(In Alphabetical Order)

1.  $20.672 million for the Alabama River Lakes from the US Army Corps of Engineers O&M projects. Located at 300A Water Street, #307, Montgomery, Alabama 36104The Alabama River navigation channel supports commercial industries that use barges for domestic and international trade, employing over 700 people in the Black Belt area of Alabama and representing over $1.5 billion in investment. Prospective users who are waiting to see if the channel is maintained properly represent hundreds more jobs and millions in investment in the central and southern part of the state.

2.  $1 million for Auburn University Montgomery and the Farm Deployable Microbial Bio Reactor from the EERE projects within the Department of Energy.  Locate at 220 Samford Hall Auburn, Alabama 36849, Auburn University Montgomery will conduct research into the development of a farm deployable microbial bioreactor for fuel ethanol production. The bioreactor will employ mixtures of bacteria and yeasts to convert inedible plant waste to fuel ethanol.

3.  Center for Commerce requests $300,000 from the Small Business Administration’s Salaries and Expenses Account for the Economic and Community Development project. Located at 912 Selma Avenue; Selma Al. 36701, the Center for Commerce is a 501c3 not for profit organization dedicated to the mission of community and economic development in Selma, Alabama and the general Dallas county region. Located in an economically depressed area, this organization provides services geared towards business development, business retention and business education to an area coping with an unemployment rate of 17.3 percent, the second highest in the State of Alabama. To combat the disparity in their region the Center for Commerce requests Congressional assistance for the implementation of their five- point program which will do the following: provide retail development to assist the Chamber of Commerce with business development and retention; offer assistance to the Economic Development Authority to attract new businesses such as a bio-fuel plant (such a plant is contemplating opening a location in this area); coordinate activities with the Dallas County “Crimestoppers” Initiative; support community enrichment in the form of leadership and community development; and  attracting tourism to Selma and surrounding areas.

4.  City of Birmingham seeks $2,000,000 from the Department of Justice COPS account for the Urban Crime Prevention Initiative. Located at 710 North 20th Street; Birmingham, Al 35203, the City of Birmingham, Alabama, is a municipal corporation under the laws of the State of Alabama. The largest city on the state, it has an estimated population of 242,820 residents with an additional metropolitan population estimated at 1,079,089. The City ranks 13^th among the largest southeastern metropolitan areas and is home to 40,680 businesses. The city respectfully requests funds from the COPS account to increase the number of policemen on the street and to give them the necessary crime prevention equipment such as, the Shot Spotter and GPS technology. These materials are needed to quell the city’s growing crime situation. A national 2008 Congressional Quarterly study ranked Birmingham, Alabama number 8 in America, indicating an above average rate of crimes. This program will increase public safety in the city and deter future criminal activity, thus leader to a more confident and productive community.

5.  The City of Center Point seeks $300,000 from the Department of Justice Byrne account for the Center Point Community Policing Project. Located at 2209 Center Point Parkway; Post Office Box 9847; Center Point, Alabama 35215, the City of Center Point is located northeast of Birmingham, Alabama and has an estimated at 22,784. The City respectfully requests funding to increase the presence and availability of sheriff deputies in the city’s jurisdiction over a three year period of time. According to a document released by the United States Army Combined Arms Center, to maintain security in peaceful countries, the proper ratio of policemen to population is somewhere between 1 and 4 officers per 1,000 citizens, with cities needing higher levels than other areas, and the City of Center Point falls below this standard. In the interest of public safety and civic development, these funds will be instrumental in mitigating a potentially dismal situation.  Currently Center Point does not have an active police force per se, however the city continues to provide help and aid in public safety by contracting sheriff deputies from Jefferson County. This funding will allow additional patrolmen on the streets of Center Point .

6.  $450,000 to the City of Demopolis from the Economic Development Initiative within HUD for continued improvements to the Demopolis Airport Industrial Park. Located at 211 North Walnut Street, P.O. Box 580, Demopolis, Al 36732, the City of Demopolis is located within Marengo County and is home to more than 7,000 Alabamians. The Demopolis Airport Industrial Park is currently not supplied with sanitary sewer services. This project would not only supply these much needed services to the park, but it will also be instrumental in crafting a new and vibrant industrial environment. Marengo County is currently coping with an 11.4 percent unemployment rate and the improvements to the industrial park would provide a much needed boost to the county, and  the regions,’ economic development.

7.  $642,000 to the City of Selma from the Economic Development Initiative within HUD for the completion of the Selma Riverfront Amphitheatre. Located at  222 Broad Street; Selma, Al. 36701, the City of Selma boasts the state's largest historic district with over 1,250 structures, however region is also struggling with the second highest unemployment rate in the state, amounting to 18.5 percent. The proposed facility, which will serve as a cultural hub, will generate significant revenues for the Black Belt Counties. Supporters of this project include but are not limited to: the Dallas County Commission, the City of Selma, the Dallas County Arts Alliance, and the Wallace County Community College.

8.  $2,000,000 to the Clarke County, AL Commission from the Economic Development Initiative within HUD for the Clarke County Economic Development Initiative. Located at P.O. Box 548; Grove Hill, Al. 36451,  the Clarke County Commission, along with the five municipalities of the county, has endorsed this initiative and has committed in excess of $6 million for this project over the next ten years.  The Commission has requested $2 million for the third phase of an ongoing $7.5 million economic development project.  In FY05 this project received $750,000 and in FY06 received $400,000.   The requested funding will be used for both land acquisition and buildings and equipment, as well as other infrastructure needs such as utility hookups.  This initiative will serve one of Alabama’s most distressed areas, including neighboring Wilcox County which has an unemployment rate of 11.2%.  This project is particularly significant given the number of new suppliers that will be moving to the nearby Mobile area as a result of recent plant openings by two large private companies.  Due to its close proximity to Mobile, the Clarke County Economic Development Initiative would play an important role in drawing new businesses to Clarke County putting in place a bold economic plan to serve the entire region.

9.  $1,900,000 to DCH Health System for the completion of the DCH Regional Medical Center Cardiac Catheterization Lab from the Health Resources and Services Administration Project within the Department of Health and Human Services. Located at 809 University Blvd.; Tuscaloosa, Al. 35401, DCH Regional Medical Center is located in western Alabama, employing 3,500 residents and providing care to more than 300,000 patients annually. Federal support would go toward the completion of the Catheterization Lab 2, allowing RMC to serve an additional 25 patients daily using the latest diagnostic imaging technology available. Residents in West Alabama need access to the most advanced technology available without having to travel long distances to other areas in the state because many of them do not have the means to make such a trip. This is particularly important since cardiac care is often time sensitive. Once complete, the new lab is expected to meet the needs of West Alabama for the next 10-15 years, serving nearly 90,000 additional patients over that period. 

10.  $150,000 to Easter Seals of West Alabama for the OT Kids program from the Social Services Research and Demonstration Project within the Department of Health and Human Services. Located at  1110 Dr. Edward Hillard Drive; P.O. Box 2817; Tuscaloosa, Al 35404, OT Kids is an expansion of the Pediatric Occupational Therapy program offering services for special needs children from low-income and medically underserved families in eight counties within west Alabama. The primary objective of this program is to increase the independence, functional status and school success of children with special needs. Children who benefit from this program include those with developmental delays, autism, cerebral palsy, Downs Syndrome, feeding and swallowing disorders; and seizure disorders.

11.  $100,000 to FocusFirst: An Alabama Student Vision Initiative from the Health Resources and Services Administration Project within the Department of Health and Human Services. Located at 1901 6th Avenue North, Suite 2400; Birmingham, Al. 35202, FocusFirst provides a cost-effective and direct response to the vision care problems of children who live in rural and urban poverty in Alabama. All children who fail the vision screening receive subsidized follow-up care through the partner non-profit group, Sight Savers of Alabama. In addition to detection and care, FocusFirst is also dedicated to developing and implementing service-learning projects in coordination with students from universities and colleges throughout Alabama.

12.  $250,000  to the Greene County, AL Industrial Development Board from the Economic Development Initiative within HUD for the completion of a Masterplan for the Crossroads of America Industrial Park.  Greene County, Alabama is a small rural county with a population of approximately 10,000 and an unemployment rate of 10.7%. Located at P.O. Box 70; Eutaw, Al 35462, the Crossroads of America Industrial Park, which was rebuilt in the aftermath of the devastating collapse of the Port at Crossroads in 1999, has recently received a commitment from a private company to locate in the park.  Construction on this site is slated to begin in the near future and an up to date Masterplan will provide the Industrial Development Board with the information necessary to aggressively compete to attract additional industries and to take advantage of recent plant openings in the state expected to bring additional suppliers to Alabama.  The park has a number of unique assets in the way of intermodal transportation facilities that would be attractive to businesses and could help the County to replace a significant portion of its revenue stream that was lost when the Port at Crossroads collapsed.

13.  Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office seeks $250,000 from the Department of Justice COPs Technology Account for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Academy Training Equipment Upgrades.  Located at 2200 8th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL 35203, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is a public entity charged with enforcing the law throughout Jefferson County, Alabama. The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Academy Training Equipment Upgrades project seeks to replace outdated arrest and patrol car training simulators and create a certified corrections training program for Sheriff’s Deputies and new recruits. The requested funds not only go to benefit Alabama’s largest metropolitan area, but to many other Alabama counties, as the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Academy trains deputies from numerous counties located regionally throughout North and Central counties of Alabama including: Jefferson, Blount, Cullman, St. Clair, Etowah, Madison, Morgan, Walker and Winston. Securing these materials will mean better trained and capable law enforcement agents charged with securing the public’s safety.

14.  $250,000 to the Literacy Council of West Alabama Initiative from the Fund for the Improvement of Education Project within the Department of Education.  Located at 2200 University Blvd.; Tuscaloosa, Al 35401, the Literacy Council of West Alabama Initiative is a program that will function as an eight county-wide basic literacy delivery system. This program includes research and best practices clearinghouse for literacy programs and services; training for literacy counselors, tutors and other such educational components; technical support for current literacy providers who otherwise couldn’t afford it; marketing and communication initiatives aimed at gaining awareness of illiteracy; and marketing and administrative support for the delivery of these services.

15. $516,000 to The National Voting Rights Museum & Institute from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.  This request would allow the Museum to preserve the physical structure of the museum and to assist in the restoration and preservation of historical exhibits on the history of voting rights in America. The National Voting Rights Museum & Institute, the only facility of its kind in the world, opened its doors in 1993, as a permanent memorial to the struggle to obtain voting rights for disenfranchised African Americans.  The mission of the Museum is to collect, preserve and display artifacts and exhibits, which document and portray the history of voting rights in America.

16.  Operation HomeCare seeks $1.5 million dollars for the Black Belt Regional Preparedness and Emergency Support Network. Located at 300 Kentucky Ave, York, AL; 36925, Operation HomeCare, Inc. (a 501(c)(3) non profit tax exempt organization (OHC), (formerly Operation Katrina Home Care) is a grassroots, community based, rural regional effort to improve the quality of life of  individuals and families in rural Alabama. Established in 2005 in response to Hurricane Katrina, OHC has been successful in assisting Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama individuals and families impacted by Hurricane Katrina.  The Black Belt Regional Preparedness and Emergency Support (BBRES) Network will be a pilot program to provide needed support to small distressed rural communities Emergency Management services during times of disasters, natural or man-made. Project funding will improve expand, enhance and increase the targeted community’s ability to recover from Hurricane Katrina as well as being better prepared for future disasters and other emergencies.  Establishment and operation of a self sustaining regional disaster support network consistent with the Department of Homeland Security national strategy for public, private sector and the American People involvement.

17.  $150,000 to the Pickens County Community Action Committee, located at 71 Lakeside Street, Carrollton, Alabama 35447, for the Youth Mentoring Initiative program from the Social Services Research and Demonstration Project within the Department of Health and Human Services.  The Pickens County Community Action Committee is a non-profit organization established in 1965 to combat the root causes of poverty in Pickens County, Alabama. The Youth Mentoring Kids Initiative is a nine part program that emphasizes positive role-modeling, tutoring, leadership, entrepreneurship, mentoring, promoting family literacy, health intervention, higher education opportunities and family support services.

18.    $10,000,000 to the Reach Out and Read located at 56 Roland Street Boston, Mass., 02129. Reach Out and Read (ROR) is a national program that promotes literacy and language development in infants and young children, targeting disadvantage and poor children and families.

19.  Southern Research Institute, located at 757 Tom Martin Drive; Birmingham, AL 35211 , seeks $4 million dollars through the Army RDT&E, PE 0603313A, Line 46, Missile and Rocket Advanced Technology account for the Captive Carry Sensor Test-Bed (CCST) project.  Funding for this project will develop and integrate a general-purpose captive-carry missile surrogate capability for unmanned air vehicle to enhance characterization and operational understanding of current and future weapon sensor technologies. This will be the first of two phases of this project and SRI will provide in-kind contributions, such as facilities and testing equipment. The Department of Defense is consolidating and expanding its efforts to explore the potential of UAV technology. The development and testing of combat UAV is a high priority. The purpose of this request is to enhance weapon systems effectiveness through sensor testing and characterization in realistic flight conditions. This development will provide pragmatic scene scenarios for these sensor systems; thereby allowing the sensor systems to be better characterized to optimize weapon effectiveness as well as countermeasure development against threat systems. Furthermore, this technology enables military personnel, otherwise in dangerous situations, to focus their attention on other less life threatening tasks.

20.  Stillman University seeks $600,000 from the Department of Justice Juvenile Justice account for the Youth Empowerment and Delinquency Prevention Program.  Founded in 1876 and located at P.O. Box 1430, Tuscaloosa, AL 35403, Stillman College is a four year, historically black university, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The university requests $600,000 dollars to implement a three year best-practice youth empowerment juvenile justice and delinquency prevention program. Stillman College will target West Tuscaloosa, Alabama which has played witness to an upsurge of street gang crimes, resulting in 5 murders. The university plans to take command of the situation by using a 9 point strategic program, focused on issues from academic development and conflict resolution to family affairs and cultural enrichment. Students will be referred to the program through various partners at the school level and the judicial level. Progress will be measured by utilizing evaluative criteria that is based on the goals and objectives for participants and case management information. The targeted area suffers from very serious drug use, abuse, and trafficking combined with misguided youth and this program plans to combat this problem at the grassroots level.

21 . $25,000,000 to Teach for America, located at 315 West 36^th Street New York, NY 10018, for the Teach for America national project from the Innovation and Improvement Account with the Department of Education. As authorized in PL 110-315, this funding would go towards the recruitment, selection, placement and professional development of an estimated 8200 first- and second-year teachers in 39 low-income regions across the nation. These teachers will reach an estimated 525,000 underserved students. The $25 million in federal funds will leverage roughly $160 million in corporate, foundation and individual dollars and will make up an estimated 13 percent of Teach For America's anticipated 2010 operating revenue of $190 million. 

22.  $35million for the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, located at 318A Seventh Street North, Columbus MS, 39703, from the US Army Corps of Engineers O&M projects.  The Tennessee –Tombigbee Waterway is a 234 mile link from the Tombigbee River to the Tennessee River. This opens the Port of Mobile to the Midwest waterway systems. $32 million of the funds requested is for maintenance of the waterway. The additional $3million requested is for the care and maintenance of the mitigated lands in Alabama and Mississippi.

23.  $600,000 to the Town of Vance from the Economic Development Initiative within HUD for the construction of the Vance Community Center. Located at P.O. Box 193, 35490, Vance is a small town in the State of Alabama, located minutes from the University of Alabama, with a population approaching 2,000. Home of Alabama’s Mercedes manufacturing plant, the town is requesting funds to build a multi-faceted community center. In the recent years, Vance has seen a remarkable growth in population and town officials expect that trend to continue. The proposed facility with its versatile plan will house rooms used to coordinate activities for senior citizens, public safety and educational seminars.  The Town of Vance is located in a tornado-prone area, as such there will also be a FEMA Safe Room within the center to be designated as a central location for residents to seek shelter from violent storms. To date, the town has no such facility in place for such events. Acquiring funds for this center will go far in advancing the city economic and residential development.  

24.  $450,000 to The Town of Vance from the STAG Water and Waste Infrastructure Project with the Environmental Protection Agency for the completion of the Vance Sewer System Improvement Project.  Located at P.O. Box 193, 35490, the Town of Vance is located in West Central Alabama with a population of approximately 1,400 residents. The Town has limited financial resources. While they have enjoyed a substantial growth in population, the Town struggles with the lack of commercial development and limited sales tax revenue.  This project will help the Town comply with new NPDES Permit requirements; to eliminate a continual maintenance problem with the old undersized pumping station and reduce a significant power cost associated with that station. This project will also provide for the expansion of existing industry and promote future industrial and job opportunities within the Town.

25.  The University of Alabama at Birmingham seeks $3.8 million through the Air Force, RDT&E Line #215, Special Tactics/Combat Control, PE#: 0408011F account for the Center for Virtual Reality Medical Simulation Training project.   Located at 1530 3rd Avenue South, AB 720E, Birmingham, Al; 35292, the University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public, non-profit state university and this project is for the development of medical training simulation using a supercomputer- based, immersive virtual environment to train Air Force Pararescuemen (PJs) in medical skills.  The simulation will focus on combat search and rescue, civilian rescue, mass casualty, confined space, and other challenging environments and scenarios to enhance training.  With the development of the virtual environment, medical training from the role of first responder in the field, to medical providers in a hospital setting such as the emergency room, operating room, and intensive care unit can be simulated and visualized in three dimensions.  This will provide a more realistic, highly accessible, and flexible training platform with the potential to improve and economize all aspects of care in both rural health and urban centers. When fully developed, it is expected that medical education at all levels will be enhanced and the teaching of medical skills will be changed permanently. This initiative gives the University of Alabama at Birmingham an opportunity to take the lead in creating a medical training platform that will revolutionize current paradigms. 

26.  $2 million for the University Of Alabama And The Institute Of Sustainable Energy, located at P.O. Box 870117, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487,  from the EERE projects within the Department of Energy.  The University of Alabama seeks to conduct a multidisciplinary research project on how to cleanly utilize domestically produced and environmentally friendly alternative fuels for the 21^st century.

27.  $250,000 to the Wilcox County, AL Industrial Development Authority from the Economic Development Initiative within HUD for continued improvements to the Wilcox County Industrial Park located at 110 Court Street; Camden, Al. 36726.  Wilcox County, Alabama is a small rural county in my congressional district with a population of approximately 14,000.  It is one of the poorest counties in my congressional district and state.  The per capita income is $10,903 and the current unemployment rate is 21.5%, far exceeding the 8.4% statewide rate.  Over the past several years, with support from the federal government and the Wilcox County Commission, the Wilcox County Industrial Development Authority has been working to develop an industrial park in order to recruit new businesses and create jobs.  The requested funding will enable the Authority to continue to build out the industrial park in a manner consistent with the needs of potential employers.  This task is significant given the number of new suppliers that will be locating in and around the Mobile area as a result of recent plant openings by two large private companies.