DES MOINES – Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a package of congressional appropriations bills for the upcoming fiscal year that contained $10,196,672 in direct investments for projects across Iowa’s Third Congressional District. Congresswoman Cindy Axne worked to secure funding for nine different projects across central and southwest Iowa, to support local priorities ranging from facilities upgrades and construction to expansion of child care services and affordable housing options. Among the nine projects advanced by the House last week from Iowa’s Third Congressional District is:

• $1,000,000 to begin expansion of the Stanton Child Resource Center in Stanton, Iowa.
• $904,336 to expand affordable housing options in Council Bluffs, by supporting construction of more than 75 affordable units at the South End Housing Development Program.
• $725,336 to expand programming and add facilities at the Ringgold Child Care Center in Mount Ayr.
• $600,000 to repair and upgrade components at the Creston City Waterworks in Creston, Iowa.

Other projects in the bill include:

• $3,267,000 to repair glycol storage tanks at the Des Moines International Airport, supporting a planned expansion of de-icing capabilities at the airport.
• $1,600,000 to replace the bridge on County Highway R57 over the North River in Warren County, Iowa.
• $1,000,000 to extend and connect sewer systems in the City of Johnston, Iowa.
• $1,000,000 to support construction of the Raccoon River East Pedestrian Bridge, which will connect Raccoon River Park on the north side of the Raccoon River in West Des Moines to Walnut Woods State Park.
• $100,000 to purchase dental equipment to improve low-income dental services offered by Primary Health Care, Inc. in Des Moines, Iowa.

Earlier this year, Rep. Axne solicited input from community members across central and southwest Iowa to identify funding opportunities that would qualify for inclusion in this year’s funding bills. Only state, local, and certain non-profit entities were eligible to request or receive funding, and the requests made by Rep. Axne were certified to have both community support and demonstrable need in the area where the funding would be allocated. As a part of its annual process of setting funding levels in the federal budget, the U.S. House advanced legislation that will apply to the 2022 fiscal year, which begins October 1st.

The bills now head to the U.S. Senate for potential amendment and approval. Axne says  “While there is a long way to go before the funding for these projects become law, I’m going to continue pushing to ensure these direct taxpayer investments come back to Iowa to help complete the projects that our taxpayers will benefit from for years to come. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to recognize the value of these investments, and move swiftly to approve these and other investments in time to prevent a government shutdown at the end of September.”

The bills include funding that would support Iowa communities through the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Transportation, Agriculture, Interior, Labor, Education, Commerce, Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, and more. More information on that legislation can be found here.