Press Releases

Hickenlooper, Senate Pass Bill to Fund Colorado Priorities, Aid to Ukraine  

Mar 11, 2022

Includes funding Hickenlooper sought for clean energy, wildfire management, workforce training, small business, and more

Washington, D.C. – Late yesterday, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper joined a 68-31 bipartisan vote to pass the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) omnibus government funding bill, which includes emergency aid to Ukraine and funding for numerous Colorado priorities. The bill also reauthorizes the Violence Against Women Act, which lapsed in 2019.

“The Senate came together to invest in American innovation, entrepreneurship, and our clean energy future,” said Hickenlooper. “This funding will help build a 21st century economy where every Coloradan has an opportunity to succeed.”

Funding for Hickenlooper priorities included in the bill:

  • $3.2 billion to promote a clean, affordable, and secure energy transition through the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, which includes NREL in Golden.
  • $7.5 billion for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science and $5.9 billion for NOAA, including a significant increase for climate research.
  • $5.5 billion for wildland fire management and $8.3 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers to address water infrastructure and drought.
  • $900 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
  • $2.1 billion for career and technical workforce education and $24.6 billion for student financial aid, including a $400 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award.
  • $8.5 billion for the CDC, including $200 million in new, flexible funding for public health infrastructure and capacity and $61 million to strengthen the public health workforce.
  • $8.9 billion for the Health Resources and Services Administration, including $366 million for rural health programs and $1 billion for maternal and child health.
  • $173 billion for federal nutrition programs and $53 billion for housing assistance.
  • $9.8 billion for the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, which includes $2.9 billion for state workforce innovation grants and $235 million for apprenticeships.
  • $24 billion for NASA, including $7.6 billion for advanced research with an emphasis on earth science to tackle climate change, robust funding for the Artemis program, and $1.1 billion for technology development such as orbital debris removal.
  • $8.8 billion for the National Science Foundation – the largest increase in 12 years – and $1.2 billion for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), including construction funding for the Boulder campus.
  • $1  billion for small business, including the Minority Business Development Agency, community development financial institutions, and entrepreneurial development programs.
  • $9.8 billion for global health initiatives, including pandemic preparedness.
  • $100 billion to deliver, modernize, and improve medical care for veterans.
  • $18.8 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, a 10 percent increase.
  • $4 billion for rural development, including $550 million in dedicated broadband funding.
  • $525 million for the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program to offset lost property tax revenue for counties with significant federal lands.
  • $28.9 million to return RTD’s deposit to secure a federal loan to develop Denver’s Union Station. Hickenlooper’s bill requiring the Department of Transportation to quickly return $28.9 million, plus interest, for a deposit that RTD made on a federal loan related to Denver’s Union Station passed last year.

Hickenlooper also successfully included $100.4 million in funding for 64 Colorado projects through the congressionally directed spending (CDS) process. A full list of those projects is available HERE.

Other priorities Hickenlooper helped secure:

  • Aid to Ukraine: $13.6 billion for humanitarian, security, and economic assistance, as well as sanctions enforcement.
  • Cybersecurity: Legislation Hickenlooper co-sponsored to require cyber incidents to be reported to DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) within 72 hours. NIST is also directed to establish a National Initiative for Improving Cybersecurity in Supply Chains to ensure the security of the technology supply chain.
  • Disaster Relief: For disasters in 2020 and 2021, federal cost-share for FEMA disaster response and recovery increases from 75% to at least 90%.
  • Violence Against Women Act: Hickenlooper co-sponosored legislation to reauthorize VAWA, which supports victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, through 2027.
  • Armed Services: 2.7 percent pay raise for active duty service members.
  • Immigration: Increases the cap on H-2B visas if the Department of Homeland Security determines that the needs of U.S. businesses cannot be satisfied with U.S. workers.
  • University Space Consortium: Secured $10 million to establish a university network, which includes University of Colorado, to support the development of space technologies to advance the capabilities of the U.S. Space Force.

The bill now heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

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