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Twenty-Two Boebert Legislative Priorities Signed Into Law

December 31, 2022

Twenty-Two of Congresswoman Lauren Boebert’s legislative priorities were signed into law in H.R. 2617, the consolidated appropriations package for Fiscal Year 2023.

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert stated, “While I could not ultimately vote for this appropriations package due to Democrat poison pills included in the legislation, I worked hard behind the scenes with the House Appropriations Committee to ensure that twenty-two of my legislative provisions were included in the bill and signed into law. My top priority is delivering results for the people of Colorado’s Third District, and that is exactly what I did by securing these twenty-two legislative provisions signed into law.”

Legislative Priorities Signed into Law Delivering for Colorado’s Third District:

Natural Resources

  • Statutory provision signed into law directing the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of the Interior to establish a pilot program to combat salt cedar and Russian olive infestations in the West. These noxious weeds waste precious water resources. This appropriation victory delivered on Rep. Boebert’s promise to Montezuma County to help them combat drought by removing noxious weeds.
  • Legislative provision signed into law prohibiting listing the greater sage-grouse as an endangered species. This will protect 173 million acres of land from being locked up from energy production, critical mineral production, grazing rights, and other multiple-use activities.
  • $50 million appropriation signed into law for the U.S. Forest Service to address invasive species like the bark beetle infestation devastating Colorado’s forests. Additionally, by fighting the bark beetle infestation, Rep. Boebert’s legislative provision will reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.

Water

  • $229.26 million for water conservation and delivery projects and an additional $50 million for rural water projects that will help combat western drought, including the Arkansas Valley Conduit that will provide an abundant supply of clean water for 50,000 people in Southeastern Colorado.
  • $7.66 million for the Bureau of Reclamation’s Upper Colorado and San Juan Rivers Endangered Fish Recovery Implementation Programs, which provide ESA compliance to ensure 2,200 water projects continue to function and provide water for rural Colorado.
  • $10 million appropriation signed into law for the Bureau of Indian Affairs Indian Irrigation Fund to address the deferred maintenance backlog and increase water storage projects like the Southern Utes’ Pine River Indian Irrigation Project.

Healthcare

  • $352 million directing HHS to improve rural healthcare.
  • $1.85 billion for community health centers that provide medical care to rural communities. Colorado's Third District has eight Community Health Centers that will benefit from this funding.

Infrastructure

  • $28.44 billion for the Highway Trust Fund to improve infrastructure in rural America. Additionally, Rep. Boebert is working to improve the I-70 corridor to ensure that it is better-prepared for inclement weather.
  • $515 million for rural communities in the form of the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program that compensates rural communities for the presence of tax-free public land in their jurisdiction. All 27 counties in Congresswoman Boebert’s District receive PILT payments, and this important funding the Congresswoman secured will go to law enforcement, infrastructure, education, firefighting, and other important local priorities across the District.

Agriculture

  • $1 million for statutory provision protecting farmers and ranchers by compensating them for livestock killed by wolves reintroduced by government programs.
  • Statutory provision signed into law exempting livestock haulers from burdensome Department of Transportation electronic logging device requirements that unnecessarily interfere with the complexity of livestock hauling.

Military and National Security

  • Ordered 80 F-35 aircraft to adequately supply our armed forced. In Colorado, the F-35 program supports 1,840 jobs annually and injects $226.8 million dollars into the state economy.
  • $173 million for the Arrow System Improvement Program and $127 million for the Short-Range Ballistic Missile Defense program.
  • $80 million to fund the Iron Dome, the air defense system of our key national security ally, Israel.
  • Statutory prohibition on funding non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which promote the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel.
  • $1.34 billion for NASA’s Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, $799.15 million for space exploration ground systems, and $2.6 billion for the Space Launch System. Colorado’s aerospace economy is second only to California and accounts for nearly 232,000 jobs. 
  • $80 million for Arrow 3 Upper Tier Systems.
  • $40 million for Short-Range Ballistic Missile Defense.
  • Statutory provision preventing waste, fraud, and abuse by prohibiting the use of a Department of Defense travel card at a casino or strip club.

Miscellaneous

  • Secured the Hyde and Weldon amendments, prohibiting taxpayer dollars from funding abortions and protecting doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals from being coerced into providing an abortion if they have a moral objection.
  • $440 million for charter school grants, ensuring that more children are able to attend a school of their choice and receive a quality education.

Background:

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert worked with House Committee on Appropriations Ranking Member Kay Granger to secure the aforementioned twenty-two appropriations requests signed into law as part of H.R. 2617, the consolidated appropriations package for Fiscal Year 2023. Ranking Member Granger’s letter to Congresswoman Boebert detailing these legislative victories can be found here. In March of 2022, nine of Congresswoman Boebert's appropriations requests for Colorado were signed into law as part of the appropriations package for Fiscal Year 2022.