Earmarks alert: Winona's National Child Protection Training Center

Minnesota's John Fitzgerald looks at the National Child Protection Training Center in Child Abuse Prevention Program Gains Steam:

. . .In 2008, the federal government will spend $1.2 million for a Minnesota-based project that may end a plague that affects as many as 60 million Americans. The National Child Protection Training Center at Winona State University hopes to wipe out child sex abuse in three generations.

"It's an epidemic," said Victor Vieth, NCPTC's director.  One in 10 girls and one in 20 boys report being abused before they enter 9th grade. There are about one million new child abuse cases reported each year, "and there are a lot of cases that are completely under the radar," he said. Some estimates put the victims of child abuse at 20 percent of the population.

Vieth started NCPTC to provide child abuse prevention training for "first responders.". . .

Senator Day has said that he won't pursue earmarks for the district if elected, so this is the sort of project he won't request funding for. Training first responders to recognize and report child abuse must be less important than scoring cheap talking points.

Walz, who released a list of his earmark requests last summer, fought for this project:

Thompson said President Bush recently signed a $1.2 million federal appropriation for NCPTC. "Rep. Tim Walz really championed this vision and the funding," he said.

An appropriation for a program to train teachers, nurses, police officers and clergy to work to end child abuse? Sounds like a good investment to us.

Comments

[Rochdem]

Wasn't it Pawlenty or Norm Coleman who was also a big supporter of the Center? Mr. Vieth is a fantastic speaker and a hard worker. It's very unfortunate that Sen. Day does not see value in this.