WASHINGTON—Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the first of the appropriations government funding packages for Fiscal Year 2024, which includes $12,602,446 for 14 community projects secured by Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) that span Colorado’s 7th Congressional District. Two of these projects are located in Chaffee County and would improve an affordable housing and community program project in Salida, as well as $1,286,279 for a new affordable housing and child care facility in Buena Vista.
“Investments in our affordable housing and accessible child care–especially in the more rural parts of our state–are critical for the continued growth and prosperity of our community. This week, we put politics aside to invest in the American people,” said Pettersen. “In Chaffee County and across my district, these projects address critical needs and represent transformational investments in families, individuals, and the future generation. I look forward to President Biden signing this package into law and seeing how these projects will create tangible progress in Colorado’s 7th District.”
The Community Project Funding process allows members of Congress to submit projects based in their districts for critical initiatives in their communities. The two projects based in Chaffee County:
Town of Buena Vista:$1,286,279 to create 60 deed restricted housing units and 5,000 square feet of childcare space core and shell. The Town of Buena Vista will use the funds to pay for direct modular manufacturing costs associated with housing units as well as the capital costs of the childcare building. These funds are critical as accessible child care and affordable housing are increasingly sparse in Colorado and too often, residents either cannot access or cannot burden the cost of living in our communities.
Chaffee County: $300,000 to install a solar array on top of Jane's Place, a 17-unit multi-family affordable housing and community program project being constructed in Salida, Colorado to help meet the needs of the local workforce and families experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. These funds will support the development of renewable energy for the complex and will ensure that after installation, Jane’s place will run off of affordable, clean energy.
Pettersen’s other projects that received funding:
City of Westminster: $959,752 to replace a deteriorating drinking water treatment facility
City of Wheat Ridge: $2,000,000 for improvements to aging rental units in exchange for maintaining affordable rents
Colorado State University: $300,000 to provide rural job and skills training in Custer and Fremont counties
Idledale Water and Sanitation: $959,752 to improve drinking water and increase the quantity available to residents
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office: $963,000 for radio technology to improve communication between jurisdictions
Leadville Housing Authority:$850,000 to install infrastructure and prepare sites for affordable housing structures
Lookout Mountain Water District: $959,752 to replace tar-lined pipes and improve drinking water
Park County:$850,000 for improving unsafe county roadways that lead to Colorado state parks
St. Vincent Hospital:$579,159 for surgical equipment for new outpatient specialists
Teller County Water & Sanitation:$959,752 to reduce the levels of radium in drinking water
Town of Silver Cliff: $1,380,000 for the purchase and development of a town plaza
Upper Arkansas Area: $255,000 to purchase lots to be used for affordable family housing
The six-bill appropriations package for Fiscal Year 2024 that passed today also includes the following provisions championed by Pettersen:
Provides funding for Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT). Counties like Chaffee County, Colorado–with approximately 80% of the county being federally-managed public lands–depend on this critical funding stream. Pettersen introduced legislation to permanently authorize PILT.
Fully funds the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) at the administration’s requested level of $7.03 billion, an increase of more than $1.3 billion. Last fall, Pettersen led a group of members from Colorado in calling for this funding to be included in the Agriculture Appropriations bill.
Provides $119 billion in mandatory funding for SNAP, which served more than 42 million people in 2023. Pettersen called for an increase in this funding in December of last year.
Provides additional funding to continue the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law pay supplement for wildland firefighters.
Fully funds the Department of Veteran Affairs’ (VA) Substance Use Disorder Programs at $231 million.
A detailed summary of the bill is available here. Find more information about Pettersen’s projects by clicking here.
