Congressman Garamendi Votes for Bipartisan Omnibus Bill to Fund Government in 2016

WASHINGTON, DC – December 21, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, Davis, Yuba City) voted for the year-end omnibus bill to fund the government through the 2016 fiscal year. The $1.1 trillion spending bill provides critical money for education, environmental policy, medical research and transportation safety while avoiding destructive riders on California water policy and women’s health.

“Compromises like this bill are never perfect, but this one is definitely good enough to vote for,” said Congressman Garamendi. “This bill accomplishes many of the priorities I have been fighting for throughout my career: it will increase funding for Alzheimer’s research, renew much-needed environmental programs, and increase spending for education and veterans’ programs. I am also pleased that many of the more controversial provisions did not make their way through the negotiating process.”

Highlights of the omnibus bill include:

· Reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and a five-year extension of tax credits for solar and wind

· Increases funding for the Maritime Security Program to $210 million, a big victory for the domestic maritime industry

· $1.3 billion for water resources projects within the Department of Interior, with no controversial riders on the California drought

· Prohibitions on retirement or divestment of the RQ-4 Global Hawk and KC-10 extender

· Requirement that the Secretary of Transportation finalize a rule on response plans to oil train spills within one year

· $2.65 billion for Wildland Fire Management

· $936 million in NIH funding for Alzheimer’s Research—an increase of $350 million

· Over $71.4 billion in funding for veterans’ services, an increase of $6.5 billion of 2015 levels.