Newsletter - July 16, 2007
Letter
Newsletter - July 16, 2007
Dear Friends:
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations unanimously approved four major funding bills for the 2008 fiscal year. The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development; Energy and Water Development; Commerce, Justice, Science; and Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bills provide a combined $287.8 billion to fund the federal government agencies and departments under their jurisdiction.
These appropriations support programs vital to the Fourth District and Minnesota, including improved education, expanded health care access, energy and transportation innovation, and strong public safety. In addition, I worked to provide targeted funding for important East Metro projects in these bills, including:
*
$25 million for security at the 2008 Presidential Nominating Conventions, half of which will go to the St. Paul Police Department for security at the Republican convention here next fall;
* $6 million for preliminary engineering activities on the Central Corridor Light Rail;
* $250,000 toward acquisition and renovation of Union Depot as a multi-modal transportation hub;
* $900,000 for redesign of a highly congested segment of I-35 West in north Ramsey County;
* $800,000 for a cutting-edge energy efficient, "green" design for the new Museum of Natural History on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota;
* $500,000 for the St. Paul Police Department's procurement of radio equipment that allows all first responders to communicate across the same frequency during a major emergency;
* $250,000 for installation of camera and audio systems in St. Paul Police patrol cars that record traffic stops, help police identify suspects, and reduce allegations of police misconduct;
* $500,000 to Metropolitan State University for nursing education programs;
* $500,000 to HealthEast Care Systems for information systems;
* $500,000 to Twin Cities Public Television for the Minnesota Digital Public Media Archive;
* $500,000 for the Minnesota Humanities Commission to implement curricula and classroom resources about the Ojibwe and Dakota histories, languages and cultures for Minnesota teachers;
* $150,000 to West Side Community Health Services in St. Paul for facilities and equipment;
* $100,000 to Advocating Change Together, Inc. for a disability rights training initiative;
* 100,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers to perform maintenance on the downtown St. Paul segment of the Mississippi River.
You can find more details on how these appropriations bills benefit Minnesota families and communities at www.mccollum.house.gov.
Sincerely,
Betty McCollum Signature
Congresswoman Betty McCollum
Serving Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District
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