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

WASHINGTON — The House Appropriations Committee today approved the fiscal year 2023 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies bill on a 31 to 24 vote.

For 2023, the bill provides $85.5 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.”

The following amendments to the bill were adopted by the full Committee:

Rep. Cartwright – The manager’s amendment makes technical and noncontroversial changes to the bill and report. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.

Reps. Lee and Joyce #1 – This amendment prohibits the use of funds to prosecute against any State or Tribal marijuana laws. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.

Rep. Harris – This amendment adds report language under the United States Marshals Service (USMS) directing USMS to continue providing security to the Supreme Court of the United States Justices through fiscal year 2023 and keep the committee informed of their funding needs to provide judicial security for the Justices. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.

Rep. Wasserman Schultz – This amendment prohibits the use of funds to prosecute anyone who crosses state lines to get an abortion or anyone who provides assistance to another individual to obtain abortion services. The amendment was adopted by a vote of 32 to 23.

Rep. Garcia #2 – This amendment prohibits the use of funds to cap overtime for local law enforcement engaged in the eradication of black market marijuana. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.

A summary of the bill is here. The text of the draft bill is here. The bill report, before the adoption of amendments in full Committee, is here. In keeping with the Appropriations Committee’s commitment to transparency, information on Community Project Funding in the bill is here.

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