WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today announced that the $110 million in federal funds he secured in February to advance construction and site consolidation at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Cincinnati remains in the Fiscal Year 2016 omnibus appropriations bill. Both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives originally passed spending bills that would have eliminated funding for this project. Brown’s efforts to protect the Non-Recurring Expense Fund – the account from which this project will be funded – ensures the future of this project.

“To have the best workforce in the world, we must have the safest workforce in the world,” Brown said. “The workers at NIOSH are leading this effort by conducting cutting-edge research to keep workers safe, medical costs down, and productivity up. But with outdated and poor working conditions at the current facility, we owe it to the Ohioans protecting our workplaces to make sure they have a safe working environment of their own. This investment will help ensure that NIOSH has the best facilities to conduct critical, life-saving work in Cincinnati.”

As part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NIOSH is responsible for conducting research and making recommendations to prevent work-related injury and illness. The NIOSH facilities in Cincinnati employ nearly 550 Ohioans.

The funds Brown protected will consolidate NIOSH’s Cincinnati research facilities into one central location to improve and enhance scientific collaboration. The funding will also ensure that there are appropriate and adequate research facilities for NIOSH’s scientific program and will reduce operating costs by consolidating two separate campuses.