News from Argentum - Congressional Appropriations

The federal House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 appropriations bill, which included several Argentum-led priorities such as workforce development grants and dementia research funding, and specific references to report language directing the Biden Administration to address workforce shortages impacting care for seniors.

The Committee advanced report language led by Argentum, noting that it supports HRSA's efforts to develop the workforce needed to care for the rapidly aging population and encourages workforce education and training programs to meet the needs of seniors.

Among the items included in the legislation are:

• $3.1 billion for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Grants, an increase of $256,000,000 above FY 2022.
• $303 million for registered apprenticeships, an increase of $68,000,000 above FY 2022.
• $3 million for a Direct Care Workforce Demonstration project, to reduce barriers to entry for a diverse and high-quality direct care workforce, including providing wages, benefits, and advancement opportunities needed to attract or retain direct care workers.
• $48 million to integrate geriatrics into primary care delivery and develops academic primary care-community based partnerships to address gaps in health care for older adults.
• $324 million for Nursing Workforce Development programs and a recommendation to HRSA to prioritize investments to increase the supply of registered nurses particularly in states with the greatest projected shortages.
• An increase of $200 million for Alzheimer’s disease research

Argentum worked closely with several lawmakers on the House Appropriations Labor and Health and Human Services Subcommittee to advance these proposals.  Argentum will continue to work with lawmakers over the Summer and into the Fall as the annual spending packages are refined ahead of the September 30th funding deadline.