Walz's Washington office sent out the following news release Wednesday:
[Yesterday], Congressman Tim Walz announced that six projects important to southern Minnesota have been included in the conference reports to the FY08 Military Construction- Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill and the FY08 Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations bill. The final versions of these bills passed the House of Representatives today and will go to the President.
"The appropriations process can be long and tedious," said Walz. "Due to the stringent new ethics rules put in place by the new leadership in Congress, every project that receives funding has undergone additional scrutiny this year. That is why I am incredibly proud that my colleagues agreed with me when I said that these Minnesota projects are a top priority for federal funding."
Walz said that the FY08 Military Construction - Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill includes $1.366 million in funding for the Minnesota National Guard's Field Maintenance Facility in Mankato. Major General
Larry W. Shellito, the Adjutant General of the Minnesota National Guard said, "The 2007 Military Construction Bill, when passed, will posture the Soldiers and Airmen of the Minnesota National Guard for success in years to come. Specifically, $1.3 million for a new Field Maintenance Shop in Mankato ensures that the equipment that our Soldiers rely upon in both wartime and state active duty missions are maintained at the highest level. This facility adds additional jobs to southern Minnesota providing state-of-art maintenance capabilities to the Guard."Additionally, five of Walz's appropriation requests were included in the FY08 Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations bill:
* $425,000 for the Hormel Institute's Cancer Research Expansion Project, in Austin. Funds will be used to expand Hormel Institute's cancer research center, construct a new research institute, and renovate a building.
* $125,000 for the Sheriffs Youth Program's Rochester chemical dependency program. Funds will allow SYP to expand its chemical dependency outpatient treatment services for at-risk youth.
* $100,000 for St. Elizabeth's Fresh Start Disease PreventionProgram in Wabasha. Funds will support a disease prevention pilot program to create a six-month study to help participants reduce the incidence of heart disease.
* $315,000 for the Minneapolis Children's Hospital's Mobile Pediatric Health Simulation Center. Funds will support the operation of a mobile pediatric lab, which will be used to train doctors and nurses in out-state MN in pediatric emergency response.
* $1,148,500 for the Minnesota State Colleges and University's Veterans Re-Entry Education Program. Funds will help MnSCU, the Minnesota Department of Education, the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development create programs to help returning veterans find employment and educational opportunities.
Curious to see if these projects survive the President's veto mania.
Comments