Congress Passes Several National Urban League Priorities in FY 2023 Omnibus Spending Package

Recently, Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, issued the following statement after Congress passed the Omnibus Spending package for fiscal year 2023:

“The Omnibus Spending package provides critical funding for federal government operations and community projects, including many of the National Urban League’s top priorities. We are grateful to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Charles Schumer, the Congressional Black Caucus, and our other allies in Congress for their advocacy and support of the Urban League movement and the programs we bring to communities across the country.”

“Nine Urban League affiliates also secured funding for 11 projects in their communities in the Omnibus Spending bill. The projects covered entrepreneurial development, workforce training, financial literacy programs, and childcare services.”

“We celebrate the investments and laws incorporated in this package, including the Electoral Counts Act, which will safeguard our democracy, and the Pregnant Worker Fairness Act, which will protect pregnant women from workplace discrimination. Still, we regret that Congress could not come together to expand and extend the child tax credit, close crack-powder cocaine sentencing disparities, and protect access to Medicaid for the families who need it most, amongst other priorities. The National Urban League will start the New Year by calling on the 118th Congress to finish this work on behalf of the American people.”

In addition to community projects, the following federal programs funded in the Omnibus package are top priorities of the National Urban League, according to a press release:

Department Of Commerce

• $498 million to the Economic Development Administration
• $70 million for the Minority Business Development Administration (MBDA)
• $62 million for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
• $1.49 billion to the Census Bureau

Department Of Justice

• $107 million for Youth Mentoring in Juvenile Justice Programs
• $16 million for grants to train State and local law enforcement officers on racial profiling, de-escalation, and duty to intervene
• $25 million for Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention and Prosecution Grants
• $10,000,000 for grants authorized under the NO HATE Crime Act.
• $10,000,000 for grants provided under the Community-Based Approaches to Advancing Justice program.
• $15 million in support of the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act, to investigate and prosecute unresolved civil rights era “cold case” murders
• $125 million for Second Chance Act grants
• $125 million for grants to help States improve their submissions into the National Instant Criminal Background Check system for gun purchases.
• $25 million for the Community Relations Service (CRS)
• $3 million to the Community Policing Development (CPD) for grants to support tolerance, diversity, and anti-bias training programs offered by organizations with well-established experience training law enforcement personnel and criminal justice professionals.

U.S. Commission On Civil Rights

• $2 million for the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys.

Department Of Labor

• $4.1 billion for Training and Employment Services
• $115 million for Reentry of Ex-offenders
• $885.6 million for Adult Employment and Training
• $948 million for Youth Employment and Training
• $105 million for the YouthBuild program
• $285 million for Registered Apprenticeship programs
• $405 million for Senior Community Service Employment Program (Community Service Employment for Older Americans)
• $1.9 billion for DOL’s worker protection agencies
• $111 million for the Office of Federal Contract Compliance

Department Of Education

• $1.3 billion for Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers
• $18.4 billion for Title I grants
• $7,395 for the maximum Pell Grant
• $1.02 billion to strengthen primarily Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in the Aid for Institutional Development account, including–

• $396 million for HBCUs,
• $228 million for Hispanic Serving Institutions
• $52 million for Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities
• $129 million for the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP)

• $140 million for the Office For Civil Rights

Department Of Health and Human Services

• $108 million for safe motherhood.
• $220 million for the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative.
• $3.3 billion for HIV/AIDS research.
• $39.8 million for the Office for Civil Rights to ensure protection of civil rights in healthcare.
• $286 million for Title X Family Planning
• $74.8 million for the Office of Minority Health
• $35 billion for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
• $681.9 million to enhance immunization efforts for the CDC Section 317 Vaccine Immunization Program

Department Of Housing And Urban Development

• $30.3 billion for Tenant-Based Rental Assistance
• $8.5 billion for Public Housing including $3.2 billion for public housing capital needs to improve the quality and safety of public housing for more than 1.7 million residents.
• $499 million for Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS to protect housing and services for more than 62,400 low-income people living with HIV.
• $350 million to revitalize low-income housing and distressed communities by funding the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative
• $3.3 billion for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program
• $1.5 billion for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program
• $57.5 million for Housing Counseling assistance for renters, homeowners, and those considering homeownership
• $86.4 million for Fair Housing Activities to increase enforcement in fair housing
• $410 million for Lead Hazard Reduction
• $225 million for Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) program

Environmental Protection Agency

• $1.67 billion for the Clean and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds for wastewater treatment works and drinking water facilities impacted by Hurricanes Fiona and Ian and including $600 million to address the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi.

Election Assistance Commission (EAC)

• $75 million for Election Security Grants, equal to the FY 22 enacted level, to augment State efforts to improve the security and integrity of elections for Federal office.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

• Supports efforts to expand broadband access, improve the security of U.S. telecommunications networks, and administer COVID-19 relief programs.

Small Business Administration

• $320 million for Entrepreneurial Development Programs, including: $140 million for Small Business Development Centers; $41 million for Microloan Technical Assistance;  and $27 million for Women’s Business Centers.

• $858 million in emergency supplemental funding for SBA’s Disaster Loans Program to support requirements for Hurricanes Fiona, Ian, and other disaster loan programs administered by SBA.

Department Of Treasury

• $324 million for Community Development Financial Institutions
• $12.3 billion for the Internal Revenue Service including funding to improve customer service.