U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), announced that priorities for West Virginia were included in the bipartisan Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Labor-HHS funding bill. The legislation passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee with overwhelming bipartisan support by a vote of 25-3.

While the Senate bill’s committee advancement is a critical step in the process toward funding our government for FY 2025, there are still several difficult steps in the budget process before this becomes law and before funds can be distributed. Now that the committee has passed the bill, it is now able to be considered by the full Senate. Once passed by the Senate, the bill will then be on track to be included in the final Appropriations package for FY25.

“As the top Republican on Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, I am proud that Chair Baldwin and I were able to once again craft an effective bill that maintains provisions that are critical to the departments our subcommittee oversees, and does not include any new controversial riders. Additionally, this bill continues our bipartisan record from last year by including a number of priorities from both sides of the aisle like, investments in America’s biomedical research, child care, mental health, workforce, biodefense, our efforts to combat the opioid epidemic, and more. Advocating for issues that are important to West Virginia is always top of mind, which is why I vowed to do just that as the ranking member of this subcommittee. I am pleased that this bill reflects many of those priorities that will help West Virginians from all corners of our state,” Ranking Member Capito said.

CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING HIGHLIGHTS:

Included in the legislation are Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) measures that Ranking Member Capito authored after having consulted and worked with entities and organizations across West Virginia.

ITEMS BENEFICIAL TO WEST VIRGINIA THAT RANKING MEMBER CAPITO WORKED TO INCLUDE: 

National Institutes of Health: $50.2 billion, including an increase of $2 billion above the FY 2024 enacted level for biomedical investments in research. The bill also provides $127 million in CURES funding.

Alzheimer’s: $4.1 billion, an increase of $275 million above the FY 2024 enacted level, for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias research.

Cancer: $7.5 billion, an increase of $270 million above the FY 2024 enacted level, for the National Cancer Institute, including fully funding Cancer Moonshot activities and $50 million for the Childhood Cancer STAR Act, which Senator Capito helped author and is the most comprehensive childhood cancer bill ever passed by Congress.

Mental Health: $2.6 billion, an increase of $455 million above the FY 2024 enacted level, for the National Institute of Mental Health and BRAIN Initiative activities. 

Diabetes: $2.36 billion, an increase of $50 million above the FY 2024 enacted level, for the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Women’s Health Research: $152 million, an increase of $76 million above the FY 2024 enacted level, for the Office of Research on Women’s Health.

Opioid Epidemic: $4.6 billion for improving prevention, treatment, and recovery services.  Funding will support strengthening the workforce, especially in rural communities, and expanding research for critical needs, such as funding alternative pain medications. The bill continues to provide states with the flexibility to use opioid response funds on stimulants across multiple programs. In 2023, there were an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths, emphasizing the need to continue these critical resources.

Mental Health: More than $6 billion for mental health research, treatment, and prevention, including:

$540 million for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) suicide prevention Lifeline, 9-8-8.

$400 million for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics.

$275 million increase specifically for mental health research at the National Institute of Mental Health.

$1.04 billion for the Mental Health Block Grant.

$190 million is included for school-based mental health grants at the Department of Education.

$25 million increase for the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program to support training and strengthen the mental health workforce through repayment of education loans for those working in either a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area or where the overdose death rate exceeds the national average.

Health and Human Services Preparedness: $3.8 billion for the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. The bill includes $1.07 billion for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and $80 million to support biodefense preparedness and domestic manufacturing.

Rural Health: $386 million for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s rural health programs and $5 million for the CDC Office of Rural Health.

Caregiving: $232 million for the Administration for Community Living’s family caregiving and respite care programs.

Early Education: $10.3 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant and nearly $13 billion for Head Start.

K-12 Formula Grants: $18.7 billion, an increase of $280 million above the FY 2024 enacted level, for Title I Grants to Local Educational Agencies and $15.5 billion, an increase of $300 million above the FY 2024 enacted level, for IDEA Grants to States.

Career, Technical, and Adult Education: $1.5 billion for Career and Technical Education and $729 million for Adult Education.

Rural Education: $230 million for the Rural Education Achievement Program and $50 million for the Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development Grant Program.

Apprenticeship Funding: $290 million for the Apprenticeship Grant Program.

Pell Maximum Award: Increase of $100 to the maximum Pell award for a total of $7,495 for the 2025-2026 school year.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting: $535 million in advance funding for Fiscal Year 2027.  The bill also provides $60 million for the public broadcasting interconnection system.

Maintains Legacy Riders: The bill maintains long-standing riders, including Hyde and Hyde-Weldon conscience protections, needle exchange prohibition, NLRB electronic voting prohibition, and the Dickey Amendment.