Illinois Congresswoman Bustos Secures Rural Priorities in Labor, Health and Human Services and Education
Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17), a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, helped advance out of Committee a comprehensive labor, health and human services and education funding bill that would bring significant federal investments to promote rural health and wellbeing.
“From the doctor’s office to the classroom, families in rural communities face significant barriers,” said Congresswoman Bustos. “Throughout my decade in Congress, I’ve worked to make sure the Heartland and its unique labor market is never left behind. This means ensuring our schools and medical facilities are fully staffed and that federal programs to improve physical and mental health reach our rural communities. The funding package we advanced today will support critical work to improve the health and wellbeing of rural residents in the years to come.”
Cheri Bustos of Moline is in her 4th term as Congresswoman for Illinois’ 17th District.
Congresswoman Bustos secured the following priorities in the package:
- $92 million for Social Determinants of Health Accelerator Plans: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Social Determinants of Health Accelerator Plans fund programs to fight social factors that harm long-term health. The funding included in this bill aligns with Congresswoman Bustos’ Social Determinants Accelerator Act to improve health outcomes for communities facing health disparities.
- $10 million for the National Health Service Corps Rural Demonstration Project: This bill includes $10 million for a pilot program in the National Health Service Corps, to extend loan repayment for 5 years and provide up to $200,000 in loan forgiveness for providers that work in in a rural area. This funding aligns with Congresswoman Bustos’ Rural America Health Corps Act to help recruit and retain health care professionals to address workforce shortages and meet the needs of small towns across Northwest and Central Illinois.
- Support for states to upgrade crisis care services: This bill directs states to upgrade crisis care programs and strategies through the Mental Health Block Grant (MHBG) program. This provision aligns with Congresswoman Bustos’ Crisis Care Enhancement Act to bolster support for crisis care services amid the COVID-19 pandemic and opioid crisis by requiring that they spend 10 percent of MHBG funding on crisis care services.
- $746 million for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: This bill includes $746 million to support the expansion of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and its transition to the three-digit 988 number this year. The 988 Lifeline goes live on July 16, and in tandem with Crisis Care funding will usher in a new era of crisis care services.
- Additional $20 million for emerging infectious disease work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: This bill includes an increase of $20 million in funding for emerging infectious disease work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These funds will support improvements to the National Wastewater Surveillance System and require CDC to report on how to develop wastewater surveillance in rural communities.
- $132 million for Teacher Quality Partnership grants: This bill includes $132 million in funding to help combat nationwide teacher shortages through the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher Quality Partnership Program. Congresswoman Bustos has introduced the RETAIN Act to address severe nationwide shortages of early childhood and K-12 teachers that disproportionately impact students from low-income backgrounds and students of color.
Additional Bustos priorities included were:
- Investments in education – including significant funding for high-poverty schools and students with disabilities, and strong increases for programs that expand access to post-secondary education.
- Support for our public health infrastructure with more resources for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and for states and local governments to strengthen infrastructure and capacity.
- Funding for lifesaving biomedical research with increased funding for the National Institutes of Health, as well as increased funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.
- Increased funding for child care, Head Start, and preschool development grants.
- Increased funding for women’s health services, including family planning, covered by Title X and repealing the discriminatory Hyde Amendment.
- Funding to address our nation’s most urgent health crises, including maternal health, mental health, gun violence and substance misuse – all while making strides to reduce persistent and unacceptable health disparities.
- Investments in job training, apprenticeship programs and worker protection.
