Congresswoman Barragan

Legislation helps lower costs for the middle class, create American jobs, and support the vulnerable

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                      

March, 9, 2022

Washington D.C. – Tonight, Rep. Nanette Barragán voted to pass government funding legislation. The bill’s transformative investments will help working families with the cost of living, create American jobs, and support the vulnerable.

Provisions included in the appropriations government funding bill passed by the House tonight will fund $7,535,000 in Community Project Funding that Barragán previously secured for California’s 44^th Congressional District. This funding responds directly to some of the most pressing needs in San Pedro, Watts, Wilmington, Compton, South Gate, Long Beach, Carson, and Lynwood.

“It was a great moment tonight, when I voted for $7,535,000 in Community Project Funding in that I know will have a profound impact on California’s 44^th District,” Rep. Barragán said. “These investments support underserved areas and foster economic development and will make a real difference in the lives of so many in our community. I am proud to have fought for and delivered these funds to communities throughout the 44^th District. The funds will go to projects that will make our communities healthier, safer, stronger, and even more resilient.”

Rep. Barragán championed funding for 10 projects that will directly benefit District 44 residents. These include:

• $2,000,000 for YWCA Harbor Area to construct supportive housing for mothers and children in San Pedro, CA.

• $1,000,000 for Harbor Community Health Centers to build a new health clinic on the ground floor of an affordable housing development in San Pedro, CA.

• $860,000 for the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles to support urban greening projects at multiple public housing sites in Watts.

•  $500,000 for Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor to support high school students in Wilmington, CA with achieving their higher education goals through the College Bound Program.

• $250,000 for HOPICS to support the Community Homeless and Housing Services Access Center which will connect unsheltered and housing insecure residents of Compton, CA and surrounding communities with housing resources and other supportive services.

•  $250,000 for City of Long Beach, CA to support early childhood education and literacy programs at the Michelle Obama Neighborhood Library.

• $700,000 for California State University, Dominguez Hills to enhance the university’s nursing program in Carson, CA through the purchase of new equipment.

• $50,000 for BANJ Health Center Inc. to purchase new equipment for their clinic reference laboratory in Lynwood, CA, which will provide testing to patients at a lower cost than commercial laboratories.

• $1,000,000 for the Toberman Neighborhood Center to expand a violence prevention program to serve additional communities in California’s 44^th Congressional District.

• $925,000 for East Los Angeles College to develop a comprehensive training hub focused on healthcare careers at their South Gate campus.

Taken together, the funding for California’s 44^th Congressional District and the funding increases for critical government programs contained in the twelve-bill government funding package will reverse decades of disinvestment in our communities and strengthen our nation.

“The investments in this package address some of our nation’s biggest challenges while providing much-needed support to Californians,” Rep. Barragán said. “Thanks to Democrats’ leadership, we are investing in California’s middle class. I am proud to vote for this legislation, which will lower costs for working families, create American jobs, and support the vulnerable.”

 This government funding legislation includes significant investments to:

• Confronting the Climate Crisis: through a renewed focus on environmental enforcement, pioneering funding for environmental justice, and historic investments in clean energy and climate science;

• Strengthening Public Health: by rebuilding our health care infrastructure, establishing funding for President Biden’s new cancer research initiative, and confronting urgent health crises – including maternal health, mental health, substance misuse, and gun violence;

• Help Working Families With The Cost of Living: reducing costs by expanding child care and early learning programs to more working families, investing in America’s K-12 public schools, increasing the maximum Pell Grant award by $400, and expanding access to homeownership;

• Create American Jobs: putting folks to work in good-paying jobs rebuilding our infrastructure, helping small businesses grow and thrive, fostering the green energy jobs of tomorrow, and supporting high-quality job training and apprenticeship programs so every American can contribute and succeed;

• Support the Vulnerable: meeting Americans’ basic needs by strengthening nutrition assistance, funding more affordable housing and strengthening the social safety net;

• Honor Our Promise to Veterans: funding benefits, bolstering the VA’s health care system and reducing backlogs; and

• Deliver Justice for Women and Girls: cracking down on gender-based violence with a long-overdue reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act.

The full text of the legislation is available here.  Next week, the House is slated to pass a separate bill fulfilling President Biden’s request for $15 billion in funding to continue fighting COVID-19 across the world, protect against new variants and avoid future lockdowns.