Rep. Brown Hails the House Passage of Six-Bill Appropriations Minibus

WASHINGTON –Today, Representative Shontel M. Brown (OH-11) voted to pass H.R. 8294, a Six-Bill Appropriations Minibus. Rep. Brown secured five accompanying report language priorities in the Minibus alongside Rep. Kaptur (OH-09), one of the 12 House Cardinals, and Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06), a member of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, to boost local agricultural procurement, address harmful algal blooms, and improve and encourage innovation in crucial child nutrition programs.

“Today’s Appropriations Minibus passage strengthens the Democratic House’s resolve to support critical funding American communities need to aid childhood nutrition, support local farmers and producers, and preserve our freshwater systems,” said Rep. Brown. “As of member of the House Agriculture Committee, I’m committed to fighting to ensure children are fed with fresh, local foods, year-round- something that is good for families and farmers alike. The requests I secured for inclusion in the Minibus will not only aid those efforts but also provide much needed funding to sustain research initiatives and stimulate our economy and workforce.”

“I am honored to help pass a federal spending bill that provides critical reinvestment in our communities, to bolster nutrition for our nation’s children,” said Congresswoman Grace Meng, New York’s senior member of the House Appropriations Committee. “I am grateful for the partnership of my friend, Rep. Brown, in fighting for provisions that will ensure we are using every possible means to support child nutrition throughout the entire school year and summer months. Our child nutrition and school meals programs must adapt to the needs of our students and these provisions push us one step closer to ensuring that our kids will have access to high quality and fresh food year-round."

In addition to FY23 funding for the Department of Agriculture, the Minibus package includes five additional spending bills: Transportation-HUD; Energy and Water Development; Financial Services and General Government; Interior-Environment; and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs.

Background:

In April, Rep. Brown submitted her priorities to the House Agricultural and Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee and in May, Rep. Brown testified on her submissions before the Agriculture Appropriations Committee. Rep. Brown specifically identified the following recommendations which were included in the final Minibus:

• Improved Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Imaging Research – Directs the Agricultural Research Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to submit a report to Congress on current HAB imaging research activities and existing research gaps;
• Local Procurement Assessment of Nutrition Assistance Program – Supports local farmers and producers by encouraging partnership with child nutrition providers in their community;
• Local Food Procurement for Public School Systems and Colleges – Encourages all nutrition programs, to engage local agriculture producers to enhance small farmers and regional producers;
• Child Nutrition Waivers – Expresses support for the child nutrition waivers that were granted as part of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the flexibility they provide for state child nutrition programs to meet the ongoing challenges to combat childhood hunger; and
• Summer Food Service Program – Encourages innovation in the Summer Food Service Program as it pertains to development and implementation of making food available to eligible children through non-congregate means.

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