Tester Secures Major Wins for Montana Families, Communities, Veterans in Annual Government Funding Legislation

Legislation also reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act and includes Senator’s legislation to protect consumers from financial uncertainty

U.S. Senator Jon Tester last week secured major wins for Montana in the annual legislation to fund the federal government, including significant resources for critical Montana priorities including funding for border security, law enforcement, agriculture programs, public lands deferred maintenance, and more.

“This bipartisan legislation provides resources for critical programs across Montana, including securing our border, investing in law enforcement, improving health care services in rural America, boosting rural water projects in our state, and more,” said Tester. “I’m proud to have worked across the aisle to secure these responsible, targeted resources that will help keep Montana’s rural economy strong and invest in our state’s working families.”

In the legislation, Tester successfully included his legislation to replace the LIBOR rate to protect consumers and provide certainty to the global financial system. He also fought to include a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and provisions that require critical infrastructure operators—including meat processors, pipeline operators, financial institutions and more—to alert the Department of Homeland Security within 72 hours of a hack and 24 hours of paying a ransom. As Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Defense, he also secured provisions to support Montana’s veterans and our nation’s armed forces.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Tester is responsible for writing the 12 appropriations bills that fund the government each year. Last Thursday, the Senate passed an “omnibus” funding package of 12 appropriations bills that includes many provisions that will directly benefit Montana.

Wins for Montana Agriculture, Nutrition, and Rural Development:

• $445 million for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), an increase of $10 million
• $1.046 billion funding for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• $140.4 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
• Increases funding for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRSC) from $832 million to $904 million.
• Increase funding for Conservation Technical Assistance from $734 million to $759 million.
• $81 million in funding for the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), $26 million for the Farmer’s Market Nutrition Program, and $332 million for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program.
• Extends the cash-value voucher increase for WIC participants through September 30.
• $10 million for the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN)
• $653 million for the Rural Water and Waste Disposal program, an increase of $32 million
• $1.25 billion for the Rural Housing Insurance Fund direct loans, meeting the anticipated need, and $30 billion in loan authority for the Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program
• $1.495 billion for the Rental Assistance Program
• $2.8 billion for direct loans and $650 million for guaranteed loans in the Rural Community Facilities Program
• $550 million for rural broadband service, including $450 million for the ReConnect program
• An additional $1 million for the enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act within the Agricultural Marketing Service. The additional funding will help with additional staffing, enforcement, and rule making.
• $10 billion to extend USDA’s Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus program for losses in 2020 and 2021, along with an additional $750 million set aside for losses livestock producers suffered due to drought and wildfires in 2021.
• $1.173 billion for Farm Service Agency salaries
• $2 million for the Barley Pest Initiative, a $1 million increase, and $15 million for the Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative
• Report language on Canadian wheat grading practices that unfairly disadvantage American farmers
• Reauthorization of Livestock Mandatory Reporting
• More than $550 million – plus an additional $450 million exclusively for ReConnect – for expansion of rural broadband service to improve education, healthcare, and economic development opportunities
• $373.5 million for Economic Development Administration (EDA), a $27.5 million increase above FY21.
• $158 million for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program. This is an $8 million increase above FY21.
• $7.5 million for broadband mapping in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Disaster Response and Securing Our Southern and Northern Border

• $14.8 billion for Customs and Border Protection, including over $425 million for border security. This includes:
• $256 million for border technology
• $87 million for non-intrusive inspection and scanning systems
• $10 million for Port of Entry Technology
• $72.4 million for new aircraft and aircraft sensors

• $1.45 billion in additional support for CBP, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Federal Emergency Management Agency
• $2.6 billion for Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, a $586.7 million increase to increase U.S. cybersecurity. This includes $47.7 million for infrastructure security.
• $645 million for State Homeland Security Grant Program to help states and localities prevent and respond to threats
• $720 million for FEMA fire fighter grant programs, including $360 million for AFG and $360 million for SAFER
• $90 million for Operation Stonegarden to support local law enforcement agencies that support DHS border security operations on the northern border.
• $275.5 million for flood mapping

Protecting Public Lands and Cleaning Up Pollution

• $4.3 billion in state and Tribal assistance grants to protect air and water, including $2.77 billion for the Clean and Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, and $178 million in state grants to address nonpoint source pollution to water
• $3 million for US Geological Survey transboundary streamgages and EPA support to address transboundary pollution in the Kootenai
• $162 million for Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields program to clean up toxic sites
• $1.232 billion for the Superfund account to clean up sites including Butte, Libby, Columbia Falls, and the Smurfit Stone site near Missoula, a $27 million increase
• Report language directing Forest Service and Interior to consider how to better secure and use long-term airtanker contracts.
• $5.48 billion for wildfire management across the Forest Service and Department of Interior, including $2.45 billion through the Wildfire Suppression Operations Reserve Fund, a $100 million increase
• $3 million for University of Montana-led research on fires in the wildland-urban interface, firefighting safety, and wildland fire workforce development
• $187 million for hazardous fuels mitigation in National Forests, a $7 million increase
• $4 million through EPA for competitive wildfire smoke preparedness grants to states, Tribes, and schools.
• Reauthorizes Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) for FY22.
• $28 million for Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration, doubling funding from FY21
• $1 million for wolf livestock loss demonstration fund
• $70 million for restoration of sage grouse habitat through Bureau of Land Management, a $4 million increase
• $4.7 million for Chronic Wasting Disease research through US Geological Survey, a $1 million increase.
• Retains sage grouse rider, barring Fish and Wildlife Service from making a listing decisions relating to grouse.

MT Deferred Maintenance Projects under Great American Outdoors Act:

• $10.9 million for replacing the headquarters wastewater system in Glacier National Park
• $15.7 million for replacing the Swiftcurrent Water Distribution System in Glacier National Park
• $2.7 million for deferred maintenance in the Bitterroot National Forest
• $1.45 million for deferred maintenance in the Custer Gallatin National Forest
• $1.845 million for deferred maintenance in the Flathead National Forest
• $3.38 million for deferred maintenance in the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest
• $1.515 million for deferred maintenance in the Kootenai National Forest
• $4.615 million for deferred maintenance in the Lolo National Forest
• $150,000 for deferred maintenance in the USFS Northern Region

LWCF Projects:

• $6.7 million for Big Snowy Mountain
• $5.4 million for High Divide
• $6 million for Montana National Wildlife Refuges
• $10.3 million for Lolo National Forest
• $20 million for the Montana Great Outdoors Legacy Project

Upholding Trust and Treaty Responsibilities to Indian Country

• $3.66 billion for Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), and the Office of the Special Trustee, $150 million above FY21
• $1.8 Billion for BIA, $204 million above FY21
• $65 million to help Tribal communities address and prepare for the effects of climate change
• $7 million for Indian Land Consolidation
• $7 million for the Indian Boarding School Initiative
• $1.5 million for the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act
• $1 million to implement the return of the National Bison Range to Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT)
• $147 million for BIA Construction, $18 million above FY21
• $11.8 million for the Indian Guaranteed Loan Program
• $1 billion for BIE, $50 million above FY21
• $264 million for BIE Construction
• $109.6 million for the Office of the Special Trustee, $1.2 million above FY21
• Full funding for Contract Support/Payments for Tribal Leases

• $6.6 billion to the Indian Health Service, an increase of $395 million from FY21
• $4.7 billion for health services, $359 million increase from FY21
• $940 million for health facilities construction, $22 million increase from FY21

• Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to work with Tribal authorities to study scams targeting Indian Tribes and Tribal members.

Funding for Law Enforcement and Public Safety

• $647.5 million for Bryne JAG, a $190.5 million increase for the leading source of federal justice funding to state and local law enforcement

• $512 million for Community Oriented Policing, a $126 million increase to support local and community policing efforts. It includes:
• $246 million for COPS hiring
• $15 million for the COPS anti-meth task force

• $50 million to help state and local law enforcement agencies combat cybercrime
• $575 million for the Violence Against Women Act, a $61 million increase. This includes $48 million for grants to rural communities and $43 million for transitional housing assistance.
• $55.8 million in VAWA funding for Tribal governments, coalitions and organizations
• $292.8 million to support Tribal criminal justice systems, law enforcement and victims, which includes $50 million in Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Tribal Assistance grant program, $14 million for Tribal Youth programs, and $31.5 million for COPS Tribal law enforcement programs
• Sets the cap for the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) at $2.6 billion, a $585 million increase to provide services to survivors of violence. This includes $130 million from the CVF set-aside for Tribal governments and agencies in order to meet the needs of survivors in Indian Country.

• Over $477 million in DOJ funding to improve public safety in Indian Country, including:
• $292.8 million to support Tribal criminal justice systems, law enforcement and victims, which includes $50 million in Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Tribal Assistance grant program, $14 million for Tribal Youth programs, and $31.5 million for COPS Tribal law enforcement programs
• $55.8 million in VAWA funding for Tribal governments, coalitions and organizations;
• $130 million from the Crime Victims Fund set-aside for Tribal governments and agencies in order to meet the needs of survivors in Indian Country.

• $88 million for drug diversion courts and $29 million for veterans treatment courts
• $489 million for Legal Services Corporation, a $24 million increase to help provide legal assistance to underserved communities
• $297 million for High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Programs (HIDTA drug taskforces), a $7 million increase
• $106 million for the Drug-Free Communities Program, a $4 million increase to for local efforts to prevent youth substance abuse.

Bolstering Rural Water Systems

• $17.1 million for the Fort Peck/Dry Prairie Rural Water System, building on the $1 billion Senator Tester secured in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to complete all currently-authorized rural water projects.
• $13.5 million for the Rocky Boys/North Central Rural Water System, building on the $1 billion Senator Tester secured in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to complete all currently-authorized rural water projects.
• $40 million for the Blackfeet Water Rights Settlement, and $12.7 million for the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement, building on the $2.5 billion for Indian Water Rights Settlements Senator Tester secured in IIJA.
• $1.6 million for ongoing operation and maintenance of the Milk River Project
• $6 million for operations and maintenance at Fort Peck Dam and Lake
• $1.7 million for operations and maintenance at Libby Dam

Cybersecurity, Small Business, and Consumer Protection

• $80 million for the Cybersecurity Enhancement at the Department of Treasury, a $62 million increase reflecting the need to minimize the impact of future cyberattacks
• $240.5 million for Treasury Department Offices of Inspector General at a time when Treasury is responsible for overseeing numerous pandemic recovery programs
• $161 million for the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)
• $295 million for the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, an increase of $25 million
• $128 million for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, a $4 million increase
• $1 billion for the Small Business Administration (SBA), a $109 million increase
• $376.5 million for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a $25.5 million increase
• $1.758 billion for Job Corps
• $235 million for Registered Apprenticeships, an increase of $50 million.

Critical Health Care and Public Health Defense

• Telehealth flexibilities extended for 151 days after the public health emergency ends, which Senator Tester requested.
• Removes the geographic requirements and expands originating sites
• Expand what providers can furnish telehealth services
• Allows audio-only telehealth services

• $8.45 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an increase of $582 million. This includes $200 million for public health infrastructure and capacity.
• $1 billion for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). ARPA-H will pursue new research and treatments for diseases like Alzheimer’s, infectious diseases, and cancer.
• $1.7 billion for Community Health Centers, an increase of $65 million.
• $366 million to support the Health Resources Services Administration’s rural health programs, an increase of $37 million.
• $45 billion for NIH, an increase of $2.25 billion.
• $410.453 million for the Institutional Development Awards (IDeA), an increase of $13.3 million. This program broadens the reach of NIH into rural and medically underserved communities.
• $6.54 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an increase of $530 billion.
• $315 million for Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers (CCBHCs), an increase of $65 million.
• $755 million for the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), an increase of $10 million. The CSBG is a formula grant to States and Tribes to provide a wide-range of services to alleviate causes of poverty in communities and to assist low-income individuals in becoming self-sufficient.
• $6.165 billion, an increase of $25.5 million, to support high-quality child care for working families through the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG).
• $11.036 billion for Head Start, increase of $288.7 million.
• $4.75 million to address the nursing workforce shortage in high need areas.
• Provides flexibilities for hospitals hurt by COVID to provide access to low cost prescription drugs through the 340B program.

Education and Vocational Training Investments

• $17.5 billion for Title I-A Grants to local educational agencies, an increase of $1 billion.
• $14.2 billion, an increase of $433 million, for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B State Grants program.
• $1.1 billion for TRIO, an increase of $40 million.
• $1.6 billion for Impact Aid, an increase of $56 million.
• The bill increases the discretionary portion of the maximum Pell grant award by $400, bringing the annual award to $6,895.
• $2.09 billion for career and technical education, an increase of $130 million
• $111 million within School Safety National Activities for Mental Health. Services Professional Demonstration Grants and School-Based Mental Health Services Grants, an increase of $95 million.
• $1.29 billion, an increase of $30 million, for 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which serves 1.6 million students across the country.
• $44 million for Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, an increase of $6 million above the FY21.
• $26 million for programs to support Native American Languages
• Expands Pell grant access for children of fallen heroes.

Transportation Infrastructure

• $350 million for the Essential Air Service.
• $178 million for Federal Aviation Administration’s contract tower program.
• $2.3 billion for Amtrak. Includes language requiring Amtrak to provide agents in any station that had a ticket agent position eliminated in FY18, including Havre and Shelby.
• $775 million for RAISE grant programs.
• $554 million for the Airport Improvement Program.
• Provision exempting certain livestock haulers from the Electronic Data Logging Devise mandate.

Wins for Affordable Housing and Development

• $2.41 billion for public housing agencies in administering the section 8 tenant-based rental assistance program, including HUD-VASH
• $5 million to Tribal HUD-VASH

• $1 billion for Native American housing programs, a $175 million increase
• $3 million for the Indian Housing Loan Guarantee Fund Program (Section 184)
• $3.3 billion for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program
• $11 billion in funding to construct new and repair old affordable housing and improve critical health, safety, and maintenance of public and low-income housing
• $1.5 billion for the HOME investment partnerships program, a $150 million increase
• $62.5 million for the self-help and assisted homeownership opportunity program
• $3.213 billion for Homeless Assistance Grants, including specific funding for rural housing stability assistance
• $166 million for Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (Neighborworks)

• $1 billion to NAHASDA, an increase of $177 million from FY21
• $772 million for Native American Housing Block Grants
• $150 million for competitive grants
• $72.08 million to Tribes carrying out Indian Community Development Block Grants
• $7 million to training and technical assistance to Tribes

• $3 million for the Indian Housing Loan Guarantee Fund Program