Oakland, CA – Following President Bush’s signing of the FY 04 Omnibus Appropriations Bill over the weekend, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) announced today that California’s 9th Congressional District received more than $14.3 million in funding in the appropriations package.    

Among the appropriations, Berkeley’s Ed Roberts Campus will receive $900,000 toward the completion of what is to be the world’s foremost center for disability right services, advocacy, education, training, and public policy.

 “I am very pleased that we could obtain this money for such a worthwhile cause as the Ed Roberts Campus,” said Lee.  “This money – and the campus – will be a tribute to Ed Roberts, who did so much to advance the ability of persons with disabilities to live independently.”

“We are very pleased with Rep. Lee’s continued support for the Ed Roberts Campus and the disability community,” said Jan Garrett, ERC President and Executive Director of the Center for Independent Living. “The Campus will be a national model for how non-profits working collaboratively can efficiently deliver services to people with disabilities in tough economic times.”

Other East Bay projects in the appropriations package include $5.65 million for a new Oakland Airport traffic control tower; $2.49 million for AC Transit to increase the number of its buses and enhance its CALWORKS program; $150,000 for a Unity Council parking facility in Fruitvale; and $100,000 for non-violence youth programs for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Center.

 

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