Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009--Continued

Floor Speech

OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2009--CONTINUED -- (Senate - March 10, 2009)

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Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I support the Omnibus Appropriations Act. I appreciate all of the efforts made by my friend, the senior Senator from Hawaii, to develop and manage this tremendously important bill. I also value the effort of the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee as well as all of the work done by the subcommittee chairmen and ranking members to draft the omnibus.

Continuing resolutions hinder the ability of agencies to meet the needs of our communities and address changing circumstances. We must enact this legislation in order to have a more effective and responsive Federal Government in dealing with many of the problems that our Nation is confronted with currently. This legislation improves access to health care, education, housing, and economic development opportunities. It also provides essential support for financial literacy programs, transportation infrastructure investments, sustainable energy development, natural resource preservation, and investor protection efforts.

This bill will help further promote medical research. Investments in medical research have tremendous potential to improve the lives of so many people by developing better methods to prevent, detect, and treat different illnesses. I am also proud that the legislation increases the ability of our federally qualified community health centers to better meet the medical needs of our communities.

The fiscal year 2009 omnibus bill will help ensure that our Nation's students are prepared for the challenges of the 21st century. This includes funding for programs to help disadvantaged students reach their potential as well as funding to help recruit and retain highly skilled and talented teachers. The fiscal year 2009 Omnibus also includes $1.2 million in funding for Impact Aid. Impact Aid assists school districts that have lost property tax revenue due to the presence of tax-exempt Federal property, including Indian lands and military bases. It is vital to a State like Hawaii where there is a significant military presence.

This legislation also provides vital resources for housing. Ten million dollars is provided for the Native Hawaiian housing block grant, which is administered in the State of Hawaii by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, DHHL. DHHL is the largest affordable housing developer in the State of Hawaii. Although these resources provide only about one-tenth of the DHHL's spending, it is extremely important to support additional home ownership opportunities for residents throughout Hawaii.

I also appreciated the inclusion of funding for the Laiopua 2020 Community Center. Economic Development Initiative resources will facilitate the development of this comprehensive community center. The community center will improve the quality of life for residents in the growing Kona community by increasing access to social services, recreational facilities, and educational and economic opportunities.

The omnibus provides a slight increase in resources for the Community Development Block Grant, CDBG, Program. CDBG provides essential Federal resources to help meet the specific needs of communities. In Hawaii, our counties utilize CDBG resources to help provide affordable housing, assist the homeless, expand day care facilities, provide meals to low-income families, strengthen our medical infrastructure by making physical improvements to our community health centers, and expand opportunities to help individuals with disabilities find employment.

This bill provides essential resources intended to improve our Nation's financial literacy lending and improve individual understanding of economics and personal finance. This bill includes $1.447 million in funding to implement the Excellence in Economic Education Act, which promotes economic and financial literacy among students in kindergarten through high school. An additional $1.6 million is provided for the Department of the Treasury's Office of Financial Education to increase access to financial education and protect consumers against predatory lending. Also, I applaud the inclusion of a directive in the bill that requires the Internal Revenue Service, IRS, in consultation with the National Taxpayer Advocate, to educate consumers about the costs of refund anticipation loans and expand access to alternative methods of obtaining timely refunds.

The act also will improve our roads, transit, and airports; strengthen Hawaii's transportation infrastructure; and increase the mobility of our residents.

Provisions contained within the act enable the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to address our Nation's critical navigation, flood control, and environmental restoration needs. I was pleased that more than $1.6 million was provided for Hawaii projects.

Recognizing that shoreline erosion threatens upland development and coastal habitats along much of Hawaii's shoreline, I worked to provide funding for a regional sediment management demonstration program to further understand the dynamics of complex coastal processes and promote the development of long-term strategies for sediment management. On the island of Molokai funding has been provided to complete a much needed water resource study in order to more effectively manage ground-water resources. Wise stewardship and management at a watershed level has a significant impact on the health and quality of numerous natural resources. Inclusion of funds to address stream management and restoration is critical for Hawaii. These resources will assist and protect communities in Hawaii from destruction caused by severe weather and flooding, as well as promote conservation and revival of our islands' ecosystems.

The fiscal year 2009 omnibus includes provisions that will go a long way to improve advancements in science and technology, as well as enhance U.S. competitiveness. In Hawaii and the Pacific, we are uniquely confronted by climate fluctuations and its impact on the public, economic development, and health of our ecosystems and wildlife. I am proud to have supported the inclusion of $1.75 million for the International Pacific Research Center at the University of Hawaii to conduct systematic and reliable climatographic research of the Pacific region. Improving our understanding of climate variability empowers us to use data and models to mitigate adverse impacts.

Hawaii is home to some of the world's most critically threatened and endangered species, including the endemic Hawaiian monk seal. For years I have been an advocate for the conservation and recovery of the critically endangered monk seal and other cetaceans in the Pacific. The National Marine Fisheries Service issued the first Hawaiian monk seal recovery plan in 1983 and a revised plan in 2007. The Hawaiian monk seals are vulnerable due to a variety of influences, including human disturbances of birth and nursery habitats, entanglement in marine debris, and commercial fisheries. In the last 50 years the Hawaiian monk seal population has fallen by 60 percent. To address this need, I worked to include $2.6 million in this act to address female and juvenile monk seal survival and enhancement, as well as efforts to minimize monk seal mortality. In addition, these funds will strengthen coordinated regional office efforts for field response teams and enhance implementation of the 2007 recovery plan.

The preservation of our national parks, forests, and public lands has been a priority of utmost importance. Public lands are valued assets that must be properly managed for the benefit of all Americans and future generations. I am encouraged that the act supports the preservation of our natural landscapes, furthers conservation of wildlife, expands water resource assessment, and fosters wise management of our Nation's natural resources.

Given the unique needs of Hawaii, I supported funding in the Fiscal Year 2009 omnibus to fortify the preservation of four endangered Hawaiian
waterbirds located within the James Campbell National Wildlife Refuge, as well as combat the threat of invasive species on our natural and cultural heritage. Invasive species are the primary cause of decline in Hawaii's threatened and endangered species, and cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to Hawaii's agricultural industry, tourism, real estate, and water quality. Funding will continue the ongoing, collaborative, interagency, and community-based effort to address invasive species impacts. Such joint action, cooperative agreements, and collaboration will be needed to control invasive species that are crossing geographic and jurisdictional boundaries.

I am pleased that the omnibus supports the development of sustainable and clean energy. We must continue to invest in development and implementation of energy from renewable, efficient sources as this Nation transitions away from foreign oil. Our energy security and independence depend on conducting advanced research and better utilizing energy from sources including the sun, wind, ocean.

Included in the act is $3.1 million to support the ongoing Hawaii-New Mexico Sustainable Energy Security Partnership. In order to develop, demonstrate, and deploy technologies that enhance usage of renewable resources, the Partnership evaluates electric and transportation infrastructure, tests technologies, and provides sound science to inform debate and the implementation of public policy. Building upon its successful development of a comprehensive model of the transportation and electricity infrastructures on the Big Island and Maui, these funds will be used to support promising projects identified for implementation on those islands, as well as extend efforts to evaluate and address the energy infrastructure needs on Oahu and Kauai.

I am encouraged by the inclusion of funding to improve Hawaii's infrastructure and nurture sustainable agriculture production. Our agricultural industry is a key component of our State's economy, and I have long supported the policies and programs cultivating opportunities for our farmers and rural communities. Further, funds supporting research, extension, and teaching efforts are necessary as we prepare a skilled and thriving workforce focused on developing sustainable solutions that improve the health of our environment, as well as the quality and efficiency in production.

Another important provision I want to highlight is the critical support included for the Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, to better protect investors. I will continue to work with the SEC to ensure it has the statutory authority and resources necessary to better protect and educate investors and promote market stability.

In conclusion, I want to thank the senior Senator from Hawaii for all of his extraordinary efforts to develop and shepherd this comprehensive bill through the legislative process. The Nation and our home State of Hawaii will benefit tremendously from its passage.

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