REP. LIEU SECURES $22,601,025 FOR LOCAL PROJECTS, HAS TWO BILLS SIGNED INTO LAW

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) announced that coastal Los Angeles County will receive $22,601,025 in Community Project Funding as part of the annual spending bill that passed today. In addition to the funding for community projects, Rep. Lieu also had two bills he authored signed into law: The Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Boundary Adjustment Study Act. Both bills will serve to benefit the important ecosystems in and around Los Angeles County. All these initiatives were included in the final 2023 appropriations government funding package.

"I am pleased to have secured $22,601,025 in Community Project Funding for our community," Rep. Lieu said. "These projects will help tackle some of the most pressing needs in our district including providing mental health and housing care for vulnerable people, endangered wildlife protection and supportive programming for young students.

"Additionally, I am pleased that my driftnet modernization bill, as well as my Santa Monica Mountains survey bill were included in this year's Omnibus. Drift gillnet fishing is not a sustainable way to fish and phasing out the practice will aid the health of our oceans for generations. My bill on Santa Monica Mountains will help us determine whether we should expand the boundary of the Santa Monica recreation area and potentially allow for more federal scientific and conservation resources in the area. Both bills, in addition to the millions of project funding going to our district, are significant wins for our community. I am pleased to end this year on such a high note. I cannot wait to continue fighting for my constituents next Congress."

Rep. Lieu championed funding for 15 projects that will directly benefit California's 33rd District residents. These include:

• $1,000,000 for the Boys Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor, San Pedro, CA for developing a digital program for student support
• $1,000,000 for the City of Hermosa Beach, CA for mobile mental health crisis response teams
• $3,452,972 for the City of Los Angeles for a Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant Modernization project
• $1,500,000 for the City of Santa Monica, CA for behavioral health and other supportive services
• $2,000,000 for the County of Los Angeles Alternatives to Incarceration Office (CEO), Los Angeles, CA for a youth job training program and supportive services
• $1,000,000 for the Friendship Foundation, Redondo Beach, CA for inclusive programs for students with disabilities
• $1,000,000 for the Manhattan Beach Safe Cycling Project
• $1,150,000 for the Pacific Palisades Pedestrian Trail
• $3,000,000 for the PATH Permanent Supportive Housing Marina Del Rey
• $1,000,000 for the Ready to Succeed, Santa Monica, CA for support for college-going foster youth, including scholarships
• $898,053 for the St. Joseph Center, Venice, CA for job skills training and supportive services to those experiencing homelessness
• $1,000,000 for the Torrance Temporary Housing Program
• $1,600,000 for the UCLA SeaChange: Carbon Sequestration Pilot
• $500,000 for the Venice Family Clinic, Venice, CA for facilities and equipment
• $2,500,000 for the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing

On the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Boundary Adjustment Study Act: The legislation will commission the National Park Service to conduct a three-year Special Resource Study to determine whether to add much of the Santa Monica Bay watershed to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (SMMNRA) or to create a new national recreation area.

On the Driftnet Modernization and Bycatch Reduction Act: The bill will phase out the use of large mesh drift gillnets off the coast of California and set a path toward more sustainable fishing in the region.

On the Omnibus: The twelve-bill government funding package will create good-paying American jobs, grow opportunity for the middle class and small businesses, and provide a lifeline for working families. Taken together, the funding for California's 33rd District and the funding increases for critical government programs will continue to reverse decades of disinvestment in our communities. The bill will also Reform the Electoral Count Act of 1887, which will help thwart future attempts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power like we saw on January 6th.

A detailed summary of the bill is available here.

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