On Saturday, the Senate passed the second Fiscal Year 2024 minibus government funding bill by a vote of 74-24. Passage of the bill averted a partial government shutdown and fully funds the government for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2024

The legislation contains provisions championed by Senator Warnock to increase child care and Head Start funding, something the Senator pushed for with Appropriations leadership

The legislation also gives a pay raise to servicemembers and makes critical investments in rural health care across the state

Legislation follows passage of first Fiscal Year 2024 minibus government funding bill pushed by Senator Reverend Warnock earlier this month—MORE HERE

Following Senator Reverend Warnock’s advocacy, legislation includes direct federal funding for 96 projects across Georgia, totaling $227 million between both minibus spending bills

Senator Reverend Warnock: “A budget is not just a fiscal document, it’s a moral document. I fought hard to ensure this legislation makes strong investments that will lower child care costs, support small businesses, strengthen rural health care and more, and I’m proud it reflects my commitment to serving Georgians from Rome to Valdosta”

Senator Reverend Warnock on Second Minibus Government Funding Bill: “This government funding legislation is vital for small businesses, health care providers, families, and servicemembers across Georgia and I’m glad we finally fully funded the government for the fiscal year, but let’s be clear–we are almost six months behind in passing this bill, and it never should have gotten to this point. A group of partisan extreme politicians almost let politics prevent Congress from fulfilling our essential responsibility to fund the government, which should be a bipartisan priority. I’m glad cooler heads prevailed but this is not a sustainable way to govern” 

Washington D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) voted to avert a partial government shutdown and secured major investments for Georgia in the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY ‘24) second minibus government funding bill, which includes the final six of the twelve bills necessary to fully fund the government through FY ‘24. 

“A budget is not just a fiscal document, it’s a moral document,” said Senator Reverend Warnock.“I fought hard to ensure this legislation makes strong investments that will lower child care costs, support small businesses, strengthen rural health care and more, and I’m proud it reflects my commitment to serving Georgians from Rome to Valdosta.”

The second minibus legislation championed by Senator Warnock will lower child care costs for working families and provide robust funding to Head Start, bolster funding for schools in low-income areas, provide equipment and facility upgrades for rural health care clinics and hospitals, strengthen support for small businesses, boost servicemember pay and more. The legislation now goes to the President to be signed into law. 

The Senator continued: “This government funding legislation is vital for small businesses, health care providers, families, and servicemembers across Georgia and I’m glad we finally fully funded the government for the fiscal year, but let’s be clear–we are almost six months behind in passing this bill, and it never should have gotten to this point. A group of partisan extreme politicians almost let politics prevent Congress from fulfilling our essential responsibility to fund the government, which should be a bipartisan priority. I’m glad cooler heads prevailed but this is not a sustainable way to govern.”  

In addition to championing investments to fully fund vital federal programs, Senator Warnock also successfully secured $227 million for 96 projects requested by communities across the state through Congressionally-Directed Spending (CDS) across both spending bills.

“After months of working with leaders and stakeholders across Georgia, and pushing my colleagues in Washington, I’m especially proud to have secured $227 million in direct funding for 96 projects in communities across our state. It just goes to show that when we center people in our public policy, we have a better chance of getting the policy right,” Senator Reverend Warnock added.

Passage of this legislation comes after the Senate passed the first six FY ’24 government funding bills on March 11, containing provisions championed by Senator Warnock to improve affordable housing access, protect vital nutritional assistance for children and families, provide infrastructure upgrades for communities across the state, and more. Read more about investments and policies Senator Warnock secured for Georgia in the first FY ’24 minibus government funding bill HERE. 

Key programmatic investments Senator Reverend Warnock supported in the government funding legislation include: 

Pay raise for servicemembers and support for military families: Georgia is a military state, with 70,000 active duty service members and 27,000 Reservists and Guardsmen reporting for work on any given day at one of the state’s 13 military bases. This bill gives a 5.2% pay raise for servicemembers and civilian employees. The legislation also provides $29.6 billion for military housing and $8.4 billion to support military families.

Addressing Child Care Crisis: As one of two Head Start alumni in the Senate, the Senator proudly secured $1 billion in new investments for child care and Head Start. These investments will help ensure working-class families can afford quality child care and young children get a top-rated early education experience. The Senator pushed Appropriations leadership for robust funding. Additionally, the bill includes $167 million for Department of Defense child care initiatives, which will support on-base child care programs.

Developing a Workforce of the Future: This legislation includes nearly $3 billion for grants to invest in apprenticeship programs, youth workforce development, reentry employment opportunities and more. These efforts ensure Georgia workers will be able to secure good-paying jobs or the future and Georgia businesses will be able to hire locally and compete in a global economy. 

Supporting Small Business: This bill includes $1.18 billion to support small businesses in Georgia and across the country, including $316.8 million for entrepreneurial development grants.

Supporting National Guard and Reserves. The bill provides $1 billion above the budget requested by the National Guard and Reserves for them to purchase equipment, supporting Georgia’s 27,000 Reservists and Guardsmen.

Combatting the Fentanyl crisis: This legislation includes $400 million for Border Protection (CBP) to improve operations to detect and seize fentanyl. It also includes $125 million to support global efforts to stop the global transfer of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs through law enforcement cooperation and other diplomatic engagements. The legislation also provides an additional nearly $60 million in new resources to disrupt and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations fueling the fentanyl crisis.

Supporting low-income K-12 schools: The bill protects and builds on Title I-A grants to support schools in low-income, disadvantaged areas. 

Addressing the mental health crisis: The bill includes $1 billion to help organizations carry out comprehensive community mental health services for adults and children with serious mental illness. It also includes over $150 million to support the training of a mental health workforce. 

Providing resources for robust federal natural disaster relief: The bill provides over $20 billion to the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural threats, including extreme weather like hurricanes, tornados, and more.

Supporting Afghan translators. The bill authorizes an additional 12,000 Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for Afghans who assisted the U.S. government during the war in Afghanistan.

Additionally, see highlights below of specific investments and policies that Senator Reverend Warnock secured for Georgia in the minibus government funding legislation through Congressionally-Directed Spending (CDS) requests:

METRO ATLANTA & NORTH GEORGIA:

$1.5 million to construct a new hospital in Ringgold, Georgia: Funding will go to CHI Memorial Hospital For construction costs associated with Memorial’s efforts to replace their current facility in Fort Oglethorpe, GA with a new hospital in Ringgold, GA. This funding was secured with Senator Ossoff.

$1.27 million to renovate Stephens County Hospital: Funding will go to Stephens County Hospital to provide funding for Renovations to the Operating Rooms at the hospital which are needed for the development of its Rural Trauma Surgery Program.

$1 million to train mental health professionals in maternal/pediatric care: Funding will go to Agnes Scott College to support renovation, equipment, curriculum development, and technology needs to grow Georgia’s health workforce by building programs that educate physician assistants and clinical mental health counselors to address critical needs in maternal, neonatal and pediatric health. This funding was secured with Senator Ossoff.

$619,000 to support Black-owned businesses: Funding will go to the Atlanta Black Chamber to provide technical assistance, mental wellness, and mentoring to grow the profitability of black woman-owned businesses.

$540,000 to help ease increase in patient volume following closure of Atlanta Medical Center: Funding will go to Saint Joseph’s Mercy Care Services to purchase health facility equipment to manage increased patient volumes due to the closure of Atlanta Medical Center.

$500,000 for Spanish-language economic development and revitalization: Funding will go to Ser Familia for the Fair Oaks Coalition and Comprehensive Initiatives: Economic Development and Revitalization to provide bridge funding to help jumpstart a culturally proficient, comprehensive program model of family services and economic development and revitalization efforts, with an unparalleled coalition of community partners and significant leveraged funding. This funding was secured with Senator Ossoff.

$400,000 to support child abuse victims: Funding will go to FAITH’S Power House for Kids Whole Healing Program to provide trauma-informed care to child abuse victims and their non-offending caregivers. 

$11,000 for equipment for free health clinic in Forsyth County: Funding will go to Forsyth Community Clinic to purchase the necessary equipment for a brand new free healthcare clinic so that Forsyth County can properly treat patients.

SAVANNAH & COASTAL GEORGIA

$381,000 for Rural Diaper Distribution: Funding will go to Over the Moon Diaper Bank to improve access to basic needs for families in rural communities, through partnerships with healthcare providers such as hospitals and health clinics (public and private). This funding was secured with Senator Ossoff.

AUGUSTA-RICHMOND:

$1.5 million to support emergency operations: Funding will go to Richmond County to support Augusta’s Emergency Operations Center. This funding was secured with Senator Ossoff.

$368,000 to furnish an Entrepreneurship Center: Funding will go to Madison Village for Advanced Entrepreneurship to furnish The Wheelhouse, a facility for empowering rural entrepreneurs, innovators, and small business startups.

MACON & MIDDLE GEORGIA: 

$558,000 to bring emergency service to rural areas: Funding will go to the Medical Center of Baldwin County for the purchase of ambulances, equipment, and supplies to support continued access to rural communities via 911 Emergency and Non-Emergency Transportation (NET) operations. This funding was secured with Senator Ossoff.

COLUMBUS & WEST GEORGIA: 

$500,000 for college, career, and workforce development: This funding will go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Chattahoochee Valley for programming to help youth prepare for an equitable future with access to college preparation, career training, and workforce development opportunities.

$550,000 for Columbus State technical talent pipeline: Funding will go to Columbus State University to deliver a pipeline of technical talent to the chips industry necessary for the CHIPS Act to be successfully implemented and chips fabrication to return to the U.S. This funding was secured with Senator Ossoff.

$214,000 to expand nursing in LaGrange: Funding will go to LaGrange College to purchase new equipment and enhance classrooms at the LaGrange College Nursing Department’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program which will put more quality-trained nurses into hospitals, addressing national and statewide shortages. This funding was secured with Senator Ossoff.

ALBANY, VALDOSTA, & SOUTH GEORGIA:

$5,500,000 to renovate and reopen Southwest Georgia Regional Hospital: Funding will support the renovation and reopening of an essential hospital in Southwest Georgia—an area with some of the state’s lowest health factors and outcomes, and where some residents are at least 40 miles away from the nearest emergency room. This funding was secured with Senator Ossoff.

$1.87 million to construct a new emergency room at South Georgia Medical Center: Funding will support the construction of a 26,000 square foot addition to replace the outdated three-room ER in Berrien, GA with a new modern nine-room ER to address the healthcare needs of a growing rural community. This funding was secured with Senator Ossoff.

$580,000 for installation of a rural health clinic: Funding will go to Crisp Regional Hospital to purchase and install a modular rural health clinic building in Warwick, Georgia. This funding was secured with Senator Ossoff.