Following Months of Pushing, Senator Warnock Secures Major Investments for Georgia Labor, Education, Health Care and Human Services Priorities in Draft Senate Government Funding Bills

On Thursday, July 28, the Senate Appropriations Committee released draft text of the annual bills that fund the federal government

Following Senator Reverend Warnock’s advocacy, the draft government funding bill for labor, health care and human services priorities includes robust investments for Georgia

Senator Reverend Warnock: “I was proud to fight for these robust investments and I will keep fighting until this legislation is signed into law, and much-needed resources flow to communities across our state.”

Washington, D.C. — Following months of advocacy and conversations with partners across Georgia, today Senator Reverend Warnock (D-GA) proudly announced that he secured critical federal investments for several Georgia priorities in the recently-released draft fiscal year 2023 government funding bills, including more than $25 million for critical labor, health care and human services projects and initiatives across Georgia.

“As a voice for Georgia in the Senate, I’m proud that the draft government funding bills reflect the priorities of the hardworking people of Georgia,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. I was proud to fight for these robust investments that will bolster health care across our state and help families and businesses thrive. and I will keep fighting until this legislation is signed into law, and these much-needed investments start flowing to communities across our state.”

The twelve government funding bills, released on July 28 by the Senate Appropriations Committee, reflect months of behind-the-scenes work by Senator Warnock and his office to ensure the bills address critical priorities for Georgia families and companies, including major investments in labor, health and human services in every corner of the state. In addition to securing funding for several Georgia priorities in the base text of the legislation, Senator Warnock also successfully secured $129.49 million in direct federal investments for 64 Georgia projects and initiatives, in more than 40 counties, through Congressionally-directed spending requested on behalf of stakeholders across the state. The appropriations bills must now be approved by the full Senate.

See below key labor, education, health care and human services wins that Senator Reverend Warnock secured in the draft Senate government funding bills:

METRO ATLANTA & STATEWIDE

Bias Training for Maternal Health Care Professionals: Senator Warnock secured $5 million in programmatic funding to improve the delivery of care to obstetric patients by training health care professionals to recognize and remedy bias.
Southern Regional Medical Center & Morehouse School of Medicine – Residency Program Education: Senator Warnock secured $1.83 million in Congressionally-directed spending funds to hire 36 Internal Medicine residents within three years who would work clinical rotations in Clayton County and the surrounding south Metro Atlanta communities.
Rockdale County Diversion Center: Senator Warnock secured $1.9 million in Congressionally-directed spending funds to provide recovery-focused activities, carry out recovery-focused community education and outreach programs, and/or provide peer-based recovery support services.
Rural Health Care: Senator Warnock secured $600,000 in Congressionally-directed spending funds to expand The Rouse Foundation’s (TRF) Health2U Mobile Health Clinics program, which delivers quality health care to rural populations that are hard to reach and/or lack access to preventive health care services.
Ser Familia Resource Center: Senator Warnock secured $492,000 in Congressionally-directed spending funds to to reach Georgia’s Latino families. Ser Familia, which operates in several communities in Georgia, helps build families’ strengths and helps protect the children from abuse and/or neglect. This helps keep families together and make them more resilient.

ATHENS & NORTH GEORGIA

University of Georgia & Fort Valley State University (Collaboration): Senator Warnock secured $4 million in Congressionally-directed spending funds for a collaboration between two of Georgia’s premiere agricultural institutions to address the critical needs of the poultry industry in the state, and beyond.
Berry College: Senator Warnock secured $964,000 in Congressionally-directed spending funds to help Berry College expand its state-of-the-art High-Fidelity simulation (HFS) lab where students can practice and refine critical skills to close the nursing gap in Georgia.
Reinhardt University: Senator Warnock secured $350,000 in Congressionally-directed spending funds for Waleska, GA’s Reinhardt University to invest in the equipment and resources needed to train nursing students in North Georgia.

AUGUSTA

Augusta University Medical Center Equipment: Senator Warnock secured more than $1.1 million for Augusta University Medical Center to replace outdated defibrillators and anesthesia machines.

MIDDLE GEORGIA

Fort Valley State University Community Nursing Program: Senator Warnock secured $1 million in Congressionally-directed spending funds for FVSU’s Community Nursing Program to train nursing students and help meet the growing health care needs of individuals, families, and groups in rural areas of Georgia.
Wesleyan College: Senator Warnock secured $610,000 in Congressionally-directed spending funds to create a new pilot program for students at Macon’s Wesleyan College to complete their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree and serve Georgia’s health care system.

COLUMBUS

United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley: Senator Warnock secured $288,000 in Congressionally-directed spending funds to support students and families in the Columbus area who live in extreme poverty and who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

SAVANNAH & COASTAL GEORGIA

St. Joseph’s/Candler Health: Senator Warnock secured $1.08 million in Congressionally-directed spending funds to reduce patients’ travel time for medical oncology in rural Coastal Georgia and to provide much-needed local access to advanced cancer treatment services and clinical trials.
Evans Memorial Hospital [Claxton, GA]: Senator Warnock secured $1 million in Congressionally-directed spending funds to provide Claxton, GA’s Evans Memorial Hospital with a new roof to better serve its patients.
Coffee Regional Medical Center Lab Renovation: Senator Warnock secured $950,000 in Congressionally-directed spending funds to address the growing population with decreasing technical staff while providing assistance to renovate and upgrade laboratory instruments.
Savannah State University: Senator Warnock secured $616,000 in Congressionally-directed spending funds for Savannah State University to prepare minority and women scientists for Cybersecurity professions.
Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC) Home Medical Equipment Expansion: Senator Warnock secured $478,000 in Congressionally-directed spending funds to help expand the FODAC operations by acquiring a satellite office in Savannah and purchasing transportation equipment.
Southeast Georgia Health System Inc Nurse Expansion Program: Senator Warnock secured $200,000 in Congressionally-directed spending funds to help increase the number of registered nurses completing the nursing program at the College of Coastal Georgia.

SOUTH GEORGIA

Albany Technical College: Senator Warnock secured $500,000 in Congressionally-directed spending funds to address the community’s unprecedented nursing shortage.
- This grant will dramatically increase recruitment efforts to reach the large minority and underemployed future nursing graduates in the Albany, Georgia region and surrounding counties.
City of Baconton: Senator Warnock secured $20,000 in Congressionally-directed spending funds to purchase a 20-passenger van to transport seniors to the Senior Center, medical appointments, and shopping for essentials of daily living.

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