Providing For Consideration Of H.R. 1105, Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009

Floor Speech

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Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act. I thank Chairman Obey and his staff for their hard work and leadership on this legislation.

This bill funds essential education, health care and renewable energy programs which, especially in these tough economic times, we cannot afford to let fall behind. In addition, by reducing funding for ineffective initiatives, this bill promotes efficiency and echos President Obama's call for fiscal responsibility last night.

Many districts and States across the Nation will benefit greatly from this legislation. My district in Colorado is an excellent example. We are home to a significant science and technology presence--the Space Science Institute, Sun Microsystems, the Nation's first Smart Grid City of Boulder, Colorado, NOAA, NCAR, and NIST. This bill provides $394 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for climate research and $819 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology to promote American scientific competitiveness.

This bill will provide the resources to sustain important educational programs for America's young people. It increases funding to each of the four Head Start programs in my district, helping Colorado's low-income kids achieve a competitive edge in their future learning, access to financial aid and Pell Grants, making college increasingly important in this competitive economy more affordable.

It also provides a much needed boost in the funding to support community health centers, which provide insured and uninsured Coloradans access to preventative and emergency health care.

This bill increases funding for public lands such as the Rocky Mountain National Park and the Arapaho National Forest in Colorado that have been neglected for far too long.

It provides the resources necessary for the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to clean our air and water, and it funds important programs that address climate change and energy independence with substantial money invested in community programs and awareness.

I didn't come to Congress to place blame for our problems or to bicker about partisan solutions. I came to Washington to be part of the solution and to create opportunity. If we want to protect the American dream for our communities and stabilize our economy, we need to support our core programs and services upon which we all rely. This bill is another important step in the right direction.

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