House-passed spending bill includes funds for Bend’s Hawthorne Bridge and airport control tower, Redmond wetlands

WASHINGTON (KTVZ) – Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., voted Wednesday in favor of H.R. 4366, the Consolidated Appropriations Act – a bipartisan package of six appropriations bills that will fund several government agencies through fiscal year 2024.

Included in the bill are nearly a dozen of Chavez-DeRemer’s funding requests for the 5th District, totaling over $25 million. The proposal passed the House with broad bipartisan support on a vote of 339-85.

“In a Congress this closely divided, the only way to get things done for our districts is to work across the aisle – a point I’ve reiterated after every stopgap funding bill we’ve passed," Chavez-DeRemer said. "Now, I’m glad the House is finally able to vote on consensus appropriations bills that will fund the government and provide certainty for Oregonians.

"This first package saves taxpayers billions while fully funding veterans' medical care and programs that Oregon women, children, farmers, and ranchers rely on – including WIC. Additionally, it reinvests over $25 million of Oregonians’ tax dollars back into the 5th District for improvements to transportation, infrastructure, and public safety systems. I hope the Senate will act quickly so this overdue funding bill can be quickly signed into law,” Chavez-DeRemer added/

This appropriations bill includes several of Chavez-DeRemer’s Community Project Funding requests, totaling a $25.9 million infrastructure investment in the 5th District:

• $1.875 million for the city of Stayton to complete critical stormwater infrastructure projects.
• $1.8 million for Marion County to install an emergency announcement system that can quickly reach all residents to improve public safety.
• $1.25 million for the city of Redmond to expand a wastewater interceptor to help complete the city’s constructed wetlands wastewater management project. 
• $1.25 million for the city of Albany to help replace and extend the Cox Creek interceptor, which provides sanitary sewer service to almost 1,600 acres in Albany.
• $1.25 million for the city of West Linn to replace a water main along the I-205 Abernethy Bridge, which is necessary due to the bridge replacement project.
• $6 million for Bend Municipal Airport (BDN) to complete new construction of a federal contract control tower, which will help streamline the flow of air traffic.
• $4 million for Oregon City to help complete redevelopment of the Rossman Landfill.
• $2.8 million to assist the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) in completing safe crossing enhancements for OR22 in the communities of Mill City, Gates, and Idanha.
• $5.7 million for the city of Bend to construct a pedestrian overpass to help connect eastern and western Bend over US97.

Additional requests that were included in the package are as follows:

• $500,000 for the Clackamas School Based Behavioral Health and Substance Abuse Juvenile Justice Prevention Program to help students with drug dependency issues and emerging mental health needs.
• $28.6 million for the ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system managed by the U.S. Geological Survey to help quickly detect earthquakes.
• $1.847 billion in advance appropriations for the Federal Highway Administration’s Bridge Investment Program, which is critical for completing projects like the I-5 bridge replacement.

The bill also includes support for federal firefighter pay, a key issue Chavez-DeRemer helped lead last year as an original cosponsor of the Wildland Firefighter Paycheck Protection Act. Additionally, key provisions to improve the tracking of U.S. foreign-owned agricultural land were included. This would require the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) to be notified of land purchases made by China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.

Full text of the bill is available HERE.