Nearly $86 million in Community Project Funding Earmarks and $27 million for Eastern Kentucky coal communities closer to becoming law

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Harold “Hal” Rogers (KY-05), Dean of the House, voted for the Consolidated Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2024, which includes six federal funding bills to avoid a partial government shutdown on Friday. The legislation now moves on to the Senate for consideration.  
 
“This bipartisan funding package makes significant spending cuts, while securing strong commitments to the safety, security and well-being of the American people,” said Congressman Rogers, a senior appropriator. “It boosts national defense and protects our veterans, which will always remain a top priority of mine. I’m also grateful for the funding that is included for important projects in southern and eastern Kentucky, as we continue to rebuild after the deadly flood of 2022 and expand economic revitalization in our rural region.”  
 
The package includes nearly $86 million in Community Project Funding earmarks that Congressman Rogers requested for 15 projects in Kentucky’s Fifth Congressional District. All of Rogers’ requests were fully funded, including $3 million to build new homes for 2022 flood survivors in Eastern Kentucky and a Kentucky River Flood Mitigation Study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Nearly $21 million for water and wastewater system improvements are included for Boyd, Clay, Harlan, Floyd, Lawrence, Martin, and Rowan counties, plus more than $10 million for space science programs in Morehead and Hazard, $2 million for Operation UNITE’s substance abuse prevention and treatment programs, and $45 million to begin construction of the Northern Bypass in Pulaski County that will connect the Hal Rogers Parkway to the Louie B. Nunn Cumberland Parkway. 
 
The legislation also includes $130 million to continue the Abandoned Mine Lands Economic Revitalization (AMLER) grant program that Congressman Rogers launched in 2016 to help struggling coal communities with economic revitalization of abandoned mine lands. Kentucky will receive $27 million of those funds for the FY24 AMLER grant program, which is administered by the state. The legislation also fast-tracks the approval process by instructing the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation Enforcement (OSMRE) to disburse funding to each state or tribe within 90 days of enactment, eliminating lengthy delays that have stalled some previous AMLER-funded projects for more than two years. 
 
As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS), Rogers spoke on the House Floor in support of his committee’s bill. He highlighted the important work to rein in the Biden Administration’s spending spree and addressing the weaponization of federal law enforcement agencies with meaningful cuts.
 
“Despite limited resources, we maintain robust funding that prioritizes the fight against fentanyl, support for local law enforcement, and efforts to counter China by supporting innovation, space exploration, and scientific research. We do this while also utilizing the power of the purse to address the weaponization of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the overreach of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. To that end, the FBI and ATF will be receiving less money than last year,” said Chairman Rogers. “The bill supports local law enforcement by including critical funding for Byrne Justice grants and Cops Hiring grants. This assistance will help empower our local police departments and ensure they have the resources they need to safeguard our neighborhoods. Law enforcement plays an important role in the well-being of every American in every congressional district. Passage of this bill today sends a strong message: we have their backs.”
 
In addition to the Bureau of Prison’s recent progress toward construction of a new federal prison and camp facility in Letcher County, the bill also rejects the Biden Administration’s attempt to rescind funding for construction. 
 
The legislation also protects freedom of speech and religious liberties. It prohibits the Department of Justice (DOJ) from targeting parents who exercise their right to free speech at local school board meetings and prohibits the DOJ from investigating churches on the basis of their religious beliefs.
 
For more information about Congressman Rogers’ work in Washington and at home in Kentucky, visit halrogers.house.gov and follow him on social media.

Bill text is available here.