(Washington, D.C.) -- Congressman Michael R. McNulty (D-Green Island) announced today that the House of Representatives has approved the final version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Transportation-Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill. The projects included in the bill, and proposed funding levels, are:

$500,000 for the I-90 Exit 8 Phase 2 Connector Project
This project includes the construction of an urban arterial roadway linking the existing Interstate 90 Exit 8 Phase 1 project in the southern portion of the Town of North Greenbush, Rensselaer County, New York, to Route 4 in the northern portion of the Town of North Greenbush. This amount will be added to the $16 million in federal funding designated for this project in prior appropriations bills.

$200,000 for the Unity House of Troy, Inc.
Funding will be used to replace the existing 18 bed shelter with a 25 bed shelter for victims of domestic violence that will also serve as a model for other providers. The new shelter will include secure private spaces, community spaces for recreation, dining, and skill building, spaces for therapy and health care, play areas for children, and office spaces for staff.

$200,000 for the Capital District YMCA in Schenectady
Funding will be used towards the construction of a new Schenectady YMCA. The new YMCA will contain a pre-school aged childcare center, dedicated spaces for youth, teen, and senior citizen programming, community rooms, a state-of-the-art fitness and wellness center, an aerobics studio, an indoor running/walking track, a double gymnasium, a warm water pool, a six-lane pool, steam room, sauna and whirlpools. It is a facility designed to meet the health, wellness, and recreational needs of the greater Schenectady community, for residents of all ages.

$500,000 for NYSERNet's Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Facility
Funding will be used to support the development of the center in Syracuse, NY while allowing participating institutions to direct their own funds toward acquiring the equipment and software necessary to implement mirrored solutions in the facility, thus enhancing their disaster recovery strategies. NYSERNet member institutions in the Capital District that will benefit from this project include Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the SUNY Albany Main Campus, Downtown Campus, and East Campus.

The bill must now be approved by the Senate before being sent to the President to be signed into law.

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