Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) applauded the passage of the bipartisan Fiscal Year 2022 omnibus funding package, which now heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
Senator Cortez Masto ensured the package includes full funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) program, which is the leading source of criminal justice funding for local police. She passed her legislation to extend telehealth services for Nevada families and seniors and her bill to protect federal student aid for families of first responders and soldiers who die in the line of duty. The funding package also includes the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and critical aid for Ukraine.
“This omnibus contains critical provisions to support Nevada’s seniors, military families, and law enforcement, as well as to assist our partners in Ukraine,” said Cortez Masto. “I secured historic funding to provide Nevada’s law enforcement officers with the resources they need to continue protecting our communities. In addition, I’m incredibly proud that we have reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act, sending a clear message that we will continue to stand up for survivors across the country.”
Senator Cortez Masto led the call for robust funding for the Byrne JAG grant program in the FY2022 omnibus. The program is the leading source of criminal justice funding for state, local, and tribal governments and provides support for a range of programs related to crime prevention, law enforcement, prosecution, corrections, and mental and behavioral health. As the former top law enforcement official in Nevada, Senator Cortez Masto has been a leading advocate in the Senate for our police officers. Her bipartisan bills to combat the crisis of law enforcement suicide and provide mental health resources to police officers were both signed into law.
She has cosponsored the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which will help law enforcement crack down on violent predators and improve access to resources for survivors. Her bipartisan Fairness for Rape Kit Backlog Survivors Act, which requires state programs to allow sexual assault victims to file for compensation without being unfairly penalized for delays due to rape kit backlogs, will be included in the reauthorization.
The bipartisan omnibus funding bill also contains robust aid for Ukraine. It includes Senator Cortez Masto’s bipartisan bills to extend Medicare enrollees’ access to telehealth services and to expand access to telehealth services for Americans on high-deductible health plans. It also includes her legislation to expand the Children of Fallen Heroes (CFH) Scholarship to cover all dependents of first responders and law enforcement officers that die in the line of duty. Other priorities Senator Cortez Masto secured in this package are funding for Brand USA to promote international tourism to Nevada and funding to address the student mental health crisis. The package contains no funding to restart the failed Yucca Mountain project.
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