ROCKVILLE, MD – Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) has secured more than $13.1 million in funding for community projects across Maryland’s Eighth District in the recently enacted omnibus spending bill for fiscal year 2023 (FY23). 

“I am thrilled that this monumental government funding legislation includes millions to kickstart creative projects that will strengthen our local community,” said Rep. Raskin. “It remains a surpassing honor to represent Maryland’s Eighth District in Congress, and these projects, from bike sharing to community-based mental health programs, underscore the central importance of our strong federal-local partnership.”

Raskin secured funding for fifteen projects, including $3 million in funding for the White Flint Institute for Computational Life Science, a planned partnership among Montgomery County, the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP), the University of Maryland Baltimore and the State of Maryland that aims to accelerate discoveries and advances in life sciences, biomanufacturing and medicine.

Raskin also championed several projects supporting Montgomery County’s zero-emission and transportation safety goals. He secured $428,000 for the county to provide secure bike parking facilities at two major transit hubs in Montgomery County—downtown Bethesda and downtown Silver Spring—encouraging more Marylanders to bike to transit and reducing traffic congestion; $400,000 to launch a family e-cargo bike lending pilot program, expanding access to low-cost and zero-emission transportation options; and $1 million to retrofit low- and moderate-income housing and convert them to more efficient electric systems that reduce energy use.

Raskin also obtained $800,000 in funding for the Oak View Community Connector Bridge, to create a safe, visible, and accessible pathway across the stream valley, connecting neighborhoods and improving safety for pedestrians, particularly children, walking to Oak View Elementary School.

Additionally, Raskin secured critical funding for several nonprofit organizations serving Maryland’s Eighth District and supporting our communities. These projects include:

• $121,000 for Identity of Maryland’s “Encuentros” Community Mental Health program in Rockville. Encuentros works to increase access to mental and behavioral health support for youth and families in historically underserved Latino communities in Montgomery County.
• $1.3 million to support the Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County’s Building an Inclusive Health Care Workforce program.
• $500,000 for the Sandy Spring Museum’s Folklife Hub Expansion.
• $750,000 to help the Jewish Foundation for Group Homes in Rockville improve health care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
• $100,000 for Arts on the Block’s creative workforce development apprenticeship program, which provides students with a well-rounded arts education and the skills and tools needed to prepare them for a future career in the creative arts industry.
• $1 million to implement Sheppard Pratt’s Zero Suicide Initiative in Montgomery County.
• $500,000 for Adventist Healthcare’s White Oak Medical Center’s Physiology Lab in Silver Spring. 

Three of Raskin’s community projects provide funding for Frederick and Carroll counties. The omnibus spending bill includes his funding requests for:

• $2,150,000 to help the City of Westminster repair a water main at Route 27 as part of the PUREWater Westminster project. This project will support a new, reliable and city-owned drinking water source for residents.
• $869,968 for Frederick County to support a centrally located Emergency Operations Center to manage large-scale public and emergency events in the region.
• $280,000 for the Frederick and Pennsylvania Railroad Trail, which will connect the City of Frederick’s planned trails to the town of Walkersville when completed. This money will fund engineering and design of the segment of trail between Fountain Rock Nature Center and Heritage Farm Park.

 

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