Security fencing on Capitol Hill has become a contentious issue in the debate over how to adjust security protocols after the January 6 riot. The House has approved a stand-alone funding bill, but it faces challenges in the Senate.

Patrick Semansky / AP

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Patrick Semansky / AP

Security fencing on Capitol Hill has become a contentious issue in the debate over how to adjust security protocols after the January 6 riot. The House has approved a stand-alone funding bill, but it faces challenges in the Senate.

Patrick Semansky / AP

House of Representatives narrowly passed a $ 1.9 billion security funding bill to reimburse federal agencies for costs related to the Jan.6 attack on Capitol Hill, criminal prosecutions and new efforts to better protect Congress.

Much of the measure, more than $ 730 million, would reimburse costs related to the headquarters of the National Guard and other agencies. The rest is devoted to new security measures for the Capitol complex, the ramping up of member protection and other miscellaneous items.

Despite its support among House Democrats, the proposal received a relatively lukewarm response from their Senate counterparts. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Pat Leahy, D-Vt., Raised concerns during talks and recently issued a stopping statement before approving the plan.

“I am committed to bringing a bill to the Senate to address these important needs; it must be done,” Leahy said after the bill was unveiled last Friday. But “we have to make sure that we make smart investments in our security based on the lessons learned. It is important to me that the Capitol, a powerful symbol of our democracy, remains open and accessible to the public and does not look like a zone militarized. “

Republicans in both chambers have moved the measure. The office of Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., On Thursday nicknamed him before the vote in the House of Representatives as “Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s partisan plan to militarize the Capitol.”

The less than enthusiastic response across Capitol Hill means his fate in the Senate remains uncertain.

If it gets traction in its current structure, here’s where the money would go:

Reimbursement of January 6 fees

The bill would allocate more than $ 730 million to agencies that responded to the January 6 uprising and the criminal prosecutions that followed.

National Guard: $ 520.9 million for payroll and operating costs for the Guard’s deployment to Capitol Hill and throughout the Washington, DC area from Jan.6 to May 23.

District of Columbia Emergency Planning and Safety Fund: $ 66.8 million to reimburse the District of Columbia for its insurgency response and other security costs.

United States Capitol Police: $ 43.9 million to respond to the riot, including $ 31.1 million for overtime until Capitol Police can hire more officers and provide benefits to retain current officers, including including a risk premium, retention premiums and tuition credits. Also $ 3.3 million for the intelligence division and $ 5 million for equipment, such as gas masks, tactical vests and body armor. And $ 4.4 million for wellness and trauma support programs, including six new mental health counselors and wellness resilience specialists.

Architect of the Capitol: $ 40 million to pay for the costs directly related to the attack.

Prosecution assistance: $ 39.5 million to process hundreds of siege-related lawsuits, including $ 34 million for U.S. attorneys, $ 3.8 million for the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and $ 1.7 million for the national security division of the ministry.

Library of Congress: $ 13.7 million to upgrade an electronic security system and accommodations for National Guard personnel.

FBI: $ 5.5 million for insurgency-related costs.

National Park Service: $ 1.4 million for overtime and damage from the January attack.

Employee assistance office: $ 500,800 for new trauma counselors and support for the Employee Assistance Office.

New security costs

The bill provides more than $ 950 million to toughen the Capitol and install new security measures for members of Congress.

Architect of the Capitol: $ 529.7 million, including $ 250 million to strengthen the physical security of the infrastructure of the Capitol complex, such as a retractable or movable fence system, hardening of doors and windows, installation of new control vestibules security and cameras.

Rapid reaction force: $ 200 million to create a new ground force dedicated to one wing of the DC Air National Guard to respond to Capitol Police emergencies.

Member Safety: $ 21.5 million to the House Sergeant-at-Arms to increase member protection details, including coordinated travel and security upgrades for their district offices.

Judicial security: $ 157.5 million to combat threats to the safety of federal judges and courts with new equipment, like cameras.

Judicial Security, US Marshals Service: $ 25 million to protect federal judges, including those who will preside over the trials of defendants linked to the insurgency.

Capitol Police: $ 18 million to provide officers with body cameras, specialized training, new physical barriers and riot gear like ballistic helmets, batons and body shields.

National Park Service: $ 7.6 million for new US Parks Police equipment and infrastructure for new security demands related to large-scale events and protests.

US Secret Service: $ 6.8 million for emerging security needs, such as training and issuance of expanded electronic control devices, non-lethal ammunition and equipment, and vehicles.

Other elements related to COVID-19

The plan also spends over $ 155 million on miscellaneous matters, as it is the first appropriation measure to potentially cover these costs. These are in many cases unrelated to the insurgency. Some include:

Architect of the Capitol: $ 99.6 million for costs related to the COVID-19 response, such as improved cleaning, personal protective equipment, telecommuting equipment and overtime pay.

Capitol Police: $ 800,000 for pandemic-related costs, such as hotel rooms for officers and staff unable to return home due to positive coronavirus cases.

Death bonuses: $ 348,000 for customary death benefits for the families of the late Representatives Ron Wright, R-Texas, and Alcee L. Hastings, D-Fla. “These death gratuities are in keeping with the traditional practice of Congress of making payment to the families of deceased deputies in office,” House officials said in a statement on the expenses.