Washington D.C. – This week, the House of Representatives passed the fiscal year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, which will fund the federal government through September 30. Rep. Michael Honda (CA-15), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, lauded the passage of the bill, noting its capacity to bring over $36 million in new dollars, as well as new innovation and new jobs to California’s 15th district.

Recognizing the reform Congressional Democrats brought to “earmarking” – given the previous administration’s lack of transparency and accountability, which led to the abuse and erosion of public trust – Rep. Honda identified this week via website, his requests for funding which are included in the Omnibus Appropriations bill. A complete list of Rep Honda’s funding requests can be found at: http://honda.house.gov/issues/fundingrequests.shtml

Rep. Honda commented on his funding requests, some of which are detailed below, by saying, “Given the state of our nation’s economy, these requests come at a critical time and will not only spur job growth, innovation, and economic development in my district, but, importantly, reassure my constituents that their tax dollars are being efficiently and effectively returned to their communities in visible and meaningful ways. The Democrats are introducing a new era of transparency in Washington, which is why my website now shows how each dollar will be spent throughout the district. I invite my constituents to get involved by reading my funding requests and by continuing to help me build a bright future for California’s 15th.”

Serving on the Appropriations Committee’s Commerce, Justice and Science subcommittee, Rep. Honda secured nearly $7 million for projects for the 15th district. Examples include $1.8 million for the Bio-Info-Nano Research and Development Institute, a focal point in Silicon Valley for bio-info-nano convergence science and technology; $695,000 for the City of San Jose Police Mobile Identification, Field Reporting, and Records Management Systems, which will ensure department-wide availability of mobile identification technology; $500,000 for California Department of Justice Vision 2015 Criminal Justice Information Sharing Project, which will enable the California Department of Justice to deploy mobile live scan devices in police vehicles in Santa Clara County to allow officers to immediately transmit arrestee fingerprints to CADOJ database; and over $3 million for several Juvenile Justice projects that will help prevent crime, expand alternatives to youth incarceration, improve decision-making by juvenile justice professionals on cases involving at-risk youth, and improve the way courts handle child abuse and neglect cases.

Serving on the Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services and Education subcommittee, Rep. Honda secured over $2.3 million for California’s 15th District. Examples include $233,000 for Emergency Room Ultrasound at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, which guarantees residents access to emergency medical care regardless of their ability to pay; $190,000 for the Silicon Valley Education Foundation for supporting the Stepping up to Algebra program and Teacher Innovation Grants to advance students in math and provide teacher professional development; and $214,000 for the Joint Workforce Investment Transit Academy to train and promote incumbent workers up the career ladder, thereby creating a pipeline of living wage and entry level jobs.

Other examples include over $5 million for flood protection and flood control along the Guadalupe River and $245,643 for the Silicon Valley Small Business Assistance Portal for the city of San Jose to expand and enhance a “one-stop” web-based tool integrating 40 local public, private, and non-profit partners for business planning, financial resources, regulatory and technical assistance services to small businesses in Silicon Valley.