Schatz: Billions in federal funding released in first half of bipartisan appropriations bill

Hawai‘i US Sen. Brian Schatz reported Monday that congressional leaders have released billions of dollars in federal funding for critical needs in Hawai‘i.

Schatz, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said he successfully secured funding for Hawai‘i priorities in the final deal.

“Hawai‘i is set to receive billions in new federal funding,” Schatz said. “The new funding will improve our roads and infrastructure, provide people with housing, food assistance, and other essential services, and cover significant costs for the state and help address its budget challenges.”

The first half of the funding deal will be considered by Congress this week. The second half, which will include additional funding for health, education and other key programs for Hawai‘i, is expected to be released in two weeks.

Funding highlights for Maui County:

Port Infrastructure, $7.5 million. Funding will support US Army Corps of Engineers public works projects in Hawai‘i, including work for the Kahului Harbor, the Mānele Small Boat Harbor on Lāna‘i and Kalaeloa Harbor on O‘ahu.

Bus and transit, $16.6 billion (nationwide). The Maui Bus is included in funding distributed among the states and counties for the operation and capital costs associated with the operation of public transit systems. On other islands, this includes TheBus, Kauaʻi Bus, Hele-On Bus, and The Handi-Van fleets.

Airport agricultural inspections, $35.5 million (nationwide). In Hawai‘i, this program helps to fund federal agricultural inspectors at airports on Maui, Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, and Hawai‘i Island. The appropriation recognizes that it’s critical to conduct inspections at Neighbor Island airports for passengers to connect directly to Mainland flights.

Hawai‘i highlights:

Native Hawaiian housing, $22.3 million. Schatz said that, as chair of both the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Housing, he worked to secure funding for the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant Program. It provides financial assistance for Native Hawaiian families to obtain new homes, make renovations, build community facilities and receive housing services, including counseling, financial literacy and other critical resources to address housing disparities. This year’s funding level preserves the record high from the last two years.

Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), $7 billion (nationwide), a $1 billion increase from last year. The bill fully funds WIC, avoiding shortfalls that would have resulted in 2 million pregnant women and children being turned away from the program for the first time in decades. This increase retains essential benefits for the 25,000 WIC participants in Hawai‘i.

Community health centers, $4.4 billion (nationwide), a $400 million increase from last year and a projected $1.3 million increase for Hawai‘i. Continued funding for 14 of Hawai‘i’s federally qualified community health centers providing high-quality and affordable primary and preventive care, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, vision and complementary services to rural and medically underserved communities.

Affordable housing and community development, $4.7 billion (nationwide). This bill addresses Hawai‘i’s critical housing shortage by supporting programs to help Hawai‘i build more housing. Specifically, the bill includes:

• $100 million for the “Yes In My Back Yard” grant program, a $15 million increase over fiscal year 2023. Schatz said he created this program to incentivize state and local governments to change their zoning and land use laws and regulations that too often unfairly limit the amount of housing that can be built where it’s needed.
• $3.3 billion for the Community Development Block Grant formula program, which supports development for low-income communities.
• $1.3 billion for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program. The HOME program is the primary federal tool for state and local governments to produce affordable rental and owner-occupied housing. This funding level will lead to the construction of more than 7,000 new rental and homebuyer units.

Highways and bridges, $63 billion (nationwide). The funding is distributed from the Highway Trust Fund to states for highway maintenance and new construction of bridges, roads, and bike and pedestrian paths.

Homelessness assistance, $4 billion (nationwide). As chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Housing, Schatz said he secured a $418 million increase above fiscal year 2023. In addition to sustaining investments for existing projects, addressing youth homelessness, and supporting survivors of domestic violence, the bill provides:

• $100 million for permanent supportive housing, a $25 million increase over fiscal year 2023
• $25 million for an inflationary adjustment for supportive service projects so that providers can hire and retain qualified personnel
• $2.5 million for direct technical assistance to communities that are leveraging other funds, like Medicaid, to connect individuals experiencing homelessness to housing-related services and behavioral healthcare. Hawai‘i is receiving technical assistance to better connect services now.

National Estuarine Research Reserve, including He‘eia, $33.3 million (nationwide), an $800,000 increase from last year. Funding will be shared among system sites, including the He‘eia National Estuarine Research Reserve on O‘ahu. This site demonstrates the value of Native Hawaiian taro cultivation and fishpond aquaculture to maintain a healthy ecosystem.

Species management research, $6 million. The funding will support the National Park Service’s work to protect Hawaiian forest birds and habitat using mosquito control and habitat conservation in national parks.

The Native American Veteran Housing Loan Program, $2.7 million (nationwide), a $1.3 million increase. This funding will support Veterans Administration home loans to assist veterans in purchasing, constructing and improving homes.

Native Hawaiian and Alaska native-serving institutions, $5 million. The funding provides competitive grants to Native Hawaiian-serving institutions to carry out education, applied research and community development programs.

Native community development capacity building, $1 million. This funding from HUD’s Section 4 program is for nonprofit organizations to carry out affordable housing and community development activities to support American Indian, Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native communities.

Veterans Affairs medical care, $121 billion (nationwide), a $2.3 billion increase from last year. Funding will be used for:

• Rural health: increases funding to support improved access to care for veterans living in rural areas, including expanded access to transportation and telehealth.
• Caregivers: increases funding to help VA implement the VA caregiver program.
• Women’s health: increases funding for gender-specific health care services, as well as initiatives and improvements to healthcare facilities.
• Veteran homelessness prevention: increases funding for critical services and housing assistance for veterans and their families experiencing housing insecurity.
• Mental health: increases funding for veterans mental health services, including suicide prevention outreach.
• Child care: expands the Child Care Pilot Program to eliminate barriers for veterans in need of child care while attending medical appointments.

Native tourism assistance, $3 million (nationwide). The Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience (NATIVE) Act, which Senator Schatz introduced and successfully passed into law, requires federal agencies with recreational or tourism functions to include Native Americans and Native Hawaiians in their management plans. This bill directs improved implementation of the law and provides more than $3 million in total dedicated technical assistance funding across multiple agencies.

WaterSMART Water Efficiency Program, $54 million (nationwide). The grant funding is used to help states conserve and use water more efficiently; increase the production of hydropower; mitigate conflict risk in areas at a high risk of future water conflict; and accomplish other benefits that contribute to water supply reliability. This year, Schatz pushed for report language directing the Bureau of Reclamation to conduct outreach in newly eligible states, like Hawaiʻi, which only became eligible for WaterSMART as a result of Senator Schatz’s SECURE Water Amendments Act.

Energy Transitions Initiative, $15 million (Hawai‘i and Puerto Rico), a $5 million increase from last year. The Energy Transitions Initiative helps remote and island communities design their own clean energy and resilience solutions to address high energy costs and reliability issues, with help from world-class US Department of Energy experts. The program recently gave awards to Kaua‘i and Honolulu.

Ocean carbon removal research, $10 million (nationwide). The funding will be used for ocean-based carbon removal research, including funding for research into biological processes like using naturally occurring kelp or algae to manage carbon emissions.

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, $1.2 million. This funding supports science-based management, research and education for the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and the Hawaiian Island Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

Minority Business Development Agency, $5 million (nationwide). The agency funds grants for Native Hawaiian, American Indian and Alaska Native entities. In Hawai‘i, the grants will help Native Hawaiian organizations qualified to provide business, financing and technical assistance.

Endangered Hawaiian Marine Species Protection, $11.7 million. $4.6 million in funding will continue to support conservation and recovery of monk seals, the only seal species in the world that lives in only one nation’s territorial waters, with research on vaccination and disease prevention (morbillivirus and toxoplasmosis). Another $5.6 million will support sea turtle conservation activities such as continued monitoring of endangered turtle populations and the impacts of habitat loss, and $1.5 million will support investigations into interactions between fisheries and false killer whales.

Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native culture and art, $1.8 million (Hawai‘i and Alaska), a $250,000 increase from last year. Under the National Recreation and Preservation programs, Senator Schatz secured funding for grants to nonprofit organizations or institutions that support programs for Native Hawaiian or Alaska Native culture and arts development.

Volcano monitoring, $37.5 million. The funding supports the National Volcano Early Warning and Monitoring System and Volcanic Hazard Assessments to give Hawai‘i residents warning of volcanic activity and keep people safe in the event of an emergency.

Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park and Kalaupapa National Historical Park, $43 million. The new funding from the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Funds supports infrastructure to facilitate the parks operations with installations of new fuel tanks and water treatment systems.

Macadamia Nut Health Initiative, $1 million. This funding will support research to combat and control the felted macadamia nut coccid to improve the production of this iconic Hawaiian crop.

Coffee Leaf Rust Research, $1.2 million (nationwide). This funding will support development of science-based management strategies, extension services and research on varieties of coffee that are resistant to coffee leaf rust.

State of the Birds Research, $5.3 million, a $500,000 increase from last year. State of the Birds activities are dedicated to stopping the bird extinction crisis in Hawai‘i. More than 90 Hawaiian bird species have gone extinct, and nine listed Hawaiian bird species are in decline. These funds are crucial to prevent further extinctions as climate change, habitat degradation and destruction, and other human and environmental impacts threaten to reach crisis levels.

Tropical grazing land pest management, $1 million. This funding will support science-based pest management strategies for invasive insect species that affect tropical grazing lands, such as the two-lined spittlebug attacking Hawai‘i Island’s pasture lands.

Geographically Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers, $3.5 million (nationwide). This funding reimburses geographically disadvantaged producers in Hawai‘i, Alaska and insular areas with a portion of the cost to transport agricultural commodities or inputs used to produce an agricultural commodity.

Food Security Microgrants, $2 million. This funding will help individuals and groups in Hawai‘i purchase tools, soil, seeds, plants, animals, composting units, gardening systems and other necessities for growing and preserving food. The funds can also be used to expand areas under cultivation, extend the growing season, build or repair livestock fencing, travel to agricultural education programs, expand the sale of locally grown crops and meats, and to engage in other activities that increase food security.

Coral Reef Conservation, $33.5 million (nationwide). This funding supports NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program. It addresses the top threats to coral reef ecosystems in Hawai‘i and across the country. Working with partners, NOAA develops place-based strategies, measures the effectiveness of management efforts and builds capacity among reef managers globally.

Hawaiian Homelands, $500,000. The funding the Department of the Interior’s Office of Native Hawaiian Relations will be used to help carry out land assessments, including up to $200,000 to add capacity related to infrastructure programs.

Air Traffic Controller Staffing and Air Travel Modernization, $20 billion (nationwide). This funding will allow the Federal Aviation Administration to continue its air traffic controller hiring surge by adding 1,800 new controllers, improving training facilities at the air traffic controller academy and addressing the reliability of critical IT and telecommunications legacy systems. The bill also includes funding for Airport Improvement Program grants to reduce emissions at airports, build airport infrastructure necessary to support unleaded fuels and sustainable aviation fuels and build resiliency at airports in the face of climate change and worsening natural disasters.

STEM Apprenticeship and Workforce Development, $2.5 million (nationwide). These grants create and expand apprenticeship and other workforce development models in the fast-growing science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, helping people get the skills they need to find jobs in these areas.

State and Community Energy Programs, $493 million (nationwide). This funding establishes state Department of Energy offices to help communities evaluate their energy needs and facilitate federal funding opportunities for new development.

Veterans Crisis Line, $300 million (nationwide). The funding for Department of Veterans Affairs’ 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, including support for appropriate staffing for call centers and back-up centers and to provide the necessary training for call center staff to respond to callers.

Tsunami program, $28.5 million (nationwide). The NOAA Tsunami Program provides funding to coastal states for preparedness activities such as inundation mapping, disaster planning and tsunami education. Funding includes support for tsunami monitoring, forecasts and a grant program.

Improved data for weather forecasting, $30 million (nationwide), a $5.3 million increase from last year. NOAA’s Mesonet Program purchases weather data from non-federal networks to supply fine resolution data that can greatly enhance forecasts.

Regional Innovation Program, $50 million (nationwide). At least $40 million of this funding will go to the i6 challenge program. It helps build regional capacity and translates innovations into jobs by providing assistance to innovators and entrepreneurs. At least $8 million will go to the B2S Capital Challenge, which seeks to support investment funds that provide the capital that allows startups to grow and scale.

Clean energy research for the military, $27.5 million (nationwide). This funding supports the Navy’s alternative energy research programs, including those in Hawai‘i that are working to make the Navy and its installations more resilient and less reliant on fossil fuels.

Other highlights:

Increased Medicare payments to physicians. The bill includes a 1.7% increase in Medicare payments to physicians, which nearly completely reverses cuts that took effect on Jan. 1. Funding protects access to care for the nearly 300,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Hawai‘i.

Compacts of Free Association (COFA). The appropriations package contains language that would extend key agreements with the Freely Associated States — the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia — which are critical for the health and well-being of their people, US national security and Indo-Pacific democracy and good governance.

Center for Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and US-Affiliated Pacific Islander Health. The bill reaffirms appreciation for American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and US-Affiliated Pacific Islander military service and recognizes the challenges they have in securing the benefits they have earned. The bill requires reporting on access to VA benefits and supports the establishment of the Center for Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and US-Affiliated Pacific Islanders Health.