The U.S. House of Representatives today passed a partial funding bill with amendments from Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) that would support key programs for Orange County families. Three amendments were led by Porter that would protect Medicare beneficiaries from fraud, support enrollment in the Affordable Care Act, and improve response to intimate partner violence.

“Putting Orange County families first means funding key programs that reflect the priorities of the people of the 45^th District,” Congresswoman Porter said. “I fought to make sure that this funding bill reflects our Orange County values, and as we do the important job of funding the government, I’ll continue working to guarantee that our taxpayer dollars are well-spent.”

H.R. 2740, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020, includes the following Porter amendments and Porter-backed amendments:

• Increased funding for the Senior Medicare Patrol Program, which teaches Medicare beneficiaries and caregivers how to protect their personal identity and identify deceptive or fraudulent health care practices
• Requirement that the Administration gather data on state enrollment figures for the Affordable Care Act disaggregated by race, ethnicity, preferred language, age and sex
• Increased funding for the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Intimate Partner Violence Strategy, which promotes intimate partner violence response and health collaboration at the state level
• Increased funding for Graduate Medical Education training slots to help support the growth of the health care workforce
• Requirement that the Administration ensure that medically-tailored nutrition interventions are included in programs to enhance senior nutrition under the Older Americans Act
• Increased funding intended for the Garrett Lee Smith-Youth Suicide Prevention State and Campus grants budget activities to support students and young people struggling with mental health
• Requirement that federal funds cannot used to reject any application for a grant due to the use of the term "global warming" or the term "climate change" in the application
• Increased funding to support the Solar Ready Vets Program, which helps to connect our nation's veterans to the solar energy industry to provide clean energy jobs
• Increased funding to support the Fisher House Foundation, which offers free lodging to the families of patients receiving care at VA and military medical centers, allowing families to remain together during treatment without worrying about cost

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