Federal Budget Bill Flush With Cash For Region

December 18, 2015

Appropriations Package Supports University Research, National Defense Assets

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) today highlighted provisions in a FY2016 omnibus appropriations bill that will benefit North and East Mississippi, including significant funding for university research projects, defense needs and economic development priorities.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 combines the 12 annual appropriations bills to fund government programs through September 2016. The Senate passed the measure on Thursday with a 65 to 33 vote and the legislation now heads to the White House.

Cochran, as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, played a pivotal role in the development of this legislation, following his successful shepherding of all 12 appropriations bills through the Senate committee markup process—a first since 2009.

“This legislation funds our national security needs, makes thoughtful investments in infrastructure, and promotes innovation that will grow our economy,” Cochran said. “I look forward to an improved appropriations process next year.”

Items of interest for Mississippi are included in many of the appropriations bills included in the omnibus measure, most notably significant funding for defense and economic development programs.

“The omnibus bill will support projects and programs that are important to the economy and identity of North and East Mississippi,” Cochran said. “I am particularly pleased that the Congress has agreed to provide funding for these projects that benefit our state and the nation.”

Notably, the legislation provides $9.3 million to construct the Guy II & Will Jones U.S. Army Reserve Center in Starkville. The appropriations bill initially passed by the House of Representatives did not recommend funding for this project, but Cochran successfully advocated for its inclusion in the final measure.

With Cochran’s support, the bill provides funds for an Army National Guard end strength of 342,000 soldiers, which will ensure the Mississippi’s 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team is not divested, as originally planned by the Army.

In a bid to try to ensure better use of federal taxpayer funding and provide ratepayer relief for South and East Mississippi, Cochran secured approval for a provision in the omnibus to allow Department of Energy demonstration funding to be used to support the clean coal power plant in Kemper County.

The provision would redirect as much as $160 million from failing alternative energy projects to Clean Coal Power Initiative Demonstration Projects that are more likely to be successful. The Kemper County power plant is a project that would be eligible to receive reallocated funding. This transfer could mitigate the financial burden on Mississippi families and businesses, who would otherwise be paying for research and development that will benefit the entire nation.

In addition, the omnibus legislation provides $5.5 million for FAA Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Center of Excellence. In May, the FAA designated the Mississippi State University-led consortium of universities from across the country–the Alliance for System Safety of UAS Through Research Excellence (ASSURE) –as the FAA UAS Center of Excellence. The Center will work to identify issues critical to the safe integration of UAS into the nation’s airspace and engage in research and policy development on the expanding use of unmanned aircraft.

The following is a review of some of the funding and policy highlights from appropriations bills included in the omnibus for North and East Mississippi:

AGRICULTURE

Agriculture Research Service (ARS) Extramural Research Programs: Funding is included for extramural research, rejecting the President’s budget proposal to eliminate this research. In Mississippi, more than $8 million worth of this type of research is conducted at Mississippi State University, the University of Mississippi and the Jamie Whitten Research Center in Stoneville. These institutions research biophonics, Mid-South sustainable crop production systems, crop and animal byproducts integration, avian mycoplasmosis, and erosion and sediment control.

ARS Forest Products Research: $3.5 million is included in ARS funding to support forest products research, a field in which Mississippi State University is a national leader.

Natural Products Research: $1.8 million is included under the Food and Drug Administration for dietary supplements research. The National Center for Natural Product Research Center for Excellence at the University of Mississippi is the only center in the nation capable of adequately conducting this research.

Food Safety and Inspection Service: $1.014 billion is included for food safety and inspection programs. An increase of $2.5 million is provided to continue implementation of the new Catfish Inspection Program. The USDA’s final rule implementing the Catfish Inspection Program was published in November.

Farm Service Agency (FSA): A provision is included prohibiting the FSA from closing county offices.

COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND SCIENCE

NASA Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR): $18 million to improve the research capabilities of academic institutions that promote broader engagement at the frontiers of discovery and innovation in science and engineering. Research universities in Mississippi, including the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, The University of Southern Mississippi and Jackson State University, could compete for this funding.

National Science Foundation (NSF) EPSCoR Research: $160 million is included in NSF funding to promote university-based research and development. Mississippi research universities will continue to utilize this program.

Drug Courts: $41 million is included in Department of Justice funding for grants to support the administration of state and local drug court systems. Mississippi has 51 drug courts that could potentially benefit from this funding.

Sea Grant Law Center: The joint explanatory statement directs NOAA to continue its partnership with the University of Mississippi through the National Sea Grant Law Center.

Northern Gulf Institute (NGI): $32 million is included for NOAA Laboratories and Cooperative Institutes, including NGI, which is led by Mississippi State University and housed at Stennis Space Center. NGI also includes the University of Southern Mississippi, Louisiana State University, Florida State University, Dauphin Island Sea Lab and NOAA.

DEFENSE

155th Armored Brigade Combat Team: Full funding is included for an Army National Guard end strength of 342,000 soldiers, which will ensure the Mississippi’s 155th Armored Brigade Combat Team is not divested in FY2016, as originally planned by the Army.

Lakota Light Utility Helicopters: $187 million is included for 28 Army UH-72 Lakota Light Utility Helicopter aircraft built in Columbus at Golden Triangle Regional Airport.

Regional Counterdrug Training Academy: $192.9 million is included, $130 million above the President’s budget request, for the National Guard Counter-Drug Program and the National Guard Counterdrug Schools. This funding would support the Regional Counterdrug Training Academy (RCTA) at Naval Air Station Meridian through a newly created funding line dedicated to National Guard Training Centers.

AESA Radars for F-15s and F-16s: $634 million is included, $170 million above the President’s budget, for upgrading F-15 aircraft with the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar systems built in Forest. An additional $40 million is provided for F-16 AESA radar systems built in Forest.

Next-Gen Jammer: $401 million in development funds for the Navy’s Next Generation Jammer, which is an Airborne Electronic Attack (AEA) system needed to meet current and emerging Electronic Warfare gaps. This AEA pod will replace the ageing ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming system and will be integrated into the EA-18G Growler Aircraft and could be built in Forest.

ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT

Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC): $146 million is included for the ARC, an economic development agency focusing on business development, education, and job training in thirteen states from Northeast Mississippi to western New York. This funding includes $16 million to support workforce training programs in south central Appalachia, which includes Mississippi. East Mississippi Community College received $6.1 million in ARC funding in September for a workforce training center at the Golden Triangle Regional Global Industrial Aerospace Park that is focused on increasing Mississippi’s advanced manufacturing and engineering capabilities.

Ratepayer Relief for South Mississippi: The bill includes a provision that would redirect as much as $160 million from failing alternative energy projects to Clean Coal Power Initiative Demonstration Projects that are more likely to be successful. The Kemper County power plant is a project that would be eligible to receive reallocated funding. This transfer could mitigate the financial burden on Mississippi families and businesses, who would otherwise be paying for research and development that will benefit the entire nation.

Energy Storage: $20.5 million for an energy storage initiative, which will provide an opportunity for Mississippi universities to play a significant role in developing better options for grid-ready energy storage.

Department of Energy Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Program: $20 million is included to support university research in states that have been historically underutilized. The University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, the University of Southern Mississippi and Jackson State University, the four research universities in Mississippi, participate in the Department’s EPSCoR program.

FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT

Rural Wireless Broadband: A provision is included to ensure that additional cuts, which could total approximately $50 million, are not made to programs that provide wireless broadband access in poor and rural areas. This benefits Mississippi’s effort to expand telehealth services, education programs, precision agriculture, and weather monitoring.

Small Business Administration (SBA): Funding is included for the SBA to provide assistance to small businesses, expand the economy, and increase job growth for unemployed and underemployed Americans. The bill fully funds business loans and provides funding for disaster assistance. The bill also funds several valuable programs, including $115 million for Small Business Development Centers and $11.45 million for veterans outreach programs. A Small Business Development Center is housed at the University of Mississippi.

Community Development Financial Institute (CDFI): $21 million is included in CDFI funding for the Bank Enterprise Award program, which supports FDIC-insured institutions that make significant investments in distressed communities. The measure includes language that encourages the CDFI to fund projects in non-metropolitan and rural areas, as well as those serving persistent poverty counties. A significant number of CDFIs are in Mississippi

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – $11.235 billion, an increase of $290 million above the FY2015 enacted level. The $290 million increase must be dedicated to measurable improvements in customer service, identity theft protection, and enhanced cybersecurity to safeguard taxpayer data. The bill includes language that prohibits the Department from finalizing any regulation related to the standards used to determine the tax-exempt status of a 501(c)(4) organization.

HOMELAND SECURITY

FEMA Disaster Relief Fund: $7.37 billion is included for the Disaster Relief Fund, which is the primary resource for rebuilding public infrastructure after disasters. The bill provides $165 million above the FY2015 level for hazard mitigation activities. For every $1 invested in mitigation, $4 can be saved in disaster recovery.

Emergency Management Performance Grants: $350 million is included for competitive grants to fund state and local emergency management organizations. This funding is important to enable Mississippi communities to better respond when disaster strikes.

INTERIOR AND ENVIRONMENT

U.S. Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory: $27 million is included, $7 million above the FY2015 enacted level, to support forest products laboratory research. The bill directs the laboratory to support work conducted at Land Grant Universities like Mississippi State University to accelerate the growth of the domestic finished wood products industry.

Civil Rights Site Preservation: $8 million is included within the National Park Service Historic Preservation Fund to document, interpret, and preserve sites and stories associated with the Civil Rights Movement, many of which are in Mississippi, that have yet to be adequately addressed.

Heritage Partnership Program: $20.2 million is included, $10.3 million above the Presdient’s budget, for this National Park Service program. It provides resources for three National Heritage Areas in Mississippi: Mississippi Hills, Mississippi Gulf Coast, and Mississippi Delta.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): The bill holds the EPA at the FY2015 enacted level of $8.139 billion, rejecting $451 million in increases requested by the President in his FY2016 budget. By keeping the operating programs at the enacted level, the bill effectively reduces the amounts available to the agency. The bill also prohibits the EPA from regulating certain types of ammunition and fishing tackle or from regulating livestock emissions.

LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Job Corps: $1.7 billion is included for Job Corps, which will support the Mississippi Job Corps centers in Batesville, Gulfport, and Crystal Springs. The Joint Explanatory Statement also re-emphasizes language from the Senate report urging the Department of Labor to move forward without delay with the reconstruction of the Gulfport facility, which was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina.

Telehealth: $17 million is included for telehealth programs, an increase of $2.1 million from the FY2015 levels. The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson is a national telehealth leader.

H-2B Visas: Additional resources are included for the prompt processing of foreign labor certifications and blocks the most controversial portions of the new Department of Labor H-2B visa program and wage regulations, including onerous changes to the wage rate.

National Institutes of Health’s Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Program: $320.8 million is included, a $47.5 million increase over the FY2015 level, for the National Institutes of Health’s IDeA program, which supports biomedical research in states that are historically underutilized. Mississippi is among 23 states currently eligible for IDeA grant awards.

MILITARY CONSTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS

Guy II & Will Jones U.S. Army Reserve Center (USARC): $9.3 million is included to construct a new USARC in Starkville, reflecting the Senate’s position on this project. The appropriations bill initially passed by the House of Representatives did not recommend funding for this project.

TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research: $5.5 million is included for the FAA Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Center of Excellence. In May, the FAA designated the Mississippi State University-led consortium of universities from across the country–the Alliance for System Safety of UAS Through Research Excellence (ASSURE) –as the FAA UAS Center of Excellence. The Center will work to identify issues critical to the safe integration of UAS into the nation’s airspace and engage in research and policy development on the expanding use of unmanned aircraft.

Essential Air Service (EAS): $175 million is included for the EAS program, which provides certainty to air carriers serving small communities. Four Mississippi airports currently participate in the program: Greenville, Hattiesburg/Laurel, Meridian, and Tupelo.

FAA Contract Towers: Full funding is included for all existing contract towers, including facilities at the Golden Triangle Regional, Greenville Municipal, Hawkins Field (Jackson), Meridian/Key Field, Olive Branch, Stennis International Airport, Tupelo Regional airports.