WASHINGTON, DC – Virginia U-S Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine announced Friday the inclusion of several key Virginia priorities in the Senate’s Fiscal Year 2024 draft funding bills.

Some of those priorities include a million dollars for James Madison University to support a partnership with schools and medical institutions, to address disparities in representation in health professions.

Another million dollars is earmarked for the Harrisonburg Rockingham Child Day Care Center to expand capacity for affordable childcare in the community.

And 300-thousand dollars is set aside for the Northeast Neighborhood Association for the interior renovation of the Dallard-Newman House.

The Senators said in a statement that they are proud to announce that the Senate’s draft government spending legislation for Fiscal Year 2024 includes critical funding that will keep the government open, back record investments in infrastructure and U.S. competitiveness, uplift rural and underserved communities, support servicemembers and military families, provide assistance to miners suffering from black lung disease, and support key industries that are central to Virginia’s economy. We’re also proud to have secured more than $111 million for specific community projects all throughout Virginia as we work to ensure our federal budget meets Virginians’ needs. We hope that our colleagues in the House of Representatives will negotiate in good faith in order to reach a compromise on a final deal that includes funding for these important priorities.

The bills were passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on a bipartisan basis.