Rep. Cleaver Secures $18.79 Million for Local Projects in MO-05 in Bipartisan Government Funding Package

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) announced that he has secured $18.79 million in federal funding for 14 separate local projects throughout Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District. Last week, Rep. Cleaver voted to pass the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024, a package of six government funding bills focused on supporting families, communities, and the critical services they rely on across the country. Included in the bipartisan government funding package is nearly $19 million for projects across Kansas City, North Kansas City, Independence, and Grandview that will strengthen local infrastructure, support law enforcement initiatives and victim support programs, invest in affordable housing, and more. President Biden signed the legislation into law last weekend, preventing a government shutdown and locking in funding for the Cleaver-supported projects.

“For months now, House Democrats have called on our Republican friends to put people over politics and pass a bipartisan, compromise budget that meets the needs of our communities and provides relief to hardworking families. I am exceedingly pleased that they’ve finally taken us up on the offer, ended their threats of forcing a government shutdown, and worked in good faith to pass this bipartisan budget, which includes a litany of victories for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District,” said Congressman Cleaver. “This is how Congress ought to function—and it’s precisely what the American people expect from their Representatives.”

The government funding packaged included $18.79 million in federal funding for 14 separate projects championed by Rep. Cleaver that will directly benefit residents from Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District. These projects include:

• $4.88 million for Low and No Emission Replacement Buses and Support Infrastructure for the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA), helping KCATA continue to integrate electric buses into the already established RideKC network, which will reduce local emissions, combat air pollution, and enhance riders’ public transit experience.
• $4.12 million for the Missouri River Access and Development (MORAD) Project, which is dedicated to developing the Berkley Riverfront and contribute to the interconnectedness of Kansas City. The funding will help create foundational support for a multi-modal Riverfront connection, complete an important Riverfront connection between the metro’s two downtowns, and lay the foundation for the City’s premier Missouri River Dock, among other benefits.
• $1 million for the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault for a Rape Crisis & Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Center, which will ensure Missouri’s only standalone rape crisis center is able to transform a vacant facility into a high-profile community service center with therapy rooms, office space, support groups, and training resources to support victims and the unprecedented growth in service demand over the past five years.
• $1 million for Mother’s Refuge for the Welcome Home Housing Revitalization Project to provide transitional housing to homeless, pregnant, and parenting young women and their children. The funding will allow Mother’s Refuge to expand its capacity in a new facility, which will enable residents to transition more quickly from the maternity shelter and allow the organization to serve more individuals.
• $963,000 for Automated License Plate Readers in Kansas City and Independence to expand the ALPRs available to local law enforcement, keeping our communities safer from violent crime.
• $963,000 to NewHouse Inc. to increase their capacity to serve victims of domestic violence as it expands its physical space to meet rising needs in the community, including a 24-hour hotline, case management, legal services, and safe housing.
• $963,000 to the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s Office to expand their use of Forensic Genetic Genealogy to identify deceased, unidentified individuals where other ID methods have failed. Additionally, the funding will go toward replacing and upgrading forensic equipment that is utilized on a daily basis.
• $850,000 for Metropolitan Community College – Maple Woods Campus for an Agriculture Annex Facility and equipment improvements that will allow MCC Maple Woods to meet the increased demand for its programs with new state-of-the-art equipment and facilities in laboratories, classrooms, and animal clinics.
• $850,000 to Harvesters – The Community Food Network to support the Kansas City region’s only food bank with large capital expenditures needed for transportation, warehousing, and technology expenses.
• $850,000 to Footprints, Inc. to expand Heroes Home Gate Campus, a transitional home for homeless veterans. The new facility will help veterans gain skills that allow them to succeed in reconnecting with their families, regaining mental and physical health, beginning new careers, and independently maintaining permanent housing.
• $850,000 for Union Station to repair and improve infrastructure that will have a direct impact on pedestrians’ ability to access transportation such as streetcars, buses, and trains.
• $500,000 to the City of Independence for the Historical Downtown Revitalization, with funding being used to increase safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles traveling in downtown Independence via traffic flow, lighting, sidewalk, and bike lane improvements.
• $500,000 to Kanbe’s Markets for the Healthy Corner Stores Expansion, which will build organizational capacity and expand their capacity to provide access to fresh produce to over 178,000 people in Jackson County.
• $500,000 to MRIGlobal for Infrastructure Improvements to their Grandview Campus, which will enable the development of a modern, purpose-built research laboratory campus on the 75-acre property. The infrastructure improvements will bring economic development to Grandview, increase utilization of the site, and expand research capabilities in a secure campus setting in Grandview, MO.

“One of my greatest responsibilities as a Representative is to bring taxpayer dollars back home to Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, and I’m particularly pleased that this package of government funding included nearly $19 million that I know will have a profound impact on our communities,” said Congressman Cleaver. “Whether it is continuing our push toward a cleaner, greener Kansas City with new electric buses, installing infrastructure improvements that will improve public safety, or investing in local law enforcement initiatives and victim support programs, I know these investments will create jobs, support hardworking families, and make our communities safer.”

Other policy achievements included in last week’s government funding package that were supported by Congressman Cleaver include:

• Rejecting House Republicans’ proposed cuts of more than 22% and refusing to include hundreds of harmful, discriminatory policies that would have hurt various American communities.
• Fully funding the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) at the Biden Administration’s requested level of $7.03 billion and reversing Republican efforts to drastically cut the fruit and vegetable benefits in the WIC program.
• Protecting women’s access to mifepristone and reproductive care against Republican attempts to ban abortion nationally.
• Confronting the climate crisis with more than $15 billion of transformative investments in clean energy and science, which will help develop clean, affordable, and secure American energy, as well as increased climate change and resiliency funding to help military installations adapt to rising sea levels and worsening natural disasters.
• Stabilizing communities by protecting housing assistance for nearly 5 million low-income individuals and families to ensure they continue to remain in safe, stable, and affordable housing.
• Investing more than $10 billion in our nation’s water infrastructure, which is critical to protecting communities from more frequent and severe storms and worsening droughts.
• Supporting American veterans with investments in healthcare, including targeted investments that advance women’s health, mental health, and homelessness assistance.
• Strong investments to plan, design, and construct critical facilities on military installations, including family housing, barracks, and child development centers, and build repair, and retrofit Veterans Affairs facilities.

Last week’s appropriation package includes the following funding bills: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies; Interior, Environmental, and Related Agencies; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; and Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.

The remaining six appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2024 are expected to be released in the coming days and be voted on ahead of their expiration on March 22.

A detailed summary of the government funding package is available here.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.