Senator Murray Secures More than $206 Million for Pacific Salmon Recovery, Over $30 Million for Violence Prevention, Mental Health, and Research Initiatives in WA, Alongside Key Investments to Make America Safer and Boost Economy in Draft Appropriations Bill 

Senator Murray: “We cannot skimp on keeping people safe—and this bill maintains and builds on our investments to do just that.”

Legislation protects critical salmon recovery funds and key Washington state priorities like aersospace, also includes significant new funding for Office on Violence Against Women

ICYMI: Chair Murray’s Opening Remarks at Full Committee Markup

ICYMI: Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Legislative Branch, Commerce-Justice-Science, and Financial Services Bills

Washington, D.C. — On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee, led by Chair Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), voted to advance the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies funding bill for fiscal year 2024, which Senator Murray played a key role in writing. The bill funds the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Justice, as well as a host of critical agencies like the National Science Foundation and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which keep America on the cutting edge when it comes to research and innovation. Among other things, the draft legislation Senator Murray helped write invests in keeping our communities safe—including by providing significant new funding for the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women—propelling cutting-edge research, strengthening American manufacturing and keeping our supply chains running, advancing climate research, and continuing America’s leadership in space. The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 28-1 to advance the legislation, where it now awaits full consideration by the Senate.

Importantly, Murray secured more than $206 million in the draft legislation for salmon recovery and marine habitat restoration through the Department of Commerce, a top priority for Murray who has long made clear that the federal government must play its part in funding salmon recovery efforts, particularly as part of its obligation to sovereign Tribes. The legislation includes $76 million for the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS) Pacific Salmon account—a $4 million increase over FY23 funding levels—to support the agency’s work with Endangered Species Act-listed Pacific salmon species, as well as $65 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund, and $65.25 million for the Salmon Management Activities account, which supports NOAA’s hatchery operations and international treaty agreements.

Murray also secured hundreds of millions of dollars in the draft legislation for critical national programs that are important to Washington state, and more than $30 million in Congressionally Directed Spending requests for 13 projects across Washington state that will support scientific research, community violence prevention, mental health services, and more. This does not include funding for national programs that will later be allocated on a competitive or formula-specific basis.

“I can’t overstate how important this bill is to our economy,” Senator Murray said at today’s committee markup. “Investments to strengthen our businesses and communities by connecting them to the high-speed internet they need to do just about anything in the 21^st Century, strengthening our trade partnerships across the world, and keeping supply chains running smoothly; investments in NOAA to restore salmon—which are not just a cornerstone of our economy in Washington state, but a way of life; investments to maintain our global leadership in science and innovation, from research and development to keep us on top of the technologies of tomorrow, to continuing our legacy of leadership in space by strengthening the Artemis missions to send Americans to the Moon.”

“And then there are investments in law enforcement to protect families from drug trafficking that is bringing deadly fentanyl into our communities, domestic terrorism, cyberattacks, or white supremacy and the uptick in hate crimes and violent attacks. And to protect our civil rights as well—including the all-important right to vote,” Murray continued. “We cannot skimp on keeping people safe—and this bill maintains and builds on our investments to do just that.”

In the draft legislation, Murray secured more than $30 million in Congressionally Directed Spending requests for 13 important projects throughout Washington state:

• $552,000 for Choose Freedom’s Community Violence Prevention Program to support staffing and programming for gun violence prevention and reentry programs.
• $500,000 for the City of Tacoma Municipal Court to establish a municipal mental health therapeutic court.
• $2.135 million for Evergreen State College in Olympia to acquire new laboratory equipment.
• $1.847 million for Gonzaga University to purchase state-of-the-art equipment for the Bollier Center for Integrated Science and Engineering Facility.
• $1.5 million for the Grant County District Court to make critical courthouse security upgrades.
• $982,000 for the Spokane Municipal Court to support the staffing and programming of a municipal mental health therapeutic court.
• $450,000 for the Stevens County District Court to expand their adult therapeutic court program.
• $5 million for the University of Washington to purchase new engineering and lab equipment.
• $2.8 million for the University of Washington to acquire new research instruments for their Molecular Analysis Facility.
• $2.5 million for the University of Washington Tacoma to procure equipment for new laboratories as part of its Milgard Engineering Labs Buildout project.
• $7.642 million for Washington State University to design, construct, and purchase equipment for a new nuclear hot cell facility.
• $2.5 million for Washington State University to upgrade a transmission electron microscope.
• $2.425 million for Western Washington University to construct an Advanced Technology Laboratory and purchase research equipment.

In addition to the aforementioned Congressionally Directed Spending and major investments in salmon recovery, Murray also secured funding in the draft bill for key national programs that are important to Washington state, including:

• $2 million in new funding for NOAA to prevent and mitigate the impacts of invasive European green crab. In April, Murray toured the southern end of Sequim Bay with leaders from the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe along with local environmental advocates and experts to trap invasive European green crab and hear directly from local leaders about their on-the-ground efforts to address the threat posed by the invasive species.
• $80 million for NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program. Washington Sea Grant is based at the University of Washington and is focused on addressing issues affecting the state’s coastal communities—healthy coastal ecosystems, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, resilient communities and economies, and ocean literacy and workforce development.
• $42.5 million for NOAA’s Integrated Ocean Observing System. The Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems—based at the University of Washington and conducting research across Washington state and Oregon—is one of 11 regional associations providing real-time information on the speed and direction of surface currents.
• $104.1 million for NOAA’s Climate Laboratories and Cooperative Institutes. The University of Washington co-leads the Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies (CICOES), along with Oregon State University and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. This research is at the forefront of investigations on climate change, ocean acidification, fisheries assessments, and tsunami forecasting.
• $16.3 million for NOAA’s Climate Adaptation Partnership Program. The University of Washington is home to the Northwest Climate Resilience Collaborative—one of 12 regional co-ops which supports research that helps build capacity for and adapt to climate changes.
• $200,000 for the new Joint Coast Guard-NOAA Cetacean Desk Pilot Program in Puget Sound. The pilot program will help track and proactively engage vessel operators to alert them to whale presence in Puget Sound, as well as regulations and voluntary guidelines in place to protect the endangered Southern Resident orcas. Specifically, funding will support NOAA staffing for the new pilot program in Puget Sound, as authorized in the FY23 NDAA.
• $5 million for the Economic Development Administration’s new Assistance to Indigenous Communities (AIC) Program. AIC will help indigenous communities design and implement strategies to address causes or drivers of economic harm.
• $8 million for NASA’s Space-Based Wildfire Detection. This will support NASA’s efforts to develop concept studies with commercial partners towards the development, demonstration, and operation of an infrared space-based wildfire early detection and alert system for the United States—this kind of technology could help Washington state prevent wildfires. 
• $7.736 billion for Deep Space Exploration, specifically, for the continued development of the Human Landing System for the Artemis missions. This is a $267 million increase from last year’s funding level, which will allow NASA to contract for a second commercially developed lunar lander. Blue Origin was awarded NASA’s second contract for the Human Landing System in May 2023.

Murray also helped secure a $32 million increase above the Fiscal Year 2023 enacted level for the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women—the highest funding level ever—to prevent violence against women and better support survivors, especially Native women on Tribal lands, a longtime priority and focus of Senator Murray’s. The draft legislation also includes important funding to help reduce the backlog of rape kits at law enforcement agencies, and it funds a new grant program Senator Murray established to increase access to sexual assault nurse exams and help survivors get the care they need.

More information on the bill is available HERE.

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