximately
The agreement provides
Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB):
The agreement includes
The strength of our economy and the soundness of our financial markets depend upon investor confidence in the financial disclosures and statements released by publicly traded companies for which
Ensuring small businesses have the tools to grow is critical for our nation's fragile economic recovery. Over the last two decades, small and new businesses created two out of every three net new jobs in the U.S., and today over half of all working Americans own or work for a small business. To ensure that small businesses have access to credit and critical technical assistance, the agreement includes
Riders
The agreement does not include the following harmful provisions:
* House provisions that would have barred the
* House ban on the
* A provision in both the
* Harmful provisions in the House bill that would have restricted travel and transactions with
* A House provision that would have blocked the
* A House provision that would have expanded the existing ban on funds for abortion under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, except for life of the mother or pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, to also include a ban on abortion under multi-state health plan coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
* Provisions included in both the
* Provisions included in both the
* A House provision that would have banned the use of any funds by the
* A banking bill included as Title IX of the
* A provision included in the
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
The fiscal year 2016
Bill Summary
As citizens are continually tested by new and emerging threats both domestically and globally, such as the recent attacks in
The bill includes funding above the
The bill also provides robust funding for the
Key Points & Highlights
Prevent Terrorism and Enhance Security
* To address the growing threat from radicalized individuals and complex coordinated terrorist attacks, the bill includes
* For the
* For the
Secure and Manage Our Borders
* The bill provides
* To deter illicit drugs, radiological or nuclear weapons being transported into
* The bill provides
Enforce and Administer Our Immigration Laws
* To enforce U.S. immigration laws as well as streamline and facilitate the legal immigration process, the bill provides
* As requested, a total of
* Fully funds the
* A new provision allows returning non-immigrant workers to be exempt from counting towards the cap on H-2B visas for fiscal year 2016, permitting employers who cannot find local temporary workers to more easily fill seasonal jobs in industries such as seafood processing. This provision increases opportunities for every business to hire enough seasonal employees, provides business with more certainty that their seasonal employees will be able to return, and rewards workers who have been using the program successfully and playing by the rules.
Safeguard and Secure Cyberspace
* We face a multi-faceted and complex threat through cyber intrusions and data theft from nation-states, sophisticated organizations and cyber actors. In response to the OPM cyber breach, the bill fully funds the President's request for cybersecurity at
* As a leader among federal agencies on cyber security matters, it is important that
* The bill provides a total of
Strengthen National Preparedness and Resilience
* The bill includes a total of
* Firefighter grants for equipment and staffing are funded at
* State and local emergency managers are critical for coordinating responses to the over 44,890 disasters at the local level as well as the 45 Presidentially-declared disasters in 2014.
* To better prepare the nation for future disasters, the bill provides
* Funding for recovery from both past and anticipated disasters is critical to restoring communities and our way of life. The bill provides
Riders:
* Drops House rider that would have prohibited the
* Drops House rider that would have blocked the
* Dropped three House riders that would have prohibited funding for abortion or abortion services for detained aliens.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES
Bill Summary
In total, the bill provides
The Interior bill invests in a wide range of critical programs that are vital to the continued conservation of America's public lands and cultural resources, protection of the environment and public health, and the appropriate development of our domestic natural resources.
The bill provides
The bill provides
Key Points & Highlights
* Wildland Firefighting and Prevention Needs. The bill provides
*
* Support for the National Park Service Centennial. The
* Protecting Investments for the
*
Title I--Department of the Interior
The bill provides
Highlights
Offshore Energy Programs: The bill provides
Payments in Lieu of Taxes: The bill provides
Title II--
The bill provides
Highlights
Operating Programs:
Water infrastructure investments:
Geographic Programs: EPA Geographic Programs are funded at
Title III-Related Agencies
The bill provides
Highlights
National Endowments for the Arts (NEA) & Humanities (NEH): The bill meets the budget request of
Objectionable Riders
* Between the
* Language to block efforts by the
* Language to block implementation of the President's landmark Clean Power Plan, including greenhouse gas emissions restrictions from new and existing power plants;
* Multiple provisions aimed at weakening the Endangered Species Act by substituting politics for science, including riders that affected the listing status of grey wolves, lesser prairie chicken and northern long-eared bat;
* Language to block
* Language to authorize the construction of a road through pristine congressionally authorized wilderness and wildlife habitat at the
* Language to block efforts to strengthen environmental and water quality protections for mining operations;
* Provisions that would have blocked efforts to ensure that impacts of greenhouse gas emissions are calculated consistently and appropriately considered in federal environmental planning decisions;
* Language that would require
* Language to block the
* Language to overturn the
* Provision to block
* Language to block implementation of a rule to stem the illegal, international trade in elephant ivory;
* Language to block enforcement of a rule that imposes safety standards to reduce lead contamination during building renovations; and
* Language to block
DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR,
EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES
The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Departments of Labor,
Overview
The Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill provides funding for a broad range of programs that spur economic growth and provide a safety net for those who fall through the cracks. The bill provides support for high-quality early learning opportunities for our youngest children; basic medical research that invests in future cures, preventive services and care that help individuals live healthy lives; job training that helps the unemployed return to work; local school districts; and the enforcement of employee rights in the workplace. It also supports the administrative expenses for the
Bill Summary
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Job Training--The bill includes
Apprenticeships--The bill includes
YouthBuild--The bill includes
Wage and Hour Division (WHD)--The bill includes
Family Planning Clinics--The bill includes
Administration for Community Living (ACL)--The bill includes
Head Start--The bill provides
Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG)--The bill includes
Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME)--The bill includes
Preschool Development Grants--The bill includes
Title I (Education for the Disadvantaged)--The bill includes
Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Program--The bill includes
Special Education--The bill includes
Pell Grants--The bill provides
Aid for Institutional Development--The bill includes
TRIO programs--The bill includes
Student Loan Servicing--The bill provides
Adult Education State Grants--The bill includes
Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth--The bill continues to authorize Performance Partnerships that will provide states and local communities with unprecedented flexibility to improve services for disconnected youth. Up to an additional 10 states and/or local communities will be allowed to combine funding that they receive through various programs within this bill for pilot projects to provide critical information about how to better serve disadvantaged youth. The bill also requires that this year's selection of pilots place a priority on communities that have recently experienced civil unrest.
RELATED AGENCIES
RIDERS
The bill drops more than a dozen poison pill riders included in the
* The Affordable Care Act (ACA). The bill does not include new language restricting HHS' authority to administer or enforce the ACA. The bill provides the
* Conflict of Interest Standards. The bill does not include new language that was in the
* The
* Representation-Case Procedures. The bill does not include new language to prevent the
* Bargaining Unit Standards. The bill drops language included in both the
* Joint Employer Standard. The bill eliminates language included in both the
*
* Gainful Employment. The bill does not include a rider proposed in
MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS,
AND RELATED AGENCIES
The bill also provides
Bill Summary
The bill provides
Highlights of
The
Active component military construction:
Guard and Reserve component military construction:
Unfunded military construction priorities:
Energy Conservation Investment Program (ECIP):
Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC):
NATO Security Investment Program (NSIP):
The bill includes
Advance Appropriations: The bill includes
Medical Programs: The
* Hepatitis-C Treatments. --
* Female Veterans.--
* Caregivers.--An additional
* Vet Centers.--
* Homeless Programs.--Fully funds the
* Mental Health.--
*
*
* Traumatic Brain Injury.--
* Opioid abuse. -- To address mounting concerns about prescription drug abuse and an overdose epidemic among veterans, the bill directs
* Long Term Care.--
*
Claims Processing: In March of 2013, the
As of
In addition, the bill provides
To continue greater national and regional progress in reducing
*
*
* Grants for the Construction of State Extended Care Facilities.--
Information Technology (IT): The bill provides the full budget request of
The bill continues to include language restricting the use of 75 percent of the VistA modernization effort until the
Related Agencies
Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH):
STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS
The fiscal year 2016 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs bill provides
A summary of the bill is below. All comparisons are to the fiscal year 2015 enacted level or to the fiscal year 2016 budget request. Some dollar figures are rounded.
Strengthening Embassy Security
The safety of our diplomats, consular officers and aid workers is paramount. This bill provides a total of
Bolstering Global Health
HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other infectious diseases are a constant reminder of the threats to the millions of Americans who travel, live, study and serve overseas, as well as here at home. Hundreds of millions of people in the poorest countries, especially children, die or suffer from debilitating diseases that can be easily prevented or treated. The bill provides increases for these life-saving global health programs.
* HIV/AIDS. A total of
* Of this amount,
* Polio.
*
*
* Nutrition.
* Malaria.
* Tuberculosis.
* Pandemic Influenza.
* Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD).
Supporting Economic and
The bill provides a total of
* Democracy Programs.
* Environment Programs.
* Education Programs.
* Water and Sanitation Programs.
* Microenterprise Programs.
* Programs to Combat Trafficking in Persons.
* Power Africa.
Meeting our International Commitments
The
* Contributions for International Peacekeeping Activities. The bill provides
* Contributions to International Organizations. The bill provides
* International Financial Institutions (IFIs). The bill substantially meets our commitments to the IFIs, including
*
* International Organizations and Programs. The bill provides a total of
Supporting Key Allies
The bill provides substantial funding for key allies, including:
*
*
*
*
* Countering Russian Aggression and Influence.
International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement
The bill provides
Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremist Organizations
The bill provides
The bill provides a framework for assistance to stem the flow of foreign fighters seeking to join extremist groups in places like
Responding to Humanitarian Crises
The bill provides funding above the budget request to respond to man-made, humanitarian crises in
* Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons.
* Disaster Relief.
*
Support for the Frontline States
The bill does not specify amounts for
Promoting U.S. Exports
In response to increasing economic competition from
Other Key Programs
The bill provides:
*
*
*
*
*
General Provisions
The bill also contains a number of general provisions intended to advance fundamental freedoms, strengthen civil society, and support U.S. allies, including:
* Asia Rebalance. Continues a framework for the President's Asia Rebalancing Initiative to enhance regional partnerships, improve trade and advance human rights in the
* Global Internet Freedom. The bill provides not less than
* Human Rights. The bill maintains human rights conditions on a portion of aid to the armed forces and police of several countries.
Reforms and Reducing Government Waste
Reforms
The bill includes reforms to address long-standing concerns about the effectiveness and sustainability of U.S. foreign aid programs, including:
* The agreement includes revisions to the
* The agreement continues a fiscal year 2015 provision to enhance the effectiveness of humanitarian aid through the collection of feedback data. The data is widely shared to improve
* The agreement continues provisions designed to improve the quality, transparency and oversight of lending by the
Reducing Waste, Fraud and Abuse
The bill includes several requirements designed to reduce waste and corruption:
* Provides funding for the
* Continues limitations on the use of funds for conferences.
* Requires U.S. executive directors to the international financial institutions to require progress by borrowing countries against fraud and corruption.
Prohibits funding for programs in
TRANSPORTATION,
AND RELATED AGENCIES
Bill Summary
The fiscal year 2016 Transportation,
This bill provides funding for the
Key Points & Highlights
As a result of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, this bill was able to restore funding for key transportation and housing programs. The bill invests in transit systems across the country and allows the
*
Transit ridership continues to grow, but transit systems across the country are struggling to keep pace with this increased demand for service. The New Starts program supports major investments in transit infrastructure that would be impossible for local governments and transit agencies to finance alone.
According to DOT, public transit saves 4 billion gallons of gasoline, prevents 37 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, and saves travelers 646 million hours of commute time. Furthermore, every
*
* Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER): The bill maintains
* Transit and Highway Grants: The bill's funding levels are consistent with the increases included in the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST) of 2015, the surface transportation authorization act that passed the
*
* Rail Safety: The bill makes significant strides to ensure the safety of our rail network and the communities that they pass through. Specifically, the bill funds the Administration's three new safety initiatives for passenger rail, grade crossing and pedestrian safety, and the safe transportation of energy products. The bill provides the Secretary of Transportation with targeted investments to continue with a comprehensive array of prevention, mitigation and response safety activities for the shipment of energy products, including track inspections, research into the classification of crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) tank car design, and training for emergency responders who are the last line of defense for communities to contain the impact of an oil spill and prevent damage to people, property and the environment. Further, the Secretary is required to finalize a rule on comprehensive oil spill response plans within one year.
* Rail Safety Grants: The bill provides
* HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME): The bill restores funding for the HOME program to
*
* Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG): CDBG helps communities develop projects that meet unique housing, infrastructure and economic development needs and support job creation. The bill provides
* Choice Neighborhoods: Choice Neighborhoods is funded at the historically high level of
* Youth Homelessness: The bill provides
The bill also makes a number of reforms to assist HUD grantees in providing effective service delivery for youth, particularly among unaccompanied youth and youth-led families, who are at a higher risk of domestic violence, trafficking or other unsafe circumstances. HUD is directed to issue clarifying guidance on eligibility criteria for youth experiencing homelessness. Additionally, third-party documentation requirements are waived for youth who are seeking HUD housing assistance, but who are challenged to verify their homelessness status.
In an effort to build capacity of service providers and leverage federal, state, local, private and nonprofit resources, the bill also provides funding for a series of cross-federal agency trainings at the local level, in coordination with the
* Disaster Assistance: The bill provides
Riders
* Truck Length (Twin 33's): The bill does not include a controversial provision to extend the double truck trailer length from 28 to 33 feet, which would have lengthened commercial trucks on our highways by 10 feet. The provision was opposed by the
* DOT Draft Rule on Airline Tickets: The bill does not include a provision related to the online sale of airline tickets that had been included in the Senate Committee mark. This provision would have undermined large parts of a draft regulation designed to protect customers when they buy airline tickets. DOT's draft regulation requires companies to display any fees that would be added to the ticket price, provide customer service and explain how airline tickets are displayed when a customer searches for certain types of tickets online. These regulations would apply to websites as well as airlines and traditional ticket agents. The
*
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Read this original document at: http://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/minority/summary-consolidated-appropriations-act-of-2016
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