WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced the committee’s approval of critical funding and provisions for Maryland priorities as part of the emergency supplemental spending package. The bill now heads to the Senate floor for consideration.

Emergency Funding for Watermen Relief

Senator Mikulski, Chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the Department of Commerce, provided $75 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to fund Commercial Fishery Disaster Assistance. The funding will address the needs for assistance in the Chesapeake Bay, the Gulf Coast, New England and for Pacific salmon. This comes after Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley formally requested a disaster declaration from the U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez for the Chesapeake Bay blue crab.

“I stood with Maryland’s watermen and promised to stand up for them as they face a potential disaster to their way of life. This is about lives and livelihoods in a struggling economy,” said Senator Mikulski. “Today, I have put the funds in the federal checkbook to support disaster assistance, while I will work with Commerce Secretary Gutierrez to expedite a disaster declaration for Maryland.”

A declaration will make Maryland’s watermen eligible for emergency disaster funding to ease the economic burden placed on the crabbing industry as it faces a 34 percent reduction in the female crab harvest. Preliminary economic impacts on watermen, harvesters and the processing industry are estimated at $15 million over the next three years. Funds would be used to provide alternative economic opportunities for watermen and the processing industry, while state regulators work with the industry to rebuild stocks and restructure the fishery. If the request is approved, the industry will also become eligible for additional federal help through Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants, Small Business Administration (SBA) and Farm Credit System loans and Department of Labor worker training programs.

Reversing the Rule to Eliminate Medicaid Targeted Case Managers

Senator Mikulski announced the bill includes language to further delay a rule from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS) that cut off funding for Medicaid case management effective March 3, 2008, for children in foster care, and people with disabilities, mental illness and complex medical problems. Senator Mikulski has attempted to reverse the rule in 3 different legislative efforts, but all have been stalled. The damaging rule will now be halted until April 2009.

“People all over the United States are losing their social workers or their nurses because of a new, harsh punitive rule,” said Senator Mikulski, who is also a senior member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee. “I’m fighting to reverse this cut, not just as the Senator from Maryland who is standing up for her constituents, but also as a professionally trained social worker. As a social worker, I have provided these very services and realize what will happen if my constituents cannot get them.”

Under the new rule, 200,000 Marylanders would lose federal funding for case management services. These services help adults and children with complicated problems, people with disabilities, complex medical problems, mental illness and children in foster care.

Restored Funding for Maryland’s Military Installations

Senator Mikulski, Chair of the Maryland delegation, delivered on promises made to Maryland’s military installations with the announcement that she and fellow appropriators have restored the funds that were cut from the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Military Construction account in the fiscal year 2008 omnibus spending bill. The supplemental provides an additional $1.2 billion in BRAC military construction funding for fiscal year 2008. The original cut, which was made in response to the President’s veto threat, affected nearly $720 million in BRAC-related military construction projects throughout Maryland.

The $1.2 billion specifically includes $415.9 million to accelerate the construction of the new Walter Reed Army Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

The executive branch will now re-evaluate BRAC funding for individual initiatives across the nation with the restored funds.