2018
172
239
14
Issues
Representative Jody Hice (R-GA) offered an amendment to H.R. 6147, Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019, that would prohibit the Office of Environmental Justice at the EPA from using funds for the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program. The Office of Environmental Justice informs agency actions and its impact on or benefit towards marginalized communities that are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation. The Office of Environmental Justice and the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program help to ensure that agency carries out its mission of protecting public health and the environment equitably. This amendment would block these efforts and prevent the EPA from properly safeguarding communities across the country. On July 18, 2018, the House rejected Hice’s amendment by a vote of 174-240 (House roll call vote 356). NO IS THE PRO-ENVIRONMENT VOTE.