Slaughter Announced $700,000 in Appropriations for Three District Projects

Funding Will Support Programs in Niagara and Monroe County

Washington, DC - Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-Fairport), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee, today announced that the recently passed House Science, State, Justice and Commerce Act, included three appropriations totaling $700,000 for district projects in Niagara and Monroe County.

"With these appropriations, we will be expanding the minds of our children and protecting our citizens from harm," Rep. Slaughter said. "This money will go to some of our region's most valuable and socially-conscious organizations, dedicated to the idea that even the most disadvantaged among us should have every opportunity to develop pride in their society and become a positive contributor to it," she added.

Information about the individual appropriations can be found below:

• $100,000 will go for the Thomas Ryan Community Center and Library in Rochester.

The Ryan Community Center and Library serves the diverse community in Rochester's northeast quadrant.  This soon to be expanded center is projected to serve more than 35,000 residents and six nearby elementary and high schools.  This funding will help support the center's efforts to prevent juvenile delinquency by providing after-school programs, outdoor recreational activities, computer literacy classes, arts instruction, and other programs. The funds will also help ensure that at-risk youth living in Northeast Rochester have the skills, knowledge and opportunities to make positive choices and succeed in life.    

• $300,000 will go for Old Fort Niagara in Niagara Falls, NY.

Old Fort Niagara now operates a diverse assortment of educational programs geared to a variety of audiences. These range from overnight visits to hands-on programs that immerse young people in the history of our region. During these programs, youth cook their own food in the 18th century manner, sleep in buildings that are over 250 years old, and take part in the duties that soldiers at Fort Niagara experienced 250 years ago. In addition to on-site programs, the Fort also offers outreach activities to schools and clubs and even provides distance learning opportunities to schools around the United States.

The award of these funds will enable the fort to expand its programs and exhibits to better serve at risk youth. By participating in programs both at the Fort and off-site, youth will gain a sense of self-reliance and community pride that comes from appreciating the area's past, and will gain a healthier perspective on their own lives by understanding the challenges that people of the past overcame to build better lives for themselves.

• $300,000 will go for the Monroe County's Crime Lab Computer Forensic Module.

This funding will be used to create a state of the art "Computer Forensic / Digital Evidence Module for the Monroe County Crime Lab to effectively deal with one of the fastest growing areas in forensics.

"Thanks to Congresswoman Slaughter's efforts on behalf of our community, the Monroe County Crime lab will be better equipped to deal with evidence related to crimes involving computer technology," said Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks.  "Our region's law enforcement will have new tools to investigate and prosecute these criminals who use computers and digital technology as key components of their illegal activities."

This project is designed to add additional capabilities to the crime laboratory to better serve our nine county region. Currently the needs of this fast growing area of computer and digital analysis is not being met locally. Pornography, fraud, white collar crime and drug trafficking are just some of the areas this project would address. Implementation of this type of analysis in the crime laboratory will better allow the region to deal with the rapid advances in digital evidence technology.