Appropriations Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2023 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Funding Bill

June 21, 2022
Press Release
Legislation supports safer communities by funding local law enforcement, supports small businesses and American manufacturing, creates jobs, and confronts the climate crisis

WASHINGTON — The House Appropriations Committee today released the draft fiscal year 2023 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies funding bill, which will be considered in subcommittee tomorrow. The legislation funds agencies and programs in the Departments of Commerce and Justice, as well as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Foundation.

For 2023, the bill provides $85.7 billion, an increase of $7.6 billion – 9.7 percent – above the comparable 2022 level. The legislation:

  • Supports safer communities with substantial funding for Federal, State, and local law enforcement, including greatly expanding gun violence prevention efforts
  • Addresses violence against women with significant increases for Violence Against Women Act prevention and prosecution programs, as well as efforts to reduce the backlog of unprocessed rape kits
  • Helps create good paying American jobs with investments in economic development in distressed communities, with support for small businesses, including small and medium-sized manufacturers
  • Confronts the climate crisis with strong funding for climate resilience and research at NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Science Foundation, and increased funding for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of DOJ to help combat the climate crisis and advance environmental justice

“This legislation invests in American manufacturing, economic development and infrastructure improvements to strengthen our economy and improve the lives of our nation’s working people,” Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee Chair Matt Cartwright (D-PA-08) said. “It also helps our law enforcement officials fight crime and improve public safety, while also funding innovative research, advancing our trade competitiveness, and preparing us for extreme weather conditions. This legislation makes very effective use of taxpayer dollars and will help us build a more prosperous, safe, and competitive America for all of us.”

“People across the country are worried about their safety—worried about their children and families as they go to school, work, or the grocery store. The 2023 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies bill makes our communities safer by increasing funding for local law enforcement who deserve our respect as they work day in and day out to protect us,” Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) said. “This legislation also reduces gun violence with funding for Gun Violence Reduction Grants and invests in programs to prevent violence against women. With these resources, we are also working to end the opioid epidemic and confront the climate crisis. I am proud that with this bill, House Democrats are leading the way to address some of the biggest issues facing working families.”

A summary of the draft fiscal year 2023 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies bill is below. The text of the draft bill is here. The subcommittee markup will be webcast live and linked on the House Committee on Appropriations website.

Bill Summary:

Department of Commerce – The bill includes $11.6 billion for the Commerce Department, an increase of $1.7 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level. This includes funding for the following agencies.

  • International Trade Administration – $629.8 million is provided, an increase of $59.8 million above FY 2022, to help create U.S. jobs by expanding exports and by fighting the unfair trade practices of other countries.
  • Census Bureau – The bill provides $1.5 billion for the Census Bureau, an increase of $151.5 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.
  • Economic Development Administration (EDA) – The legislation includes $510 million for the EDA, an increase of $136.5 million above the FY 2022 level. These funds will help improve our nation’s infrastructure, boost economically recovering communities, and launch innovative community development efforts.
  • Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) – The legislation includes $70 million for MBDA, an increase of $15 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, to help create jobs and expand business growth opportunities among minority-owned U.S. companies.
  • National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – NIST is funded at $1.47 billion in the bill, an increase of $244.1 million above the FY 2022 level. This includes $212 million for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program, an increase of $54 million. $953 million, an increase of $103 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, is also included for core NIST research activities, to help advance U.S. competitiveness, economic growth, cybersecurity, clean energy technologies, climate resilience, and other important efforts.
  • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – The legislation contains $6.8 billion for NOAA, which is $908.5 million above the FY 2022 enacted level. Funding will help address important priorities such as climate research and mitigation, improvements in weather forecasting, understanding sea level rise, supporting offshore wind energy, fisheries management, and STEM education.

Department of Justice (DOJ) – The bill funds DOJ at $38.1 billion, an increase of $3.3 billion above the FY 2022 discretionary enacted level. This includes funding for the following:

  • Violence Against Women Act programs are funded at $642 million, an increase of $67 million above FY 2022, including new programs providing services for underserved populations and a financial assistance program for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
  • Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (Byrne-JAG) and Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring grants are funded at $716.9 million and $277.4 million, increases of $42.4 million and $31.4 million, respectively.
  • Combatting Domestic Terrorism and Upholding the Rule of Law
    • Includes funding for the United States Attorneys for investigations and prosecutions associated with the January 6 U.S. Capitol attacks and the rising challenge of domestic terrorism
    • Also includes funding for the U.S. Marshals Service for judicial security and other law enforcement enhancements
  • Gun Violence Reduction Grants—The bill funds the following grant programs aimed at reducing gun violence and keeping our communities safe including:
    • $175 million for STOP School Violence Act grants fund through two programs under State and Local Law Enforcement Activities and COPS.
    • $150 million for the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative which supports partnerships between law enforcement and the communities they serve to address violence intervention and prevention programs, including gang and gun violence.
    • $110 million for grants to help States improve their submissions into the National Instant Criminal Background Check system for gun purchases.
    • $40 million for a pilot program to incentivize States to establish or refine Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) laws.
  • Efforts to Combat Hate—The bill includes the following programs aimed at hate crime prevention:
    • $70 million for Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention and Prosecution Grants, an increase of $57 million above FY 2022.
    • $30 million in funding for community organizations for efforts to prevent hate crimes.
    • $15 million for activities authorized under the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act.
    • $2.5 million for a new youth-focused hate crime prevention and intervention initiative.
    • Funding within the DOJ Civil Rights Division to confront hate and bias crimes
  • Anti-Opioid Initiatives – The bill includes funding for the following programs:
    • $460 million for grant programs authorized under the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, an increase of $45 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, including funds for drug courts, treatment, prescription drug monitoring, overdose-reversal drugs, and justice and mental health collaboration program.
    • $12 million for youth affected by opioids.
    • $53 million towards Anti-Methamphetamine and Anti-Heroin Task Forces.
    • Additional funding for the DOJ Civil Division to bolster prescription opioid litigation.
    • Funding within the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for information sharing capacity for Federal, State, and local partners to counter the trafficking of opioids and other harmful drugs.
  • Further Efforts at Promoting Justice and Racial Equality – This bill takes concrete actions and provides resources for meaningful change, including:
    • $25 million for a new public defender improvement program.
    • $15 million towards accelerating justice system reforms.
    • $22 million for the Justice for Families Program.
    • Funding in support of the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act, to investigate and prosecute unresolved civil rights era “cold case” murders.
    • $125 million for Second Chance Act grants, an increase of $10 million above FY 2022.
    • $3.5 million to support family-based alternative sentencing programs for parents in the criminal justice system.
    • $15 million for Capital Litigation Improvement and Wrongful Conviction Review, an increase of $3 million above FY 2022.
    • $4 million for the National Center for Restorative Justice.
    • $8 million for domestic radicalization research, including research on white supremacist extremism.
    • $110 million for Youth Mentoring grants.
    • $4.5 million for alternatives to youth incarceration.
    • $1 million to assist youth to set-aside juvenile records to eliminate barriers to successful reentry, reduce recidivism, and improve public safety.
    • Funding continued for the FBI, U.S. Attorneys, and Civil Rights Division for pattern and practice investigations, as well as Civil Rights Division increases for voting rights enforcement, fair housing, and disability rights enforcement.
    • Funding to enhance the executive clemency function and support access to justice
  • Efforts towards Police Accountability, Training, and Additional Resources:
    • $50 million towards Community Policing Development initiatives including funding for co-responder crisis teams, de-escalation training, and diversity and anti-bias training.
    • $10 million towards the Collaborative Reform Model which supports local law enforcement agencies in identifying problems and developing solutions to some of the most critical issues facing law enforcement today, such as use of force and fair and impartial policing.
    • $10 million for training to improve police responses to people with mental illness or developmental disabilities.
    • $10 million for grants to train State and local law enforcement officers on racial profiling, implicit bias, de-escalation, use of force, and duty to intervene.
    • $12 million for the POLICE Act for scenario-based training to handle violent threats such as active shooters.
    • $4 million to develop best practices for, and to create, civilian review boards.
    • Funding for state and local law enforcement officers and DOJ agencies for body-worn cameras for their agents and task force partners.
    • $15 million for the VALOR initiative focused on officer safety, wellness, and resilience training.
    • $10 million to improve the delivery and access to mental health and wellness services to law enforcement.
  • Other Justice Grant Programs – The bill additionally includes further responsible and effective investments in state and local justice, including:
    • $168 million for DNA Initiative Grants.
    • $90 million for Grants to Reduce the Sexual Assault Kit Backlog.
    • $95 million for Victims of Trafficking grants.
    • $107.5 million for Missing and Exploited Children programs.
    • $36 million for Victims of Child Abuse programs.
  • Supporting Other Important Department Litigation
    • Funding is included for the Criminal and Civil Divisions to prosecute COVID-19-related fraud cases.
    • Funding is included to combat child exploitation, white collar crime, and election crime, and to pursue Magnitsky Act prosecutions, as well as to enhance executive clemency functions and support data privacy litigation.
    • Funding is also included for the Environment and Natural Resources Division for environmental justice and combatting the climate crisis.
    • Funding is included for the Antitrust Division (ATR) to begin rebuilding ATR’s capacity to defend competition and enforce long-neglected antitrust laws.
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – $10.68 billion for salaries and expenses, an increase of $539.7 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, including funding for enhanced civil rights enforcement and new initiatives to counter domestic terrorism and to address cybercrime and cyberthreats.
  • Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) – $964.4 million is provided, an increase of $204.4 million above the FY 2022 enacted level. This increase will allow for the continued hiring of immigration judges and support staff to address the immigration case backlog.
  • Community Relations Service (CRS) – $25 million, an increase of $4 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, to help expand CRS’s efforts to help defuse tensions in neighborhoods and communities.
  • Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) – The legislation contains $1.73 billion for ATF, an increase of $201.4 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, to help expand efforts to reduce violent gun crime.
  • Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) – $8.7 billion, an increase of $615.6 million above FY 2022, including:
    • Funding to hire correctional personnel needed to reduce the use of staffing augmentation and improve inmate and officer safety, and to help implement the First Step Act; and
    • Funding to modernize aging camera and communications, and to begin to address BOP’s aging and dangerous facilities and infrastructure.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – The bill includes $25.45 billion, $1.4 billion above the FY 2022 enacted level. This funding includes continued investments in human space exploration efforts, as well as other investments, including the following:

  • $950 million for Aeronautics research, an increase of $69.3 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, to make air travel more environmentally sustainable through improved fuel efficiency, the use of electric flight, and innovative new aircraft design.
  • $7.9 billion for Science, an increase of $290.6 million above FY 2022, to continue efforts to explore the solar system, other planets, and other solar systems, including through space telescopes and planetary satellites and rovers, as well as efforts to gain scientific knowledge about the Earth’s changing climate.
  • $7.32 billion for Exploration, an increase of $532 million above FY 2022, to continue human space exploration efforts, including eventually landing the first American woman and person of color on the surface of the Moon.
  • $150.1 million for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Engagement, an increase of $13.1 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, to inspire young people to pursue future careers in science and engineering. 

National Science Foundation (NSF) –$9.63 billion, an increase of $793.2 million above the FY 2022 enacted level.  These funds will foster innovation and U.S. economic competitiveness, including funding for climate science and sustainability research, as well as research on artificial intelligence, quantum information science, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, and many other critical areas. The bill also invests in important scientific infrastructure. Within this total:

  • Research and Related Activities are funded at $7.7 billion, an increase of $546.1 million above the FY 2022 enacted level; and
  • STEM Education (formerly known as Education and Human Resources) is funded at $1.25 billion, an increase of $244 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, to help broaden participation in STEM research and STEM careers among underrepresented populations.
  • The bill funds climate science and sustainability research through the U.S. Global Change Research Program and Clean Energy Technology.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) – $464.65 million, an increase of $44.65 million above the FY 2022 enacted level and equal to the Administration’s request.

Legal Services Corporation: The legislation provides $675 million for the Legal Services Corporation, an increase of $186 million above the FY 2022 enacted level, to help increase the availability of legal assistance in underserved communities.

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: $14.35 million is included, including $2 million in support of the Commission on the Social Status of Black Men and Boys.

Office of the U.S. Trade Representative:  $75 million is included, an increase of $4 million above FY 2022.

International Trade Commission:  $122.4 million is included, an increase of $12.4 million above FY 2022.

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117th Congress