Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Ritchie Torres voted to include $9,113,095 in a government funding package for eight community projects and organizations that service the South Bronx. The  seven-bill government funding package (HR 4502) passed the House. This essential piece of legislation will improve the health and financial security of American families while also investing in clean energy, public health and education to set America up for future success. The package now moves to the Senate for consideration. Rep. Torres’ approved funding would go to the following projects: 

• $495,000 in funding for Urban Health Plan (UHP) Comprehensive Renovation Project
• $830,500 in funding for Clay Avenue Integrated Health Center Project for The Puerto Rican Organization to Motivate, Enlighten, and Serve Addicts, Inc.                                                                      
• $1,360,451.20 in funding for enhancing St. Barnabas Hospital’s infrastructure through the purchase of a Computerized Tomography Scanner (CT Scanner) for its Emergency Room
•  $3,351,144 in funding for Improving Children’s Health and Academic Excellence to Montefiore Medical Center
• $650,000 in funding for  Harvest to Haven Community Teaching Kitchen to East Side House
• $1,000,000 in funding for Sedgwick Library Roof Replacement to the New York Public Library
• $500,000 in funding for Pregones Theater Headquarters & Education Center to Pregones Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, Inc.
• $926,000 in funding for Bronx Community Parks to Trust for Public Land

“This funding package passed by House Democrats includes over $9 million in spending on projects that will improve our district and serve all its residents,” said Rep. Torres.  “I am proud to include federal funding for projects that will make a historic impact on working families in the South Bronx. From healthcare to education and infrastructure, these funds will uplift our communities as we continue to fight through this pandemic.”

Each fiscal year, which runs from October through September, Congress must pass legislation to fund the federal government and all of the vital programs it administers.  The “minibus” package that passed today will fund the following areas of the federal government: Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies; Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies; Financial Services and General Government; Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; and Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.

 The Senate must now take action for this funding to become a reality and have a direct impact on the lives of working Americans.