WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, applauded the passage of appropriations legislation that includes critical investments that support Connecticut’s economy. The bill, which includes the Department of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2019, the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2019, and the Agriculture Appropriations Act of 2019, passed the U.S. Senate on Wednesday. Murphy advocated for this funding as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“When I’m home, I hear from people across Connecticut that Washington needs to work on the issues that actually matter. That’s why I’ve been laser focused on bringing back funding to help our state’s economy in the Appropriations Committee,” said Murphy. “These investments will help rebuild our aging infrastructure, protect Long Island Sound and our state’s environment, and boost local farmers. There’s a lot more we should do, but given where we started at with President Trump’s budget proposing slashing a bunch of these important investments, today’s bill is really good news for Connecticut.”

Specifically, Murphy advocated for investments to help rebuild Connecticut’s transportation infrastructure, particularly for rail along the Northeast Corridor (NEC). Murphy and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) introduced an amendment to boost NEC funding by $500 million, which was not agreed to by Senate Republicans. He also helped usher through funding for programs that help Connecticut farmers, including provisions to support beginning farmers, as well as provisions to help protect and preserve the Long Island Sound and its coastline. 

Highlights of the investments secured by Murphy include:

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act

  • $1.9 billion for Amtrak and the Northeast Corridor rail, whose riders contribute $50 billion annually to the U.S. economy;
  • $300 million for the Federal Railroad Administration’s Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair.

Agriculture Appropriations Act

  • $405 million for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, which funds research at UConn on topics like food safety, water resources, climate variability, and sustainable plant and animal production systems
  • $300 million for the Smith-Lever program, which supports UConn’s beginning farmer outreach and Connecticut 4-H programs;
  • $238 million for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program, which helps feed 2,400 low-income seniors in Connecticut;
  • $36 million for the McIntire-Stennis program, which supports forestry research grants at UConn
  • Over $24 million for programs supporting beginning farmers, including the Beginning Farmers Ranchers Development Program and a mentor program;
  • $4 million for the Acer Access and Development Program, which Murphy led advocacy for and supports the growth of maple syrup production;
  • $5.6 million for the Floriculture and Nursery Research Initiative, which supports research for Connecticut’s robust nursery industry that includes over 1,700 nurseries and 30,000 local jobs;
  • Murphy-supported provision to study harvesting kelp and other ocean farming practices to protect water quality and support vertical ocean farms, like Greenwave in Branford, CT;
  • Murphy-supported provision to increase funding for dairy processing, innovation, and marketing

Interior and Environment Appropriations Act

  • $12 million for Long Island Sound Geographic Program;
  • $9.5 million to monitor water quality at beaches;
  • $180,000 Coltsville National Historic Park;
  • $300,000 for New England National Scenic Trail, a 215-mile hiking trail that travels through 41 communities in Connecticut and Massachusetts

 

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