State, Local Projects Receive Key
Funding in Omnibus Bill

November 22, 2004

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman David Dreier (R-San Dimas), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, voted on Saturday to approve an omnibus appropriations bill that provides funding for several state and local projects ranging from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to transportation to criminal justice initiatives. The Omnibus Appropriations Conference Report, H.R. 4818, passed the House with bipartisan support, 344-51. The bill, totaling $821.9 billion for Fiscal Year 2005, represents zero percent growth in non-defense discretionary spending. It was also approved by the Senate and now heads to President Bush for his signature.

“This bill, while large in size, represents a real statement of fiscal responsibility,” Dreier said. “Our country’s needs are being met within the budgetary framework agreed to by Congress and the Administration. By freezing non-defense spending, we are making clear our determination to spend what’s needed in the global war on terror, while acting responsibly elsewhere.”

The Commerce Justice State (CJS) section of the bill provides $305 million, an increase from last year, for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), which reimburses state and local governments for the costs associated with the incarceration of criminal illegal immigrants. “As a border state, California faces the unique challenge of dealing with criminal aliens,” Dreier said. “My colleagues and I will continue to pursue policies that prevent criminal aliens from gaining entry to our state. In the meantime, we will work for adequate SCAAP funding.” Also included in the CJS portion of the bill is: $1.25 million for technology and equipment improvements for the La Verne Police Department, and $750,000 for a Crime Laboratory Management System at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The Veterans Affairs-Housing and Urban Development section of the bill provides $16.2 billion for NASA, $1.2 billion of which will go to the La Canada-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory for further research and innovation. It also provides $1 million for the Joint Water Infrastructure Restoration Program in Arcadia and Sierra Madre, which improves the resistance of their drinking water system to earthquakes and other seismic events. Additionally, the bill includes $400,000 for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements in Monrovia and $575,000 for construction of the Sierra Madre Youth Activity Center, a much needed facility that will provide effective programs for youth in Sierra Madre and the Pasadena Unified School District.

Included in the Energy and Water section of the bill is $4.5 million for ongoing water cleanup under the San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Initiative. Federal and non-federal monies contributed to the San Gabriel Valley Restoration Fund are being used to design, construct and operate water projects to contain and treat groundwater contamination of the San Gabriel and Central Groundwater Basins. “This project has been a tremendous success because all levels of government have effectively worked together,” Dreier said. “We have more to do, and we will continue to work for a clean, safe water supply for the residents of the San Gabriel Valley.” To date, $55 million in federal funding has been appropriated to the San Gabriel Valley Restoration Fund, which was created by legislation sponsored by Dreier in 1999.

The Labor-Health and Human Services (Labor-HHS) section of the bill provides funding for several local projects including: $1 million for an expansion of the emergency department and critical care improvement project at the San Antonio Community Hospital in Upland; $150,000 for enhanced educational seminars, low-cost immunizations, and improved health monitoring equipment for the City of Rancho Cucamonga’s Senior Health, Nutrition, and Transportation Program; $100,000 for new education technology equipment for Mt. San Antonio College’s Planetarium in Walnut; and, $250,000 for the San Bernardino County Workforce Training and Development Collaborative Program to replicate a network of business and education leaders tasked with the development of “real time” solutions to skill and worker shortages in San Bernardino County.

Included in the Transportation section of the bill is funding critical to meeting the transportation needs of the region. Specifically, the bill provides $2 million for the Alameda Corridor East project to continue to address both existing and anticipated safety and mobility issues along a 35 mile corridor through the San Gabriel Valley from East Los Angeles to Pomona; $700,000 to construct the Ramona Avenue grade separation in Montclair, which will alleviate traffic congestion and improve safety; $500,000 to continue planning for the extension of the Gold Line light rail line from Pasadena to Montclair, which will serve approximately 1.9 million people and 30 municipalities situated along one of the nation’s most congested freeways; $200,000 for the ongoing Transit Oriented Neighborhood Program at Foothill Transit to encourage the use of public transportation; and $200,000 for Claremont’s Intermodal Transportation Project. “Improving transportation in our area means providing options like light rail and public transportation,” Dreier said. “Additionally, we need to continue working to improve safety at busy locations like Ramona Avenue. Grade separations ease congestion and enhance safety, two key priorities.”