Omnibus spending package contains funding for key local community initiatives
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Arlen Specter and Bob Casey today announced that the U.S. Congress has approved federal funding for a number of projects in Southeast Pennsylvania. The projects are part of the Fiscal Year 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act, a measure which contains funding for several federal agencies, as well as for local transportation, housing, health, education and law enforcement programs.
“This funding will help improve our roadways, schools, hospitals, as well as prevent crime and develop our workforce and small businesses,” said Senator Specter. “I am pleased to see this funding work to advance the important infrastructures that make our local communities run.”
“This money is great news for Southeast Pennsylvania and I am pleased Congress approved this funding,” said Senator Casey. “I will continue working with Senator Specter and the rest of the Pennsylvania delegation to create jobs and promote economic growth by supporting necessary transportation investments, quality health care, education and financial services initiatives, enhanced safety and law enforcement programs and a strong national defense.”
The Senate voted to pass the bill on Sunday 57-39, and the House of Representatives approved the measure on Thursday. The Fiscal Year 2010 Consolidated Appropriations act will now be sent to the President to be signed into law.
Regional projects in the bill, listed by topic, include:
*If a Congressperson also supported a project, his/her name is listed
Transportation
• $1,266,200 for improvements to the U.S. Route 422 westbound off-ramp at the Oaks interchange in Montgomery County. (Specter; Sestak)
• $500,000 to design and construct an interchange between the PA Turnpike and Interstate 95 in Bucks County. (Specter; Brady)
• $487,000 for the City of Philadelphia for the 9th and Berks Transit Oriented Development Project. This initiative supports diverse development—from mixed income housing to neighborhood retail—around the existing rail station near Temple University. (Casey)
Housing and Urban Development
• $194,800 for Esperanza in Philadelphia County the planning, design, rehabilitation and construction of affordable housing in the Hunting Park neighborhood. (Specter)
Military Construction
• $20 million to build an Army Reserve Center in Newton Square in Delaware County. (President’s budget)
• $4 million to establish an Air Force enclave at Willow Grove in Montgomery County. (President’s budget)
Financial Services
• $175,000 for the Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center for an emerging manufacturers’ initiative in Philadelphia County. (Casey-Specter)
• $150,000 for the Urban League of Philadelphia and the Urban League Entrepreneurship Center in Philadelphia County. (Specter-Casey; Brady)
• $100,000 for the Community College of Philadelphia’s Northeast Regional Center for small business education, growth and training (Casey; Schwartz)
Workforce Training and Commerce
• $500,000 for Philadelphia University for textile research and development. Philadelphia University will conduct research at its Biomedical Textile Structures Laboratory (BTSL) that will combine nanofiber technology with advanced textile manufacturing technologies, for the purpose of creating new regenerated organ structures for cardiac repair. (Specter-Casey)
• $100,000 for Finishing Trades Institute in Philadelphia County for a weatherization job training program. (Specter)
• $100,000 for Impact Services Corporation in Philadelphia County for job readiness training, job placement and job retention for unemployed persons, with an emphasis on veterans of the armed services. (Specter)
• $100,000 for Liberty Resources, Inc. in Philadelphia County for a job training program targeted at individuals with disabilities. (Specter)
• $100,000 for Philadelphia Shipyard Development Corp. in Philadelphia County for the final year of a job training program designed to support the development of a more competitive small business shipbuilding supplier network at the Shipyard. (Specter-Casey)
Health and Human Services
• $800,000 for Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia County for facilities and equipment. Funds will be used to purchase interventional radiology equipment and retrofit facilities to house the equipment. (Specter-Casey; Brady)
• $150,000 for PathWaysPA in Delaware County for services for pregnant and parenting teens. The services, including parenting services, education advocacy and life skills training, will help to prevent child abuse and neglect and strengthen families and communities. (Specter; Sestak)
• $150,000 for Wills Eye Health System in Philadelphia County for facilities and equipment. Funds will be used to renovate the pediatric ophthalmology clinic and upgrade equipment, which will help overcome barriers to care and ensure access for all children. (Specter-Casey; Brady)
• $125,000 for the City of Philadelphia in Philadelphia County for equipment to develop an Electronic Parental Care Registry. This registry will help to improve the safety and quality of care for pregnant women by linking community-based providers with hospitals to ensure timely and accurate sharing of information. (Specter-Casey)
• $100,000 for Bucks County Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. in Bucks County to expand drug and alcohol prevention programs. These programs, which will be expanded into Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties, make it possible to avoid future costs for addiction treatment and substance-related illness, crime, and loss of productivity in the workplace. (Specter)
• $100,000 for Friends Association for Care and Protection of Children in Chester County for emergency services for homeless families. These services include an emergency shelter for homeless families and a transitional housing program for families, including food and clothing as needed. (Specter)
• $100,000 for Temple University Health System in Philadelphia County for facilities and equipment. Funds will be used for renovations and upgrades to the physical infrastructure of Temple University Hospital-Episcopal Campus in North Philadelphia to ensure continuous high quality patient care. (Specter)
Education
• $243,000 for Harcum College in Delaware County for a science, technology, engineering, and math education initiative, including purchase of equipment. (Specter; Gerlach)
• $200,000 for Children’s Literacy Initiative in Philadelphia County for its literacy program. (Specter-Casey; Fattah)
• $200,000 for Neuman College in Delaware County for pharmacy education programs, which may include equipment and technology. (Specter; Gerlach, Sestak)
• $100,000 for Devereux Center for Effective Schools in Chester County for the School-wide Positive Behavioral Support program. (Specter; Gerlach)
• $100,000 for Project HOME in Philadelphia County for afterschool programs. (Specter)
• $100,000 for Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia County for the Center for Environmental Sciences and Sustainability. (Specter-Casey)
• $100,000 for Lincoln University in Chester County for college preparation programs. (Specter)
• $100,000 for Philadelphia University in Philadelphia County for educational equipment relating to science. (Specter)
• $100,000 for Security on Campus, Inc. in Montgomery County for a campus crime and emergency response training program. (Specter)
• $100,000 for Elwyn, Inc. in Delaware County for job training and education programs for individuals with disabilities. (Specter)
Criminal Justice
• $500,000 for the Philadelphia Police Department to purchase a ShotSpotter Gunshot Location System (GLS) that calculates the position where a gun was fired and sends data to a central server accessible by law-enforcement agencies. This will decrease police response time, increase officer safety, and save numerous lives. (Casey; Brady)
• $500,000 for the City of Philadelphia in Philadelphia County for the Youth Violence Reduction Partnership (YVRP), which is an initiative to address high risk areas where adolescents and young adults are most likely to kill or be killed. YVRP is a multi-agency anti-violence initiative that has succeeded in reducing murders among youth ages 10-24 in targeted high crime areas of Philadelphia. (Specter-Casey; Fattah)
• $200,000 for the Lower Providence Township Police Department in Montgomery County to undertake technology improvements. (Casey-Specter; Sestak)
• $300,000 for Bucks County for a county crime information sharing system to support interoperability and interdisciplinary information sharing across the county’s public safety system. This project will involve the development of infrastructure to allow for a common platform throughout county public service agencies which will be capable of accessing a common records management system. (Specter; Patrick Murphy)
• $200,000 for St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties for the Institute for Violence Research and Prevention. (Specter; Brady- Gerlach)
• $200,000 for Widener University in Chester County for the university’s Delaware County Violence Prevention Collaborative. (Specter; Brady)
• $50,000 for Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center in Montgomery County to support child abuse and advocacy programs, which assist abused, neglected and at-risk children. (Specter-Schwartz)
# # #
