Senate Approves Dole Measure to Fund Initiatives that Save Troops' Lives, Prevent Injuries

Press Release

SENATE APPROVES DOLE MEASURES TO FUND INITIATIVES THAT SAVE TROOPS' LIVES, PREVENT INJURIES
Legislative package also includes Dole-requested funds for projects that support NC military installations and defense industry jobs

Over the weekend the Senate approved funding requested by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole, a member of the Armed Services Committee, for life-saving, injury-preventing technologies and rehabilitation programs for service members. The measures were part of a larger legislative package that provided fiscal year 2009 funds for military construction and the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.

In the defense appropriations bill, Dole worked to secure $2.8 million for an advanced combat helmet that will be developed in Stanley, N.C. She also obtained $3 million for the production of Fibrin Adhesive Stat (FAST) Dressings, high-tech bandages that halt bleeding immediately and will help save lives on the battlefield. Additionally, Dole secured $3 million for the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University, which is leading the country in conducting tissue regeneration research.

"The resources and benefits we provide to our service members are so important and well deserved - and certainly one of the most critical investments we can make is in developing the equipment and technology that prevent injuries and save lives on the battlefield," said Dole.

Additionally, Dole worked with Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) to secure $2.8 million in funding to support the Army's photomedicine research program, which is developing a wide variety of laser surgical devices that are demonstrating great promise in repairing battlefield injuries.

The legislation also includes $789 million for 35 different military construction projects in North Carolina, and Dole helped push for the inclusion of:

• $13.96 million for a child development center at Camp Lejeune; and
• $12.2 million for a new support center at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.

Dole helped secure funds for additional initiatives that support service members and North Carolina defense industry jobs, including:

• $4 million for environmentally sealed, ruggedized flat-panel avionics displays for aircraft, produced by Combat Displays in New Bern;
• $4 million for the Metals Affordability Initiative in Monroe, which is developing new alloys with improved wear, heat and corrosion resistance;
• $2.5 million for Energizer Battery Manufacturing (with a production facility in Asheboro) to develop a high power, ultra-lightweight zinc-air battery;
• $2.4 million for Lord Corporation in Cary, which manufactures innovative magneto-rheological (MR) suspension components for tactical wheeled vehicles;
• $2 million for IMO Pump in Monroe, which manufactures advanced lubrication pumps for use on the Navy's Whidbey Island class of ships;
• $2 million for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Northrop Grumman to continue research on using silicon carbide as a semiconductor as part of its Superlattice Nanotechnology program;
• $1.7 million to INI Power Systems in Morrisville to further develop and produce its lightweight "Soldier Portable Power Pack";
• $1.6 million for RFMD Infrastructure Product Group in Charlotte and Greensboro, to continue research of using Gallium Nitride as a semiconductor as part of its Gallium Nitride RF Power Technology program;
• $1.6 million for Longworth Industries in West End, which produces flame resistant cold weather undergarments;
• $1.6 million for The Timken Company, to develop advanced jet engine bearing technologies at facilities in North Carolina and Ohio;
• $1.44 million for RTI International in Research Triangle Park, to continue development of 3-D Technology for Advanced Sensor Systems (3D-TASS), which would allow the military to utilize smaller, high-performance sensors;
• $1.2 million for Superstructure Particle Evaluation and Characterization with Targeted Reaction Analysis (SPECTRA) research, the objective of which is to develop dietary supplements to enhance human resistance to low-level exposure to chemical and biological agents, at East Carolina University in Greenville;
• $1.2 million for hydrogen fuel cell development by Microcell in Raleigh;
• $960,000 for Nekton Research in Durham, to continue development of its mobile acoustic decoys for surface ship defense;
• $800,000 for Moog Components Group in Murphy, to continue development of an electronic motion actuation systems for Navy submarines;
• $55 million for Impact Aid, which funds public school districts across the nation that are adjacent to military installations (based on the number of military dependents attending that district's schools);
• $20 million for the National Guard Youth Challenge Program; and
• $16 million for the Readiness Environmental Protection Initiative, which purchases land adjacent to military installations to protect training areas from encroachment.

Dole also advocated for Department of Defense cancer research funding that was included in the bill.

• $20 million for the Ovarian Cancer Research Program
• $150 million for the Breast Cancer Research Program
• $80 million for the Prostate Cancer Research Program

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