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Washington, D.C. - As part of his effort to help provide local youth with educational and recreational alternatives that keep them off the street as well as to improve the technological capabilities of a local police force, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today announced that he has secured $355,000 from Congress for four local crime prevention/quality of life initiatives. Using his seat on the House Appropriations Committee, Hinchey obtained the funds as part of the Science, the Departments of State, Justice, and Commerce, and Related Agencies (SSJC) Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2006, which is expected to pass the House later today.
"I am delighted to have secured this new federal money, which will provide local children and teens with fun recreational and educational activities that will keep them out of harm's way," Hinchey said. "Too often, children have no place to go to spend their time constructively, and as a result, they end up mixed in with the wrong crowd on the street. We need to constantly find new initiatives such as the ones funded in this bill to provide our children with safe alternatives that broaden their horizons, open new doors of opportunity, allow them to make new friends, and show them that there is a bright future for each and every one of them. Additionally, the funds for the City of Middletown Police Department are critical to their continuing effort to more effectively fight crime and work with other law enforcement agencies in the area to keep the public safe."
The funds that Hinchey secured will go toward:
· Kingston Newburgh Enterprise Corporation's (KNEC) Youth At Risk Program -- $200,000: KNEC will use the funds to administer a Youth at Risk Program in the Cities of Kingston and Newburgh and provide grant funding to local community-based organizations that are working with area youths. Funding will be targeted to organizations with a proven track record of providing educational, conflict-resolution, self-discovery and physical activities to local children and adolescents with the goal of helping them make healthier life choices and steering them away from drugs, gang activity, and violence.
· Bardavon 1869 Opera House's Arts-In-Education Workshop Program -- $50,000: The funds will provide the balance of the money needed to continue the Bardavon Arts-In-Education Workshop Program. The program will bring six diverse artist-in-residence projects, which provide workshops and master classes with culminating performances, to more than 2,000 children and teens in the Mid-Hudson Valley, including the cities of Poughkeepsie, Beacon and Kingston.
· Dutchess County YMCA -- $40,000: The funds will allow the Poughkeepsie facility to remain open after normal hours on Saturday nights. During these extended hours, the Dutchess County YMCA will turn the facility into a teen center for middle school, at-risk youth. The teens will have complete access to all activities in a safe and supervised environment.
· City of Middletown Police Department -- $65,000: The funds will be used on a much-needed project to upgrade the computer terminals and network of the Middletown Police Department. The improvements will allow the department to upgrade to a more effective Windows-based records management system and computerized dispatch. The upgrade would also give the department the capability to interface with the other police departments in Orange County to share information and more effectively fight crime.
"The positive impacts of these newly funded initiatives will not only be felt in the short-term. These programs have the potential to set local children on a path that will lead to a more successful and fulfilling life in which they can become positive leaders in their communities," Hinchey said. "Likewise, Middletown residents will be served by a better equipped police force that will improve their quality of life for years to come."
The Senate is expected to approve the SSJC Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2006 tomorrow. The measure then moves to the White House where the president is expected to sign it into law. The SSJC Appropriations bill is one of ten spending bills Congress is required to pass annually.
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