Press Releases

U.S. Representative Anthony Gonzalez (R-Rocky River) worked this week to make stronger investments of taxpayer dollars through the annual appropriations process. He introduced three amendments to the H.R. 2740 spending bill to improve school safety, increase research on food allergies and protect people with pre-existing conditions.

Rep. Gonzalez’s amendment to increase allocated funding for the School Safety National Activities Program by $10 million was blocked from a vote by House Democrats but would have helped schools better support safe learning environments with more funding for programs to combat substance abuse and cultivate academic success. As it stands, H.R. 2740 provides $80 million less in funding than requested in the Administration’s budget proposal.

Rep. Gonzalez: “This package fails to provide adequate funding for the School Safety National Activities Program, which gives grants to schools to support safe learning environments, including programs to combat substance abuse and cultivate academic success… I think we can all agree that school safety is of the utmost importance, and an area that is vital for Congress to invest in.”

Rep. Gonzalez’s second amendment passed the House in a strong bipartisan vote of 356 to 68 on Wednesday evening and will reallocate $3 million in funding from the Secretary of Education’s administrative account to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease to support the Consortium of Food Allergy Research. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) reports the prevalence of food allergies in children increased by 50 percent between 1997 and 2011. Additionally, the prevalence of peanut or tree nut allergies have more than tripled in American children in recent years.

Rep. Gonzalez: “Clearly, we need to do more to find the scientific causes for this spike in allergies — Madame Speaker our amendment is a step in the right direction. Last year the Allison Rose Foundation in Northeast Ohio was launched to educate the public about the real risks food allergies can pose on individuals who suffer from it. The Foundation was established in name of Allison Rose, a young college student, who died from an anaphylactic reaction due to her peanut allergy.”

A further amendment, co-lead with Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), would have prohibited any funds appropriated in the bill to the Department of Health from being used to limit access to health care for anyone with a pre-existing conditions. This amendment was also blocked in the House Rules Committee, despite broad bipartisan support for ensuring protections for people with preexisting conditions. This is the third time Rep. Gonzalez has proposed legislation to protect people with pre-existing conditions since being sworn in to Congress in January.