Series of Appropriations Measures Includes $1,743,000 for Rockland County Groups

Washington, D.C.--Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) voted today for H.R. 3288, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which passed the House by a vote of 220-202. Once the Senate passes the Consolidated Appropriations Act it will be presented to President Obama for his signature. The $446.8 billion in funding includes: the Transportation-HUD; Commerce, Justice, Science; Financial Services; Labor-HHS-Education; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs; and State, Foreign Operations Appropriation Bills.

Rep. Engel said, “It is imperative that Congress act in order to keep these agencies, and the millions of people who depend on their services, up and running. There is a wide range of services in this package – ranging from care for veterans, health care facilities, law enforcement, and infrastructure improvements and many others – and we must make sure they are constantly able to do their jobs.”

Included in the “omnibus” package are several funding measures which Rep. Engel was able to secure for Rockland County.

• Refuah Health Center (Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations) - $390,000 for expansion of the dental services and an additional exam rooms
• Jawonio (Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations) - $118,000 for educational, recreational and supportive services for children with disabilities and their families.
• Pearl River Chamber of Commerce (Transportation-HUD) - $200,000 for removal of overhead power lines and utility poles, improvement of sidewalks, planting of trees in an urban setting, and installation of receptacles and benches.
• Friends Helping Friends (Transportation-HUD) - $135,000 for purchase of customized vans for transporting frail and sick passengers to medical appointments and outpatient treatments
• Ohel Children (Commerce, Justice, Science) - $350,000 to bring counselors and social workers to schools and homes in Rockland County to provide screenings for children experiencing behavioral or emotional difficulties, or subjected to trauma.
• Ohel Children (Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations) - $550,000 to support personnel coordinating the Adult Mental Health program. It permits home visits in Rockland County, allows participants and staff to train in job preparedness, managing mental health and patient rehabilitation.

“These organizations in Rockland County are doing a stellar job for their communities. Whether it be health care for those in the most need, services for people with disabilities or efforts to revitalize downtown centers, all of them deserve this and much more. I applaud their efforts and look forward to seeing firsthand the community improvements which will result from this influx of funding,” added Rep. Engel.

Some key aspects to the “omnibus” package are:

• Investing $1.4 billion in training and support services for workers impacted by mass layoffs and plant closures. $824 million, $212 million above 2009 to allow the SBA to help small businesses compete and succeed, including support for $28 billion in new lending to small businesses.
• Investing $4.6 billion for mental health care to treat the psychological wounds of returning combat veterans, including post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Providing Community Health Centers with $2.2 billion to provide primary health care to 17 million patients, of whom 40 percent are uninsured. These centers provide high quality care in both urban and rural underserved areas across the country.
• Providing Head Start with $7.2 billion to sustain high-quality, comprehensive early childhood services, including educational, health, nutritional, and social services, for approximately 978,000 low-income children before they enter school.
• Supporting Pell Grants with $17.495 billion to maintain the discretionary portion of the maximum Pell Grant award at $4,860, which, combined with a mandatory supplement of $690, will support a $5,550 maximum Pell Grant in 2010. Pell Grants are the foundation of the Federal commitment to ensure access to higher educational opportunities for low- and middle-income students by providing need-based financial assistance that helps them pay for college costs. The bill will provide more than eight million students with financial assistance under the Pell Grant program.
• Including $5.1 billion for Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) to ensure that approximately 7.5 million low-income households continue to receive the home energy assistance they need in a volatile energy market.
• Combating Illegal Drugs, And Federal Law Enforcement with $11 billion to federal law enforcement agencies to combat illegal drugs, firearm and explosive trafficking, address national security needs, and safeguard our financial system from crime and terrorism financiers.

“On behalf of our dental staff and patients, I would like to thank Congressman Engel for his tireless support of the 2010 appropriations request,” said Chanie Sternberg, Refuah Health Center’s executive director. “These additional operatories, coupled with Refuah’s outstanding dentists, our comprehensive team of specialists, and our superior delivery of care, will enable us to treat so many in need.”

“By securing this appropriation for Jawonio it sends a significant message that people with disabilities matter. Rockland and Westchester Counties are so lucky to have Congressman Engel work tirelessly on their behalf each and every day. We are proud to be constituents and even prouder to call them our friends. Today, we are again reminded that our own Congressman Eliot Engel cares deeply for children with special needs by providing Jawonio with the resources necessary to give our families a brighter and more hopeful future,” said Jawonio CEO Jill Warner.

Rep. Engel added, “I look forward to the Senate approving the Consolidated Appropriations Act, and for President Obama’s signature on the measure.”