Washington, DC – This week, the House Appropriations Committee concluded its final markup sessions of the fiscal year 2023 appropriations process, successfully passing funding bills which include critical priorities Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) secured for Virginia and the 10th District.
“I’m proud of our bipartisan work to craft appropriations legislation that will lower costs for working families, invest in providing a path to success for every child in America, and ensure we can continue a strong and holistic economic recovery,” said Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton. “I’ve worked during this process to deliver on issues that matter most to the people of Virginia’s 10th District, and I am particularly excited to have secured over $17 million in funding for projects right here in our community, ranging from mitigating traffic on busy roadways to improving access to early childhood education programs. I’m grateful to Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro for her leadership and look forward to moving these bills through the House.”
Highlights of the priorities that Wexton secured include provisions to:
- Assess how programs that support re-entry into the workforce – or “returnships” – for those who have left the workforce could bolster the knowledge and experience base of the federal service;
- Analyze the state of child care programs across the federal workforce with the goal of improving access and quality of services for all fed employees;
- Update federal resources for agritourism businesses and study their educational, recreational, and economic benefits;
- Fully support Metro capital funding at $150 million;
- Support secure GPS systems and investments in backup technologies, an issue Wexton has championed on the Committee;
- Aid Uyghurs and other religious minorities fleeing persecution in China;
- $15 million to examine the cognitive, physical, and socioemotional impacts on the health and development of children from technology and social media use, in line with the mission of Wexton’s Congressional Task Force on Digital Citizenship;
- Secure full funding for the lifesaving childhood cancer research being conducted through the Gabriella Miller Kids First program;
- Increase in funding for collection and reporting of data on intimate partner violence and support for a national domestic violence prevention action plan, as proposed by Wexton in recent legislation;
- Secure full funding for the Howard C. “Howie” Liebengood Center for Wellness at the U.S. Capitol Police; and
- Fund school-based and pediatric mental health services to increase access and availability of behavioral health services for our kids.
Wexton also secured over $17 million in federal funding for fourteen Virginia-10 community projects in the FY23 appropriations bills. Projects to be funded through the Community Project Funding program are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams, and only state and local governments and eligible non-profit entities are permitted to receive funding. Additional parameters of the program include the public disclosure of all project requests, a ban on for-profit recipients, demonstration of community support, and more. Wexton has certified that she, her spouse, and her immediate family have no financial interest in any of the projects she has requested. Additional information on guidelines for Community Project Funding requests can be found here.
A full list of the Virginia-10 projects funded can be found below:
Renovated and Expanded Valley Health System Federally Qualified Health Clinic
Funding Level: $1.5 million
Description:
Winchester, Virginia and the surrounding areas lack access to mental health services. The Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and Rural Health Clinics are not currently able to provide the necessary services for the level of care that the community requires. There is a lack of clinical space and providers for mental health services for children, adolescents, and adults in the community. The facility would be expanded into increased behavioral services, in addition to increased capacity for primary care practices and include onsite dental. Expansion of existing RHCs would build off current VHS infrastructure to supplement the FQHCs with integrated mental health and primary care services in rural areas where patients may not be able to easily access the FQHC.
Valley Health System Health Professionals Training Program
Funding Level: $500,000
Description:
This funding would be leveraged against VHS operational and philanthropic investments in order to develop a training program for health professionals within the area. In order to train health professionals, VHS will work with secondary educational institutions to build graduate counseling programming and develop the professionals required to close the care gap and prepare for the growing need within rural and underserved communities.
Northern Virginia Community College Diesel Technology Program Revitalization and Expansion\
Funding Level: $685,000
Description:
This funding would revitalize and expand NOVA’s Diesel Technology certificate programs. The Manassas campus at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) offers two stackable career studies certificates, Diesel Basic Repair (16 credits) and Diesel Preventative Maintenance (16 credits). The curriculum of these career studies certificates were designed in collaboration with employers and the NOVA Diesel Advisory Board and are designed to prepare graduates for an entry-level position in the diesel maintenance field upon completion of the Basic Repair certificate. These careers studies certificates can be completed in a short-time frame and prepare students for the workforce in high-wage jobs. As the only academic program training diesel technicians in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, there is significant opportunity to expand to meet market needs. The current program has outdated equipment and is without a full-time faculty member to recruit and support students in this program.
Stormwater Infrastructure Assessment for the Town of Haymarket
Funding Level: $160,000
Description:
This project will be used to assess the current stormwater system in the Town of Haymarket and develop a preliminary plan and cost estimate for improvements needed to meet current stormwater infrastructure standards. This project would provide necessary information to the town to plan and seek additional funding sources to upgrade existing systems to reduce drainage problems and potential flooding.
Rollins Ford Road and Estate Manor Drive Single Lane Roundabout
Funding Level: $460,000
Description:
The Rollins Ford Road Corridor Study conducted by the Virginia Department of Transportation stated that the Rollins Ford Road corridor has experienced an increase in crashes since constructing the extension westward to Vint Hill Road in 2014. This proposal seeks to fund the intersection reconfiguration at Estate Manor Drive to a single lane roundabout recommended by the study. Reducing pedestrian crossing distances and improving refuge areas; Reducing existing conflict points by 75 percent; Improving the safety of turning movements from/to Estate Manor Drive; Controlling/reducing speeds along Rollins Ford Road.
George Mason University Empowered Communities Partnership Center
Funding Level: $1,037,519
Description:
The project would develop an Empowered Community Partnership Center addressing substance use disorder through multi-sector partnerships and greater linkages between public health and criminal justice partners in order to develop effective practice interventions and improve treatment success for high-risk individuals experiencing substance and opioid use disorder. A hallmark of the Center will be the formalization of a Criminal Justice Public Health Bridge program collaborating with existing Virginia statewide criminal justice and public health partners to expand coordination of care for those with opioid use disorder reentering the community post release from incarceration. The project will document the differential impacts on underrepresented populations providing the evidence base to support effective new implementation approaches that improve linkage to and engagement in integrated community services.
George Mason University Center for Advanced Testing: Tick-Borne Disease Diagnostic Clinic
Funding Level: $820,000
Description:
This project would establish a Mason Center for Advanced Testing and the Tick-Borne Disease Diagnostic Clinic focusing on the diagnosis of tick-borne diseases, including Lyme disease. The funding will be used to launch the clinical deployment of a suite of technologies for diagnostic testing of tick-borne diseases, such as Lyme disease, to the citizens of Virginia. Mason scientists have developed a technology for patient sample self-collection that does not require refrigerated shipment and storage. The project would work to address the urgent unmet need to accurately diagnose and treat early-stage tick-borne infections before they progress to cause chronic suffering and disability, including cognitive impairment and cardiac failure. The funds for this project will be used for the purchase of mass spectrometry and automation equipment. The funding would support automation equipment to increase the throughput so many tests per day can be performed.
Route 7 and Route 690 (Hillsboro Road) Interchange
Funding Level: $4 million
Description:
This project provides for design, land acquisition, utility relocation, and construction of a compressed, urban diamond interchange at Route 7 at Hillsboro Road west of Purcellville, and roundabouts at the ramp. The scope of work includes pedestrian accommodations, as well as the construction of a shared-use path along Hillsboro Road which will improve connectivity for 21st Street in Purcellville to Fields Farm Park Road. The project is proposed to increase the connectivity in the roadway network around Purcellville, and provide a more direct route on major roadways to areas north and north east of the Route 7 bypass, including the schools complex at Woodgrove High School and Mountain View Elementary on Allder School Road (Route 711). The existing roadway network does not provide an ease of access for the local community to points north and northeast, particularly with the recent completion of Woodgrove High School northeast of the overpass.
Loudoun Gateway and Ashburn Metro Station Area Pedestrian Improvements
Funding Level: $2 million
Description:
This project would provide for sidewalks, shared-use trails, crosswalks, and intersection improvements to enhance pedestrian access to Silver Line Metro Stations in Loudoun County. It will construct missing segments in the bicycle and pedestrian network within two miles of the future Loudoun Gateway (Route 606) and Ashburn Metrorail stations. The project also features pedestrian improvements, including pedestrian signal upgrades and connecting existing shared-use paths to new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramps. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will administer the design, construction, and funding of this project under UPC 112296. The project aims to improve bicyclist and pedestrian safety, accessibility and connectivity to the future Loudoun Gateway and Ashburn Metrorail stations.
Franklin Park to Purcellville Trail
Funding Level: $1 million
Description:
This project would provide funding for construction and easement acquisition to complete sidewalks and trails needed to connect Franklin Park to the Town of Purcellville. The Franklin Park to Purcellville Trail project will provide access for pedestrian and bicycle traffic from the Franklin Park recreational facilities to the existing sidewalk in downtown Purcellville to enhance access and safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. The proposed segment will connect the Town of Round Hill to the Town of Purcellville and the W&OD Trail through Franklin Park, using the portion already under construction between Round Hill and Franklin Park.
Tuscarora Crossing Housing Development in Leesburg
Funding Level: $1 million
Description:
The project would provide the development costs of new construction of 180 affordable rental homes to serve families at 30% Area Median Income (AMI), 50% AMI and 60% AMI. The project will benefit Virginia families at and below 60% Area Median Income. This development will provide 180 affordable units that are greatly needed in the County to address the deficit of affordable rental housing. The project meets local zoning requirements and is intended to provide equitable access to housing.
Improving the Quality of Early Childhood Educators in Virginia
Funding Level: $254,910
Description:
The project would identify 384 educators to participate in degree, credential, or certification programs at their local community college over a two-year period. Those students would be supported by early childhood education Navigators who would work to help them through the onboarding process (navigating scholarships, enrollment, financial aid, etc.). Educators will be given an opportunity to pursue programs which will enable them to serve our youngest Virginians, which will result in an enhanced workforce for this critical industry.
Fairfax County Investing in our Youth: Career Readiness and Job Training
Funding Level: $2.1 million
Description:
This program would allow Fairfax County to establish neighborhood job and entrepreneurship technology and research centers for teens and young adults at the County’s community centers, teen centers, and neighborhood initiative sites. The centers will be operated in partnership with the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court (JDRDC) system to provide enhanced workforce development services to youth who have been mandated by the courts to pay restitution, generally for offenses such as shoplifting and destruction of property. These centers would provide teens and young adults with career readiness skills, job training, and leadership programs. Additionally, they will provide career exploration, job skill training, professional certifications, and access to an increased range of technology and non-traditional careers and in-demand programs, as well as training programs to underserved communities in Fairfax County that have been affected by generational poverty exacerbated by the pandemic.
Expansion of the Fairfax County Early Childhood Development and Learning Program
Funding Level: $1.5 million
Description:
This request would expand the Fairfax County Early Childhood Development and Learning Program by providing access to early childhood education services for approximately 72 additional young children, ages birth to five years, in early childhood programs located in community-based settings. The average cost to serve a child in a community-based early childhood program in Fairfax County is $18,200. The cost per slot covers programmatic and operating expenses, including personnel, curriculum, supplies, meals, and facility costs. In addition, the requested funding would be used to hire two additional staff positions, who would conduct eligibility, process enrollment, and provide case management for participating families.
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