WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), Chairwoman of the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations Subcommittee, today announced that the fiscal year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act includes almost $40.2 million in CJS funding for priorities that work toward a safer, smarter Maryland and America.

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the measure Wednesday, with Senate action soon to follow. Visit http://mikulski.senate.gov/Newsroom/PressReleases for more information.

PROTECTING MARYLAND WATERMEN, COMMUNITIES

“As the senior Senator from Maryland, it is my responsibility to fight for funds in the federal checkbook that protect Maryland jobs and communities. Our watermen and communities that rely on the Chesapeake Bay are struggling and need a government that is on their side,” Chairwoman Mikulski said. “This is about lives and livelihoods in a struggling economy. Maryland can count on me to keep up the fight for them.”

The spending bill includes:

• $10 million for the States of Maryland and Virginia to assist watermen struggling with the blue crab disaster. Senator Mikulski has been an active partner in Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley’s efforts to request a disaster declaration for the Chesapeake Bay blue crab from Department of Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez.

• $4.6 million for the States of Maryland and Virginia to replenish native oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. Funds will specifically support on-the-ground and in-the-water restoration projects.

• $2 million for the Susquehanna River Basin Flood Forecast and Warning System for the development of floodplain data, new protocol and standards for flood plain mapping, and flood inundation mapping. The Susquehanna River basin is one of the most flood prone watersheds in the nation and experiences flood-related damages in excess of $150 million on an average year.

• $500,000 to expand the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System (CBIS). This buoy network provides real-time observational data on the environmental condition of the Bay including wave heights, salinity and temperature.

TOOLS FOR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT, CRIME PREVENTION

“While we are protecting the homeland, we also have to protect the hometown. My CJS bill gets us closer to these goals by standing up for our first responders and local programs to protect our children, our families and our local communities,” Chairwoman Mikulski said. “I am committed to fighting for Maryland programs to keep our neighborhoods safe.”

• $1.5 million for Baltimore County’s police technology upgrades for the 911 emergency center.

• $1.1 million for the City of Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Violence Reduction Program.

• $500,000 for the Latin American Youth Center in Prince George’s County to expand job training programs and continue after-school educational programs directed towards at-risk youth.

• $500,000 for the University of Baltimore School of Law’s Truancy Court Initiative.

• $500,000 for the Advanced Science and Technology Adjudication Resource Center, based in Washington, D.C. to train judges.

• $500,000 for Calvert County to purchase laptop computers for law enforcement.

• $365,000 for Harford County for interoperability equipment upgrades.

A SMARTER MARYLAND

“If Maryland is going to be more competitive, we must focus on programs that are developing new technologies that lead to new products and industries that create new jobs that will never leave the United States,” Chairwoman Mikulski said. “I will continue to fight to make Maryland innovators a priority in the federal checkbook, particularly those working to find new ways to conserve and protect the Bay and the communities who rely on it.”

• $3 million for the Chesapeake Information Based Aeronautics Consortium, a partnership of Morgan State University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and Bowie State University, for continued development of flight safety technologies.

• $1 million for the University of Maryland, College Park for the Advanced Study Institute for Environmental Prediction.

• $2 million for the University of Maryland’s Baltimore County and College Park campuses for ultrafast dynamics for next generation nanotechnology research and development.

• $2 million for the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science to replace equipment and facilities at the Horn Point Laboratory caused by a 2007 fire.

• $1 million for the Coppin State University, Towson University and University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute partnership to increase the number and quality of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers at area public schools.

• $600,000 for the National Federation of the Blind in Baltimore for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs.

• $500,000 for the Charles County public school system for a digital classroom project.