Press Release/Statement
| For Immediate Release June 18, 2007 |
CONTACT: Joe Kasper (202) 225-5672 |
| HUNTER ANNOUNCES FY2008 FUNDING INITIATIVES | ||
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Congress appropriates funding for specific programs, agencies, and other federal priorities. In doing so, Congress is exercising the power granted to it under Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 of the U.S. Constitution, which states, “No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law." Congress has developed certain rules and practices for appropriating federal funds, which traditionally begins after the House approves a budget resolution outlining federal spending priorities for the upcoming fiscal year. Following the approval of the budget resolution, the House Appropriations Committee then identifies funding priorities for specific initiatives. As part of this process, Members of Congress submit funding initiatives that are important to their districts, states, and to the nation. While the submission of an initiative is an important first step in the appropriations process, it does not automatically secure or guarantee the allocation of funding. The House Appropriations Committee is responsible for evaluating and determining which initiatives will be funded through the appropriations process. San Diego County, with its growing population, large public infrastructure, and national security responsibilities, is an ideal candidate for federal funding in many areas. Working in conjunction with local businesses, schools, and cities for example, Congressman Hunter puts forward initiatives that are widely supported and serve to the benefit of the local community. These initiatives are often in support of road and infrastructure improvements, community development projects, and other legislative priorities including education, border security, and water resources development. As the former Chairman and now Ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Hunter also has an obligation to ensure our servicemen and women are provided the most optimal resources available and our nation’s military remains the most technologically advanced and responsive fighting force in the world. This is a responsibility Congressman Hunter takes very seriously and, since the advent of the global war on terrorism, immediate and critical funding for body and vehicle armor, ammunition and countermeasures to combat Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), has been secured through this process. Congressman Hunter’s initiatives for Fiscal Year 2008 are as follows:
Contractor: L3/Titan Current precision munitions, such as the Tomahawk Missile, while effective are extremely expensive. The current price of a Tomahawk Missile is nearly $1 million. The Affordable Weapon System (AWS), a program developed by Titan in San Diego, is an initiative to design, develop and produce a capable and affordable precision guided weapon. The AWS will carry a 200-pound payload to a target over 600 hundred miles away and fly to an area and loiter for several hours until a forward observer directs it to a target. If successfully fielded, AWS will provide a low-cost alternative with a significant amount of firepower to the weapons inventory. Amount: $30 million Hunter Initiative: Seafighter Contractor: L3/Titan The Sea Fighter, formerly known as X-Craft, is a high speed, shallow draft vessel for littoral warfare. Deployment of the Sea Fighter can demonstrate and validate many of the Navy’s operational concepts for littoral warfare, and more specifically reduce risk in the Littoral Combat Ship program. Funding will be used to add offensive and defensive armament, improve ship survivability systems, and complete command and control. Former Secretary of the Navy, John Lehman, stated “this kind of innovative ship, built with commercial off the shelf technology is the future of an affordable surface Navy.” Amount: $22 million Hunter Initiative: Southwest Border Fence Contractor: National Guard The Southwest border continues to be a heavily utilized human and drug smuggling corridor into the United States. Since 1990, 7.6 miles of double layer fencing, 59 miles of single fencing and 169.5 miles of road have been constructed and rehabilitated along this prolific smuggling corridor. As a result, drug traffic in the region has drastically declined and the smuggling corridor allowing easy access between metropolitan areas has been eliminated. Completing the fence construction project in San Diego will allow counter drug assets to be re-deployed in other areas. Amount: $8 million Hunter Initiative: Weapon Retrieval Vehicle (WRV) Contractor: Southbay Shipyards According to the Navy Operational Requirements Document for Torpedo/Mobile Targets Retriever Boats, the current recovery craft operated by the Navy are obsolete and wooden hulled and approximately 40 years old. Retriever craft are routinely taken out of service due to poor hull material condition. In addition, due to the older after-deck design of the rollers and ramp, test vehicles have experienced significant damage during retrieval. New retrieval vehicles will be capable of conducting additional mission assignments to include lost weapon search, instrument deployment, equipment and personnel transfer, weapons transshipment, open ocean retrieval, assistance to the U.S. Coast Guard for search and rescue, and development support for special vehicles and classified programs associated with anti-submarine warfare. Amount: $2 million Hunter Initiative: DP-2 Vectored Thrust Aircraft Program Contractor: DuPont Aerospace The DP-2 is a high speed, vertical and short field takeoff and landing (VSTOL) aircraft. The DP-2 can meet Special Operations Forces requirements including insertion and extraction of personnel & equipment and Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR). The DP-2 and scaled up variants support the Navy/Marine Corps Ship to Objective Maneuver (STOM) needs and also meet the Army and Air Force Joint Heavy Lift requirement at a fraction of the cost of the systems currently existing or under study. Amount: $6 million Hunter Initiative: Iraqi Skin Disease Test Contractor: Allermed Laboratories, Inc. According to Ellen Embrey, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Force Health Protection & Readiness: “Leishmaniasis is certainly a significant disease of operational importance to our forces serving in southwest Asia and a focal point for our force health protection and readiness efforts.” Leishmaniasis is spread by the bite of infected sand flies found in 88 countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq have confirmed cases of Leishmaniasis and hundreds more are expected to contract the disease. Early detection is important as infection by the parasite may not be immediately evident and can take up to six months to manifest itself in the infected individual. Leishmaniasis causes disfigurement and in some cases, death. During 2004-2005, over 1,000 cases of Leishmaniasis were treated in U.S. military hospitals. Development of a diagnostic skin test for Leishmaniasis will allow military health personnel to more effectively treat this disease. If a soldier has a positive response to the skin test, but does not have symptoms, the physician has the option of either starting treatment or monitoring the individual in the event there is a change in their health status. Amount: $2 million Hunter Initiative: Light Utility Vehicle Contractor: Chenowth Racing Products The first U.S. military vehicles into Kuwait City after the city was liberated were the Chenowth Desert Patrol Vehicles. These vehicles were able to climb over roadblocks and scale 8-foot-high berms thus allowing the SEALs to go wherever they wanted within Kuwait City. The Light Utility Vehicle (LUV) will support many different roles for the warfighter. The base LUV platform will be improved based on lessons learned through previous development testing and additional variants of the vehicle will be built upon this new base. Improvements to the base platform will include prognostics and diagnostics for systems including drivetrain, suspension, and steering. Funding will allow the completion of the design, fabrication, and testing of an operational prototype. Amount: $4 million Hunter Initiative: Joint Integrated Systems for Advanced Digital Networking (JIST-NET) Contractor: DEFCOMM In a recent message to Unified Combatant Commands, U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) stated that: “Initial demonstrations have occurred at PACOM, DISA and USSTRATCOM. Feedback has been positive. USSTRATCOM SATCOM operational manager supports fielding JIST-NET increment 1 automated SAR/GAR processing tool to all UCCS as the first step toward a broad evaluation of this capability and to provide the SATCOM community with an initial automated planning capability.” JIST-NET is an effort to improve Military Satellite Communications (MILSATCOM) planning, management and control capabilities. This program combines the three main MILSATCOM systems: MILSTAR (EHF band), DSCS (SHF band) and UFO (U1 band) to allow the Department of Defense to better meet requirements, deadlines and funding requirements for the warfighter. JIST-NET is currently meeting personnel needs by collecting the RF metrics of current satellite systems and showing actual utilization compared with available resources. When completed JIST-NET will provide the warfighter with an integrated and seamless planning system and communications situation awareness which will allow the warfighter to optimize utilization of existing and future communications. It will further improve mission/scenario planning by aiding in forecasting current and future satellite requirements. Amount: $2 million Hunter Initiative: Wire Detection & “Brownout” Obstacle Avoidance System for Helicopters Contractor: Trex Enterprises Wire strikes continue to be a frequent cause of Army helicopter accidents occurring during flight conducted at low-level, nap-of-the-earth altitudes. Flight into power lines, structural cables and hard to detect wires has resulted in catastrophic loss of aircrews, aircraft and related collateral damage. Additionally, operations in desert areas have proven to be dangerous as helicopters attempt to land while visibility is obscured by dust kicked up by rotor downwash – so called “brownout” conditions. Since 2002 the accident costs related to brownout crashes is more than $180M in addition to the death and injury casualties of our soldiers. The U.S. Army’s Night Vision and Electronics Sensor Directorate (NVESD) is evaluating a new, lightweight, low-cost, reliable wire detection prototype system. Amount: $3 million Hunter Initiative: Oxygen Dressing of Battlefield Wounds Contractor: OxyBand Technologies Inc. Oxyband delivers oxygen directly into the wound to fight infection and accelerate wound healing. This product received FDA clearance for use in wound healing and demonstrated 30% faster healing time in clinical trials. Approximately 10 percent of warfighter injuries are burns, and 22 percent of those wounded in action suffer head and neck injuries. This program will measure the effectiveness of such dressings for these two priorities of the U.S. Army for Surgical Research. Once proven effective, these dressings will enable the Army to meet its science and technology objective for soft tissue trauma care. Amount: $1 million Hunter Initiative: Connectory Expansion for Rapid Identification of Technology Sources for DoD Contractor: East County Economic Development Council The Connectory allows San Diego Country Business to access our military acquisition system. DOD needs access to the best available technologies from all sources, especially small and medium sized companies not normally accessed by the Defense acquisition process. In order to field new technologies and capabilities faster and within budget, new approaches are needed to draw upon the innovative abilities inherent in small business. The Connectory helps our warfighters by providing them with the technology they need with the fast turnaround time that small businesses can provide. Amount requested: $500,000 Hunter Initiative: Submarine Detection Program Contractor: Information Systems Laboratories The E-Field buoy technology is highly capable of detecting underwater threats in acoustically difficult littoral environments. The tactical E-field buoy program will design and test air deployable sensors that are capable of detecting the electric field signature of a threat submarine. Amount requested: $6 million Hunter Initiative: High Bandwidth Ship-to-Ship Optical Communications Network Contractor: NovaSol Ship-to-ship communication bandwidth needs are growing too rapidly for traditional radio technology to keep up. An emerging alternative is free-space optical communications, in which data is transmitted via modulator laser beams. The funds will build operational prototypes for a robust technology demonstration that will facilitate rapid insertion of this enabling technology into the fleet. Amount requested: $1 million Hunter Initiative: High Performance Computing Capability Contractor: IBM High performance computing (HPC) capability is necessary to support the algorithmic “number crunching” in predictive modeling. One of DoD’s primary HPC centers is being upgraded and has offered its existing nodes to other centers. Transferring these nodes to the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego and integrating them into the base clusters would further extend processing capability. These funds are required to allow the necessary switch fabric to be acquired, integrated and tested. Amount requested: $500,000
Location: New and Alamo Rivers, Imperial County Project administered by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation The New and Alamo River restoration project is the only effort that has been successfully implemented to combat the most polluted river in North America. Two pilot wetlands have been created with prior federal funding, including a 7-acre site near the city of Brawley and a 68-acre site near the city of Imperial, both of which have been highly effective in removing raw sewage, silt and selenium from the New and Alamo Rivers, the sole inflows into the Salton Sea. Testing has indicated that these wetlands exceed 90% cleanup and a key by-product of this effort is the production of rich habitat for plants, fish and waterfowl. This project promotes local volunteerism with outdoor organizations like Desert Wildlife Unlimited teaming up with local schools to instruct and mentor young kids to take an active interest in conservation, as well as providing many outdoor recreational opportunities for Southern California’s growing population. Amount: $5 million Hunter Initiative: Borrego Springs Flood Control Study Location: Borrego Springs, CA Project administered by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Brush fires, such as the Julian Fire in 2002 and the Pines Fire in 2003, in the Anza-Borrego mountain area are responsible for the significant removal of vegetation from the hillsides above Borrego Springs that have left the topsoil barren and loose. As a result, heavy rains have created mudslides into this community, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage to local homes and businesses. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has examined the situation and determined that a feasibility study that includes an initial survey and a cost breakdown for several options is necessary to determine an approach that will protect Borrego Springs from further mudslide and flooding damage. Amount: $300,000 Hunter Initiative: Water Transmission Line Location: San Diego County Contractor selected by Padre Dam Municipal Water District A large portion of East San Diego County is located outside the water service area of the local Padre Dam Municipal Water District. Installation of a new water transmission main will serve this growing community and provide the region with a reliable water source. The installation of a new line will allow residents to better meet their water needs more efficiently, and serve the public health needs of the community by ensuring water is available for emergency situations and providing service to the local Indian health clinic which offers medical services to seven area tribes and the entire community. Amount: $4 million
Location: San Diego County Project administered by Borrego Water District in consultation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Since 1945, water extractions from the Borrego Basin began to exceed natural supplies resulting in an overdraft of 600,000 acre-feet and an annual overdraft of 14,000 acre-feet according the California Department of Water Resources. Borrego Water District would utilize federal grant funding to investigate the feasibility of constructing a 53-mile pipeline and two pumping stations to deliver water from outside areas to the Borrego Basin as a means of maintaining a storing a consistent and safe water supply for the community of Borrego Springs, CA. Amount: $446,900
Location: Poway, CA Contractor selected by the City of San Diego On an average day, it is estimated that 25,000 vehicles travel the busy road of Ted William Parkway, and is expected to double with the opening of State Route 56. At the same time, children are crossing this road to get to Shoal Creek Elementary School. This funding will be utilized to construct a pedestrian bridge which would immediately increase the safety environment of students, residents and commuters. Amount: $2 million Hunter initiative: Improvements to State Route 52 East and West Location: East San Diego County Contractor selected by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Traffic congestion in East San Diego County continues to inconvenience many local residents and contribute to lengthy delays. On State Route 52, an effort is underway to reduce local congestion and improve traffic flow by adding lanes and extending a portion of the freeway, which according to SANDAG, will also reduce traffic on existing parallel routes and local arterials, such as Interstate 8 by more than 20 percent. This project will benefit East County residents by providing direct and better access to surrounding communities and job centers to the West and North. Amount: $5 million Hunter initiative: Construction of McGrath Family YMCA Location: East San Diego County Project administered by East County Family YMCA Nothing is more important to the well-being and development of our children than the teachings of honesty, respect, and responsibility. As an organization committed to instilling these values in America’s youth, the YMCA has always ensured the availability of programs and facilities to families regardless of their financial situation. A research study was recently completed by the YMCA to gain information on the benefit of a facility in East County San Diego. The study revealed that 5,625 households would have a great deal of interest in joining a YMCA facility and over 12,000 families in this particular service area have annual incomes of less than $35,000. A YMCA facility serving our children, teens and families will be an important part of the local community and contribute to the development of East County’s youth. Amount: $1 million Hunter Initiative: East County Bus Maintenance and Paratransit Facility Location: San Diego County Contractor selected by SANDAG Aside from reducing traffic congestion on our roadways, public transportation offers residents of East County a safe and efficient method of travel. However, for those who are disabled, public transportation is a primary and, in some cases, the only method of travel available. East County’s American with Disability Act transportation services are currently operated from a contractor-owned facility in El Cajon that was designed for a 50 vehicle fleet. With 127 vehicles in operation, the site is overcrowded, leading to inefficient and unsafe conditions. There is no dedicated space for a reception area and administration, dispatch and maintenance facilities are not adequate to manage the fleet of vehicles. SANDAG’s proposal to construct a dedicated paratransit operations facility in conjunction with the East County Bus Maintenance Facility will permit the paratransit fleet to work in partnership with other public transportation resources and provide an opportunity for expansion to meet East County’s future needs. Over the next ten years, SANDAG estimates an increase of 25 vehicles will be required to meet customer demand. Amount: $4.5 million
Project Location: Tijuana, Mexico It is estimated that 50 to 70 million gallons per day of Tijuana sewage flows into the Pacific Ocean. For over 70 years, this sewage has plagued southern California’s beaches, causing repeated beach closures and other negative public health consequences in the San Diego-Tijuana region. Under the terms of P.L. 106-457 and P.L. 108-425, and with the approval of Treaty Minute 311 in 2004, IBWC has the authority to enter into a fee-for-services contract to provide wastewater treatment services and address the long overdue problem. These funds facilitate that effort. These funds were included in the President’s Fiscal Year 2008 budget request. Amount: $3.25 million
Project Location: U.S. – Mexico International border In 2006, the U.S. Congress passed the Secure Fence Act (P.L. 109-367), which expands the 14-mile San Diego Border Fence across the five most prolific smuggling corridors along our Southern border. In total, the Secure Fence Act identifies 854 miles of the border that the Department of Homeland Security is mandated to secure. The San Diego Border Fence project is a proven success. Since construction began, crime rates in San Diego have dropped over 50 percent; apprehensions along this section of the border have dropped from 200,000 per year to less than 10,000, and the success rate of illegal crossers, including those seeking to smuggle drugs, have drastically decreased. In addition, this new border infrastructure will allow personnel resources to be redeployed to other sectors of the border. The requested funding mirrors the President’s Fiscal Year 2008 budget request. Amount: $1 billion
Project Located in: El Cajon, CA Grossmont Hospital is the only non-profit community hospital serving East San Diego County. Their emergency room treats nearly 65,000 people annually, which is a 38 percent increase from just two years ago and they expect an additional 10 percent increase this year. Nearly every day Grossmont Hospital is forced to go on by-pass requiring emergency patients to travel to hospitals further away. The inability to move admissions from the emergency department and into the hospital because of inadequate number of patient beds is a major contributing factor of emergency room overcrowding. This proposed bed increase will give the hospital the flexibility they need to move patients more seamlessly and efficiently into the hospital to receive additional treatment and address overcrowding. Amount: $700,000 Hunter Initiative: Childrens Hospital and Health Centers Emergency Facilities Improvements Project Location: San Diego CA Children’s Hospital provides more than $30 million in under-compensated medical care to children who can’t afford the full costs of hospitalization. Approximately 55% of their clients are Medi-Cal eligible and the hospital services a growing military population. In fact, Children’s is the second largest provider of pediatric care to children of military parents in the country. This important project will support the purchase and deployment of digital radiology equipment and other emergency equipment as part of their recent emergency department expansion. Amount: $3 million Hunter Initiative: Equipment, Patient Beds, and Pharmacy Distribution System for Edgemoor Hospital Project Location: Santee, CA Edgemoor Hospital is a geriatric hospital owned and operated by the County of San Diego. Due to the age of the facility and the lack of compliance with State earthquake standards, a complete replacement of the three main buildings is needed. The mission of Edgemoor Hospital is to provide skilled nursing services covering all levels of patient acuity, but focusing primarily on patients whose long-term care needs are beyond those typically available in private sector facilities. The average length of stay for the hospital is at least two years with many patients remaining for the rest of their lives. There are between 175 to 200 patients in residence daily. Edgemoor Hospital serves as the institution of last resort for patients suffering from acute illnesses and is a vital piece of the health care infrastructure for San Diego County. Amount: $2.01 million Hunter Initiative: San Pasqual Academy Technology and Career Information Center Project Location: Escondido, CA Nationally, 40 percent of foster children become homeless within a year of leaving the system, with few receiving a high school diploma or going on to higher education. Concerned for the plight of these children, San Diego County opened San Pasqual Academy exclusively for foster youth in October 2001. The Academy provides these children with a stable home in a supportive, family-like setting on an open campus; a quality education at a comprehensive on-site high school; and the opportunity to learn and practice the skills necessary to become independent, self-sufficient and productive adults. These funds will support the Technology and Career Learning Center by connecting the facility to the main campus. This will provide seamless delivery of technology to the campus, allowing all partners on the campus to access to the same technology in their delivery of services to the foster youth. The San Pasqual Academy represents a visionary means to provide a prestigious, state-of-the-art residential education campus for those teenage foster children who have no other permanent options. There are over 100 youths who call the Academy home, living, attending school and working on campus. This funding will help assure that foster children will have the opportunities to build a solid foundation for their futures. Amount: $300,000
Project Location: San Diego County In October 2003, the San Diego region was hit by a series of wildfires that burned for nearly 2 weeks, killed 14 people and destroyed thousands of homes. As the fire raged throughout the region, one of the most frustrating hurdles for law enforcement and first responders on the scene was insufficient communication infrastructure that would allow the various responding agencies to communicate with each other. It became clear that upgrading communications across the county must be a priority. Amount: $1.33 million Hunter Initiative: Pre-Arraignment Services – California Western School of Law Project Location: San Diego, CA In San Diego County there are over 30,000 misdemeanor and 5,000 felony arrests processed through the downtown central facility, and an additional 12,000 through the County’s Las Colinas facility. Many of the misdemeanor offenders would be eligible for release on bond upon providing sufficient information to the court. However, in absence of being able to provide the information, they are remanded into custody pending adjudication at significant cost to the San Diego taxpayer. In 2002, California Western School of Law started a limited project with the San Diego County Public Defenders to begin addressing this problem. Law students volunteer and help arrestees gather information for the court to document their ties to the community and work history. This program is the only one of its kind in the country and operates with the full support and cooperation of the San Diego Sherriff’s Department. Amount: $200,000 |
