Government funding bill strengthens public safety, expands health care and affordable housing options in San Bernardino County

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last night, Rep. Pete Aguilar praised the passage of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 government funding bill, which includes his request for $6,987,500 for Inland Empire community projects.

“I came to Congress to deliver for the community that my family has called home for four generations, and the resources we’ve secured today are going make a positive impact for years to come,” Rep. Aguilar said. “From youth mental health services to improving public safety to building affordable homes for veterans, these resources go directly to projects that will raise the quality of life for Inland Empire families and create good-paying jobs for our residents. I look forward to working with local leaders to ensure these projects have an immediate positive impact.”

The projects were selected through a community-wide application process and were submitted by Rep. Aguilar to the House Committee on Appropriations. Each project met certain criteria and demonstrated strong evidence of community support. All ten projects submitted by Rep. Aguilar are included in the government funding bill.

The following Inland Empire projects are included:

Project Name: COVID-19 Response Expanded Mental Health Services

Project Requestor: Children’s Fund, Inc.

Requested Amount: $100,000

Summary: The funding will provide support for vulnerable and displaced children in the Inland Empire with appropriate, trauma-informed mental healthcare at the Children’s Fund Child Abuse Forensic Assessment Center.

Project Name: Rancho Cucamonga Second Story and Beyond Project

Project Requestor: City of Rancho Cucamonga

Requested Amount: $1,000,000

Summary: The funding will develop STEM-related museum exhibits and educational programming for K-12 students to inspire the next generation of scientists in the Inland Empire. The funding also will be used to conduct outreach to underserved, underrepresented, and minority communities to bring diversity to STEM fields, including in space exploration and research.

Project Name: City of Redlands Emergency Operations Center Improvement Project

Project Requestor: City of Redlands

Requested Amount: $712,500

Summary: The funding will help address operational and functional needs at the Emergency Operations Center and will ensure the facility is prepared to respond to any catastrophic events or natural disasters, including earthquakes and fires, in the Inland Empire.

Project Name: City of Rialto’s Body Worn-Camera Upgrade

Project Requestor: City of Rialto

Requested Amount: $700,000

Summary: The funding will support transparency in law enforcement by upgrading the city’s public safety body-worn camera system to be used by field (sworn and non-sworn) personnel. This project will build trust between Inland Empire residents and law enforcement and simultaneously create a higher quality of evidence for law enforcement investigations.

Project Name: Downtown Upland Main Street Economic Recovery and Revitalization Project

Project Requestor: City of Upland

Requested Amount: $1,000,000

Summary: The funding will revitalize the historic Upland downtown district to support small

businesses, including through creating pedestrian friendly pathways, rehabilitating decayed

public infrastructure, and increasing access to public transportation and will help the

community’s small businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Project Name: Habitat for Humanity’s Veterans Blitz Build

Project Requestor: Habitat for Humanity San Bernadino Area Inc.

Requested Amount: $800,000

Summary: The funding will allow for the construction of at least four homes for honorably discharged veterans in San Bernardino. The funding will provide veterans who served their country affordable housing options and prevent veterans from becoming homeless.

Project Name: Moving KVCR into the Future, Public Broadcasting Opportunities for College

Students

Project Requestor: KVCR Inland Future’s Foundation

Requested Amount: $1,000,000

Summary: The funding would be used for providing Inland Empire community college students with educational experience and hands-on workplace training in public radio and broadcasting through continuance of KVCR and its related student programming. This funding will support KVCR’s development team, which will create programs and curricula and support student-produced shows in the Inland Empire.

Project Name: Realizing Educational and Career Hopes (REACH) Project

Project Requestor: Mary’s Mercy Center, Inc.

Requested Amount: $300,000

Summary: The funding will create and implement a comprehensive workforce development program for Mary’s Mercy Center’s homeless transitional housing program participants. In partnership with the San Bernardino County Workforce Development Department, the REACH Project will utilize evidence-based workforce development programming and supportive services to provide homeless men, women, and women with children with the foundation needed to obtain and retain employment leading to transitioning to safe and stable housing and self-sufficiency.

Project Name: Increasing Access to Healthcare Program

Project Requestor: SAC Health System

Requested Amount: $375,000

Summary: The funding will increase health center access to low-income residents of San Bernardino County through the use of mobile healthcare. The medically underserved population is often unable to access care, lacks the resources to purchase medications, laboratory tests, and nutritious food, and this program will address the numerous barriers that Inland Empire residents face by bringing health care to low-income residents and improving health outcomes.

Project Name: San Bernardino International Airport Runway Repair Project

Project Requestor: San Bernardino International Airport Authority

Requested Amount: $1,000,000

Summary: The funding will ensure the airport can conduct critical repair work at the airport’s main runway and will help revitalize the airport and create good-paying jobs in San Bernardino.

The FY 2022 $1.5 trillion omnibus spending bill includes $13.6 billion in emergency humanitarian, defense and economic assistance for the people of Ukraine. Also included is $1.3 billion to support safer communities, a 2.7 percent pay increase for US servicemembers, and more than $10 billion to strengthen the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to confront the climate crisis.

Rep. Aguilar serves as the Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and as a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, the committee responsible for funding federal programs and agencies.