Jackson Secures Funds For Military Technology And Environmental Clean-Up

Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., a member of the House Appropriations Committee, announced the House has passed the FY 2007 Defense Appropriations Bill by a vote of 407 to 19. The legislation provides funds for military spending and related activities.

The bill will now go to the Senate for approval. If approved, it will then go to a House-Senate conference committee where differences will be reconciled before going to the President for his signature.

The legislation includes the following:

· $1,500,000 to remediate thorium on the property of Chicago Magnesium and the adjoining forest preserve in Chicago. This brings to $3,000,000 the total funding Congressman Jackson has secured for Chicago Magnesium.

· $1,000,000 to develop a fuel cell technology system for the power needs of mobile robotics systems in the defense arena, including UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), UGVs (unmanned ground vehicles), airships, and other robotic vehicles. The work will be done by a consortium at Chicago State University. This brings to $4,500,000 the total funding Congressman Jackson has secured for this project.

· $1,500,000 to work with the Army in implementating the High-Rise Evacuation Learning Platform (HELP) at Columbia College. Needing additional assistance in training and readiness, this project uses methods of movie and video game production to develop interactive simulations to train individuals to solve problems as a team.