Passage Of Consolidated Appropriations Act Helps To Build Long-Term Prosperity

Statement

Last week, the House also passed H.R.3288, the FY2010 Consolidated Appropriations, which includes the following six spending bills: Transportation-HUD; Labor-HHS-Education; Commerce-Justice-Science; Military Construction-Veterans Affairs; Financial Services; and State-Foreign Operations. The passage of these six bills, which were approved by the Senate on Sunday, means that Congress is nearly finished with work on the 12 yearly appropriations bills that we must pass to keep the federal government running

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I have the responsibility of overseeing and prioritizing this federal spending. My position on this committee also allows me the opportunity to promote funding for projects that will provide a benefit to our community.

Nationally, to strengthen our economy and create jobs, H.R.3288 makes a series of key investments, including the following:

* Infrastructure: Creates an estimated 1.5 million jobs by investing $41.8 billion in highway infrastructure in 2010; provides a 10.6% increase for constructing new commuter rail systems; and invests $2.5 billion in high speed/intercity passenger rail.
* Worker Training and Placement: Provides increased resources for key training and placement initiatives, including working with community colleges to prepare workers for careers in high-demand and emerging industries.
* Innovation: Invests in an Innovation Agenda to make America more competitive, including a 10% increase in science education, a 7% increase in NSF-funded scientific research, and investments in Manufacturing Extension Partnerships and the Technology Innovation Program.
* Small Business: Provides a 35% increase in funding for the Small Business Administration, enabling it to support $28 billion in new lending for America's 25 million small businesses in 2010.
* Rebuilding Protections for Investors & Consumers: Builds renewed confidence in the U.S. economy by rebuilding the capacities of the SEC to protect investors and of the FTC to protect consumers.
* Improving Education: Economists tell us that strategic investments in education strengthen the economy. This bill invests in proven programs like Head Start and innovative programs like the Teacher Incentive Fund to raise student achievement; also enables a maximum Pell Grant in 2010 of $5,550 -- which is $1,500 higher than it was in January 2007, making college more affordable.
* Retaining Cops and Other Law Enforcement: Provides funds to hire or retain 1,400 cops in 2010; also helps state and local governments retain other law enforcement/prosecution jobs with investments in such programs as the Byrne JAG program and Violence Against Women Act.
Locally, I have secured $11,331,000 in funding for critical programs in California's 15th district. Examples include funding to the City of San Jose for its Police Department for Mobile Data Computer Replacement ($710,000); Santa Clara County for Criminal Justice Information Control ($1 million); City of San Jose for the "Skills to Succeed" Prisoner Re-Entry Pilot Project ($400,000); City College of San Jose, California Construction College to train students for careers in construction management ($368,000); Santa Clara Family Health Plan, Community Home Partnership Program to support medically fragile, severely developmentally disabled patients ($300,000); and San Jose State University for its Community Collaborative Response to Victims of Domestic Violence ($440,000).

For more information on my work in the Appropriations Committee, click here. For information about the projects that I have secured funding for in the FY2010 Appropriations bills, click here.

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