[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 140 (Wednesday, August 22, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S5792]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             APPROPRIATIONS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on a related matter, I am proud that on 
this Congress's watch, our economy has produced so many job 
opportunities for the American people.
  Here was the AP's headline a few weeks ago: ``Open jobs outnumber US 
unemployed for 3rd straight month.'' But that growth and prosperity 
needs to reach all families and all communities. That means expanding 
Americans' opportunities to invest in their own human capital by 
building new skills and transitioning into growing industries. That is 
why the appropriations legislation the Senate is currently considering 
provides billions of dollars for training and employment services. It 
includes $160 million for apprenticeship programs, $220 million for 
dislocated workers, with a special $30 million emphasis on displaced 
workers in rural communities like those I represent in Eastern and 
Western Kentucky, and just under $100 million to integrate ex-offenders 
back into productive society.
  These are just a few of the important items that our appropriation 
for Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education will fund.
  It provides the resources to continue investing in college 
affordability through Pell grants, Federal work-study programs, and 
programs specifically aimed at low-income and first-generation 
students.
  It contains a $2 billion funding increase for the National Institutes 
of Health, paving the way for important research and, we hope, new 
medical breakthroughs.
  Crucially, it will supply more resources for treatment, prevention, 
and recovery programs pertaining to the opioid epidemic. State opioid 
response grants put States in the driver's seat so local responses can 
be tailored to local challenges. This legislation funds them to the 
tune of $1.5 billion. In addition, there are hundreds of millions of 
dollars for community health centers, hundreds of millions for 
prevention and public awareness, and more for research into the nature 
of this addiction and alternatives for managing pain. There is over 
$100 million in targeted help for rural communities, like those in 
Kentucky, which continue to bear the brunt of this national crisis.
  I was proud to secure $5 million for a brandnew Centers for Disease 
Control initiative to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases 
like HIV and hepatitis B and C, which are a consequence of the opioid 
epidemic. The CDC is directed to prioritize high-risk areas, including 
54 counties in Kentucky.
  This legislation also contains provisions from my CAREER Act, which 
would dedicate new Federal funds to career and training services so 
that recovering substance abuse patients can transition back into the 
workforce and begin to rebuild their lives.
  In sum, the appropriations measures we are considering this week 
invest in human capital from all angles. They will put new tools in the 
hands of distressed communities, of workers who need new skills, and of 
families who need help defeating drug addiction.
  I thank the subcommittee chairman, Senator Blunt, and the ranking 
member, Senator Murray, for their bipartisan work on the Labor-HHS 
title. I look forward to voting in support of this legislation, along 
with the vital funding for the Department of Defense, in the coming 
days.

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