Press Release

June 26, 2008

Contact:
Caroline Burns
(202) 225-3631

House Panel Approves $250K for Local Organizations
Funding would aid economic development in SWGA 

Washington, D.C. –  Congressman Sanford Bishop announced today that the House Appropriations Committee has approved funding for four organizations focused on improving economic conditions in Southwest Georgia.  Bishop, who as a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee helped secure the funding, said the provisions were wrapped into the FY 2009 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill.

“In times like these, we must do everything possible to jumpstart economic activity,” said Bishop. “And that means encouraging initiatives that work from the top-down as well as the bottom-up.”

Slated to gain funding are Blessings Ministry’s Community Development Corporation of Monroe ($50,000), the Lower Chattahoochee Regional Development Center Rural Small Business Initiative ($75,000), Heritage Foundation Inc. of Thomasville ($75,000), and the University of Georgia ($50,000).

Overall, the FY 2009 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill approved $22.4 billion for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and several other agencies.

With the country facing tough economic times, the bill invests in economic development programs for disadvantaged communities and provides record loans to small businesses.  To protect consumers from dangerous products like toys with lead, the bill provides a substantial increase to the CPSC for the second year in a row. The bill also helps states upgrade voting equipment to meet the requirements of the Help America Vote Act.

The bill will be considered by the full House of Representatives next month.

For a complete summary of the bill, please visit the House Appropriations Committee's website.

The following Second District projects were included in the FY 2009 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill approved today by the House Appropriations Committee:

• Blessings Ministry’s Community Development Corp. - Monroe, GA - $50,000
• Heritage Foundation Inc. - Thomasville, GA - $75,000
• Lower Chattahoochee Regional Development Center SWGA Rural Small Business Initiative - Columbus, GA - $75,000
• UGA – Public Service and Outreach (SWGA Poverty Project) - Athens/Albany, GA - $50,000

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