Merkley, Wyden announce long list of federally funded Oregon projects in Senate appropriations bills

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden,
D-Ore., announced Friday they have secured funding for essential community
projects across Oregon in the Fiscal Year 2023 Senate Appropriations bills,
including millions of dollars for Central Oregon agencies and
organizations. 

A total of 111 Oregon community-initiated projects were
included in the FY23 federal funding bills that will help meet critical needs
in every corner of the state, including investing in wildfire and drought
resiliency, affordable housing, health care, education, and much more, while
creating essential services and jobs.

“No one knows the unique needs of communities across Oregon
like the folks living and working in them,” said Merkley, who helped drive
inclusion of Oregon projects as the only Oregon member of Congress from either
chamber to serve on the Appropriations Committee since Senator Mark Hatfield.
“I joined the Committee in 2013 to ensure Oregon has a strong voice in
decisions about our nation’s investments. Community-initiated projects are an
incredible example of this, because these local and regional projects were
generated at the ground level by folks who are working to make their
communities better. I am pleased to have worked with my colleagues on the
committee and Senator Wyden to secure funding for 111 of these important
homegrown projects, and we’ll keep pushing to get them across the finish line
for Oregonians.”

“Oregonians have consistently told me during more than 1,000
town halls in each of our 36 counties how federal investments should reflect
their priorities to generate jobs in their communities, keep everybody safe and
build an even stronger quality of life across the state,” Wyden
said. “I’m gratified the teamwork with Oregonians who know their local
priorities best has produced such promising federal investments to strengthen
communities all across Oregon. Bottom line, our state’s communities are focused
on coming together to forge Oregon Way solutions that build a better state just
like these targeted investments, and I’ll keep battling to make sure these
projects advance.”

Both Senator Merkley and Senator Wyden hold a town hall in
each Oregon county every year and work hard to ensure that local feedback
informs every aspect of their work in Washington, D.C. This local feedback is
directly reflected in the projects that were chosen for potential federal
funding in this year’s bills.

Because of Senator Merkley’s position on the powerful
Appropriations Committee and key role pushing Oregon priorities in the drafting
of the bills, and the collaborative way that Senator Merkley and Wyden work
together to advocate for projects from Oregon, last year the two senators were
able to secure more projects for their home state than any other senators
besides Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

The following is a list of the most commented articles in
the last 7 days.

The 111 Oregon community-initiated projects were spread
out among bills produced by the Appropriations subcommittees, including 20
projects in the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies subcommittee, of
which Senator Merkley is Chair. The Senate bills next need to be merged with
legislation produced by the House of Representatives, a process expected later
in the year. The Senators will continue to advocate that the Oregon projects
are included in the combined bill.

The funds and projects secured by Senators Merkley and
Wyden, broken down by region, are as follows: 

Oregon Coast:

  • $10.528
    million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Port of Coos Bay Dredging
  • $4
    million for the Oregon Department of Administrative Services for Shutter
    Creek Rehabilitation and Renovations 
  • $4
    million for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Columbia River Channel
    Improvements
  • $3
    million for Nehalem Bay Health District for its Health Center and
    Pharmacy 
  • $2
    million for the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office for a Lincoln County Radio
    System Upgrade 
  • $1.2
    million for the Oregon Department of Transportation for its US101: Harbor
    Pedestrian Improvement Project 
  • $800,000
    for Oregon State University for the Blue-Tech Professional Training
    Program 
  • $750,000
    for Columbia Lutheran Charities for Emergency Operations and Logistics
    Renovations at Columbia Memorial Hospital
  • $750,000 for the
    Coquille Indian Tribe for Coquille River Salmon Conservation 
  • $702,000
    for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Umpqua River Project 
  • $625,000
    for the Tillamook Estuary Partnership for Climate Change
    Monitoring Instruments
  • $330,000
    for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Tillamook Bay and Bar
    Project 
  • $320,000
    for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Coquille River
  • $50,000
    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Skipanon Channel Project 

Click HERE for quotes from Oregon Coast
community-initiated project recipients 

Metro: 

  • $5
    million for the Oregon Food Bank for Facilities and Equipment in
    Multnomah, Wasco, and Malheur Counties 
  • $3
    million for Home Forward for the Troutdale Affordable Housing
    Project 
  • $3
    million for the City of Beaverton for the Beaverton Homelessness
    Shelter 
  • $3
    million for the City of Sherwood for the Tonquin Employment Area Access
    Project 
  • $2
    million for The Oregon Zoo for the Condor Restoration Project 
  • $2
    million for Central City Concern for the Portland River Haven &
    Recuperative Care Program Expansion Project
  • $1
    million for Proud Ground for its Expanding Permanently Affordable
    Homeownership Opportunities Project 
  • $1
    million for the Latino Network for La Plaza Esperanza 
  • $962,000
    for Washington County for Aloha Livable Community and Safe Access to
    Transit 
  • $850,000
    for Williams & Russel CDC for its Williams & Russell Project 
  • $814,000
    for Columbia Economic Team for the Columbia County Advanced and Additive
    Manufacturing Small Business Incubator 
  • $785,000
    for Portland State University for the Oregon Microplastics Research
    Center 
  • $750,000
    for NAMC-Oregon for Black-Owned Small Businesses and Economic
    Prosperity Project
  • $540,000
    for Lines for Life for its YouthLine National Expansion Project  
  • $500,000
    for Riverside Training Centers, Inc. for its Empowerment Center for People
    with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities 
  • $374,000
    for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for its Willamette River, OR
    Environmental Dredging Project 
  • $352,000
    for the City of Portland for its Legacy Business Preservation
    Project 
  • $340,000
    for the City of St. Helens, Oregon for St. Helens Law Enforcement
    Technology 
  • $252,000
    for the Children’s Center of Clackamas County for Community-Based Child
    Abuse Prevention 
  • $198,000
    for Scappoose Rural Fire District for its Fire and Aviation Workforce
    Training and Education Program for High School Students 
  • $163,000
    for SPOON for Online Training to Support Children at Risk for
    Malnutrition 
  • $108,000
    for Disability Rights Oregon to Enhance Services for People with
    Disabilities 

Click HERE for quotes from the metro area
community-initiated project recipients 

Willamette Valley:

  • $2.2
    million for the City of Carlton for the Sewer Collection Pipe Replacement
    Project 
  • $1.6
    million for the City of Falls City for the Water System Project
  • $1.5
    million for the City of Carlton for the West Main Street Revitalization
    Project 
  • $1
    million for the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency for the
    Santiam Lodge: A Transitional Home for Wildfire Survivors Project 
  • $1
    million for the State of Oregon for the Opal Creek Wilderness and Scenic
    Recreation Area Act Implementation Project
  • $1
    million for Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital for the Sweet Home Clinic
    and Urgent Care 
  • $850,00
    for Corvallis Neighborhood Housing Services Inc., DevNW for Community Land
    Trust Development 
  • $804,000
    for the Capaces Leadership Institute for Anahuac Farms Facilities and
    Equipment 
  • $500,000
    for Lane Community College for its LCC Simulation Laboratory 
  • $412,000
    for the Capaces Leadership Institute for its Anahuac Farm & Cultural
    Center Infrastructure Build Project 
  • Infrastructure
    Build Project 
  • $500,000
    for the Sheridan School District for the Barbara Roberts Career Technical
    School 
  • $275,000
    for White Bird Clinic for its White Bird Clinic Mental Health Center
    Renovation Project 
  • $195,000
    for Looking Glass Community Services for At-Risk Youth Rural Program
    Building Renovation & Program Expansion 
  • $83,000
    for the City of Dallas for its Emergency Operations Center

Click HERE for quotes from Willamette Valley region
community-initiated project recipients

Mid-Columbia/Central
Oregon:

  • $5
    million for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs for Drinking Water
    Infrastructure 
  • $3.445
    million for the North Unit Irrigation District for the Crooked River
    Water Quality and Supply Reliability Pumping Plant Feasibility Study 
  • $3.088
    million for the La Pine Community Health Center for Health Center
    Expansion 
  • $3
    million for the Columbia Cascade Housing Corporation for Hood River
    Affordable Housing 
  • $2.548
    million for the Lone Pine Irrigation District for its Authorized Watershed
    Plan 
  • $2.5
    million for East Fork Irrigation District for its Authorized Watershed
    Plan 
  • $2.5
    million for the Ochoco Irrigation District for McKay Creek
    Infrastructure 
  • $2
    million for the City of Redmond for Water System Construction 
  • $1.380
    million for Oregon State University-Cascades for Little Kits Childcare
    Centers 
  • $1.019
    million for the Wheeler County Office of Emergency Management for its
    Radio System Upgrade 
  • $975,000
    for the City of Mosier for the Mosier Community Center and Fire
    Station 
  • $960,000
    for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the John Day Lock & Dam 
  • $800,000
    for the Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity for Affordable Housing
    Development in Central Oregon 
  • $700,000
    for the U.S. Forest Service for Deschutes National Forest for Recreational
    Access 
  • $441,000
    for the Columbia Gorge Community College for Advanced Manufacturing Skills
    and Equipment 
  • $400,000
    for the Mid-Columbia Community Action Council for The Dalles Navigation
    Center Micro-Shelters 
  • $153,000
    for the Central Oregon Community College for Madras Campus Health Careers
    Expansion 
  • $115,000
    for Hood River Crag Rats for Historic Cloud Cap Inn Reroofing 

Click HERE for quotes from community-initiated
project recipients in the Mid-Columbia and Central Oregon regions 

Eastern Oregon: 

  • $6
    million to Camp Umatilla for Housing Facilities Construction
  • $3.5
    million for the City of Burns for Water System Improvements
  • $3
    million for Owyhee Irrigation District for its Kingman Lateral Pipeline
    Project 
  • $3
    million for Treasure Valley Community College for its Nursing & Allied
    Health Professions Center 
  • $2.82
    million for City of Paisley for Water System Improvements 
  • $2
    million for Union County Emergency Services for its Union County Radio
    System Upgrade Project 
  • $1.855
    million for the Burns Paiute Tribe for its Burns Paiute Tribal Community
    Wellness Center Retrofit  
  • $1.7
    million for Morrow County to address Drinking Water Contamination in
    Northeast Oregon
  • $1.5
    million for the City of Pendleton for its Highway 11/30 Housing Expansion
    project 
  • $1.25
    million for Community Counseling Solutions for its Grant County Health
    Center 
  • $1
    million for City of Irrigon for its Business Opportunity Incubator 
  • $940,00
    for the Burns Paiute Tribe for the US Highway 20 Wildlife Connectivity
    Project 
  • $700,000
    for facility improvements at the Pendleton Agricultural Research Service
    Station
  • $602,000
    for the City of Prairie City for Water Distribution System
    Improvements 
  • $515,000
    for the La Grande School District for its Students Addressing Housing
    Shortage Through Home Construction Trade Skills Project 
  • $500,000
    for Harney County Senior and Community Services for its High Desert
    Veterans Village 
  • $408,000
    for facilities improvements at the Burns Agricultural Research
    Service Station 
  • $386,000
    for the Winding Waters Medical Clinic for its Wallowa County Oregon
    Primary Care Clinic Construction Project 
  • $299,000
    for the Grant County Sheriff’s Office for Emergency Management Operations
    Center Modernization
  • $250,000
    for the Harney Watershed Council for Harney Basin Water Resource Planning
    Support
  • $221,000
    for Harney County for its Generator for Continuity of Operations
    Project 
  • $177,000
    to Morrow County for the Primary EOC Generator Project 

Click HERE for quotes from Eastern Oregon
community-initiated project recipients 

Southern Oregon:

  • $5
    million for the Talent Irrigation District for the Billings Siphon and
    Eastside Canal Project
  • $5
    million for the construction of communications facilities
    at Kingsley Field 
  • $3.615
    million for Rogue Community College for the Allied Health Facility
    Renovation 
  • $3.557
    million for the Klamath County Economic Development Association for the
    Transformations Wellness Center  
  • $3.5
    million for Oregon State University for Elliott State Research Forest
    Monitoring Equipment 
  • $2.095
    million for Adapt, Inc for SW Oregon Regional Recovery Center 
  • $2
    million for Southern Oregon University for its Forging Oregon’s Renewable
    Energy Source Transition Through Reimagining Education + Energy (FOREST
    TREE) Project 
  • $2
    million for the City of Grants Pass for its Water Treatment Plant
    Relocation Project
  • $2.2
    million for facilities improvements at Cole Rivers
    Hatchery 
  • $1.444
    million for City of Medford for its Radio System Upgrade 
  • $1.2
    million for the Bureau of Land Management for the Cascade Siskiyou
    National Monument 
  • $1.120
    million for Medford Irrigation District for its Floating Community Solar
    Project 
  • $1
    million for CASA of Oregon for the Redevelopment of Talent Mobile
    Estates 
  • $1
    million for Kid Time Discovery Experience for Southern Oregon Childcare
    Capacity Expansion 
  • $430,00
    for Bandon Community Health Center for the Expansion of Health
    Center Project
  • $355,000
    for Douglas County for its Radio System Upgrade 
  • $300,000
    for Oasis Center of the Rogue Valley for its Family-Focused Recovery
    Center with Emergency Housing 
  • $241,000
    for Douglas County for an Emergency Mobile Command Center 

Click HERE for quotes from Southern Oregon
community-initiated project recipients

In another Merkley news release Friday: 

Merkley Announces
Essential Investments in Oregon Families  

Funding included in draft 2023 spending bills will boost
affordable housing, health care, mental health, education, and more
 

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator
Jeff Merkley today announced critical investments in housing, health
care, mental health, and education for Oregon families through FY23 Senate
Appropriations bills. 

“At a time when working families are struggling with
rising prices on everything from rent to prescription drugs to gas and
groceries, it’s critical that our nation prioritizes quality, affordable health
care, housing, and education—and that’s exactly what these new funding bills
do,” Merkley said. “The
legislation includes significant investments in federal programs that support
affordable housing, health care, research, and education, which will have a big
impact for families across Oregon. This bill delivers in a big way for our
state and the nation, and I’ll keep pushing to ensure these critical
investments become reality.” 

Merkley is the only Oregon member of Congress from
either chamber since Senator Mark Hatfield to serve on the Appropriations
Committee, considered to be one of the most powerful on Capitol Hill. He joined
the committee in 2013 so that Oregon would have a strong voice in decisions
about the investments our nation should be making. 

Key elements to benefit Oregon families
that Merkley fought to include in the funding bills include: 

Housing 

Affordable
Housing
As rural and urban communities across Oregon continue to
experience housing crises, the bill includes an increase for affordable housing
programs for some of Oregon’s most vulnerable people—low-income families,
seniors, and people with disabilities, including $14.7 billion for housing unit
specific rental assistance. The bill also protects funding for housing programs
that benefit the elderly and people with disabilities. 

Fair Market
Rents: 
Building on significant positive fair market rent changes due
to Merkley’s language in the fiscal year 2018 bill, the bill sets a 90-day
timeline for the Department of Housing and Urban Development to find better
ways to measure the fair and accurate cost of a rental unit. This is a
significant step forward in the battle to address the affordable housing crisis
by ensuring that vouchers keep pace with the real cost of rent in competitive
rental markets. 

Rural Housing: The
Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP) and Rural Capacity Building
Program received $17 million and $6 million, respectively. SHOP provides funds
for non-profit sweat-equity homebuilders, such as Habitat for Humanity, to
cover land purchases and infrastructure costs. The Rural Capacity funds are
intended to build the capacity of rural low-income housing non-profits by
providing training, information, technical assistance, and financing. 

HUD-Veterans
Affairs Supportive Housing: 
The program received an additional $85
million to provide rental assistance vouchers for homeless veterans, along with
case management and clinical services. This increase will provide an
estimated 7,460 new rent vouchers for veterans experiencing homelessness,
and when combined with prior year appropriations and available unleased
vouchers, has the potential to eliminate veteran homelessness based on the most
recent complete data available.  These vouchers have been critical to
reducing veterans’ homelessness by 49 percent since 2010. 

Homeless
Assistance and Prevention: 
The bill includes $3.55billion for
Homeless Assistance Grants, a $340 million increase that will benefit
organizations across Oregon. Within that appropriation, rapid rehousing
programs for victims of domestic violence received an additional $53 million;
homeless youth programs received $107 million; and Emergency Solutions
Grants—particularly important to the Portland metro area—received $290million
to support street outreach, emergency shelter, homelessness prevention, rapid
re-housing assistance.  

HOME Investment
Partnerships Program: 
The bill includes $1.725 billion for the
program to provide states and localities with flexible resources to respond to
their affordable housing challenges, including rental housing and paths to
homeownership for low-income families. 

Neighborhood
Reinvestment Corporation: 
The program, also known as NeighborWorks
America, received $170 million. The national nonprofit offers support for
affordable housing and community development through public-private
partnerships. President Trump’s proposal would have eliminated this program,
crippling its six locations across Oregon. 

Community
Development:
 the bipartisan bill includes $3.5 billion for the
Community Development Block Grant Program. This program funds vital housing
rehabilitation, supportive services, public improvements and economic
development projects in communities across Oregon and the nation while
encouraging local investment.

Health Care 

Nursing: The bill includes $318 million to
support nurses in Oregon and across the country. Merkley led 40
senators in a letter to the committee leaders to push for an increase in
federal funding for nursing workforce development programs.  

Reproductive
Health Care:
 The bill includes increases in funding for the
full scope of reproductive health care programs, including nearly double
funding for the Title X Family Planning Program and $130 million for teen
pregnancy prevention. 

Child and
Maternal Health: 
The
bill includes $1.25 billion for programs to improve maternal and child
health, including $496 million to combat this country’s maternal mortality
crisis and $25 million in new funding to increase training and support for
Certified Nurse Midwives with a focus on practitioners working in rural and
underserved communities. 

Mental and
Behavioral Health Care:
 
The bill includes $1.42 billion for the
Mental Health Block Grant to improve community mental health services in all 50
states. Oregon benefited from over $22 million in program funding in years
prior. The bill includes an increase of $625 million for suicide prevention
programs, including increased funding for the 9-8-8 and the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline.   

Medical Research: The bill includes a $2 billion
increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health, totaling $48 billion
in the fight against cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and other devastating
diseases. The bill also includes funding to further research and provide a more
comprehensive understanding of COVID-19, including susceptibility and long
COVID.   

Community Health
Centers:
 The bill
includes $1.92 billion in funding to support ongoing efforts to increase
accessibility of medical services through community health centers. These
centers serve a vital role in ensuring access to primary care for underserved
communities. 

Rebuilding our
Public Health System: Bolstering our public health infrastructure
is a matter of both public health and national security, and this bill includes
a $2 billion increase for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to
address the current COVID-19 pandemic and respond to future public health
challenges. The bill also includes flexible funding for federal agencies to
assess and respond to monkeypox virus (MPV) in Oregon and nationwide. 

Education 

Institute of
Education Sciences: 
The
bill includes $831million to support innovation, research, and evaluation in
education, including evaluating strategies to combat learning loss from the
COVID-19 pandemic. Merkley led 19 senators in a letter to the
committee advocating for this investment. 

Migrant Education: The bill includes over $59 million
for programs for migrant students and seasonal farmworkers. Through this
program, higher education and non-profit organizations can receive funding to
give migrant and seasonal farmworkers and their children the opportunity to
attend higher education or earn their GED. Oregon State University, Chemeketa
Community College, Portland Community College, Treasure Valley Community
College, and community-based organizations in Oregon receive funds through this
program. 

Accessible
Education: 
The bill
includes $15.3 billion, a $1.9 billion increase, for the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act 
(IDEA) state grants program, including funding to assist
states in providing a free, appropriate education for children with disabilities
and provide support services for over 7.6 million students nationwide. 

Student Support: The bill includes $1.275 billion for
TRIO, a suite of eight educational programs that supports students from
first-generation college students and individuals from disadvantaged
backgrounds; as the first person in his family to go to
college, Merkley knows firsthand the value of this type of support
and has been a fierce advocate for the funding. The bill also includes a $500
increase in the maximum Pell Grant award, the cornerstone of student financial
aid, which would increase the total maximum Pell grant award to $7,395 for the
2023 – 2024 school year. 

Career Training: The bill includes $2.2 billion, a
$155 million increase, for Career, Technical and Adult Education, which
supports the workforce and economy by training young people to fill in-demand,
twenty-first century jobs. 

Community
Services Block Grants: 
The
bill includes $770 million for the program which provides critical support for
rural Oregon communities. Merkley led 30 senators in a letter to the
committee pushing to preserve and increase funding for the program. 

Community
Service: 
The bill
funds AmeriCorps VISTA volunteers at $105 million; Senior Corps programs at
$240 million; and State AmeriCorps grants at $492million. 

The next step for the bill is merging with a counterpart
bill from the U.S. House of Representatives in order to be passed by both
chambers and signed into law.

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