With a major Omnibus-COVID Stimulus bill passed, Congress has averted a government shutdown and passed an FY21 federal budget. Here are the funding levels in the House and Senate appropriations and the final approved amount for some key coastal programs: (All numbers in thousands of dollars.) Energy and Water Appropriations (Includes US Army Corps of…
The federal FY21 budget is operating under a Continuing Resolution (CR) through December 11. Before then, Congress must agree to a budget or the government will shut down (which certainly feels on-brand for 2020, but at this point both House and Senate would like to avoid). Adding to the challenge is the lingering question whether…
Over the course of ten shows in 2019, The Capitol Beach spoke with members of congress, federal agency staff, and decision-makers who set policy and direct billions of dollars of funding for coastal restoration and research. The podcast is intended to bring everyone into the coastal “room where it happens” in our nation’s Capitol. One…
On this episode of The Capitol Beach, Derek Brockbank interviews the three co-executive directors of the US Coastal Research Program (USCRP): Julie Rosati with US Army Corps of Engineers, Hilary Stockdon with US Geological Survey, and Nicole Elko with American Shore & Beach Preservation Association. On the podcast, you’ll hear why 11 federal agencies (from…
The FY20 budget process is moving forward in the House of Representatives, with a few “mini-bus” bills that each include multiple appropriations expected to pass before July. Senate Majority Mitch McConnell leader has made it clear that the Senate won’t consider these Democratically led bills, and there has been very little effort in the Senate…
ASBPA is pleased to announce the winners of our 2019 National Coastal Summit awards for coastal leadership in the legislative and executive branches of government. ASBPA’s 2019 Coastal Summit Award winners: Friend of the Coast Congressional award for shorter term or more project-specific contributions. Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL 23rd) Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz of Florida’s 23rd district…
With an FY2019 budget passed and another government shutdown avoided, we can begin to look toward the FY2020 appropriations. Process In normal years, the administration’s proposed budget would be out by now; it comes out shortly after the State of the Union. However, given the shutdown the proposal is unlikely to be out until mid-March….
Communities along the coast know that the federal government is a critical partner in maintaining the health of our nation’s shores and beaches. ASBPA wants to hear how the government shutdown is impacting your community, business or research! As the partial government shutdown continues, how is your coastal community or work being impacted? Are you…
2018 Year in Review ASBPA’s 2018 Government Affairs agenda continued to focus on three main areas: 1) Federal Funding, including advocating for funding for coastal projects and coastal research, and changing policies and authorities to allow federal funding to be used for coastal resilience; 2) Expediting coastal projects through more efficient permitting and better integration…
On Friday, March 23rd, the President signed the FY18 omnibus budget bill, funding the government through September. Coastal agencies finally have predictable funding for the remainder of the year after four short-term continuing resolutions in the past six months prevented them from planning or fully spending out their budgets. ASBPA had weighed in on a…