Washington, DC — As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) secured funding for several key measures for Florida in the 2018 spending bill. A complete list, provided by the Senate Appropriations Committee, is available here. Highlights of the various measures secured by Rubio are below.
1. Stop School Violence Act
2. National Institute of Justice; Comprehensive School Safety Initiative
- $75 million; report language included.
3. Everglades
- Restored cuts proposed by the Administration for Everglades and $10.032 million included for Everglades.
- Supported the budget request of $82 million for Herbert Hoover Dike construction and included an additional $180 million in the additional funding pot for Flood Control in the Construction account. In FY17, the Herbert Hoover Dike project received an additional $18.67 million from this additional funding pot.
- Included additional $35 million in the Construction account for Environmental Restoration and Compliance. In the FY17 work plan, the South Florida Ecosystem Restoration project received an additional $8.5 million from this additional funding pot.
- Included senate report language in the Investigations account for Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP) Expedited Validation Study which urges the Corps to expedite the required validation report for the Central Everglades Planning Project.
- Included senate report language in the Construction account that Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan-Indian River Lagoon-South urging the Corps to expedite preparations for design work on the C-23 and C-24 South Reservoirs that along with C-44 Reservoir.
4. Other Florida items
- $178.2 million provided for Specialty Crop Pests, including the Citrus Health Response Program.
- Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper Stock Assessments – Provide up to $10 million under NMFS for red snapper stock assessments in the Gulf of Mexico.
- Hurricane Hunters – Expanded on Senate report language and provided $121 million for NOAA to procure a hurricane hunter backup.
- Funding for Ft. Lauderdale courthouse.
- Includes full funding for Florida MILCON request at Eglin AFB, Mayport, MacDill AFB, Hurlburt Field and Patrick AFB.
- Includes an additional two Florida projects from the UFR list authorized in the NDAA at Eglin AFB and Tyndall.
- Includes report language regarding strategic dispersal of east coast homported capital ships.
- Includes report language regarding test and training range instrumentation modernization.
- Report language included on best practices for producing new housing in high cost metropolitan areas.
- HUD property inspection quality standards to protect tenants and hold owners accountable.
- Funding for TSA to begin reimbursing Florida airports for incurred costs of investing in explosive detections systems for in-line baggage screening post 9/11.
- Included $6 million for Coastal Ocean Data System (CODS), $3.5 million above the budget request.
- Included $70 million above the budget request in the Construction account for Environmental Infrastructure. In FY17, the Florida Keys Water Quality Improvements received $2 million from this additional funding pot.
- Supported the budget request of $10 million for the National (Levee) Flood Inventory remaining line item in O&M, $5 million above the FY17 enacted levels.
- Included senate report language in the Construction account urging the Corps to provide states with guidance and recommendations to implement cost effective measures and planning for sand management. Also included conference report language encouraging the Corps to include in future budget submissions the study of sediment sources authorized in section 1143 of PL 114-322
- Included additional $3 million for the Continuing Authorities Section 103- Shore Protection.
- Included two construction new starts for Navigation, and one construction new start for a Coastal Storm Damage Reduction project (the Lido Key Shore Protection project would be eligible to compete under this new start).
- Included additional $481 million above the FY17 enacted levels in the O&M account including $24.28 million for Navigation Maintenance; $30 million for Inland Waterways; and $50 million for Small, Remote, or Subsistence Navigation.
- Included additional funding to meet the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund spending target established by WRRDA 2014.
- Included $40 million in the O&M account for Donor and Energy Transfer Ports.
- Included senate report language in the Construction account directing the Corps to make publicly available a comprehensive snapshot of all SFER cost-share accounting down to the project level for FY18 by September 30, 2018.
- Included senate report language in the Investigations account encouraging the Corps to conduct, at full federal expense, a study of the coastal areas in the South Atlantic Division to identify the risks and vulnerabilities of those areas to increased hurricane and storm damage reduction as authorized in section 1204 of the WIIN Act.
- Includes report Language for a study on the effect of Zika on small businesses.
5. Foreign Policy
- Included $20 million for democracy programs in Cuba.
- Included $15 million for democracy promotion in Venezuela.
- Included $615 million to support the US Strategy for Engagement in Central America.
A chart provided by the Senate Appropriations Committee is available here.
