03.06.24

Ranking Member Scott Votes for First FY24 Government Funding Bill

WASHINGTON- Earlier today, Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, voted for H.Res. 1061, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, a legislative package that includes six of the twelve fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills. This package includes the following funding bills: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; and Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.

“This funding package will enable us to avoid a government shutdown which would cause harm to our economy and working families,” said Congressman Scott. “This bill will lower costs for families, support programs that provide housing and food assistance, combat the climate crisis by investing in clean energy, support our farmers, honor our commitment to veterans, and protect reproductive care. The package increases funding for the Violence Against Women Act, provides strong funding for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and guarantees rail and flight safety while sustaining good-paying jobs that will aid our efforts to modernize our infrastructure.”

“Importantly, the bill fully funds the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (also known as WIC), protecting essential benefits for millions of women and children across the nation,” continued Congressman Scott.“The WIC program has been proven to improve recipients’ short-term and long-term health.  Moreover, by providing nutrition support for women, infants, and children early on, the WIC program reduces special education and health care costs down the road. Had we not secured this essential funding, as many as two million young children and pregnant and postpartum adults may not have gotten the support they needed."

Ranking Member Scott wrote several letters to Congressional leadership about the urgent need to fully fund WIC (read here, here, and here) and released a Committee report entitled, “On the Brink: The Case for Permanently and Fully Funding the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants & Children (WIC).”

“As the representative of Hampton Roads, I was also very proud to have secured over $14.3 million in funding for community projects across Virginia’s Third Congressional District,” continued Congressman Scott. “I am also glad to see continued funding for the 400 Years of African American History Commission, which was created by legislation I sponsored with Senator Tim Kaine, as well as continued support for the restoration of the Chesapeake Bay, a critical source of economic and recreational opportunities for our region.”

The legislation includes funding for the following community projects secured by Congressman Scott that will directly benefit Virginia's Third Congressional District:

  • $500,000 for the Chesapeake Police Department Patrol Vessel Replacement 
  • $400,000 for the Hampton-Newport News Community Services Board Traumatic Event Response
  • $963,000 for the Virginia Witness Protection Program
  • $4,000,000 for the Norfolk Harbor and Channels, VA (Elizabeth River and Southern Branch) 
  • $959,752 for the City of Portsmouth for Race Street and Douglas Avenue Pump Station Upgrades 
  • $850,000 for the Boys & Girls Club of the Virginia Peninsula Renovations 
  • $850,000 for the Chesapeake Sidewalk Expansion for South Norfolk Historical District 
  • $1,000,000 for the Virginia Peninsula FoodbankCold Storage Expansion 
  • $1,666,279 for the Freemason St. Bridge Construction 
  • $850,000 for the Hampton Family YMCA: A Community Revitalization Project 
  • $1,000,000 for the Hampton Roads Transit Purchase of Electric Buses for Southside Bus Operating Facility 
  • $283,860 for Reducing Isolation and Improving Access to Nutrition for Older Adults in Historically Underserved Communities 
  • $1,000,000 for the Seafood Industrial Park (SIP) Seafood Market and Northern Harbor Docks 

For further information on this appropriations package, please click here.

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Press Contact

Originally released by Ranking Member Scott's personal office