LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6147, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019. This legislation funds programs that promote small business development, reduce burdensome regulations, protect our environment, improve our parks, increase important safety measures, and combat the opioid crisis.

Upon the bill's passage, Congressman Rutherford released the following statement:

"The House Appropriations Committee, on which I serve, has made strategic decisions in crafting this legislation without adding one more dollar over last year's spending," said Rutherford. "Through passage of this legislation, we can provide important oversight of federal environmental and financial regulations and deliver stable funding to agencies that keep our economy strong.

"Our federal law enforcement also benefits from additional funding to help combat the opioid crisis and implement greater protections from cyber-crime. Importantly, this bill also makes improvements to our nation's financial system, ensuring that Congress has proper oversight of the IRS, CFPB, and other financial institutions, while improving customer service and transparency. In addition, it provides funding for our national parks and the Land and Water Conservation Fund, as well as funding for the continued restoration of the Florida Everglades, which makes sure Floridians have clean drinking water and our state's delicate ecosystem can flourish. I thank Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen as well as Chairmen Calvert and Graves for their leadership and my fellow colleagues for their tireless work on this important legislation."

BILL HIGHLIGHTS

• Provides $415 million to fight the opioid crisis, including $280M for the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program
• Combats the financing of terrorism and terrorist groups by providing $161M for the Treasury Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence
• Provides $737 million for the Small Business Administration to provide resources for small business development support, including $12.3 million for veteran programs and $18 million for Women's Business Centers
• Designates $216 million for the CDFI fund, which has been used to invest in community development projects in Northeast Florida
• Contains numerous financial oversight provisions that improve transparency, accountability and fairness, and stop overly burdensome regulations
• Supports and protects our unique national parks system by providing $3.25 billion for the National Park Service
• Prevents enactment of the burdensome, economically damaging "Waters of the United States" (WOTUS) rule

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