The publication is reproduced in full below:
LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION, AGRICULTURE, RURAL
DEVELOPMENT, ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT, FINANCIAL SERVICES AND
GENERAL GOVERNMENT, INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT, MILITARY CONSTRUCTION,
VETERANS AFFAIRS, TRANSPORTATION, AND HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2022
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speech of
HON. ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4502, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education; Agriculture, Rural Development; Energy and Water Development; Financial Services and General Government; Interior, Environment; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs; Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act of 2022.
I sponsored the 400 Years of African American History Commission Act with Senator Tim Kaine. This bill includes $3.3 million for the Commission to continue their critical work. Since the Commission was first funded in Fiscal Year 2020, it facilitated participation in the 400-year anniversary commemoration of the arrival of Africans in the U.S. colonies at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia; initiated the 400 Distinguished Award to honor African American social justice leaders; supported programing to engage students in historic preservation; and sponsored a documentary film on Black economic empowerment. More recently, the Commission has also launched a series of virtual public education meetings to continue its mission during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The legislation also includes a major federal investment in Hampton Roads by including $83.7 million for the deepening and widening of the Norfolk Harbor's channels. This project, while authorized, has not yet received its share of federal funds; however, the Port of Virginia has already begun construction on this critical project and these funds will ensure that the project maintains its timeline. The deepening and widening at the Port will allow for larger container and bulk ships visiting the Port of Virginia to arrive and depart fully loaded, providing for safer and more timely passage. The project is expected to deliver nearly $4 billion of benefits to the national economy.
As a co-chair of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Taskforce, I am also pleased that this package includes much needed support for the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay. This bill provides $90.5 million for the Environmental Protection Agency's Chesapeake Bay program as well as
$15 million for the Chesapeake WILD (Watershed Investments in Landscape Defense) Program. I sponsored legislation, with Reps. Sarbanes and Wittman, to create Chesapeake WILD grants to leverage the expertise of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service throughout the Bay's 64,000 square mile watershed. These grants will fund on-the-ground work to enhance water quality, mitigate flooding, provide opportunities for recreation, and protect habitat. This funding and these projects will advance efforts to restore the Chesapeake Bay by the 2025 deadline.
I am also pleased that my amendments supporting essential funding for our National Labs were adopted. These changes highlighted the need for funding for Nuclear Physics and Medium Energy Operations within the Department of Energy's Office of Science. Scientists and researchers at Jefferson Lab, located in the heart of my district in Newport News, train the next generation of scientists, advance lifesaving cancer radiation therapies, and have been awarded more than 150 patents. The funding included in the President's Budget for the Electron-Ion Collider and the design of a High Performance Data Facility at Jefferson Lab would advance our understanding of nuclear physics and increase the National Laboratories' computing power, supporting experiments that contribute to our understanding of matter and enhance our safety, quality of life, and even medical care.
Also included in the legislation is funding for eight Community Projects in Hampton Roads. These projects include the expansion of rural broadband in Isle of Wight; an inventory of lead drinking water pipes in Portsmouth; the buildout and expansion of an LGBT community center on the Peninsula; an expansion of mobile health services in Franklin and Isle of Wight; the sidewalk extension for safe pedestrian connectivity in the South Norfolk community of Chesapeake; replacing athletic field lighting at public schools and a community center in Newport News; the development of a Maritime Trades magnet program for K-12 students; and the relocation of a frequently flooded YMCA in Norfolk. Federal investments like these are critical to the development and resilience of communities in Hampton Roads.
This bill helps us move forward by spurring innovation, creating jobs, enhancing opportunities for trade and economic development, restoring ecosystems, and making necessary local investments. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 138
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