Washington, D.C.
December 17, 2007

Rep. Nick Lampson, D-Stafford, issued the following statement following the passage of the Foreign Operations and Consolidated Appropriations Act, H.R. 2764. The omnibus appropriations bill provides critical funding for veterans’ benefits, Pell Grants and college financial aid. Also, invests over $34 million in Southeast Texas though approving funding for Ellington Field,  paramount water and infrastructure projects, and homeland security.

Port of Houston Port Road Expansion ($500,000)
This project will aid in the expansion and improvement of Port Road at the Port of Houston. The project will be a six-lane divided boulevard with an overpass to give containers safe and secure access to the rail yard south of Port Road.

Ellington Field Fire Station ($7.2 million)
The funds provide for long-needed renovations at Ellington Field’s fire station, which is an important base facility that provides for the security of the military installation.

Arcola/Fresno Water and Wastewater System ($500,000)
This project will provide a safe and affordable public water and wastewater system for the cities of Arcola and Fresno in the 22nd District, creating 9,400 connections over the next 30 years.

Sugar Land Airport ($2 million)
Provides funding for the Sugar Land Regional Airport to purchase adjacent land from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for expansion purposes.

Clear Creek Federal Flood Control Project ($951,000)
This project will aid in flood damage reduction for the Clear Creek watershed, where flooding paralyses the entire region on a regular basis. Funding for the construction general phase of this project will propel it to completion, which will benefit citizens, businesses and municipal facilities.

Keep Kids Safe Internet Safety Project in Harris County Schools, Cooperative for After-School Enrichment ($238,869)
Provides to the implementation of engaging and interactive Missing! Software, which is designed to teach teenagers how to safely use the Internet. Students participating in the Keep Kids Safe Initiative will begin their study by gathering for a one-day “teen summit” on Internet Safety.

Missouri City Emergency Generator ($200,000)
Provides the municipality of Missouri City with essential emergency response generators to be used in the event of an emergency. The generator will power the fire alarm system, security system, computers, radios, telephone, and utilities.  More specifically, the generator will provide power for the Emergency Operations Center and critical communications infrastructure.

Galveston County Pilot Project for Emergency Response Software ($1 million)
A three year pilot project for Galveston County, TX Office of Emergency Management in coordination with surrounding counties and FEMA for an integrated software communication system combining the use of desktop applications, mobile and browser based communication to educate the public prior to a disaster and assist them in recovery once a disaster has occurred efficiently and effectively.

Sienna Plantation Park-and-Ride Facility ($300,000)
This funding will aid in the construction of a Park-and-Ride facility in the Sienna Plantation area of Fort Bend County. The park-and –ride facility will encourage use of public transportation and carpooling, thus reducing congestion on Houston’s freeways as well reducing pollution and contributing to the region’s efforts to meet clean air standards.
 
Interstate 69 Project, Texas Portion, Delegation Request ($1 million)
Funding will aid the Alliance for I-69 Texas, who is working in conjunction with the Texas Department of Transportation, to advance five projects that are a part of the I-69 network. These projects, as identified by the Alliance and TxDOT, will advance development of the I-69 corridor, and enhance its benefit. Funding is requested in the amount of $13 million total.

Texas Hydrogen Highway ($389,000)
This demonstration project sponsored by the Texas H2 Coalition will aid in the development of the codes, standards, and regulations necessary for future movement of vehicular hydrogen through pipelines.

Houston Galveston Navigation Channel, Delegation Request ($15.9 million)
These funds will be used for levee and marsh construction, maintenance material placement, increasing dredge placement capacity in upland sites, and other work related to the 50-year project.

Fort Bend County Court Team for Maltreated Infants and Toddlers ($305,500)
ZERO TO THREE makes available a training curriculum and other training materials on the science of early childhood development and provides individualized training and technical assistance to the Court team.

Integrated in-car video camera project ($2.2 million)
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office would receive funding to be used to acquire the latest in integrated police in-car video camera and license plate recognition technology.

San Jacinto College Providing for Well-Trained Healthcare Professionals Program ($225,040)
This project aims to increase the number of healthcare professionals, including Spanish speakers, by promoting access and success in the San Jacinto College healthcare programs thereby increasing the number of healthcare professionals working in area facilities.

NASA Next Generation Project ($564,000)
This project will cover the most sensitive NASA activities including advanced planning, knowledge management, integrated mission operations, integrated ground processing, integrated crew operations, integrated flight operations, crew health and safety, IT infrastructure, and IT security integration.

Project BRIGHT, Broadening Rewards with Incentives for Growing Houston’s Teachers ($644,848)
The Houston Independent School District’s Project BRIGHT incentive-performance plan for teachers focuses on teacher effectiveness and growth in student learning at both the campus and individual-teacher levels. This is year 2 of a 5-year program; this request is for a continuation of current Teacher Incentive Fund monies until alternate sources of funding can be secured.

Texas Chiropractic College Health Professions Training Program ($95,331)
The project will educate chiropractors in health research methodology, develop institutionally sponsored programs for faculty development and academic collaboration, and develop integrated medical programs of education to bring chiropractic and allopathic clinicians together. It will be hosted by the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston, and the VA Medical Center in Houston.