Law Enforcement | Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness | Science & Technology | Health Care & Cancer Research
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The State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) reimburses state and local governments for the costs associated with incarceration of criminal illegal immigrants. In recent years, Congressman Dreier has led the entire California delegation in sending letters of support for SCAAP funding to Congressional leaders. Largely as a result of this united effort, Congress has provided California with over $1 billion in funding for SCAAP over the last six years. During debate of fiscal year 2006 SCAAP funding, the House adopted an amendment offered by Congressman Dreier to increase SCAAP funding by $50 million to $405 million. The $405 million allocation was signed into law on November 22, 2005.
At the request of Congressman Dreier, the Science, State, Justice and Commerce Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2006 included $1,000,000 for a Command and Control Personal Computer (C2PC) system for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Funding will help procure and install this proven emergency response, communications and data management software system. The C2PC system allows law enforcement personnel in the office and in field environments to communicate with each other and with other agencies that coordinate with law enforcement, such as fire, water and power agencies, to maximize response to emergencies.
Congressman Dreier also authored legislation to make it a federal crime to kill a peace officer and flee the country to avoid prosecution. H.R. 3900, the Justice for Peace Officers Act, enhances the punishment for cop-killers and those who aid them, gives state/local prosecutors the first opportunity to pursue such cases, makes clear that the bill does not supersede state/local jurisdiction and urges the renegotiation of the U.S.-Mexico Extradition Treaty to resolve the death penalty/life imprisonment roadblock. This bill would ensure that criminals who murder law enforcement officers have the full weight of the federal government on their trail.
On November 9, 2005, the House approved H.R. 1751, the Secure Access to Justice and Court Protection Act, which includes key provisions of H.R. 3900. Under the bill, killing a federally funded law enforcement officer is punishable by the death penalty, life imprisonment or a mandatory minimum of 30 years behind bars. The bill also adds a mandatory minimum 10 year penalty on top of the punishment for killing a law enforcement officer if the suspect flees the country to avoid prosecution. This bill has the strong support of a number of law enforcement groups, including the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Sheriffs' Association, the California Sheriffs' Association and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca.
On November 29, 2005, the Mexican Supreme Court issued a ruling to allow extradition for suspects facing life in prison in the United States for their crimes. The decision, which overturns a four year old ban on such extraditions, will now pave the way for more extraditions to the United States from Mexico.
In the event of a man-made or natural disaster, it is essential that all Californians be prepared to respond quickly and effectively. Congressman Dreier voted to create the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2002 to better coordinate the actions of first responders, governments and citizens to prevent, plan for and respond to possible future emergencies. This legislation set up funding formulas leading to nearly $1 billion in homeland security grants to California since September 11, 2001. Nearly $340 million has been allocated to important programs in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties to protect critical infrastructure, secure ports and public transportation, and train first responders. The DHS has also worked hand in hand with the California Office of Homeland Security to organize citizen volunteers into Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs), conduct disaster simulation training exercises, and train more than 86,000 first responders. Congressman Dreier will continue to support robust homeland security funding to keep our communities prepared for emergencies.
Congressman Dreier has long led the effort within the California delegation to encourage Congress to support local space and science research. H.R. 2862, the Fiscal Year 2006 Science, State, Justice and Commerce Appropriations Act, which includes funding for the La Canada Flintridge-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), provides $1.55 billion for JPL-managed programs. Congressman Dreier believes that JPL’s projects are a key part of NASA’s primary objectives and are critical to our nation’s economic, scientific, and technological preeminence. Significant ongoing JPL missions include several Mars-related missions such as the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Science Laboratory, and Phoenix Mars Scout. In addition, Congressman Dreier worked to ensure that H.R. 2862 included $119 million for the JPL-managed Space Interferometry Mission, a key part NASA’s search for Earth-like planets.
Congressman Dreier led the effort to include $3 billion to support trauma centers and emergency rooms throughout Southern California in the Medicare Modernization Act. Also, with the help of Congressman Dreier, the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte has been able to make significant strides in cancer research. This year, Congressman Dreier secured $2 million for improvements to the Center’s Biomedical Research Imaging Core in H.R. 2863, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2006. The funding recognizes that scientists at City of Hope have made important strides in imaging of tumor cells, and it will assist the Center in modernizing research space to best meet Department of Defense research objectives. The new space will allow scientists to attack new problems such as using imaging techniques to characterize the way cells grow and divide and to understand more fully why the human immune system fails to recognize cancer cells.
Congressman Dreier’s San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Initiative allocates up to $85 million in federal funding for clean-up efforts of the Los Angeles County water supply. The money will go into the San Gabriel Valley Restoration Fund, which is administered cooperatively by the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Authority and the Bureau of Reclamation. Federal and non-federal monies contributed to the San Gabriel Basin Restoration Fund are being used to design, construct, and operate water projects to contain and treat the spreading groundwater contamination in the San Gabriel and Central Groundwater Basins.
The San Gabriel Groundwater Basin covers more than 160 square miles in Los Angeles County and is the primary source of drinking water for over 1.2 million people. Natural groundwater flows from the San Gabriel Basin permit the contamination to spread into the Central Groundwater Basin, a vast 277 square-mile underground aquifer that provides drinking water to over half of Los Angeles County. Since Congressman Dreier’s legislation passed Congress in 1999, the federal government has contributed $69.5 million to the fund.
Congressman Dreier also supported H.R. 2864, the Water Resources and Development Act, which authorizes $20 million for the cities of Sierra Madre and Arcadia’s Water Environmental Infrastructure Program. This program will improve the water infrastructure that both cities reply upon, which is at risk due to deterioration from age and the potential impact from a major seismic event in the region. The bill also authorizes $13 million for the city of Upland for storm drainage and flood control retention projects. Additionally, the bill contains a $5 million authorization for the Raymond Basin Management Board’s Southern California Foothill Communities Water Supply Reliability Program. This authorization will help facilitate the planning and construction of groundwater quality and supply projects throughout the San Gabriel Mountain Foothill region. The House passed the bill on July 14, 2005, and it currently awaits action in the Senate.
In addition, Congressman Dreier authored H.R. 802, the Inland Empire Regional Water Recycling Initiative, which authorizes funding for the Inland Empire Regional Water Recycling Project and the Cucamonga Valley Water District recycling plant to add a projected 75,000 new acre feet of water annually to one of the largest recycled water distribution systems in the Santa Ana River Watershed. The bill is crucial to ensuring a reliable water supply in the Inland Empire and has bipartisan support from the California delegation. Congressman Dreier secured $1 million for this important initiative in H.R. 2419, the Energy and Water Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2006.
Meeting the region’s transportation needs by reducing traffic and increasing the efficiency of goods movement is a top priority for Congressman Dreier. The Congressman strongly supported passage of H.R. 3, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act - a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), which authorized more than $28 billion in federal spending in California for highways and other surface transportation programs over the next six years. Specifically, the new law provides needed funding to improve road safety, reduce congestion, improve air quality, and move goods throughout the Southland.
For example, H.R. 3 includes a $155 million funding authorization for the Alameda Corridor East (ACE) project to continue ongoing grade separation work to eliminate bottlenecks caused by freight moving east from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. This project is critical to reducing traffic throughout the Foothills.
Just as important, Congressman Dreier secured needed funding for important local transportation projects across Southern California within H.R. 3058, the Treasury, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2006. Specifically, H.R. 3058 included $4.2 million for continued work on the Alameda Corridor East to alleviate traffic congestion through grade separations and improved safety for pedestrians at rail crossings; $3.3 million for Foothill Transit for the ongoing development of park-and-ride facilities to serve bus riders; $1.5 million for the Monrovia Transit Village, which provides bus layover facilities, improved bus access, and additional park and ride spaces; $100,000 for the Myrtle Avenue Streetscape Project which will improve Myrtle Avenue, the connection between Old Town Monrovia and the Transit Village; and, $1 million for ongoing construction of the I-15 Base Line Road Interchange. The bill also includes $700,000 for road repair from heavy storm damage at Palmer Canyon Road.
To help southern California address the threat and aftermath of wildfires, Congressman Dreier supported legislation to give the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and local fire fighters the necessary tools to address wildfires in our mountains and forests. As part of H.R. 2361, the Department of Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2006, Congress provided $2.7 billion for the National Fire Plan, including $1.7 billion for the U.S. Forest Service to continue wildfire protection, emergency fire suppression, and hazardous fuels reduction efforts in our forests. This funding will give the Angeles and San Bernardino Forests the necessary resources to help prevent wild fires from starting, and the tools needed to fight them if they occur.
The loss of life and property that occurred during the 2004-2005 winter storms reminded Southern Californians that earthquakes are not always the most devastating force in the state. Congressman Dreier worked with the state’s bipartisan Congressional Delegation to call on the President to expedite approval of Governor Schwarzenegger’s request for federal disaster relief for affected communities. On May 23, 2005, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved a $1.4 million grant for La Cañada Flintridge to repair damage along Inverness Road that occurred during the storms. In addition, FEMA released $1.6 million on July 14, 2005, to the Cucamonga Valley Water District for repairs to its Diversion Facility.
Congressman Dreier also worked to ensure that $15.8 million in emergency funds went to repair roads and facilities in the Angeles and San Bernardino Forests that were washed out and severely damaged by the heavy rains. The funds were included in H.R. 2918, the 2005 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act. Because the money was included in the emergency spending measure, construction crews were able to begin rebuilding the forest roads almost immediately to ensure they are accessible, especially for firefighters during this year’s fire season. A portion of this funding will go toward repair of Chantry Flat Road and picnic area, which the Forest Service anticipates finishing in January of 2006, after other jurisdictions have completed their portions of the road.
Congressman Dreier strongly supported H.R. 6, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, a new law that will help relieve California’s high gas prices, improve the region’s air quality, and move the nation closer toward energy self sufficiency. While this legislation will not lower prices overnight, it will put the nation on a path to produce more oil domestically while fostering greater conservation, exploration, and innovation.
For example, the law gives an immediate waiver for California from the oxygenate mandate, which allows us, with our more stringent state requirements, to meet Clean Air Act standards without expensive additives to reformulate gas. This will have a direct impact on lowering the price at the pump. Equally important for Californians, H.R. 3 boosts the development of hydrogen-powered vehicles and the infrastructure required to support a hydrogen network. It specifically creates a state-of-the-art program to get hydrogen-powered automobiles on the road by 2020 along with the necessary infrastructure to safely deliver hydrogen fuels. This is particularly significant as Governor Schwarzenegger has pushed forward his work on implementing a hydrogen highway for California. The new law also includes an important provision that allows the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to be a more effective regulatory body in protecting ratepayers from market manipulation.
