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| 2010 Appropriations Requests |
8th Congressional District of Texas Local Project Requests for the 2010 Federal Budget
OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE OF EAST TEXAS RIVERS & LAKES - $1.4 million Twin Dikes Park Launching Complex at Lake Sam Rayburn - $1.4 million Congressman Brady is continuing his support of repairing the Twin Dikes Park marine launching complex since its collapse due to Hurricane Rita, erosion, and excessive wave action. Unfortunately, the Corps has a backlog of maintenance on some of the most widely used recreational facilities at Lake Sam Rayburn. In addition to this project, Congressman Brady continues to support the U.S. Corps of Engineers annual request for funding to operate and maintain the lakes, rivers and other vital water resources of East and Southeast Texas. Requester Additional Information MEDICAL RESEARCH - $250,000 Pulmonary Hypertension Education and Awareness Initiative - $250,000 With one more year until project completion, Congressman Brady is seeking additional funding for a project that seeks early, accurate diagnosis of a rare disease, Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH). This project, now in its third year, continues a successful partnership between the Centers of Disease Control and the non-profit Pulmonary Hypertension Association. PH is a serious and often fatal condition where the blood pressure in the lungs rises to dangerously high levels. In PH patients, the walls of the arteries that take blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs thicken and constrict. As a result, the right side of the heart has to pump harder to move blood into the lungs, causing it to enlarge and ultimately fail. This year’s funding will allow the PHA to work with over 6,000 physicians and add an additional ten training courses to the PH online university. Additionally, funding will provide for continued outreach and training to the medical community and public in order to improve early, accurate diagnosis of this for-now incurable disease. Requester: TRANSPORTATION, INFRASTRUCTURE & CRIMINAL JUSTICE – $ 3.45 million Sam Houston State University Regional Crime Laboratory - $1.95 million Established with Congressman Brady’s support in 2008, the Regional Crime Lab at Sam Houston State University will serve the rural communities in a 75 mile wide area. No longer will our rural communities face long waits and backlogs when requesting services from major cities like Houston or Dallas. This request allows Sam Houston State University -- one of the nation’s foremost criminal justice universities -- to use its expertise in forensic science to continue to build capacity. This lab will provide services to local law enforcement such as identification of controlled substances, toxicology screening and finger print matching. Requester: Additional Information Interstate 69 Texas Environmental Studies - $500,000 This is the original I-69 transportation project first begun in 1991 and strongly supported by members of the Texas congressional delegation. This is not a part of the controversial Trans Texas Corridor that the state rightly abandoned earlier this year. The original I-69 project seeks to bring segments of US 59, 77 and 281 up to interstate standards to increase safety and to meet the higher demand for freight cargo along the route. This is especially important to East Texas and the extended Houston region. This year’s funding request is likely the last for the required environmental studies which are necessary to begin construction on key segments. Later this year or next, lawmakers in Congress will begin rewriting America’s national transportation plan. The congressional delegation is expected to request funding for the construction phase. Congestion and accidents are increasing along this aging roadway and need to be addressed now. These highway segments have been identified by Congress as a high priority. Requester: Additional Information The District (Brazos Transit District) Capital Cost of Contracting - $1 million This request provides an important transportation service to commuters in Montgomery County through four Park-and-Ride facilities. It also helps provide regular van service for East Texas veterans to VA facilities in the region. By serving over 700,000 park-and-ride commuters each year, the funding also helps reduce congestion along Interstate 45 and helps the region meet its clear air goals. Requester: BIG THICKET NATIONAL PRESERVE ENHANCEMENT – $4.5 million The Big Thicket National Preserve is one of America’s ecological treasures. It is an unusually shaped preserve whose boundaries include land once owned by major timber companies. Big Thicket National Preserve Land Acquisition - $4.5 million This request, if fully funded, completes the land acquisition program authorized by Congress in 1993. It enables the National Park Service to acquire critical land within the currently authorized boundary of the Big Thicket National Preserve to diversify the economic potential of southeast Texas through increased tourism opportunities. This project works only with voluntary, “willing-seller” landowners. Requester: Additional Information Note: In addition to the above listed projects, Congressman Brady has also signed letters in support of other regional and Texas projects sponsored by other members of the Texas delegation.
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