Politics

By Mara Lee

SACRAMENTO (OBSNews.com) – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento) announced today that Sacramento Neighborhood Housing Services has received $750,000 to help provide financing for low-income housing projects in Sacramento. Awarded through the Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institution Program (CDFI), this funding is awarded to nonprofit certified community development financial institutions that serve low-income people and communities that lack adequate access to affordable financial products and services.

“Funding programs like CDFI help develop our communities by providing for the housing needs for some of our most vulnerable neighbors,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “With this funding, Sacramento Neighborhood Housing Services will help provide financing for housing projects in Sacramento and get people into stable homes.”

By Mara Lee

WASHINGTON, D.C. (OBSNews.com) – Today, Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (D-Sacramento) announced that the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) has been selected to receive $576,659 in Federal funding from the Department of Education under the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS) Program. This grant will help SCUSD strengthen and improve their emergency response and crisis management plans to keep Sacramento students and faculty properly trained and prepared in the case of emergency.

“Sacramento students are sent to school to learn and grow and it is our responsibility to prioritize their learning and safety,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “This funding is symbolic of the Federal government’s dedication to ensuring the safety of our students and I am especially pleased that this award will help provide Sacramento City Unified School District the support they need to provide training, conduct school assessments, and revise existing emergency management plans.”

By Mara Lee

SACRAMENTO (OBSNews.com) – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui hosted a “Small Business Access to Capital Workshop” at the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) regional office in Citrus Heights. The workshop provided small business owners an opportunity to meet with a dozen small business lenders and resource organizations from around the region to discuss issues facing them as they apply for expansion and operating loans.

“As we continue to put Sacramento’s economy on the path to recovery, this workshop will give small business owners the opportunity to sit down with lenders and learn how to competitively position themselves for loans,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and we are relying on them to create jobs and nurture our recovery. Right now, supporting Sacramento’s small business community is one of the best things we all can do to revitalize our region and put people back to work.”

By Mara Lee

WASHINGTON, DC (OBSNews.com) – Today, Congresswoman Matsui voted in favor of H.R. 1586, the Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act, which was approved by the House of Representatives by a vote of 247-161. H.R. 1586 provides $10 billion in grants to state and local governments to save an estimated 161,000 education jobs. This legislation also extends, for six months, increased federal funding to states for Medicaid programs, originally included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“I was happy to return to Washington to support this much-needed legislation,” said Congresswoman Matsui. “The Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act will relieve California’s strained state budget, save jobs, protect public health and safety, and ensure our nation’s youth receive the educations they deserve.”

Under the Recovery Act, the federal Medicaid matching rate was increased by 6.2 percentage points for all states, and by additional percentage points for states, like California, with high unemployment. These temporary provisions were enacted in response to the state fiscal crisis—which resulted from increased Medicaid caseloads and decreased state revenues—and are set to expire by the end of this year. The action taken today not only extends for six months this federal assistance, but also gradually reduces the level of aid over this time period so states have the opportunity to balance their budgets accordingly.