WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey secured $38 million to protect the environment, promote the local economy, and ensure the continued well-being of the people of Sonoma County. Rep. Woolsey voted against the controversial bill because it underfunds elementary and secondary education by $7.8 billion, fails to protect the rights of over 8 million American workers to overtime pay, and fails to protect diversity and localism on the nation’s television airwaves. The FY04 Omnibus bill passed both chambers of Congress.

“We can protect the environment and develop the local economy responsibly by preserving the health of local agriculture, promoting the construction of a world-class music center and supporting a multi-model transportation system,” said Rep. Woolsey.

The project funding secured by Rep. Woolsey for Sonoma County include:

· $225,000 – Green Music Center: To construct a world-class music center on the campus of Sonoma State University. These funds are a contribution to local fund raising efforts.
· $500,000 – Sonoma County CNG Fueling Facility: To modify Sonoma County’s Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) systems so that the County can continue to accommodate the fueling needs of its CNG fleet.
· $300,000 – Intelligent Transportation System: To integrate traffic control systems and continuously adapt traffic signal timing as road conditions change.
· $100,000 – Emergency Communications upgrade for Santa Rosa: To improve emergency response and upgrade its law enforcement and public safety communications system.
· $4.5 million – Golden Gate Bridge seismic retrofit project: To secure funding for the Golden Gate Bridge retrofit project. Rep. Woolsey has been working with Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Mike Thompson.

The project secured by Rep. Woolsey that benefits Sonoma County and the nation is:

· $36.8 million – Pierce’s Disease: To combat and research the spread of Pierce’s disease, that threatens agricultural communities throughout the country and the viability of the local economy of Sonoma county. Rep. Woolsey worked with Rep. Thompson to secure these funds.

Securing project funds has become increasingly difficult as the Bush administration has turned a historic budget surplus into a ballooning federal budget deficit, and as the Republican majority increasingly promotes special interests over that of America’s working families. The $38 million for Sonoma County projects is in addition to the $11 million received for Marin County projects in the FY04 Omnibus bill.

The Omnibus bill is a combination of seven conference reports that include spending bills for Agriculture, Commerce/Justice/State, District of Columbia, Foreign Operations, Labor/HHS/Education, Transportation/Treasury, Veterans Affairs and Housing & Urban Development (VA-HUD).