The $1.7 trillion FY 23 Omnibus Appropriations bill was released this morning. It contains a roughly 10% increase for defense related programming. House Democrats highlight a 9.3% increase for domestic programs, but their Republican colleagues claim the increase is actually only 5.5% when excluding a dramatic rise for Veterans’ health care.
The fiscal year 2023 Labor-H bill includes $209.9 billion in base discretionary funding. Including spending offset by savings in changes in mandatory programs, this represents an increase of $14.8 billion or 7.1 percent over the comparable fiscal year 2022 level.
The bill includes $579.3 million, an increase of 60.6 million for HRSA’s Title VII health professions programs.
The bill increases the maximum Pell Grant award by $500 or 7.2 percent to $7,395 for the 2023-24 school year. This is the largest increase in the maximum Pell grant award since the 2009-10 school year and further builds off the $400 increase provided last year.
The bill includes language from the Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act, amending the Public Health Service Act to allow for “increasing educational opportunities in physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, audiology, and speech-language pathology professions, which may include offering scholarships or stipends and carrying out other activities to improve retention, for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds or individuals who are underrepresented in such professions.’’
The leadership expects to move the Omnibus through the Senate, followed by the House, before the December 23rd expiration of the current Continuing Resolution.