Washington, D.C. — Today, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet welcomed U.S. Senate passage of the Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) omnibus funding bill, which includes several of his bills to address our nation’s mental and behavioral crisis, build climate resilience in the West, and help Americans save for retirement. The omnibus bill also includes Bennet-backed provisions to strengthen democracy at home and abroad, including nearly $45 billion to aid Ukraine’s fight against Russia, his amendment to direct funds from Russian asset seizure to Ukraine, and the Electoral Count Reform Act to ensure an orderly and peaceful transfer of power after a presidential election. 

The omnibus funding bill also funds a number of laws passed by Bennet in the 117th Congress, including $58 billion to build roads and highways to implement the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, $1.8 billion to implement the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, and $5 billion for the Cost of War Toxic Exposures Fund to fully implement the bipartisan Honoring our PACT Act, which expands health care for veterans.

“This has been the most productive two years during my entire time in the Senate. We passed historic legislation to rebuild our infrastructure, confront climate change, reduce health care costs, bring manufacturing jobs back home, support our veterans, and protect our democracy. We have shown the American people that we don’t have to accept chaos and dysfunction as a permanent feature of our government. This is what delivering for the American people looks like,” said Bennet. “In the 118th Congress, we must continue our work to build a democracy and an economy that works for everyone.”

Earlier this week, Bennet announced that he secured nearly $119 million for 82 Colorado projects in the omnibus through the Congressionally Directed Spending process and funding for several Colorado priorities including the Arkansas Valley Conduit, the Amache National Historic Site, the Colorado River, and the National Renewable Energy Lab.

Bennet-backed bills in FY23 Omnibus Bill:

HELPING AMERICANS SAVE FOR RETIREMENT

Enhancing Emergency and Retirement Savings Act: This provision, led by Bennet and U.S. Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.), allows a penalty-free “emergency withdrawal” of up to $1,000 from employer-sponsored retirement accounts and Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs).

State and Local Corrections Officer Retirement Fairness Act: This provision, led by Bennet and U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), allows state and local corrections officers to make a penalty-free early withdrawal from their retirement at age 50.

Protecting Public Safety Employees' Timely Retirement Act: This provision, led by Bennet and Toomey, allows eligible public safety officers to withdraw retirement funds at age 50 or after completing 25 years of service, whichever occurs first.

Military Spouses Retirement Security Act: This provision, led by Bennet and U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), helps spouses of active-duty servicemembers save for retirement. 

Compassionate Retirement Act: This provision, led by Bennet and U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-N.C.), provides financial stability and needed resources to Americans battling terminal illnesses, such as ALS, by allowing them to access the retirement savings they have accrued penalty-free. 

PROTECTING OUR CLIMATE, PUBLIC LANDS, AND WATERS

Colorado River System Conservation Pilot Program: Led by U.S. Senators John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and co-sponsored by Bennet, this bill reauthorizes the authority for the Upper Colorado River Commission to enter into water conservation contracts with water users in the Upper Basin through 2024. 

Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins Recovery Act: This provision, led by U.S. Senators Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Hickenlooper and co-sponsored by Bennet, protects four threatened and endangered native fish species in the Upper Colorado and San Juan River Basins by extending conservation programs for one year to allow communities time to develop a long-term management plan.

The Dearfield Study Act: This provision, co-led by Bennet and Hickenlooper, directs the U.S. Department of Interior to conduct a special resource study of the Dearfield site, in Weld County, Colorado, a historically Black agricultural settlement founded by Oliver Toussaint Jackson.

IMPROVING MENTAL, BEHAVIORAL, AND PHYSICAL HEALTH CARE

Suicide and Crisis Outreach Prevention Enhancement Act: This provision, led by Bennet along with U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mark Warner (R-Va.), and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), improves the 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline to increase awareness of the Lifeline through outreach campaigns and capacity of the Lifeline and crisis centers.

Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act: This provision, led by Bennet and Collins, requires prescribers of highly addictive medication, like opioids, to complete a substance use training to ensure they have foundational knowledge of addiction prevention, treatment, and medication management.

Study on Health Developmental Effects of Social Media: This provision, led by U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and co-sponsored by Bennet, directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to complete a study on the health and developmental effects of media and related technology on infants, children, and adolescents.

Medicaid Coverage Postpartum: This provision, part of the Black Maternal “Momnibus” package led by Bennet and then-U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), permanently expands Medicaid coverage for 12 months postpartum. 

Improved Wound Therapy at Home for Seniors: Based on Bennet’s bill with Burr, this provision will provide seniors with better access to cutting-edge technology and treatment options to treat wounds in home health settings.

Health Force: Building on Bennet’s and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-N.Y.) legislation to create a Health Force to mobilize Americans and combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the bill authorizes $250 million over five years to support community health workers and community health.

STRENGTHENING AMERICA’S TECH LEADERSHIP

Office of Global Competition Analysis: This provision builds on Bennet’s American Technology Leadership Act and includes $10 million for the Office of Global Competition Analysis, enabling the federal government to assess how the U.S. fares in key emerging technologies relative to other countries to inform policy and strengthen our competitiveness.

DEFENDING DEMOCRACY AT HOME AND ABROAD

Aid For Ukraine: The omnibus includes $44.9 billion in emergency assistance to Ukraine and our NATO allies.

RELIEF For Ukraine Act: The amendment, put forward by Bennet and U.S. Senators Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I), would allow the U.S. Attorney General to transfer to the State Department proceeds from the sale of forfeited assets to provide foreign assistance to Ukraine, with oversight and reporting requirements to Congress. The amendment is based on Bennet’s bipartisan Repurposing Elite Luxuries Into Emergency Funds (RELIEF) for Ukraine Act.

Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act: Led by Collins and U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), and co-sponsored by Bennet, the bill reforms and modernizes the outdated 1887 Electoral Count Act to ensure that electoral votes counted by Congress accurately reflect each state’s public vote for President and promote the orderly transfer of power.