Not a lot of political news today. Some leftists taking to shows hosted by co-ideologists who have been reduced to calling their opponents "liars."
We have known John McCain for almost fifty years. During this time he has repeatedly shown himself to be a man of the highest honor -- under the most trying of circumstances. Beaten -- with every bone in his body broken -- he remained loyal to his fellow Americans both in the prison with him and at home.
When he was running for President he took the position that America needed to create a surge in Iraq. It was a position that, had it failed, would have cost him any chance he might have had to become President. At that time he said "I'd rather lose an election than have my country lose a war."
Now the protege of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright is using Wright's tactics to try and smear a great man. All decent people must stand up and say "that's enough, Barack." Democrats are always whining about "divisiveness." What could be more divisive than this slanderous attack on a man who has given so much and sered so honorably?
You can disagree with his policies. You can not care for his demeanor. Whatever, but employing tactics learned at the knee of Reverend Wright is unacceptable and it will backfire.
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NYT Editorial: "As we watched Sarah Palin on TV the last couple of days, we kept wondering what on earth John McCain was thinking. If he seriously thought this first-term governor — with less than two years in office — was qualified to be president, if necessary, at such a dangerous time, it raises profound questions about his judgment. If the choice was, as we suspect, a tactical move, then it was shockingly irresponsible."
"We cannot control these despicable liars in the McCain campaign. We can only tell the truth as fearlessly and as relentlessly and as continuously as we can until November 4. We must do our duty. And if the American people want to re-elect the machine that has helped destroy this country's national security, global reputation and economic health, then that is their choice. But I am not so depressed to think that they will. We must give them the truth. And that will feel like hell. And we must tell it like Truman told it: cheerfully, passionately and relentlessly."
Yas...calling a liar a liar is just soooooooo tasteless.
We all know Simple Sarah did not know those...uh, thingies, were earmarkx..she would NEVER have asked for ANY kind of Marxie thing...not for Alaska. She wanted to be Fuhrerette when they succeded in seceding.
And that bridge...it rilly did go somewhere...well, the money for it anyway.
So, how is that lying? Intit more like fraud or something?
This is just terrible!! Even KKKarl Rove is calling McCain names!!
How can that be? It will backfire on him.
Karl Rove, though, made some news of his own when he conceded that McCain, in his attack ads, had "gone one step too far, and [is] sort of attributing to Obama things that are, you know, beyond the 100 percent truth test.”
For Fat KKKarl to say that about a Republican is like saying McCain is the biggest lying cocksucker in the history of the universe.
Republican Party candidate for president John McCain is winning the support of a majority of U.S. independent voters, a Gallup Poll indicated Tuesday.
Poll results released Tuesday indicate independents prefer McCain over Democratic Party nominee for president Barack Obama, 52 percent to 37 percent.
The increase in political independents favoring McCain is the first time since March, when Gallup began tracking voter preferences for the general election, that a majority of independents sided with either major-party candidates, Gallup said. Before now, McCain garnered no more than 48 percent of the independent vote and Obama no better than 46 percent, Gallup said.
Among voters who have no political leanings to either major party, McCain was preferred over Obama by 39 percent of non-leaning independents in the Gallup Daily Tracking poll taken Friday through Sunday. Roughly 40 percent of non-leaning independents said they were undecided.
Gallup Poll Daily tracking results from Friday through Sunday are based on interviews with 2,733 registered voters. The margin of error is 2 percentage points.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac survived scrutiny by manipulating, cajoling, and lobbying politicians and hiring board members who were politicos rather than mortgage gurus. They hired lobbyists, gave massive donations, obtained nice tax breaks, and sailed below the regulatory radar screen.
Of the 354 lawmakers who received money from Freddie and Fannie between 1989 and 2008, Sen. Chris Dodd received the most. But next was . . . drumroll . . . Barack Obama. Yup. And he was only there for three years. Not too much went to John McCain, about a sixth of what Obama received.
But, you say, maybe all the Fannie and Freddie employees who gave money just “liked” Obama. That might make sense with ordinary institutions. But these two had a game plan to influence and sway lawmakers for the purpose of keeping them on the government gravy train and out of the regulatory line of fire. It’s no coincidence that they “liked” Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd best of all.
So it would appear that this is precisely what Obama has been railing against: Washington insiders lining the pockets of other Washington insiders while the taxpayers ultimately have to foot the bill. The Agent of Change, it seems, didn’t exactly walk the walk on this one.
For Fat KKKarl to say that about a Republican is like saying McCain is the biggest lying cocksucker in the history of the universe.
Pretty much.
Is this the Black Monday that will usher in the GOPs Second Great Depression?
Stay tuned...
The Bush/McCain "The Economy is Fundamentally Sound" Legacy of Doom: Nation’s Financial Industry Gripped by Fear 9/15
Greenspan: Economy in heavy crisis (11)
This gets hilariouser and hilariouser...the economy is SOUNDSOUNDSOUND...but at the same time, as the garbage scow of perverted, degenerate American Socialized Capitalism goes down the vortex of deregulation and corruption it's the Democrats who are to blame...alternate realities both occurring at the same damn time...which is it?
Aint them GOOPs something with that spin thing...veritable whirling dervishes of spinning and whining and finger pointing and cowardice and utter, total disgusting insanity and infantilism.
When the first fat, GOP crook goes SPLAT! on the street, you'll know the Big One has Come:
Time for the Dark Rites and the Magic Elixirs...
I gotta feelin no Franklin to ride in this time around...oh, she's all too far gone...the GOPs done got their death wish.
September 15, 2008
Nation’s Financial Industry Gripped by Fear
By BEN WHITE and JENNY ANDERSON
Fear and greed are the stuff that Wall Street is made of. But inside the great banking houses, those high temples of capitalism, fear came to the fore this weekend.
As Lehman Brothers, one of oldest names on Wall Street, filed for bankruptcy protection, anxiety over the bank’s fate — and over what might happen next — gripped the nation’s financial industry. By Sunday night, Merrill Lynch, under mounting pressure, had reached a deal to sell itself to Bank of America for $29 a share or about $50 billion, according to people with knowledge of the deal.
Dinner parties were canceled. Weekend getaways were postponed. All of Wall Street, it seemed, was on high alert.
In skyscrapers across Manhattan, banking executives were holed up inside their headquarters, within cocoons of soft rugs and wood-paneled walls, desperately trying to assess their company’s exposure to the stricken Lehman. It was, by all accounts, a day unlike anything Wall Street had ever seen.
Of the 354 lawmakers who received money from Freddie and Fannie between 1989 and 2008, Sen. Chris Dodd received the most. But next was . . . drumroll . . . Barack Obama. Yup. And he was only there for three years.
Palin Administration Still Pursuing ‘Nowhere’ Project
by Paul Kiel, ProPublica - September 13, 2008 1:19 pm EDT
Tags: Alaska, Bridge to Nowhere, Earmark Abuse Scandal, Earmarks, Sarah Palin, Transportation
Sarah Palin (Credit: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images)Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has portrayed herself as a foe of pork-barrel spending, pointing in particular to her role in killing the $398 million "Bridge to Nowhere” between Ketchikan (pop. 7,400) and its airport on Gravina Island (pop. 50). I "told the Congress, 'Thanks, but no thanks,'" she said in her speech accepting the Republican vice presidential nomination. "If our state wanted to build a bridge, we were going to build it ourselves."
But Gov. Palin’s administration acknowledges that it is still pursuing a project that would link Ketchikan to its airport -- with the help of as much as $73 million in federal funds earmarked by Congress for the original project.
"What the media isn't reporting is that the project isn't dead," Roger Wetherell, spokesman for Alaska’s Department of Transportation, said. In a process begun this past winter, the state’s DOT is currently considering (PDF) a number of alternative solutions (five other possible bridges or three different ferry routes) to link Ketchikan and Gravina Island.
The DOT has not yet developed cost estimates for those proposals, Wetherell said, but $73 million of the approximately $223 million Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) and Rep. Don Young (R-AK) earmarked for the bridge in 2005 has been set aside for the Gravina Access Project.
In an interview that aired Friday night, ABC’s Charles Gibson challenged Palin about the fact that she’d initially supported the “Bridge to Nowhere” during her 2006 run for governor. “I was for infrastructure being built in the state,” she said, but repeated her line that Alaska would “find a way to build [the bridge] ourselves.”
She added: “What I supported was the link between a community and its airport. And we have found that link now.”
Peter Feldman, a spokesman for the McCain campaign, did not respond directly to questions about whether Palin was aware that the project had begun anew or that $73 million in federal funds had been set aside for it. "The fact is that once Governor Palin was elected and had an opportunity to look closely at the project, she killed it," he said in an e-mailed statement. "She fought for Congress to kill the provision, but they sent the funds anyway. Palin fired the kill shot by not using a dime of that money on the bridge." Gov. Palin’s state office referred questions about the project to Alaska's DOT.
The state has made no secret of its plans to go forward with the Gravina Access Project. A DOT website for the project contains a timeline that shows Alaska's study of the environmental impact of the bridge and ferry proposals is scheduled to conclude by the spring of 2010. One possible alternative, the DOT website notes, is to take "no action." The website, however, makes no mention of the ultimate source of the funding for the project.
The M.V. Oral Freeman ferry (Credit: Ketchikan Gateway Borough)The massive $398 million "Bridge to Nowhere" was to replace ferry service from the airport to Ketchikan (departing every half-hour), a 15-minute ride -- meaning that air travelers are assured of reaching Ketchikan in no more than 45 minutes. It would have done so in grand style: the planned structure would have been nearly as long as the Golden Gate and higher than the Brooklyn Bridge.
But government watchdogs and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) made the project the poster child for wasteful earmarks. The money, they argued, should be rerouted to repair a major bridge damaged by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Coburn's campaign against the "Bridge to Nowhere" didn't succeed in redirecting the money, but did succeed in stripping the stipulation that Alaska be forced to spend the funds on the $398 million bridge design.
By the time Gov. Palin entered office at the end of 2006, it was clearly unlikely that Congress would ever approve the funds necessary to complete the project. So in September 2007, Gov. Palin announced (PDF) that the state would no longer proceed with the $398 million bridge design, but she did not end the project, instead directing the DOT to look for the "most fiscally responsible alternative."
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) -- who led the fight in Congress to redirect the $223 million to New Orleans -- said he didn’t have any objection to Palin using the $73 million for the project.
"If I could have taken all the money away, I would have," he said, "but Alaska gets to do whatever they want to do with that money.
"The problem is in Washington, not on the local level," he said. "If you're a governor, and you're sitting in your state and your politicians are telling you, there's a lot of money we can get out of the budget, do you say, ‘No, we want nothing,' or 'Here's a list of projects?'"
Gov. Frank Murkowski (R), Palin’s predecessor, was the first to confront what to do with the federal money. He redirected $48 million of the sum to be spent on various state transportation projects. He also, three days before he left office in December 2006, used about $26 million on a contract to build an access road from the airport to the bridge.
A map by Alaska's Department of Transportation showing the proposals being considered for the Gravina Access project. (Credit: Department of Transportation, Alaska)The road currently leads to a dead end on the shore and is expected to be completed by next week, Wetherell said. But since it follows the prior plan for the bridge, it might prove to be an access road to nowhere. Most of the bridge and ferry proposals being considered by the DOT are located at different places along the coast.
Palin supported the $398 million bridge project during her campaign for governor in 2006, but concluded in her first year in office that Alaska would never be able to win the funds needed to complete it. “Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island,” she said in an announcement. She directed that $36 million of the federal funds be used for other state DOT projects while the DOT “also looks for a more affordable answer for Gravina Island access.”
A breakdown (PDF) provided by the Alaska DOT of the approximately $80 million in federal funds used on other projects shows that about half the money has so far been spent on 18 smaller projects ranging in cost from $140,000 spent on highway "scenic enhancements" to an $8.4 million highway project. About half of the funds remain to be used on other projects.
Interested in what Paul Kiel is reading today? Read the articles around the Web he’s sharing.
Palin’s Pork History
by Paul Kiel, ProPublica - September 3, 2008 11:55 am EDT
Tags: Alaska, Earmarks, John McCain, Sarah Palin, Wasilla
Sarah Palin speaks before a Wasilla crowd in 2002. (Credit: Robert A. Baker/Getty Images)An Alaska politician with an uncompromised reputation as an anti-pork crusader? Turns out it is too good to be true.
As we noted last week, Gov. Sarah Palin's reformer credentials are one of her main selling points as John McCain's running mate. As she trumpeted in her speech last Friday, Palin is the governor who "told Congress thanks, but no thanks, on that bridge to nowhere.... I have championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress."
Except, as quite a few news outlets have pointed out, Palin had actually supported the project while campaigning for governor. And though she opted not to use the $200 million originally earmarked to build the bridge to tiny Ketchikan's airport, that money still went to Alaska for use on other projects. Her ultimate opposition to the project seemed practical, rather than principled. She explained that it seemed unlikely that Congress would approve any more funds to complete the $398 million bridge.
Another complication: Back in 2000, four years into her term as mayor of Wasilla, Palin oversaw the hiring of a lobbyist to land earmarks for her town of 6,700. The move showed Palin was wise to how the game is played: the town hired a former chief of staff to Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK). With that access, the spigot turned on: The town landed $26.9 million in federal funds from 2000 to 2003.
As the Los Angeles Times reports today, Palin's history of earmark advocacy once clashed with McCain's history of criticizing pork. On three occasions when Palin was mayor, earmarks for Wasilla appeared on McCain's "pork list," a catalog of "objectionable" spending produced by his office. Among the targeted projects, the Times reports: "$1 million in a 2002 spending bill for an emergency communications center in town -- one that local law enforcement has said is redundant and creates confusion."
The McCain camp responded to the Times' story by arguing that Palin had been forced to push for pork and had been "disgusted" that small towns like hers were dependent on earmarks. It is true that municipalities routinely retain lobbyists to secure such federal largesse. But as the Times points out, rather than finding herself trapped in a system, Palin seems to have been the first mayor of Wasilla to have the idea.
And then, lastly, there's the third complication: This year as governor, Palin requested nearly $200 million in earmarks (about $300 per Alaskan). In keeping with Alaska's historical reliance on pork, it's a haul that would exceed any other state's per capita.
Her first year in office, the state requested $550 million in earmarks ($800 per Alaskan). (For comparison, the AP reports that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) requested $311 million in earmarks in 2007, about $24 worth for every Illinoisan. He made no requests in 2008.) Palin's office says she cut back what she could. Approximately two-thirds of the requested earmarks for this year would continue to fund programs started by previous earmarks, according to the state's request (PDF).
Interested in what Paul Kiel is reading today? Read the articles around the Web he’s sharing.
The pastor who clashed with Palin
Baptist minister Howard Bess, who wrote a book Palin wanted banned and who fought her on abortion and gay rights, says the country should fear her election.
By David Talbot
Sep. 16, 2008 | The Wasilla Assembly of God, the evangelical church where Sarah Palin came of age, was still charged with excitement on Sunday over Palin's sudden ascendance. Pastor Ed Kalnins warned his congregation not to talk with any journalists who might have been lurking in the pews -- and directly warned this reporter not to interview any of his flock. But Kalnins and other speakers at the service reveled in Palin's rise to global stardom.
It confirmed, they said, that God was making use of Wasilla. "She will take our message to the world!" rejoiced an Assembly of God youth ministry leader, as the church band rocked the high-vaulted wooden building with its electric gospel.
That is what scares the Rev. Howard Bess. A retired American Baptist minister who pastors a small congregation in nearby Palmer, Wasilla's twin town in Alaska's Matanuska Valley, Bess has been tangling with Palin and her fellow evangelical activists ever since she was a Wasilla City Council member in the 1990s. Recently, Bess again found himself in the spotlight with Palin, when it was reported that his 1995 book, "Pastor, I Am Gay," was among those Palin tried to have removed from the Wasilla Public Library when she was mayor.
"She scares me," said Bess. "She's Jerry Falwell with a pretty face.
"At this point, people in this country don't grasp what this person is all about. The key to understanding Sarah Palin is understanding her radical theology."
Bess -- a fit-looking, 80-year-old man in a gray University of Illinois sweatshirt and blue jeans – spoke with me over coffee at the Vagabond Blues, a cafe in Palmer with a stunning view of the nearby snow-capped Chugach Mountains. The retired minister moved to the Mat-Su Valley with his wife, Darlene, in 1987, after his outspoken defense of gay rights at Baptist churches in the Santa Barbara, Calif., area and Anchorage landed him in trouble with church officials. In the Mat-Su Valley, Bess plunged into community activism, helping launch an assortment of projects, from an arts council to a shelter for the mentally disabled.
Inevitably, his work brought him into conflict with Palin and other highly politicized Christian fundamentalists in the valley. "Things got very intense around here in the '90s -- the culture war was very hot here," Bess said. "The evangelicals were trying to take over the valley. They took over the school board, the community hospital board, even the local electric utility. And Sarah Palin was in the direct center of all these culture battles, along with the churches she belonged to."
Bess' first run-in with Palin's religious forces came when he decided to write his book, "Pastor, I Am Gay." The book was the result of a theological journey that began in the 1970s when Bess was asked for guidance by a closeted homosexual in his Santa Barbara congregation. After deep reflection on the subject, Bess came to the conclusion that "gay people were not sick, nor they were special sinners."
In his book, Bess suggests that gays have a divine mission. "Look back at the life of our Lord Jesus. He was misunderstood, deserted, unjustly accused, and cruelly killed. Yet we all confess that it was the will of God, for by his wounds we are healed ... Could it be that the homosexual, obedient to the will of God, might be the church's modern day healer-messiah?"
When it was published in 1995, Bess' book caused an immediate storm in the Mat-Su Valley, an evangelical stronghold dotted with storefront churches. Conservative ministers targeted the book, and the only bookstore in the valley that dared to stock it -- Shalom Christian Books and Gifts – soon dropped it after the owner was barraged with angry phone calls. The Frontiersman, the local newspaper that ran a column by Bess for seven years, fired him and ran a vicious cartoon that suggested even drooling child molesters would be welcomed by Bess' church.
And after she became mayor of Wasilla, according to Bess, Sarah Palin tried to get rid of his book from the local library. Palin now denies that she wanted to censor library books, but Bess insists that his book was on a "hit list" targeted by Palin. "I'm as certain of that as I am that I'm sitting here. This is a small town, we all know each other. People in city government have confirmed to me what Sarah was trying to do."
Soon after the book controversy, Bess found himself again at odds with Palin and her fellow evangelicals. In 1996, evangelical churches mounted a vigorous campaign to take over the local hospital's community board and ban abortion from the valley. When they succeeded, Bess and Dr. Susan Lemagie, a Palmer OB-GYN, fought back, filing suit on behalf of a local woman who had been forced to travel to Seattle for an abortion. The case was finally decided by the Alaska Supreme Court, which ruled that the hospital must provide valley women with the abortion option.
At one point during the hospital battle, passions ran so hot that local antiabortion activists organized a boisterous picket line outside Dr. Lemagie's office, in an unassuming professional building across from Palmer's Little League field. According to Bess and another community activist, among the protesters trying to disrupt the physician's practice that day was Sarah Palin.
Another valley activist, Philip Munger, says that Palin also helped push the evangelical drive to take over the Mat-Su Borough school board. "She wanted to get people who believed in creationism on the board," said Munger, a music composer and teacher. "I bumped into her once after my band played at a graduation ceremony at the Assembly of God. I said, 'Sarah, how can you believe in creationism -- your father's a science teacher.' And she said, 'We don't have to agree on everything.'
"I pushed her on the earth's creation, whether it was really less than 7,000 years old and whether dinosaurs and humans walked the earth at the same time. And she said yes, she'd seen images somewhere of dinosaur fossils with human footprints in them."
Munger also asked Palin if she truly believed in the End of Days, the doomsday scenario when the Messiah will return. "She looked in my eyes and said, 'Yes, I think I will see Jesus come back to earth in my lifetime.'"
Bess is unnerved by the prospect of Palin -- a woman whose mind is given to dogmatic certitude -- standing one step away from the Oval Office. "It's truly frightening that someone like Sarah has risen to the national level," Bess said. "Like all religious fundamentalists -- Christian, Jewish, Muslim -- she is a dualist. They view life as an ongoing struggle to the finish between good and evil. Their mind-set is that you do not do business with evil -- you destroy it. Talking with the enemy is not part of their plan. That puts someone like Obama on the side of evil.
"Forget all this chatter about whether or not she knows what the Bush doctrine is. That's trivial. The real disturbing thing about Sarah is her mind-set. It's her underlying belief system that will influence how she responds in an international crisis, if she's ever in that position, and has the full might of the U.S. military in her hands. She gave some indication of that thinking in her ABC interview, when she suggested how willing she would be to go to war with Russia.
"Alaskans liked that certitude when she was dealing with corrupt politicians and the oil industry -- and there is something admirable about it. But when you're dealing with a complex and dangerous world as commander in chief, that's a different story."
Bess said that he and fellow valley residents have long been charmed by the Sarah Palin who is now dazzling the American public. Despite their strong political differences, "she always has a warm greeting for me when we bump into each other. She's the most charming person you'll ever know."
"But," Bess adds, "this person's election would be a disaster for the country and the world."
-- By David Talbot
John McCain [pretty much talking to himself]
Empty Seats Greet McCain at Fla. Rally
By Robert Barnes
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Republican presidential nominee John McCain held his first rally without running mate Sarah Palin today, and let's just say there were seats available.
The McCain "Road to Victory" rally was originally scheduled to be a pancake breakfast, but the campaign said there was such an outpouring of enthusiasm the event was shifted to the 15,000-seat Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.
That might not have been the best idea: There were almost no supporters in any of the cavernous arena's 24 upper-level seating sections, and only eight of the 21 sections downstairs held fans. Only four of those were filled, though some supporters crowded around the stage on the arena floor.
McCain and wife Cindy made a point of thanking supporters for coming out on "a Monday morning'' for the 9 a.m. rally.
McCain said he had a soft spot in his heart for Jacksonville, because his first wife and his children awaited his return from a Vietnamese POW camp at a nearby naval base. "The years I was away in prison, the people of Jacksonville and Orange Park took care of my wife and children,'' McCain said. "My children had about 50,000 parents while I was gone.''
McCain noted the sharper criticism of him that has been coming from Democratic rival Barack Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware. He said it didn't bother him.
"Friends, Senator Obama's been saying some pretty nasty things about me and Gov. Palin,'' McCain said. "That's OK, he can attack if he wants. All the insults in the world aren't going to bring change to Washington and they're not going to change Senator Obama's record.''
McCain has also come up with a new formulation that allows him to resume his war against congressional earmarks and keep Palin in the mix.
He said last week that she had not asked for earmarks as governor, something that is not true. In fact, she hired a lobbyist and asked for $256 million in projects her first year in office, and in the current fiscal year, her second, is seeking $197 million.
McCain is now characterizing it this way: "Every year she's been in office, Gov. Palin has cut those requests."
Palin, by the way, will resume campaigning with McCain tomorrow.
Obama Requested $1.6 Million To The University Of Illinois College Of ACES For The Livestock Genome Sequencing Initiative. In 2006, Obama requested $1.6 million for the University Of Illinois College Of ACES and its effort to conduct research on the Livestock Genome Sequencing Initiative (LGSI). The LGSI is part of an international effort to identify every gene of the cattle and swine species by both its unique DNA sequence and location on specific chromosomes. In addition, LGSI research is building a database to identify the function of these genes. Mapping and sequencing the cattle and swine genome will provide the basis for future biological research by improving livestock productivity and public health. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies, 3/31/06]
Obama Requested $2 Million For The Soybean Disease Biotechnology Center At The University Of Illinois College Of ACES. In 2006, Obama requested $2 million for the University of Illinois College of ACES and its continuing research efforts at the Soybean Disease Biotechnology Center (SDBC). The SDBC is using scientific advances in structural, comparative and functional genomics and genetic engineering, in order to protect soybean crops from diseases and improve their productivity. The Center researchers are working to identify and create new and improved mechanisms of disease tolerance and resistance to protect the soybean crop and increase profitability throughout the industry. Genetic stocks of the National Soybean Germplasm Collection, located at the University of Illinois, provide a unique, accessible resource. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies, 3/31/06]
Obama Requested $3 Million The Future Foods Initiative At The University Of Illinois College Of ACES. In 2006, Obama requested $3 million for the University of Illinois College of ACES Future Foods Initiative. Researchers investigate relationships between functional compounds in foods and reduced incidence of chronic diseases in humans; the stability and functionality of these compounds before and after processing and storage; and the optimal processing procedures and packaging methods to ensure minimal risk from intentional or unintentional pathogenic contamination. Other research examines consumer acceptance and marketing patterns of Future Foods and social trends and environmental issues that affect the feasibility, production, marketing, and consumption of these foods. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies, 3/31/06]
Obama Requested $2.5 Million For The Illinois Program For Integrated Sustainable Agriculture At The University Of Illinois College Of ACES. In 2006, Obama requested $2.5 million the University of Illinois College of ACES Illinois Program for Integrated Sustainable Agriculture. The Illinois Program for Integrated Sustainable Agriculture will research and develop an integrated livestock and corn-soybean production system which will recycle valuable nutrients from the animal waste stream in an effort to improve agricultural productivity and reduce the emission of livestock wastes into the environment. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies, 3/31/06]
Obama Requested $2.5 Million For The Illinois-Missouri Biotechnology Alliance At The University Of Illinois College Of ACES. In 2006, Obama requested $2.5 million for the Illinois-Missouri Biotechnology Alliance at the University of Illinois College of ACES. The Illinois-Missouri Biotechnology Alliance (IMBA) is specifically charged with delivering the benefits of biotechnology to the corn and soybean industries of the Midwest, focusing on producer benefits, such as yield enhancement, resistance to pests and diseases, and acceptance of the products of biotechnology, as well as other segments of the industry through the development of valuable traits and markets. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies, 3/31/06]
Obama Requested $3 Million To Support The National Center For Food Safety & Technology At The Illinois Institute Of Technology. In 2006, Obama requested $3 million for the National Center for Food Safety and Technology operated by the Illinois Institute of Technology. The NCFST operates under a cooperative agreement established in 2000, which makes it the only center where industry can work collaboratively on projects with FDA scientists on food safety and technology research. Beginning after 9/11, the NCFST expanded its food-borne terrorism related activities and is now supporting FDA’s food security research initiative. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies, 3/31/06]
Obama Requested $310,000 For The Slocum Watershed Management Project In Lake County. In 2006, Obama requested $310,000 for the Lake County Slocum Watershed Management Project. The project will create a "blueprint" of how to cost effectively rehabilitate and modify the existing drainage infrastructure system throughout this sub-watershed. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies, 3/31/06]
Obama Requested $2,499,400 For The Food Stamp Participation Project Of The Illinois Department Of Human Services. In 2006, Obama requested $2,499,400 for the Food Stamp Participation project of the Illinois Department of Human Services. The Food Stamp Participation Project is development of new technology projects, which are designed to increase the access to the food stamp program. One is designed for use by the general public and the other is a web based application designed for use in food pantries. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies, 3/31/06]
Obama Requested $1.75 Million For The Secure User Network For Food And Agriculture Response And Mobilization (SUN-FARM) For The Illinois Department Of Commerce And Economic Opportunity. In 2006, Obama requested $1.75 million for the Secure User Network for Food and Agricultural Response and Mobilization (SUN-FARM) of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The Secure User Network for Food and Agricultural Response and Mobilization (SUN-FARM) will better prepare the Midwest food and agricultural industry for a major disaster, make the food supply safer and more secure, and identify and disseminate industry best practices and standards. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies, 3/31/06]
COMMERCE/JUSTICE/SCIENCE
Obama Requested $900,000 For The Women's Sports Foundation’s Go Girl Go Chicago Initiative. In 2006, Obama requested $900,000 for the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Go Girl Go initiative, which targets inactive teenagers between the ages of 8 and 18 who are at-risk for social behavioral indiscretions including dropping out of school and becoming involved in drugs, alcohol, and other risky health and social behavior. The program is delivered through partner youth-serving schools and organizations. GoGirlGo also provides cash grants to enable socio-economically underprivileged girls to participate in physical activity. The program aims to work with parents, coaches, after school programs and youth organizations to get inactive girls involved in regular physical activity which prevents involvement in other socially risky behavior. GoGirlGo will provide direct financial support, free curriculum materials and technical assistance to schools, recreation agencies and 300 non-profit girl-serving organizations that are committed to addressing the needs of sedentary girls, and the program will serve as the basis for a national model. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
Obama Requested $550,000 For The John G. Shedd Aquarium’s At-Risk Youth Monitoring Initiative. In 2006, Obama requested $550,000 for the John G. Shedd Aquarium’s At-Risk Youth Monitoring Initiative. Shedd Aquarium's Education Department has actively engaged schools, families and communities with its innovative aquatic science programs. Shedd is dedicated to making substantive contributions in science education and community empowerment by providing new and exciting experimental learning opportunities for its diverse audiences. Through its community, mentor and teacher programs, Shedd provides a variety of resources highlighting the incredible world of aquatic biology to the local community. The mentor program at Shedd offers a variety of experiences that transcend their aquatic science focus, empowering students to explore outside of their neighborhoods. Shedd also offers scholarships to economically disadvantaged students in hopes of providing the life skills and motivation for students to continue a path of life-long learning. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
Obama Requested $350,000 For Guardian Angel Community Services To Support Its Transitional Housing For Women And Children Suffering Domestic Violence Program. In 2006, Obama requested $350,000 for Guardian Angel Community Services’ Groundwork Domestic Violence Program (GDVP). GDVP is a comprehensive program which provides a 24/7 hotline, a 23-bed emergency shelter for women and their children as well as legal advocacy, support groups, counseling and prevention education at no cost. Increased funding will help implement a traditional housing program for female victims of domestic violence who currently reside in their emergency shelter (typically a 45-day stay). Each family will be able to stay for two years, pay rent according to their income on a sliding fee scale, and benefit from comprehensive on-site services and linkage to services as well as other community service providers. The transitional housing project was designed to accommodate women with children with only one family per unit; offer each woman/family control over their living conditions; offer safety and security in a well maintained building; accommodate on- site assistance and guidance through the presence of a resident caseworker and the assistance of a full time case aid. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
Obama Requested $300,000 To Support The A Child Is Missing (ACIM) Program. In 2006, Obama requested $300,000 for the A Child Is Missing Program (ACIM). ACIM is a not-for-profit organization that assists law enforcement agencies, including all law enforcement agencies in Illinois, during the first few hours a child or an elderly adult is reported missing. ACIM assists in all missing cases whether they involve abduction, children who are lost, the elderly (Alzheimer's), and mentally and physically challenged individuals. ACIM works closely with the Amber Alert and all child safety programs. Money allotted will be used for maintaining and upgrading ACIM's telephony technology and their Illinois call lists. It will also help cover the actual cost of making the calls in Idaho, support ACIM's Illinois law enforcement training sessions, and establish community awareness meetings involving child safety issues throughout the state of Illinois. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
Obama Requested $1 Million For The Village of Franklin Park To Support Its Law Enforcement Strategic Technology Program. In 2006, Obama requested $1 million for Village of Franklin Park to support its Law Enforcement Strategic Technology Program. The Village of Franklin Police (VOFP) Department provides services to the fourth largest industrial community in Illinois and also acts as the backbone for radio communication infrastructure in the western Chicago suburbs and hosting radio service to several local communities. The requested funding will enable VOFP to expand its law enforcement capabilities in the following areas: a Village Law Enforcement Camera Network, a Mobile Disaster Communications Command Center, a 1st Responder & Pre-plan System Expansion, Law Enforcement Facility Security, Law Enforcement Patrol and Field Modernization, Hand-Held computing devices for Criminal Investigation, and Public Safety Information Technology Modernization. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
Obama Requested $3 million For The DuPage, Kane & Kendall County Sheriff's Offices To Support The Tri-County In Car Video Camera Project. In 2006, Obama requested $3 million for the DuPage, Kane & Kendall County Sheriff's offices to support the Tri-County In Car Video Camera Project. The DuPage, Kane and Kendall County Sheriffs' Offices have formed a partnership with 48 other law enforcement agencies throughout their three counties to form a regional initiative to secure interoperable in-car digital video camera systems. After thorough research and evaluation of in-car video technologies, these offices and their partner agencies have determined a need for in-car video systems for the existing combined fleets of approximately 765 patrol vehicles to improve monitoring and oversight, as well as to enhance officer safety and increase each participating department's ability to protect themselves from legal claims. Ultimately, the participating agencies believe that in-car video will enhance their individual and combined abilities to efficiently and effectively protect the safety of citizens, visitors and workers by enhancing public safety, homeland defense and emergency response capacity, and in greater cooperation with other county and regional public safety and first responder agencies. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
Obama Requested $62 million For The Stratospheric Observatory For Infrared Astronomy Project. In 2006, Obama requested $62 million for the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy to support its Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy project. The SOFIA is a 747 extensively modified to carry a 50,000-pound, 2.5-meter infrared telescope provided by Germany. SOFIA will fly at altitudes up to 45,000 feet — above 99% of the Earth’s water vapor — to capture infrared images not possible by even the largest ground-based telescopes. NASA selected USRA in 1996 to develop and operate SOFIA to replace the .91-meter Kuiper Airborne Observatory, a C-141 that flew successfully for over 20 years. Since then, SOFIA has progressed steadily through key milestones: delivery of the German-built telescope in 2002; installation of the telescope into the aircraft in 2003; structural testing of the aircraft and initial ground-bused testing of’ the telescope in 2004; and completion of the first-flight configuration of the NASA telescope cavity door in 2005. SOFIA is in the final phase of the Heavy Maintenance Visit, final ground testing and FAA verifications. Initial flight tests are scheduled for the latter part of 2006, depending on finding. After flight testing and functional testing of the telescope and cavity door, SOFIA will be operated at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
Obama Requested $1.75 million For The Northern Illinois Technology Triangle. In 2006, Obama requested $1.75 million for the Northern Illinois Technology Triangle. The Northern Illinois Technology Triangle (NITT) organization has been organized for several years. During this time, feasibility studies have been conducted and organizational structures have been evaluated. The fiber optic cable on the East-West Tollway has been leased with local (City) funding through the Illinois Municipal Broadband Communications Association. The Northern Illinois Technology Triangle is the development of a technology triangle by acquiring lease rights to existing fiber optic cable on the Northwest Tollway (IL90) from Rockford to the Tri-State Tollway (IL 294), south to the East-West Tollway and West to the Interstate 39 at Rochelle. In addition, it will be necessary to construct fiber on Interstate 39 from Rochelle to Rockford to complete the triangle. The final components of the project are the electronics to "light" the fiber and the hardened facility to house the electronics. NITT members will provide the private funds necessary to match grants received. Private investors are also interested in participating with private funding. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
Obama Requested $500,000 For McHenry County’s Integrated Criminal Justice Information System. In 2006, Obama requested $500,000 For McHenry County’s Integrated Criminal Justice Information System. McHenry County is in the process of bringing new computer technology to the Courts, State's Attorney, Public Defender, Sheriff's Office and Jail. This technology upgrade is a critical first step toward integrating the County's criminal justice information system, but it will not complete the project. Additional assistance is needed to complete the interface between law enforcement and courts systems, thereby allowing McHenry County to complete the interface between law enforcement and courts systems, allowing the County to completely utilize the benefits of a fully integrated criminal justice system. Funding for the Integrated Criminal Justice Information System will integrate information networks and develop a seamless, automated system that integrates law enforcement agencies, the State's Attorney's Office, Courts, the Public Defender's Office and Probation. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
Obama Requested $450,000 For The South Suburban Association of Chiefs of Police To Support Its Center For Law Enforcement Technology Collaboration. In 2006, Obama requested $450,000 for the South Suburban Association of Chiefs of Police to support its Center for Law Enforcement Technology Collaboration. The Center for Law Enforcement Technology Collaboration is requesting funding to develop and implement high quality, state-of-the-art training and certification for law enforcement professionals. The Center would like to create new training programs and curricula, equip instructional facilities, and deliver high quality instruction to area law enforcement professionals. This project will be based on both practical and theory based approaches to public safety and the new dangers associated with modern day terrorism and advanced computer technology crime. The Center would provide an opportunity for law enforcement professionals to build upon their current expertise and develop timely, valued technological skills. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
Obama Requested $675,000 For The Metro Chicago Youth For Christ Juvenile Justice Ministry Gang Prevention Program. In 2006, Obama requested $675,000 for the Metro Chicago Youth for Christ Juvenile Justice Ministry Gang Prevention Program. Developed in 1977, the Chicago Youth for Christ (MCYFC) Juvenile Justice Gang-Prevention Program provides mentoring, guidance and support to incarcerated, at-risk youth. Recognizing the potential at-risk youth have for redirection and hope, the Juvenile Justice Ministry enters the juvenile corrections facilities in an effort to reach-out to some of Chicago's most hardened gang members. Through constant support, guidance and follow-up, the Juvenile Justice Ministry encourages these youth to make better decisions in their day-to-day lives. Their weekly visits help convince many young men and women that there are alternative choices to gang-life and gang-mentality. Funds would provide much needed additional staff and resources to expand program to more juvenile offenders. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
Obama Requested $1 Million For The Chicago Botanical Garden To Support Its Seed Bank And Plant Conservation Center. In 2006, Obama requested $1 million for the Chicago Botanical Garden to support its Seed Bank and Plant Conservation Center. In April of 2003, the Chicago Botanic Garden was asked by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to participate in the Millennium Seed Bank Project. This Project seeks to safeguard the most endangered of the world's plants by conserving more than 24,000 species of seed-bearing plants by 2010. In order to fulfill its role in this mission, the Garden is constructing a new Seed Bank and Plant Conservation Science Center that will significantly expand the capability and capacity of the Chicago Botanic Garden. Funding would go towards construction of the Chicago Botanic Garden Seed Bank and Plant Conservation. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
Obama Requested $500,000 For The Lakeview Museum To support Its Planetarium For Central Illinois Regional Museum. In 2006, Obama requested $500,000 for the Lakeview Museum to support its Planetarium for Central Illinois Regional Museum. Central Illinois Regional Museum is requesting federal assistance for Lakeview Museum's Planetarium, which meets a unique educational requirement for Illinois 7th grade students. Additional funding for the Planetarium would allow for further career development systems, scholarships for training, and technology enhancements and permit public programs that bring the wonders of the universe and the current astronomical discoveries to the residents of Central Illinois utilizing advanced projection technologies. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
Obama Requested $2 million For The University of Illinois At Chicago Prisoner Reentry, Family And Communities National Resource Center. In 2006, Obama requested $2 million for the University of Illinois at Chicago Prisoner Reentry, Family and Communities National Resource Center. Funding for the Prisoner Reentry, Family and Communities National Resource Center would be utilized to conduct research, education and community outreach activities that will contribute to the successful reentry of former prisoners. The ultimate goal is to enhance public safety, and reduce recidivism by identifying policies, practices and service delivery models that will help returning prisoners become productive members of their communities. Engagement with community organizations to strengthen the community's resources and improve the effectiveness of services provided to returning prisoners will be a central element of this project. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
Obama Requested $750,000 For The Windy City Harvest To Support Its Windy City Harvest Resource Center. In 2006, Obama requested $750,000 for the Windy City Harvest To Support Its Windy City Harvest Resource Center. Windy City Harvest (WCH) is a transitional jobs training program that is grounded in a sustainable urban horticulture business. It will supply high demand food and ornamental plans to the local wholesale, retail and institution market and train ready-to-employ workers. The core business will provide pre-employment training, case management, literacy and basic skills training, transitional work experience and job placement services. Thirty to sixty trainees will be accepted into the program annually and the first group will begin in late 2006. As trainees, they will learn how to grow mixed lettuces, spinach and bedding plants, as well as how to process, package and distribute crops directly to retain wholesale markets. In addition, funding will go towards providing trainees basic skills certifications in areas such as food preparation, food safety and production, customer service, horticulture, landscape maintenance and materials handling. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
Obama Requested $1.9 Million For The Constitutional Rights Foundation of Chicago To Support Its National Coordinated Law-Related Education Program. In 2006, Obama requested $1.9 million for the Constitutional Rights Foundation to support its National Coordinated Law-Related Education Program. For the past 25 years, Law Related Education (LRE) has developed a strong record of success helping to reduce the incidence of Juvenile crime in communities where its curriculum is used. The program's primary goal is to help young people avoid delinquent behavior by developing their knowledge, skills and attitudes to become effective citizens. The LRE is made up of a collaboration of the American Bar Association, the Center for Civic Education, the Constitutional Rights Foundation in Chicago and Los Angeles, and the Phi Alpha Delta Public Service Center and Street Law, Inc. Funding is shared between the five organizations and allocated to state centers, based on need and capacity, to help them focus and target efforts to meet community needs, and reach at risk youth through the Law Related Education program. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
Obama Requested $3 million For The Museum Of Science and Industry’s Expansion Of Its Center For Human Exploration/Henry Crown Space Center. In 2006, Obama requested $3 million for the Museum of Science and Industry’s Center for Human Exploration. They is the largest science and technology museum in the Western Hemisphere. The museum houses 1,070 total pieces, of which 678 are interactive units and 48 are complete exhibits. Central to the Museums revitalization plan is the transformation of the Henry Crown Space Center. Through the renovation and improvement of the space center, the museum proposes to further its commitment of providing current science and technology advances to visitors. The Museum is asking for assistance in the cost of planning, developing, initiating and evaluating the $27 million Space Center. The expansion of the center would enhance the innovative educational programs and exhibits the Museum currently offers. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
Obama Requested $500,000 For McHenry County’s Law Enforcement Communication System. In 2006, Obama requested $500,000 for McHenry County’s Law Enforcement Communication System. The funding was specified for efforts to integrate information networks and develop a seamless, automated system that integrates law enforcement agencies, the State's Attorney's Office, courts, and the Public Defender's Office and Probation. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 4/6/06]
DEFENSE
Obama Requested $4.3 Million And Helped Secure $1.8 Million For The Air Force ALERT System. In 2006, Obama requested $4.3 million and $1.8 million was funded for the Air Force ALERT System. The purpose of this project was to improve Air Force supply chain management and help document savings from lower inventory holding costs, reorders of redundant equipment, and related factors. Through CDO Technology, this effort would involve the acquisition of hardware, software, training and technical services to complete the incorporation of state-of-the-art radio frequency identification technology into ALERTS. The Air Force uses the “Automated Life Support Equipment Records Tracking System” (ALERTS) to manage many supply chain management functions for critical aircrew life support equipment, such as night vision goggles, body armor, chemical/biological defense and detection units, survival items, and escape equipment. The ALERTS system utilizes bar codes, hand-held readers, databases and associated hardware and software. Since its implementation, ALERTS has significantly improved inventory control, reducing costs and improving reliability. [House Report 109-676 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 2006]
Obama Requested $10 Million And Helped Secure $5.85 Million For The Rock Island Arsenal’s Arsenal Support Program Initiative (ASPI). In 2006, Obama requested $10 million and helped secure $5.85 million for the Rock Island Arsenal’s Arsenal Support Program Initiative (ASPI). The goals of ASPI are to encourage commercial firms to utilize and invest in Rock Island Arsenal (RIA) facilities in order to reduce product and ownership costs. Additionally, ASPI increases the utilization of existing critical skills and maintains readiness of the military industrial base. [House Report 109-676 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 2006]
Obama Requested $3 Million And Helped Secure $1.95 Million For The Compact Tactical Laser Program. In 2006, Obama requested $3 million and helped secure $1.95 million for the Compact Tactical Laser Program. Through Optical Engines, Inc., this program further develops the Direct Diode Electro-Optical Source program funded in the FY05 DOD bill at $900,000. Optical Engines is proposing to create a new program called the Compact Tactical Laser (CTL) program whereby the universal platform technology created in the DDEOS program is expanded to higher power modules, and further expanded into systems for different applications. The objective of the Optical Engines product development is to introduce to the marketplace a design that will enable the scaling and aggregation of a large number of diode lasers so as to increase the optical power and brightness that is delivered by means of fiber optic coupling. [House Report 109-676 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 2006]
Obama Requested $7.5 Million And Helped Secure $4.9 Million For The National Center for Advanced Secure Systems Research. In 2006, Obama requested $7.5 million and helped secure $4.9 million for the National Center for Advanced Secure Systems Research at the the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This project addresses critical security needs and research requirements to develop a dynamic, adaptive cybersecurity infrastructure. All research projects are designed to address future Navy cybersecurity requirements, and each is carefully reviewed and approved in advance by Office of Naval Research program management. Research activities are targeted to address high priority cybersecurity problems focused in areas of data mining, intrusion detection and analysis, development of a variety of security tools, training, and SCADA field testing. This research has broad applications and potential importance in non-defense cybersecurity, homeland security, and information assurance arenas. [House Report 109-676 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 2006]
Obama Requested $2 Million And Helped Secure $1 Million For HUMVEE Hybrid Electronic Conversion Technology. In 2006, Obama requested $2 million and helped secure $1 million for HUMVEE Hybrid Electronic Conversion Technology work at the Illinois Institute of Technology. This project seeks to apply the existing expertise of the Illinois Institute of Technology in the field of hybrid vehicle systems to develop a cost effective conversion kit to retrofit U.S. Army HMMWV (“Humvee”) vehicles with electric hybrid systems. Prototype work suggests such retrofits will produce gains in vehicle acceleration and fuel efficiency of over 50%. Moreover, the conversions can be accomplished in a highly cost effective manner. [House Report 109-676 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 2006]
Obama Requested $5 Million And Helped Secure $1 Million For The Fuel Cells for Mobile Robotics Systems Project At Chicago State University. In 2006, Obama requested $5 million and helped secure $1 million for the Fuel Cells for Mobile Robotics Systems Project At Chicago State University. This project proposes to improve the effectiveness of the military’s unmanned aerial systems by replacing conventional power supply systems with fuel cell technology packages specifically made for mobile robotics systems. The project will build and test a prototype of the fuel cell technology package; develop additional system configurations and designs for expanded capabilities (design and configuration for system safety and security in high-risk environments); build and test prototype of the expanded capabilities; perform laboratory-based tests of the fuel cell technology package; and perform tests of the fuel cell technology package in various mobile robotics system tests beds including unmanned aerial systems and others. [House Report 109-676 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 2006]
Obama Requested $8 Million And Helped Secure $1.3 Million For The High Explosive Air Burst Technology Program. In 2006, Obama requested $8 million and helped secure $1.3 million for High Explosive Air Burst Technology funding. Through General Dynamics, this project supported the 25mm Bushmaster cannon, the primary weapon on the Army Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) and the US Marines’ Light Armor Vehicle (LAV). Under contract for System Design and Demonstration (SDD), GD-OTS is developing a Family of Ammunition for the Army’s Future Combat System (FCS) to include a High Explosive Air Burst (HEAB) round. This program will upgrade the capability of the current forces BFV and LAV. Additional funding for the 25mm HEAB for the SFV and LAV will ensure this program will run effectively during its planned service until 2051. [House Report 109-676 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 2006]
Obama Requested $7 million And Helped Secure $6.3 Million For Rock Island Arsenal Industrial Preparedness Items. In 2006, Obama requested $7 million and helped secure $6.3 million for Rock Island Arsenal Industrial Preparedness items. The requested shop equipment will support production of lightweight add-on vehicle and body armor, the recently added M119 howitzer production program (the M119 is key to the Army’s brigade transformation), M198 howitzer spare parts production, M45 recoil mechanism production, M93 gun mount production and the AC-130 gunship parts production. Additionally, the requested equipment will also have significant safety and efficiency benefits for the Arsenal. [House Report 109-676 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 2006 ]
Obama Requested $5 Million And Received $3.3 Million For The Technology , Research, Education, And Commercialization Center At The University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign. In 2006, Obama requested $5 million and received $3.3 million for the Technology, Research, Education and Commercialization Center (TRECC) at the University of Illinois. The TRECC program provides access to high performance computing/web technologies to industry and education organizations in an effort to promote research and development by transferring advanced technologies of importance to the Department of Defense. [House Report 109-676 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 2006 ]
Obama Requested $5.8 Million For the Copper Antimicrobial Research Program. In 2006, Obama requested $5.6 million for the Copper Antimicrobial Research Program. Through the Copper Development Association, this project will demonstrate the effectiveness of copper to inactivate dangerous pathogens in healthcare and other high-risk facilities and to reduce nosocomial (or hospital acquired) infections. These funds will be used to complete the pilot conversion of touch surfaces in a healthcare facility to copper alloy surfaces and to perform extensive clinical trials and comparisons, leading to peer-reviewed publication of the most effective copper-based applications to stem infections. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 4/3/06]
Obama Requested $8 Million For Human Genome Expression Through The University Of Illinois At Chicago. In 2006, Obama requested $8 million for Human Genome Expression at the University of Chicago. Through the University of Illinois at Chicago, this program will initiate the development of a digital scanning and mapping biometric program, able to map specific gene expressions to specific pathogen exposures for advanced diagnostics of war-fighters during pathogen exposures and the capability to save lives. This biometric technology would also have the potential to reduce or eliminate the need to build, maintain, and staff military classical forensic DNA facilities, at substantial cost savings. This project will use advanced diagnostic gene expression techniques to map specific gene expressions to pathogen exposure and compare these results to current technologies. The result will be a unique biometric data map offering an accurate determination of health status following pathogen exposure thereby enhancing the potential to save lives. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 4/3/06]
Obama requested $7.5 Million For Advanced Pathogen Titer Diagnostic The University Of Illinois at Chicago. In 2006, Obama requested $7.5 million for Advanced Pathogen Titer Diagnostics at the University of Illinois as Chicago. Through the University of Illinois at Chicago, this project will continue research that will baseline pathogens (e.g. small pox, SARS, avian flu, and other threats) to determine what the titer levels are at key time intervals from infection through acute onset of symptoms, identifying when titer levels are completely non-existent from common host portals. Research will identify which specimen type/portal is optimum to maximize pathogen titers for micro-array diagnostic for both RNA and DNA pathogens. The Air Force Medical Service is focusing its efforts on Infectious Disease Outbreak Surveillance Systems that use epidemiological modeling and other analytical tools that will demonstrate the system's ability to identify, notify, and with increasing accuracy, validate outcomes. Advanced Medical Diagnostics are becoming more and more technologically flexible. Once the concentration (titer) levels are known for each pathogen, then micro-array sensitivity and specificity levels can be optimized for this dual use diagnostic. For these advanced systems to work, additional development and science is required to clarify the titer characteristics, which remains the only hurdle. Use of these chips during Air Force Expeditionary and in-garrison applications could sentinel event exposure, increase expeditionary and garrison diagnostic care, prevent disease exposure, and reduce the current costs associated with post exposure care. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 4/3/06]
Obama Requested $4.8 Million For A Light Emitting Diode Healing Program At The University Of Illinois At Chicago. In 2006, Obama requested $4.8 million for a light emitting diode wound healing of oral and cutaneous lesions. Through the University of Illinois at Chicago, this program will establish a Light Emitting Diode wound healing program using hand-held tools and therapies to accelerate the wound healing of active duty and retired military personnel as well as those affected by homeland disasters. The Air Force Medical Service (AFMS) wants to accelerate the development of a tissue and wound healing assessment program involving diverse frequencies within electromagnetic spectrum for use in aviation, SPEC OPS, expeditionary, military, retiree health care, and in response to homeland disasters. The AFMS needs a device to carry into theater to initiate healing and prevent infection. LED DE/RF hand-held tools and therapies will be extremely critical in managing patients both in theater and those affected by homeland disasters and will potentially allow immediate response to wound healing, lessen infection and scaring, and reduce operation and medical costs. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 4/3/06]
Obama Requested $5.2 Million For A Copper Air Quality Program. In 2006, Obama requested $5.2 million for the Copper Air Quality Program. Through the Copper Development Association, this project will produce and evaluate copper components for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems and to demonstrate the effectiveness of copper surfaces in reducing the incidence of harmful microbes in HVAC systems and the indoor air environments they service. The project includes the replacement and monitoring of heat-exchanger tubing, fins, condensate drain pans, filters and ductwork in a building or section of a building and trials to establish data on indoor air quality improvements. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 4/3/06]
Obama Requested $4.2 Million For Advance Technology Research On Fabrication At Remote Sites. In 2006, Obama requested $4,200,000 for research on advance technology for fabrication at remote sites. Through Alion Science and Technology, this program will support the unfulfilled needs of the military for maintenance and repair of parts in remote areas of operation. The program will identify specific needs for capability augmentation and a suite of equipment supported by a computer-based manufacturing database will be developed for use by the services to manufacture parts at remote sites. This suite of equipment will be integrated into a prototype transportable system for part repair or fabrication, which will be prepared for test under field conditions. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 4/3/06]
Obama Requested $6 Million For Work On The Roof For Building 299 At Rock Island Arsenal. In 2006, Obama requested $6 million for work on the roof for Building 299 at Rock Island Arsenal. This was the second of a six phase effort to repair the roof on Building 299 ($5.6M in FY06 funding is phase I). Building 299 is needed for additional manufacturing space at Rock Island Arsenal. Building 299 is a 775,000 square foot warehouse constructed in 1942. The building is generally in good condition with the exception of the original roof, which is severely deteriorated. In 1982, the roof was coated with an elastomeric sealant that has since failed. The coating has cracked and is dislodged in most locations. This condition results in asbestos fibers being directly exposed to the environment. The transite panels are also retaining moisture and could become structurally unsound is the situation isn’t remedied soon. This project will completely remove, and properly dispose, all asbestos containing roofing components. The sloped roof will be replaced in phases by new vapor barrier, structural purlins, metal decking and insulated standing seam metal roofing. Flat roofs will be replaced by a vapor barrier and built up roofing. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 4/3/06]
Obama Requested $3 Million For Improvements In Heating And Cooling At Rock Island Arsenal Facility. In 2006, Obama requested $3 million for the Rock Island Arsenal’s Quarters I project to provide more adequate heating and cooling. Over the last 30 years funding limitations and time have taken a toll on the Quarters. During this period significant maintenance and repair projects have been deferred. As a result significant renovation is now required in order to bring the quarters back to standards consistent with its cultural and historic significance. These renovations will address issues ranging from repairs of asbestos removal, peeling paint and replacement of rotten wood to correcting the in adequacy of current Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 4/3/06]
ENERGY & WATER
Obama Requested $784,000 In Funding For The Final Phase Of The Upper Mississippi River Comprehensive Plan. Obama wrote a letter with Durbin, Harkin, and Talent requesting that the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water provide $784,000 in funding for the final phase of the Upper Mississippi River Comprehensive Plan that was authorized in the Water Resources Development Act of 1999. The federal funding will be used to complete coordination and policy issues with the Corps of Engineers, state agencies and stakeholders. The Great Flood of 1993 resulted more than $15 billion in flood damages, including 72,000 damaged homes. Although levees built by the Corps prevented an estimated $19 billion in additional damages, a coordinated and integrated system of flood and floodplain management measures could have further reduced the amount of damages. The Comprehensive Plan is the first to focus on developing and implementing a system for integrated river management to avoid overlap and conflict among the many existing and future river projects. We understand that budget constraints the committee faces, but last year's flood damaged associated with Hurricane Katrina only underscores the need for investments such as this analysis of the Upper Mississippi River basin and its tributaries. [Obama et al., Request Letter to the Chairman/Ranking Member Of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/19/06]
Obama Requested $500,000 For Water Distribution Upgrades In The Village Of Oakwood. In 2006, Obama requested $500,000 for the Village of Oakwood to support its Water Distribution Upgrades. The Village of Oakwood's water distribution system was established in the mid 1930's as a WPA project during President Roosevelt's administration. At this time, 2" and 4" diameter water mains were common-place. With the growth the Village has experienced since then, these water mains need to be replaced with larger 6" and 12" mains for improved water pressure. There are some areas in the Village where water mains dead-end, causing water quality issues. The goal is to loop these dead-ends to improve water quality and also provide redundancy to the water system. The Village has several locations where there are no fire hydrants and/or hydrants that need to be replaced. With the Village of Oakwood having three large truck stops located at Interstate 74 near the Village northern edge, the need for adequate water supply/pressure is increased for fire-fighting in the event of a catastrophic fire. The Village has had an engineering firm complete a detailed study of the water distribution system that has identified the problems and what is required to resolve them. The engineering study has the project broken down into 18 phases, and the Village plans to complete all of these phase with this funding request, as well as local funds from sales tax revenues. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $1 Million For A Regional Waterways System In The City Of Monmouth. In 2006, Obama requested $1 million for the City of Monmouth to support its Regional Waterwaste System. The rapidly deteriorating wastewater treatment facilities are a pressing challenge in the City of Monmouth. The main wastewater treatment plant treats all of the municipal waste for the town. It was originally built in the 1920's and has had to undergo numerous upgrades throughout the years. However, most of the equipment and concrete facilities are outdated and obsolete and in need of replacement. The concrete structures are disintegrating and have become safety hazards, and many areas of the facility have limited and restricted access due to the crumbling structures. Construction of a new wastewater treatment plant would provide reliable, economical and compliant treatment for both the citizens and industry of Monmouth, and studies have suggested that building one regional wastewater treatment plan would eliminate the need to construct and operate two separate plants. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $2 Million For Reconstruction Of A Water Distribution System In The City Of Shawneetown. In 2006, Obama requested $2 million to support its Reconstruction of the City of Shawneetowns Water Distribution System. The City of Shawneetown has operated its own water treatment system and water distribution system since the 1 930’s. Recently the City has signed a contract to connect to the Saline Valley Conservancy Districts Regional System and that will be completed by September 2006, thus eliminating the need for a water treatment plant. This leaves the Water Distribution System to be replaced. The Distribution System is an old lead jointed system built in the 1930’s with numerous leaks. The City has been trying to acquire Grant Funds to replace the system for several years but has been unsuccessful. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $1 Million To Support The Bubbly Creek Restoration Project In The City Of Chicago. In 2006, Obama requested $1 million to the City of Chicago to support its Bubbly Creek Restoration. The City of Chicago seeks $1,000,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a feasibility study for restoration of Bubbly Creek, a highly contaminated segment of the Chicago River located in a near southwest side neighborhood targeted for extensive residential and commercial redevelopment. It is widely believed that much of the contamination stems from the days in which Chicago served as the nation’s meat-packing center. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $750,000 For An Arts And Science “Green Building” At Quincy University. In 2006, Obama requested $750,000 For Quincy University’s Arts and Science “Green Building.” Quincy University plans to build a much needed arts and sciences building dedicated to the Franciscan Friars of the Sacred Heart Province. Components of the project that are critical to sustainability include: an atrium structure for the use of daylight and natural ventilation, geothermal energy to conserve on the use of fossil fuels and to be environmentally friendly; and the use of environmentally friendly and health energy systems, including heating and ventilating systems. This project is in line with the Franciscan mission of the University, and would serve as a teaching model for the entire geographic region in shaping ways that Illinoisans are committed to energy conservation. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $5 Million For The Illinois Department Of Natural Resources Demonstration Asian Carp barrier Project. In 2006, Obama requested the Illinois Department of Natural Resources receive $5 million to support its Demonstration Asian Carp Barrier project. The initial demonstration barrier was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in Romeoville, IL in 2002. This demonstration barrier had a short design life of only three years, which has already been exceeded. To provide maximum protection to the Great Lakes, this facility needs to be converted to a permanent facility. The Department is seeking both Congressional authorization and funding to direct the Corps of Engineers to upgrade this facility and make it a permanent Asian Carp Barrier. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $1 Million To Support The Asian Carp Barrier Operations And Maintenance Funds For The Illinois Department Of Natural Resources. In 2006, Obama requested that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources receive $1 million to support its Asian Carp Barrier Operations and Maintenance Funds. A new, permanent Asian Carp Barrier is under construction in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal at Mile 296.5 in Romeoville, IL. The Department is the non-federal sponsor of this project, which is being constructed by the U-S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Department is seeking both Congressional authorization and funding to direct the Corps of Engineers to assume the financial responsibility to operate and maintain this facility, rather than the Department. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $500,000 For Peoria County’s Senachine Creek River Restoration Project. In 2006, Obama requested that Peoria County receive $500,000 to support its Senachwine Creek River Restoration Project. Funding for this project would allow the Heartland Water Resource Council (HWRC) to commence the River Restoration Project for Senachwine Creek. The project has the potential to establish a connecting link between the Spring Branch Conservation Area, Chillicothe Recreation Area, Chillicothe Nature Park, and the Senachwine Creek Conservation Corridor. Further, a gravel pit exists within the project area that may be able to function as a sediment detention basin and help reduce the flow of sediment into Peoria Lakes. Additionally, the entire project area is across the Illinois River from the Marshall County Conservation Area, which has seen an increased wildlife presence since the construction of islands in 1994. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $300,000 For McHenry County’s Groundwater/Stormwater Protection Investigation. In 2006, Obama requested that McHenry County receive $300,000 to support its Groundwater/ Stormwater Protection Investigation. Stormwater management in McHenry County is particularly challenging due to the County's flat topography and broad floodplains. In the past, intensive agriculture development and urbanization did not fully coincide with the long-term consequences of altering the region's landscape. In recent years, stormwater and flood damages have exceeded an estimated $2 million annually. Funding will go to accelerate work on studies associated with the implementation of McHenry County's Ground Water/Stormwater Protection program, which uniquely seeks to address stormwater drainage and detention, floodplain management, soil erosion and sedimentation control, steam and wetland protection, and groundwater resources in a single program. The County is prepared to meet the 50 percent non-federal cost-share requirement. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $750,000 For A Neuroscience Laboratory At Dominican University. In 2006, Obama requested that Dominican University receive $750,000 to support its Neuroscience Laboratory. Dominican University was founded in 1901, and is a comprehensive, coeducational Catholic institution offering 50 undergraduate academic programs through Rosary College of Arts and Sciences and 15 graduate programs for approximately 4,000 students. In order to enable students to observe researchers and fellow students conducting experiments, learn experimental techniques while working with brain tissue, and provide advanced students the opportunity to design and conduct their own research projects, essential laboratory equipment is needed to create a research environment in which to conduct experiments and demonstrations. Funding will go towards equipment costs, infrastructure and construction of this new facility. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $1 Million For Construction Of A New Hospital Pavilion At The University Of Chicago. In 2006, Obama requested that the University of Chicago receive $1 million to support its Construction of New Hospital Pavilion. For more than 75 years, the University of Chicago Hospitals (UCH) has provided state of the art medical care on the South Side of Chicago. UCH is one of the largest Medicaid providers in Illinois, and it provided more than $90 million in uncompensated care for Medicare and Medicaid patients this past year. To continue providing the best care for patients from all walks of life, UCH is proceeding with the construction of a new 600,000 square foot facility that will ensure their ability to provide the best care for patients well into the future. Funding will go towards assisting the construction and equipping a new hospital pavilion that will increase the Hospitals' clinical capacity by over one-third. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $1 Million For An Intensive Care Unit Expansion And Renovation Project At St. Mary Medical Center. In 2006, Obama requested that the St. Mary Medical Center receive $1 million to support its St. Mary Center Intensive Care Unit Expansion and Renovation Project. St. Mary Medical Center has embarked on a multi-phased renovation of outdated facilities in several critical areas. This phase of the St. Mary Medical Center is a renovation and expansion of its Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to accommodate the increasing number of patients and higher level of acuity. Built in 1974, St. Mary's ICU has only 9 beds located in 2,500 total square feet and there have been no significant modifications to the ICU since it opened over 30 years ago. A new, expanded ICU will greatly enhance not only the critical care provided to patients, but also enhance the privacy available to patients and their families as well as provide much needed storage space for vital equipment. The overall scope of the project will increase the number of patient rooms from 9 to 11, and the overall size of the ICU from 2,500 sq ft to 6,100 sq ft. The bulk of the funding will come from the community, but some federal funding is required to help in construction and equipment costs for the renovation of this facility. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $2.5 Million For A Science Storms Program At Chicago’s Museum Of Science And Industry. In 2006, Obama requested that the Museum of Science and Industry receive $2.5 million to support its Science Storms Program. The Museum of Science and Industry is the largest science and technology museum in the Western Hemisphere, encompasses more than 14 acres and receives more than 1.5 million visitors annually. The Museum's mission and core ideology is to inspire and motivate children to achieve their full potential in science, technology, medicine and engineering. One of the key iconic exhibits is Science Storms, which uses fascinating exhibitory, including a proposed indoor four-story tornado, a contained lightning exhibit, and a 20' diameter avalanche to teach basic principles of physics, chemistry, materials, science, motion and forces. Science Storms will replace their outdated Halls of Basic Science and Chemistry, and present compelling experiences for visitors of all ages. The Museum is seeking $5 million in federal support for this project, and is committed to raising the additional necessary funds from non-federal sources. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $300,000 For The Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum. In 2006, Obama requested $300,000 for the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum is seeking to replace and update the planetarium projection system in its original planetarium theater. The current system is approximately 40 years old and nearing the end of its lifespan. Revenues from the show are a significant source of income for the museum, and a new projection system will provide Adler the opportunity to enrich its current sky shows and develop new ones. The goal of this project is to provide world-class educational experiences in the theater, and leverage private contributions by securing federal support for the planetarium. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $500,000 For The Heartland Water Resource Council (HWRC) For Storm Water Management Assistance For The Turkey Creek Watershed. In 2006, Obama requested $500,000 in funding for this project would allow the Heartland Water Resource Council (HWRC) to prepare and begin to implement a storm water management plan for the Turkey Creek watershed. Restoration of this watershed is ranked fourth by HWRC, but is the top ranked watershed on the Peoria County side of the Peoria Lakes. Restoration of this watershed will stabilize stream banks, control erosion, and better manage storm water in Springfield Cemetery. Restoration of the Turkey Creek watershed will also preserve the natural setting of Springdale Cemetery, a critical component of the cemetery's history and rebirth. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $6.1 Million For The Illinois Department Of Natural Resources’ Upper Des Plaines River Basin Feasibility Study (Levee 37). In 2006, Obama requested that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources receive $6.1 million to support its Phase I Upper Des Plaines River Basin Feasibility Study - Levee 37 the Water Resources Development Act of 1999, Section (b)(10), authorized six feasible projects based on the Phase I Upper Des Plaines River Basin Feasibility Study. Preliminary Engineering and Design (PED) has progressed for the Levee 37 component and local sponsors are prepared to support the construction of this project. Federal funding is needed to cost share at 65/35 with the State of Illinois, Department of Natural Resources to implement this project. Specifically, this funding is needed to continue construction of Levee 37. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $300,000 For The Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Expanded Study of Phase II of the Des Plaines River. In 2006, Obama requested that the Illinois Department of Natural Resources receive $300,000 to support its Expanded Study of Phase II of the Des Plaines River An expansion of the Phase I Upper Des Plaines River study was authorized in Section 419 f the Water Resources Development Act of 1999. The projected $18 million average annual damages, which will remain in the tributary floodplains of the Des Plaines River after the completion of Phase I project construction, is the basis for the expanded study of Phase II. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $2 Million For The Thorek Memorial Hospital Cancer Treatment Center. In 2006, Obama requested $2 million for the Thorek Memorial Hospital Cancer Treatment Center. IFor more than 85 years, residents of Chicago have relied on the progressive health care provided by Thorek Hospital and Medical Center. Founded in 1911 by surgeon Max Thorek, the hospital began with the philosophy of providing a human atmosphere where the patient is a person rather than a case, a philosophy that carries on to this day. The Hospital is currently embarking on a three-phase/three-year project to upgrade and obtain the diagnostic radiology equipment necessary to identify and treat one of the most common ailments facing our patient population, such as Cancer. The phases involve purchasing a 64 slice high-speed PET/CT Scanner, an upgrade of the Linear Accelerator/IMRT equipment in-Radiation Therapy, and the purchase of a digital mammography unit. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $1.3 Million For Will County’s Flood Studies Project. In 2006, Obama requested that Will County receive $1.3 million to support its Flood Studies for Unincorporated Will County. Will County is committed to a stormwater management program to protect lives and property of its residents, and is seeking federal assistance to aid them in this effort. Since Will County contains many creeks and streams whose watersheds have not been analyzed, the flood flows and base flood elevations for these unstudied creeks and streams are unknown. The absence of documented information has, at times, constrained development and adversely impacted the growth of the area's tax base as well as caused area residents to apply higher than necessary flood insurance premiums. Many Will County creeks and streams drain large watersheds. While individual sections of the creeks and streams have been analyzed to secure individual building permits, a comprehensive study of the watersheds would allow Will County to prepare watershed plans that are cohesive and complete, thereby improving the County's capacity to avoid unnecessary flooding, property damage, injuries, and potential loss of life. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $600,000 For The International Arid Lands Consortium’s For Research And Demonstration Projects On Providing Water Resources For Arid Lands. In 2006, Obama requested $600,000 for the International Arid Lands Consortium to support its WRDA project. Transitional and local disputes over water rights have the potential to increase tensions in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world. Water shortages reduce the potential for agricultural production, preserving unique desert wetlands, improving the quality of human life, and even insuring human survival in arid regions around the globe. Water scarcity is increasingly important in the western United States and Mexico as a prolonged, natural drought cycle reduces the stability of industry, agriculture, and even current human population levels in this region. The International Arid Lands Consortium (IALC) is focusing its research and demonstrating projects on providing methods for conserving water resources in arid lands, and funding would go to support that effort. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $2 Million For The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to support its National Corn to Ethanol Research Center at SIU-Edwardsville. In 2006, Obama requested $2 million for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to support its National Corn to Ethanol Research Center at SIU-Edwardsville. Capital Funding for the National Corn to Ethanol Research Center at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. The Center began operations in 2004. There are several additions and modifications needed for the pilot plant to allow it to develop new technologies for producing ethanol from the corn fiber at the facility. This is a technology that is very important for the existing corn to ethanol industry and important for the development of a bridge to the technology needed for converting other cellulosic feedstocks such as corn stover, straw and switch grass to ethanol. The modifications to the plant and additional equipment for the fiber to ethanol work will require approximately $2 million of funding over the next two fiscal years. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $4 Million For The Illinois Department of Natural Resources For New Gates At The East End of The Chicago River Lock. In 2006, Obama requested $4 million for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for new gates at the east end of the Chicago River Lock. This is a high use lock with low commodity tonnage, but most of the traffic is commercial cruise and passenger vessels. The Lock is currently operating at 15 years beyond its design life, resulting in the lack of reliability in the gate operating machinery and structural members. Gate seals are not providing the expected level of water tightness. Leakages through the gates is becoming a problem and impacting the Illinois' Lake Michigan diversion accounting. Reducing leakage at the Chicago River Lock is specifically mentioned in the list of activities in the 1996 Memorandum of Understanding that Illinois, the other Great Lakes states and the U.S. Department of Justice signed to resolve the dispute over Illinois' alleged over diversion of Lake Michigan water. Improved management of Lake Michigan water used at the Chicago River Lock is essential for Illinois to remain in full compliance with the Supreme Court decree. Corps of Engineers approved the major rehabilitation project in 1999; however, no funding is included in the Corps' budget. Delayed rehabilitation of the lock threatens the safety of millions of passengers yearly and result in total lake diversion in excess of the limitations of the 1980 U S. Supreme Court Decree by the State of Illinois. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 4/7/06]
HOMELAND SECURITY
Obama Requested $900,000 For Governors State University’s Homeland Security And Disaster Management Center For Excellence In Learning, Research And Outreach. In 2006, Obama requested $900,000 for Governors State University (GSU) and their Homeland Security and Disaster Management Center for Excellence in Learning, Research and Outreach. The establishment of this program will position GSU as the lead academic institution in the Midwest and allow them to offer academic programs, workshops and seminars, technical assistance, service and research to enhance the capacity in the region in emergency management mitigation, preparedness and response recovery. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, 4/3/06]
Obama Requested $800,000 For Wireless Communications Technology For The Will County Sheriff’s Office. In 2006, Obama requested $800,000 for the Will County Sheriff’s Office Wireless Communications Technology Upgrades. The Will County Sheriff’s Office currently has 90 laptops that are installed into squad cars. These laptops are essential for day to day operations of the Sheriff’s Enforcement Division. Additionally, the laptops are essential for interoperability between state, local and federal agencies. The laptops allow for access to the Law Enforcement Agencies Data System (LEADS), the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), and Secretary of State (SOS) Data. The laptops have access to the Will County 911 CAD system which allows for voiceless dispatching. Also available is mapping software which enables them to find the most efficient route to their destination. In November 2006, these laptops will cease operation due to technology upgrades. Without this upgrade at a cost of approximately $800,000, Will County Sheriff Department will lose their current form of operations, along with the efficiency that the laptops provide. In addition, the Sheriffs’ Department will be unable to work on future projects such as field based reporting, access to the Circuit Clerk’s Warrant System, and integration with the Jail Management System. There will also be loss of an ability to interface with the Chicago Police Department’s system I-Clear. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, 4/3/06]
INTERIOR
Northeastern Illinois Sewer Consortium Receive $3.5 million To Support Its Northeastern Illinois Sewer Consortium Project. In 2006, Obama requested $3.5 million for the Four Lake County Communities to support its Northeastern Illinois Sewer Consortium projects. Members of the consortium joined together in 2004 to seek additional funding from the EPA's State and Tribal Assistance Grant (STAG) program for sanitary and storm sewer system upgrades and improvements. During wet weather events, water that does not need treatment is getting into the sanitary sewer systems in the four communities making up the Consortium. This excessive water results in an overflow of the local collector sewers, causing basement backups and sanitary sewer overflows released into streams, ditches and other waterways. Funds would be used towards working on the storm and sanitary sewers in each community, including lining of sewers, point repairs on broken or collapsed segments within the systems, and upgrades of the system. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $2 million For Olympia Fields To Support Its Storm Water Conveyance Improvements. In 2006, Obama requested $2 million for Olympia Fields to support its Olympia Fields Storm Water Conveyance Improvements. Olympia Fields is located within the Butterfield Creek watershed which is the main source of storm water drainage for an area encompassing approximately 26 square miles. 1983 Olympia Fields, Richton Park, Matteson, and several other neighboring towns established the Butterfield Creek Steering Committee to address the need for flood control and adopt a comprehensive program for the future of the watershed. Dredging and debris removal is necessary in order to restore the volumetric capacity of the pond to the original design and, thus, reduce the current conditions that have led to the frequent and problematic flooding within subdivisions and areas downstream in the Butterfield Creek Watershed. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $1 million For The Village Of Park Forest To Support Its Sanitary Sewer Upgrades. In 2006, Obama requested $1 million for the Village of Park Forest to support its Sanitary Sewer Upgrades. The Park Forest community was founded in 1948 and the underground infrastructure is now reaching the end of its design life, in particular with regards to an aging sanitary sewer system. The two main issues that the Village needs to address are the structural and functional integrity of the sanitary sewer system and reducing the infiltration of ground water into the sanitary system. Their proposed project will consist of sanitary sewer point repairs and sewer lining for the multi-family, rentals, co-ops, and condo neighborhoods in the Village of Park Forest. Point Repair work will consist of excavation, replacing damaged sanitary sewer pipe with specific materials, stone bedding, and backfilling the hole. Park Forest is currently administering and implementing point repair and sanitary sewer lining projects with revenues generated and with what is allowable in the current budget, and the Village has a plan set in place for federal funding, as it would aid in accomplishing all of the goals they've set forth and improve development times to approximately 2-3 years. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $7 million For The Wheaton Sanitary District to support its Water Environment Research Foundation. In 2006, Obama requested $7 million for the Wheaton Sanitary District to support its Water Environment Research Foundation. Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) is a non-profit research organization serving municipal wastewater facilities nationwide by providing objective, peer reviewed research to assist wastewater treatment facilities in serving their ratepayers more efficiently and effectively while protecting and enhancing water quality. Since its inception, WERF has contributed to the development of new water quality processes and technology and provided information to inform the regulatory process that has produced over a billion dollars in savings to ratepayers. National priorities such as TMDLs, nutrient management, watershed management, asset management, water reuse, and new technologies are all addressed through WERF programs. Locally, meeting new water quality standards addressing nutrient discharges from treatment plants, expected within the next four years, adaptive and phased management of TMDL implementation plans and designated uses and use attainability are issues being addressed by WERF, bringing resources and costs under control for local organizations in the community. Funding is requested in order for WERF to continue this credible and forward-looking research for Illinois' residents. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $120,000 For The Water Environment Research Foundation To Support Its Countywide Wetland Preservation And Restoration Plan. In 2006, Obama requested $120,000 for the Water Environment Research Foundation to support its Countywide Wetland Preservation and Restoration Plan. Despite having a comprehensive wetland inventory since 1992, Lake County lacks a countywide plan identifying wetlands needing preservation and/or restoration as a way to reduce flood damages, improve water quality, and protect high quality natural resources. The Northern Illinois Planning Commission has shown a loss of over 42% of its wetlands, and the County needs to preserve and restore their remaining wetlands. Continued losses could exacerbate flooding, and degrade water quality while continuing to negatively impact wetland resources. Funding would help them prepare a countywide plan that will identify key wetlands to preserve and restore, as a multi-objective method to reduce flood damages, improve water quality, and protect high quality natural resources. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $1, 953, 331 For Will County To Support Its Ridgewood Water And Sewage Project. In 2006, Obama requested $1,953,331 for Will County’s Ridgewood Water and Sewage Project. Ridgewood is located in northeast Joliet Township, in Will County, IL. The community has numerous under served residents and is plagued by inadequate drainage, sanitary sewers, portable water, and roadways. As a result, there have been a series of health hazards for Ridgewood's residents that are directly related to the sanitary sewer and portable water issues. Funding is needed to implement a 5-year program that will address both of these critical needs for County residents. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $405,000 For The Village Of Olympia Fields To Support Its Water Pumping System Improvement Program. In 2006, Obama requested $405,000 for the Village of Olympia Fields to support its Water Pumping System Improvement Program. The Village of Olympia Fields is located in south Cook County, Illinois, and has approximately 41.6 miles of aging existing water main that services the Village's residents and businesses. Their Project is essentially three-fold. The first phase of the Project is to complete a Hydraulic Water Model Study of the Village's current water system. The second phase includes installing Variable Frequency Drives on three of the four existing pumps within the Village's Water Pumping Station that are currently constant speed pumps, in order to meet the necessary demands and account for more or less, as required. The last phase includes installation of an improved system for remotely monitoring and controlling the Village's water pumping station, which will allow the Village to manage their sanitary and water system more efficiently. In addition, the new wireless system would allow both their Police and Fire departments to monitor the systems alerting them of dangerous situations that could impact health, safety or welfare of residents in the event of a system failure, vandalism, or domestic terrorist attack. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $750,000 For The Lakeview Museum’s Illinois River Interpretive Center. In 2006, Obama requested $750,000 for the Lakeview Museum’s Illinois River Interpretive Center. The Illinois River Interpretive Center will be a component within the new Central Illinois Regional Museum. The Museum Collaboration Group is designing and construction a new state-of-the-art museum facility in downtown Peoria. The Illinois River Interpretive Center will allow museum visitors, and Illinois students, an opportunity to follow a virtual timeline and learn about the river's progression from the ice age to present day, with a focus on education and environmental impacts. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $2 million For Lake County’s Watershed Plan Implementation Project. In 2006, Obama requested $2 million for Lake County’s Watershed Plan Implementation Project. Seven watersheds in the Lake County area have experienced flood damage along with degraded water quality and habitat due to urbanization and agricultural activity. Development pressure is increasing in all seven watersheds with potential to exacerbate the current flooding, water quality, and other problems in each watershed while also negatively impacting natural resources. Comprehensive watershed plans have been completed, or are nearing completion for each, and current management plans identify site-specific structural and non-structural solutions and eco-system restoration projects to remedy existing degradation. These projects will improve water quality and habitat while enhancing storm water management and infrastructure for each of the above listed watersheds. Lake County would benefit for federal funds, in order to implement the highest priority projects recommendations in each of these watersheds. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $1 Million For The Village of Park Forest To Support Its Water Main Distribution System. In 2006, Obama requested $1 million for the Village of Park Forest’s Water Main Distribution System. The Village of Park Forest plans to address two main issues: 1) reducing the frequency of water main breaks by addressing the structural and functional integrity of the water main distribution system and 2) meeting Insurance Services Office (ISO) fire flow requirements. Overall, the Village plans to replace the entire water distribution system, serving 23,000 residents, as necessary, with their main focus on the oldest and low flow water mains of the community and proceed to the newer and most compliant mains. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $500,000 For The University of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign To Support Its Midwest Technology Assistance Center For Small Public Water Systems. In 2006, Obama requested $500,000 for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to support its Midwest Technology Assistance Center for Small Public Water Systems. This Midwest Technology Assistance Center for Small Public Water Systems (MTAC) program directly benefits the citizens of the region, by improving small water supply systems so they comply with drinking water standards set by the USEPA and provide information and training about emergency issues, cost effective technologies for water treatment infrastructure, and human health. Water supply infrastructure is considered to be a major issue for future economic development in the region, and there are important human health issues emerging, related to how water is disinfected prior to human consumption. Several of the programs underway in MTAC have national significance including pesticide and nitrate contamination, compliance with lead and copper corrosion standards, management and maintenance of new technology, financing, and treatment for radio nuclides and arsenic. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $700,000 For The Village Of Riverdale’s Illinois Pacesetter Sewer/Water Project. In 2006, Obama requested $700,000 for the Village of Riverdale to support its Illinois Pacesetter Sewer/Water Project. The project entails replacing and upgrading the sewer and water lines and is a crucial component of the redevelopment of dilapidated residential properties adjacent to abandoned industrial sites that are experiencing a resurrection as a regional economic anchor. The substandard housing conditions have bred a high incidence of crime and a negative perception of the Village as a whole, and it is one of the primary obstacles to Riverdale's rebirth. Industrial development cannot take place without commercial, housing and quality of life redevelopment, and this Sewer/Water Project an essential part of the overall project. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $8 Million For The City Of Chicago’s Drinking Water Security Initiative. In 2006, Obama requested $8 million for the City of Chicago’s Drinking Water Security Initiative project. The City of Chicago is requesting Congress to appropriate funds for its participation as a pilot city in EPA’s Water Sentinel Initiative, a water security program to help large cities protect their water distribution systems from terrorism. With pilot status and the requested funding, the City will launch a four-year effort to evaluate and deploy early warning systems to protect Chicago’s drinking water distribution network which provides drinking water to 43% of the Illinois residents, or 5.5 million people. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, 4/7/06]
Obama Requested $1.5 million For The Illinois State Geological Survey To Support Its Central Great Lakes Geologic Mapping Coalition Project. In 2006, Obama requested $1.5 million for the Illinois State Geological Survey receive $1.5 million to support its Central Great Lakes Geologic Mapping Coalition project. Surveys are tasked with mapping the geology of high priority areas within the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. In Illinois, three dimensional mapping is focused in the Chicago metropolitan area where extreme development pressures require our information to delineate and protect groundwater and surface water resources that are critical supplies for drinking and economic development. [Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies, 4/7/06]
LABOR/HEALTH/EDUCATION
Obama Requested $1 Million For The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urban Teaching and Leadership Center In 2006, Obama requested $1 million for the UIC College of Education is the major supplier of new teachers for the Chicago Public Schools. The College Is recognized for its commitment to prepare high quality teachers and leaders to work in high-poverty, predominantly minority, schools. It is a leader in the preparation of both special education and bilingual teachers; over one-third of the College’s graduates take jobs in schools with predominantly Latino populations. The funds requested will be used to support the direct costs associated with the establishment of the Center. Other Federal grants and private contracts and donations are expected to support specific activities associated with the work of the Center. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $500,000 For Kids Voting USA. In 2005, Obama requested $500,000 for Kids Voting USA is a non-partisan, non-profit organization, working to secure the future of democracy by preparing young people to become educated, engaged voters. It aims to influence young citizens early in their lives and often throughout their development, and arms them with valuable knowledge in the classroom and applied at the polls. Funds for the program will be used to establish and manage a Kids Voting program in the Chicago region. These efforts will include the creation of Illinois-specific materials, the provision of materials and support to teachers, students and school administrators, outreach to local communities and organizations, and the recruitment of an advisory board. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $200,000 For The Teen Challenge Faith-Based Drug Abuse Treatment And Prevention Program In Illinois. In 2006, Obama requested $200,000 for the Teen Challenge, a faith-based drug abuse treatment and prevention program that operates statewide. After completion of the program, 72 percent of Teen Challenge graduates continue their education, 75 percent are employed, 87.5 percent do not require additional treatment for substance abuse, and 92 percent report good-to-excellent health. Vocational training is essential to successful drug abuse treatment, and this program produces graduates with job skills that allow them to become self-sufficient and return to their communities as productive members of society. To expand the scope of their work throughout Chicago, additional funding is requested to pay for the enrollment of an additional 30 individuals per month. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $3 Million For The Safer Foundation. In 2006, Obama requested $3 million for the Safer Foundation. Established in 1972, the Safer Foundation is the nation's leading community-based provider of employment, educational, and social services for ex-offenders, helping them become productive, law-abiding members of their communities. Safer provides a variety of direct, outcome-based services to former offenders, including supportive services, education, job placement assistance, pre-employment training and substance abuse prevention. Safer is expanding its own capacity to provide services in the highest-need communities within Chicago and several counties throughout Illinois. The State-wide Partnership to Reduce Recidivism initiative would need $9 million over the next 3 years, with $3 million in FY 2007. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $500,000 For Goodwill Industries Of Metropolitan Chicago. In 2006, Obama requested $500,000 for the Goodwill Industries Of Metropolitan Chicago. Investment in this two-year pilot program will bring pre-employment services to communities where little or no service exist. In doing so, this would improve the workforce skills for individuals with little formal education, reduce unemployment, and reduce criminal recidivism. Pre-employment skills training is a 90-hour educational program focusing on appropriate behaviors, attitudes, and communications in the work environment. Skills training include lessons in computer literacy, decision-making, planning, personal finance, and anger management. Participants receive interactive instruction in completing job applications, writing resumes, and interviewing with employers. Finally, support services are provided to participants while they are enrolled in services as well as after employment begins. Continued support for this program is crucial to providing a means for those interested in entering the workforce. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $335,000 For The Chicago Zoological Society Of The Brookfield Zoo To Support Its Excellence Through Diversity Program. In 2006, Obama requested $335,000 for the Chicago Zoological Society of the Brookfield Zoo to support its Excellence Through Diversity program. $335,000 for the The Chicago Zoological Society is recognized throughout the State of Illinois and the country as a leader in promoting biological diversity and providing outstanding recreational and educational opportunities for its two million annual visitors. A newly initiated year-long strategic planning process has set the goal of increasing diversity throughout the Board, staff, volunteers, and guests. Staff diversity is an ongoing challenge for the Chicago Zoological Society, especially in the area of science. This multi-prong program will specifically address this challenge so they can better assist minority students and young professionals in obtaining the skills and training necessary to pursue a career in a zoological setting. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $1 Million For National-Louis University To Support Its Center for City Schools' Secondary Reading Initiative. In 2006, Obama requested $1 million for the National-Louis University to support its Center for City Schools' Secondary Reading Initiative. Since 1994, the Center for City Schools' Secondary Reading Initiative has been a major provider of teacher deployment, parent involvement, leadership training and instruction-driven school reform for dozens of Chicagoland Schools. The Center promotes education which respects teachers and students own thinking and the prior knowledge they bring to their training, and recognizes that successful learners must be helped to take initiative and create new knowledge themselves. In addition, the Center works to improve communication between schools seeking help and the many educators at National-Louis with in-depth knowledge regarding the particular needs of urban teachers and learners. The ensure the continued impact of the Secondary Reading Initiative, it is important that funding be continued in the coming year. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $500,000 For The Salud Latina Resource Center To Support Its Community Health Programs. In 2006, Obama requested $500,000 for the Salud Latina Resource Center to support its Community Health Programs.The role of Salud Latina/Latino Health has become interwoven with the need to effectively develop resources in response to critical concerns raised by the sudden awareness of health disparities affecting Latinos. Due to this urgent need, these programs would provide technical assistance to state public health and county health departments, strengthen the capacity of the Salud Latina Resource Center to engage public offices and community providers, increase the capacity of Latino organizations to participate as stakeholders in state and local planning on human health services, and promote the development of collaborative relationships among research and Latino community-based organizations to improve surveillance and other data systems that monitor health status and outcomes in Illinois. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $2 million For The Illinois State University Institutes For Mathematics And Science Teachers Program. In 2006, Obama requested $2 million for the Illinois State University Institutes for Mathematics and Science Teachers program. As the second-largest teacher education institution in the United States, graduating approximately 1,000 students a year in teacher preparation, Illinois State University is uniquely positioned to assist Illinois in producing more math and science teachers. The proposed Institutes for Math and Science Teachers will specifically recruit students from diverse backgrounds and throughout the state to pursue math and science degrees. Research has repeatedly pointed to teachers as the key to improving student achievement, and the creation of a highly qualified teacher force through the help of this program would be instrumental in increasing the number of students interested in pursuing a degree in math or science. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $2.5 million For Illinois State University’s Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline Programs and Partnerships Program. In 2006, Obama requested $2.5 million for the Illinois State University to support its Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline Programs and Partnerships program. In response to calls for schools to prepare our urban teachers, Illinois State University and Chicago Public Schools initiated the first Professional Development School site at the Eli Whitney Elementary School. Eight Chicago Teacher Education Pipeline students are completing a full year of in-service residency in addition to senior-year methodology coursework taught onsite. Yearlong residency programs such as this one will help provide future teachers with rich opportunities to observe, reflect, and deal with problems associated with establishing their own classrooms - including management strategies that do not translate well from text-based theory. Expansion of this program would allow this partnership to increase urban teacher recruitment, improve urban teacher preparation, and improve teacher retention in the hard-to-staff inner-city schools. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $500,000 For The Illinois Downstate Assistive Technology Evaluation, Training And Device Loan Program. In 2006, Obama requested $500,000 for the Illinois Downstate Assistive Technology Evaluation, Training and Device Loan Program. Through the establishment of the Illinois Downstate Assistive Technology Evaluation, Training and Device Loan Program, individuals with disabilities will have greater access to qualified staff to assist them with their needs. Individuals with disabilities will also be able to borrow assistive technology devices to ensure that it best meets their needs. Establishment of this downstate program would ensure those with disabilities in Southern Illinois are provided with quick access to assistive technology that could drastically improve their lifestyle. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $1.2 Million For The ACCESS Community Health Network Behavioral Health Care Activities. In 2006, Obama requested $1.2 million for the ACCESS Community Health Network to support its Behavioral Health Care. ACCESS Community Healthy Network operates freestanding community health centers in underserved communities throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. It is their mission to provide high quality primary and preventive health care to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. ACCESS' would establish a primary care team to collaborate with a behavioral health team to jointly identify and treat a variety of behavioral health issues found in our patients. Services offered would include screening for depression and prenatal depression; assessment and diagnosis of mental health disorders; individual and family therapy; pastoral counseling, medication management; and linkage to inpatient mental health treatment facilities. Funding would go towards a three-year demonstration on the potentially positive impact of providing behavioral health care in a primary care setting. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama requested $200,000 For the Knowledge Is Power Program’s (KIPP) Ascend Charter School in Chicago. In 2006, Obama requested $200,000 For the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) to support the KIPP Ascend Charter School in Chicago. The KIPP Ascend Charter School, which opened in the summer of 2003, is modeled on the two original KIPP Academies and has grown to serve the fifth through eighth grade in middle school. KIPP schools are tuition-free, open enrollment, college prep public middle schools, and the students are accepted regardless of prior academic record or socioeconomic background. 100 percent of KIPP Ascend students are African American or Latino, 90 percent qualify for the free and reduced meal program. In order to continue serving students in this high-need community and maintain their stellar student achievement record, $200,000 in federal funding is needed to help ensure that these talented students in Chicago are able to continue on the path to college and life-long success. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $2.2 Million For The Center For Neighborhood Technology’s Information For Communities Project. In 2006, Obama requested $2.2 million for the Center for Neighborhood Technology’s Information For Communities Project. For over 20 years, the Center for Neighborhood Technology has been one of the leading developers of community information systems in the United States. They have built an array of tools that are instrumental for residents and institutions to understand and benefit from their changing community. Four major functions of this program will include filling community information gaps through newspapers and radio, strengthening relationships between businesses, organizations and the community residents, support arts and education in the community, and encouraging new networks and services that could alert residents to housing opportunities or even reduce health and environmental risks in the area. Support for this community information system would help to serve the everyday needs of urban families and their neighborhood institutions, thereby improving the quality of life in the community. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $2 Million for Chicago Public Schools’ CPS Reading Initiative (CRI). In 2006, Obama requested $2 million for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to support its Chicago Public Schools Reading Initiative (CRI). CRI provides the district with a framework for building capacity at the school, area, and district levels. In line with this research, the emphasis is on Word Knowledge (Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Vocabulary), Comprehension, Fluency, and Writing. To deepen the knowledge of the CRI components and to bring more consistency to instruction within the district, the CPS Office of Literacy introduced the High Quality Literacy Instruction Handbook in the fall of 2004. This handbook presents descriptions of teacher and student behaviors that should be observed when a teacher is implementing recommended instructional practices with high fidelity. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $250,000 For The Chicago Park District’s Obesity Prevention-Affordable Fitness Centers. In 2006, Obama requested $250,000 for the Chicago Park District’s Obesity Prevention-Affordable Fitness Centers. To help reduce obesity and related health problems in Chicago neighborhoods, the Chicago Park District in 2005 launched a 5-year project to install or update fitness centers at approximately 30 Park District field houses, primarily in low-income neighborhoods. The project is intended to make fitness opportunities available in neighborhoods where residents don’t have other convenient options for fitness and don’t have the financial means to join private health clubs. The concept is an innovative idea that cities and park districts across the country can replicate in the national fight against obesity. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $1 Million For Alton Memorial Hospital To Support Its Riverbend Stroke Center. In 2006, Obama requested $1 million for the Alton Memorial Hospital to support its Riverbend Stroke Center. Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the United States today, and a leading cause of long-term disability. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 3 minutes. Evidence now shows that early detection and treatment greatly reduces morbidity and a study in the Journal of American Medicine reported that patients who receive care in a designated Stroke Unit versus a general medical unit had a 17% reduction in deaths. A stroke center at the Alton Memorial Hospital, with nearly 900 professional staff and 222 beds, would greatly benefit the River Bend area of Illinois. A 3-hour window of treatment is ideal for stroke victims, and the closest treatment facility is currently 150 miles away in Peoria. A stroke center at Alton Memorial would not only reduce morbidity, but also improve long term outcomes for stroke patients in the River Bend area. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $1 million For The Lakeview Museum To support Its K-12 Education And Outreach Program At The Central Illinois Regional Museum. In 2006, Obama requested $1 million for the Lakeview Museum to support its K-12 Education and Outreach at the Central Illinois Regional Museum. The Museum Collaboration Group and Lakeview Museum are designing and constructing a new state-of-the-art museum in downtown Peoria. Total museum space will exceed 111,000 square feet and features an innovative design that triples the current amount of exhibit space. In order to plan, design and implement additional educational components the museum provides to K-12 students from throughout the region and state. Such components would include exhibits, classroom equipment, technology infrastructure and enhancements to the museum's successful outreach programming. Funding will also go to support the first African American oral history center in downstate Illinois and the new facility will serve the educational needs of over 25 Central Illinois counties, including some of the most scarcely populated and low-income communities. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $500,000 For McHenry County’s Job Readiness Program. In 2006, Obama requested $500,000 for McHenry County’s Job Readiness Program. Over the past decade, McHenry County has seen a dramatic increase in the Latino population, and demographics show that almost 50% of this population do not have a high school diploma or GED. This has created a need to reach out and recruit this under-served population into the local workforce development system. This will assist them in obtaining the education and skills they will need to become productive, gainfully employed County residents. McHenry County has a current program budget for out-of-school youth, but additional funding would allow them to better serve the rising population and provide opportunities for approximately 50 additional youth per year. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $300,000 For The Lawson House YMCA’s Targeted Case Management Service For Veterans. In 2006, Obama requested $300,000 for the Lawson House YMCA’s Targeted Case Management Service for Veterans. The Lawson House YMCA is the housing flagship Y of the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, and is the largest and longest-serving provider of single-room occupancy supportive housing in the Midwest. Additional funding would allow the Y to fund two case managers and cover related expenses over three years to expand and enhance case management services for veterans and other extremely low-income residents of the YMCA's five supportive housing buildings. Specifically, the grant would fund additional case managers to: Identify all veterans living in the Y's 1,500 units; Educate veterans and other extremely low-income YMCA residents about disability and other benefits; Advocate for veterans at all five facilities; Build partnerships to secure more job opportunities and referrals to training; and Assist veterans and other low income residents with public benefits and link them with available community services. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $4 million For The Children’s Memorial Medical Center’s Electronic Medical Record Project. In 2006, Obama requested $4 million for the Children’s Memorial Medical Center’s Electronic Medical Record Project. The Children's Memorial Medical Center is Illinois' only freestanding acute care hospital dedicated exclusively to children, serving 102,000 children throughout Illinois in the past year. The hospital has now committed to an Electronic Medical Records initiative that includes both the hospital and its physicians. The purpose is to provide clinicians electronic access to 100% of the data required to treat patients in order to improve patient safety, patient-centered coordination of care, patient satisfaction, and communication with referring physicians. Sophisticated health information management is critical to the future of medicine and funding for this initiative would help make that a reality for Illinois health care. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $1 million For The Chicago State University (CSU) HIV/AIDS Policy And Research Institute. In 2006, Obama requested $1 million for the Chicago State University (CSU) and its HIV/AIDS Policy and Research Institute. The institute supports local outreach, education, prevention and research efforts related to curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS among the disproportionately affected, African American population. Data confirm HIV as a leading cause of death for African Americans, in almost every age group (from one-year to 65 years and older). Moreover, the rate of incidence is higher for African Americans than any other racial group. In response to the growing HIV/AIDS crisis in the African American population, CSU has undertaken a bold and comprehensive approach to assist with efforts in the South Side of Chicago. The effort is endorsed and supported by the Illinois Department of Health and the General Assembly. Federal resources are needed to continue the effort and to ensure evaluation and replication of the project. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $1 million For Chicago State University’s (CSU) Establishment Of A School Of Pharmacy. In 2006, Obama requested $1 million for Chicago State University’s effort to establish a School Of Pharmacy. Chicago State University (CSU) is well on its way to establishing the School of Pharmacy, which will prepare competent pharmacy practitioners who are committed to patient care, reflect humanistic values, embrace change and contribute to the renewal of the profession. Currently, there are two schools offering professional programs for pharmacy in Illinois and according to the National Association of Chain Drug Stores there are over 7000 pharmacists needed across the country - in chain stores alone. In addition to filling this national need, it would offer an important opportunity for interested students on the far south side of Chicago and surrounding suburbs. Support for this program would make CSU to only predominately African-American school in the Midwest with such a program. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $500,000 For The University Of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Online Science Teacher Certification Program. In 2006, Obama requested $500,000 for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Online Science Teacher Certification program, which provides opportunities for individuals to complete a science degree and get their science certification through an online program at the University of Illinois at Springfield (UIS). It will help address the shortage of qualified science teachers in the school districts throughout Illinois, which need more highly qualified teachers to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act. In addition, the online program will provide this educational opportunity to individuals who are not able to participate in traditional campus programs due to family and work responsibilities. UIS has established a successful online math and teacher certification program and funding would go directly towards mirroring this success for the Online Science Teacher Certification program. [Obama Request Letter To Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $250,000 For McHenry County’s Mental Health Court. In 2006, Obama requested that McHenry County receive $250,000 to support its Mental Health Court. McHenry County is experiencing a quickly growing population of offenders who have mental disorders, and circulate in and out of the criminal justice system. Jailing individuals whose offenses are related more to the symptoms of mental illness perpetuates the cycle of offenses and incarceration, rather than providing the appropriate treatment for these individuals. This request would allow for additional specialized staffing for the Court, including a Program Coordinator, Probation Officer, Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Social Worker and Psychiatrist. This will not be viewed as an on-going entitlement, but a means to initiate a program that the County is confident will pay for itself over time. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $450,000 For Swedish American Health System’s Davis Junction Rural Health Center Clinic. In 2006, Obama requested that Swedish American Health System receive $450,000 to support its Davis Junction Rural Health Clinic. SwedishAmerican is a not-for-profit, locally owned and operated health care system dedicated to excellence in healthcare and compassionate service for the rural communities it serves in Illinois. The Davis Junction facility is a primary care clinic serving the residents of Davis Junction and over 150 square miles surrounding Davis Junction in Ogle County. It currently serves the community through a 1,700 square foot temporary trailer that houses two exam rooms. These conditions are insufficient to serve the health care needs of the community as they are cramped and outmoded for the 5,000 appointments per year and 20 per day, with only one attending doctor. The cornerstone of the Davis Junction expansion and improvement is the replacement of the trailer with a permanent facility to better serve the community’s manifold health needs. The new clinic would be 4,500 square feet and contain four exam rooms, thereby doubling the clinic's capacity and ability to serve its patients. It would also provide space for radiology equipment and allow the community to receive radiology screening without having to travel to other providers for these important services. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $360,000 For Library And Technology Learning Center At Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. In 2006, Obama requested that Cristo Rey Jesuit High School receive $360,000 to support its Library and Technology Learning. Cristo Rey provides a college preparatory education to over 500 youth in a densely populated, high-need area of Chicago where the neighborhood public high school is struggling with a 59% graduation rate. Gangs, drugs and violence plague the neighborhood. In order to provide tools that will be a resource for the entire community, Cristo Rey is seeking to better equip its Library and Technology Learning Center and provide a much needed space for students and community groups to congregate. Funds would be used to purchase books, periodicals, tapes, on-line databases, computer hardware, printers, an electronic security system and furniture for the space. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $800,000 For A Training And Resource Center Of The Swedish Covenant Hospital. In 2006, Obama requested that that Swedish Covenant Hospital receive $800,000 to support its Training and Resource Center. Covenant Hospital is a 320-bed urban community hospital, the only independent non-profit hospital serving the culturally diverse north side of Chicago. Founded in 1886 by missionaries of the Swedish Evangelical Covenant Church, the hospital employs more than 2000 staff members, whose demographic make-up mirrors the cultural diversity of the communities served. The Hospital has established plans to implement a staff-training program and Community Health Resources Center to provide much needed access and assistance to the culturally diverse communities on the near north side of Chicago which is served by the Hospital. As part of the initial implementation and training, Swedish Covenant Hospital will provide an eight-hour educational program for each employee. The training will prepare the employee on the concept of patient-centered care with an emphasis on patient education. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $300,000 For An Extended-Day And Extended Year Academic Program At The Chicago Jesuit Academy. In 2006, Obama requested Chicago Jesuit Academy receive $300,000 to support its Extended-Day and Extended-Year Academic. The Chicago Jesuit Academy is a tuition free college prep middle school for disadvantaged students on Chicago's West Side, and they are interested in augmenting their traditional academic program through an extended-day and extended-school year to better provide additional educational resources to the West Side community. The extended-day and extended-year aspects of the Academy help address two critical challenges faced by incoming students: literacy skills several grades below grade level and deficiencies in basic math skills. The program will also include supplementary intensive tutoring and supplementary supervision of homework in reading and math to bring these students up to grade-level performance in subject areas. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $900,000 For An Early Childhood Professional Development Center At Saint Xavier University. In 2006, Obama requested that Saint Xavier University receive $900,000 to support its Early Childhood Professional Development Center. The importance of quality early childhood programs to the well-being of a child's positive growth and development has been well established and documented. A shortage of well prepared teachers of young children who understand and demonstrate appropriate interactions, curricula, and the relationship of theory to practice is well documented in Illinois. Due to the growing need to expand and prepare early childhood teachers and to increase the skills of existing teachers of young children, Saint Xavier University would like to expand its current demonstration site for early childhood teacher education to best meet the demand in the southwest Chicago metropolitan area. Currently, the University has a collaborative partnership with the Chicago Public Schools and the community to provide administrative and professional development to teachers and administrators at the Barbara Vick Early Childhood and Family Center, which is a Chicago Public School. Saint Xavier University is requesting federal funds to expand and enhance the preparation of early childhood teacher, the professional development of early childhood teachers, and services to young children. The School of Education at the University would establish an Early Childhood Professional Development Center that would increase the number of infants, toddlers and families that can be served in the area. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $700,000 For Youth Conservation Corps, Inc. For A GED Program. In 2006, Obama requested that Youth Conservation Corps., Inc. receive $700,000 to support its GED Program. Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) is an organization with the mission of developing youth and young adults into productive citizens, working, participating and living in Lake County, Illinois. YCC provides alternative education for GED or high school diploma, college preparation, vocational training, life skills, counseling, workforce skills training, career development opportunities, job placement, and follow-up with graduate services. Sustaining the Youthbuild Program in Lake County will help 16-24 year old high school drop outs obtain their GEDs, and teach construction skills, while building affordable housing in Waukegan, Illinois. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $1.8 Million For The Illinois Department Of Public Health To Conduct A Men’s Health Pilot Project. In 2006, Obama requested that Illinois Department of Public Health receive $1.8 million to support its Men's Health Pilot Project. This would enable the State of Illinois to design and implement a comprehensive health and social services model to address men's health issues with and emphasis on underserved males. The funding would be used to build Men's Health Program infrastructure, establish a statewide network of services to underserved men, and provide technical assistance and training to established agencies for outreach, screening and health education. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $700,000 For Expansion Of The Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant Project By The Illinois Department Of Public Health. In 2006, Obama requested that Illinois Department of Human Services receive $700,000 to support its Expansion of the Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant Project. This program would expand an existing pilot project that provides training, consultation and technical assistance directly to child care practitioners. This money would allow expansion to 17 additional sites around the state. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $500,000 For The Uhlich Children’s Network To Support Its Adolescent Mental Health Service Support Program. In 2006, Obama requested that Uhlich Children's Advantage Network receive $500,000 to support its Adolescent Mental Health Service Support program. For more than 140 years, the Uhlich Children's Advantage Network (UCAN), has helped thousands of Chicago's children and families cope with the devastation of domestic violence. UCAN clients receive a combination of individual, group and family therapy designed to meet their needs and develop health interpersonal relationships. Children participate in therapy weekly and remain involved until they have reached a point of clinical success. Clinical goals include: empowering victims to make positive choices; reducing the risk of subsequent victimizations; upon completion of services, each patient will be able to identify who to contact for safety should victimization, or the risk thereof, occur again; and each participant will have a better understanding of tools to discourage unsafe situations from happening to them. Federal funding to support the UCAN mental health services to clients in the child welfare system is critical to stopping the cycles of violence and abuse in families, and assisting in the prevention of future victimizations. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $2.5 Million For The Children’s Hospital Of Illinois’ Replacement Project. In 2006, Obama requested that the Children's Hospital of Illinois receive $2.5 million to support its Children's Hospital of Illinois Replacement Project. The Children's Hospital of Illinois is a public, non-profit hospital that is part of a 6 hospital non-profit health system. Unfortunately, the Hospital's facilities are decades behind in size and design and are unable to properly accommodate the very real needs of pediatric physician specialists and the young patients they serve. In response, the Hospital is undertaking this $224 million project to replace the current building with a state-of-the-art Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit that will include 18 procedure rooms, and a total of 143 inpatient beds. Federal support would be key in helping the Hospital make this much needed transition. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $942,400 For Cyber Seniors, Inc.’s Senior Power Program. In 2006, Obama requested that Cyber Seniors, Inc. receive $942,400 to support its Experience Senior Power Program. Cyber Seniors teams at-risk children and disadvantaged senior citizens for computer and job skills training, to bridge the digital divide and eradicate the cycle of poverty. This intergenerational teaching approach builds adoptive grandparent relationships for youngsters with few positive role models, providing both generations with new skills and a sense of community. Federal funds will be used to maintain and expand the Cyber Seniors Experience Senior Power Program in five locations throughout the Chicago area. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $5 Million For Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Prentice Woman’s Hospital. In 2006, Obama requested that Northwestern Memorial Hospital receive $5 million to support its Prentice Woman’s Hospital. The current Prentice Women's Hospital is the largest birthing center in a 7 state region with nearly 10,000 babies born annually. This is partially due to population growth in the area, resulting in a 100% increase in deliveries since 1985, and this 1970s facility is now reaching maximum capacity. Northwestern Memorial Hospital has begun construction of a new Prentice Women's Hospital to replace the current facility and provide comprehensive care for women of all ages, and will include a comprehensive array of state-of-the-art services for women's contemporary health needs. Since its current quarters cannot support future technological needs and anticipated growth to more than 10,000 deliveries by 2010, funding to support construction costs would greatly aid in meeting the demand from this growing community. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $1 Million For Catholic Charities’ St. Leo Residence For Veterans And VA Clinic And Resources Center. In 2006, Obama requested that Catholic Charities receive $1 million to support its St. Leo Residence for Veterans and VA Clinic & Resource Center. The St. Leo Residence for Veterans is a project that would house 141 veterans, provide supportive services and counseling with the goal of making them self-sufficient, require each veteran to seek/obtain/maintain employment, and maintain strict guidelines about sobriety as a condition of occupancy. Services will include medical health care, mental health counseling, Veterans Benefits Administration, Veterans Resource Center and an employment training program operated by the Dept. of Labor. In addition, Catholic Charities will provide case managers to work with the veterans in the Residence. Funding for this Center would go towards construction of apartments and running the outpatient clinic and resource center. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $650,000 For A Real-time Writers And Captioning Program At Sparks College. In 2006, Obama requested that Sparks College receive $650,000 to support its Real-time Writers and Captioning program. Sparks College is seeking funds to train the technological workforce to provide captioning and other services mandated by the 1996 Telecommunications Act to approximately 1 million deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in Illinois. These funds will assist with continuing curriculum development, technology upgrades, promoting the program and scholarships. Funding will work to curb the shortage of captioners in the workforce and ensure that the highly skilled captioners necessary to meet the mandates will be available in the community and across the state. In addition, this funding will train individuals in a high-tech center career that will provide high paying jobs not only in the community but also throughout Illinois and across the nation. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $5 Million For Loyola University’s Center For Public Service. In 2006, Obama requested that Loyola University receive $5 million to support its Center for Public Service. The Primary focus of the Center for Public Service will be leadership, highlighting the impact that individual men and women can have upon a civil society, through their dedication to public service. The Center will promote public service through career and internship development, certificate programs, publications, as well as special events and lectures. It will also highlight significant contributions to the public good made by individual Illinois leaders. Functioning much like a presidential or congressional library, the Center will sponsor research and scholarship, special exhibits, conferences, a speaker series, internships, workshops, publications, and public outreach programs focused on civic education and public discourse. Funding is needed for office equipment, computers, printers, copiers, scanners, shelving, a conference center and meeting space, fire and security systems, carpeting, lighting, electrical and other related construction costs. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $500,000 For The Children’s Health Fund’s Chicago Children’s Health Project. In 2006, Obama requested that Children's Health Fund receive $500,000 to support its Chicago Children's Health Project. The Children's Health Fund is a private, non-profit organization that develops and supports innovative pediatric programs to meet the health care needs of medically underserved children nationwide. The Health Project is affiliated with local Universities, and is a specially-equipped mobile medical van the serves twenty-one schools in the Chicago area, providing physical examinations, well and sick child care, immunizations, and health and developmental screenings. Referrals to subspecialty care at the University of Chicago hospitals are also available. Funding will allow the Children's Health Fund to expand and enhance the provision of mental health services to patients at the Chicago Children's Health Project. The availability of comprehensive mental health screening, referral and counseling services furthers the organization's goal of providing a full range of medical and psychological services to at-risk youth who would otherwise have little or no access to these services. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $2 Million For The Illinois Primary Health Care Association’s Electronic Health Records Project. In 2006, Obama requested that Illinois Primary Health Care Association receive $2 million to support its Electronic Health Records Project. The Illinois Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA) is undertaking an effort to assure the clear, concise retention and communication of patient-specific information among providers and payors in a manner that protects privacy. The goal of this effort is to promote quality, reduce costs, prevent medical errors and facilitate the detection of emerging disease. Funding will go towards equipment costs, software, training and implementing the transition. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $5 Million For The City Colleges Of Chicago To Support Project ALIGN. In 2006, Obama requested that City Colleges of Chicago receive $5 million to support its Project Align. Project ALIGN is a high school/college partnership with the primary goal of improving the readiness of students from the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) - many of whom are minority and economically disadvantaged - to succeed in college. Project ALIGN has established permanent discipline councils in mathematics and English comprised of CPS high school teachers and faculty from the seven City Colleges and five partner universities. The project aims to improve instruction in each of the core disciplines at all 105 Chicago high schools, as well as the remedial offerings of the City Colleges of Chicago. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $6 Million For The Midwest Emergency Department Services’ Rural Emergency Access Safety Net Program. In 2006, Obama requested that Midwest Emergency Department Services receive $6 million to support its Rural Emergency Access Safety Net Program. Downstate Illinois faces a severe problem in the area of emergency healthcare access and service delivery for thousands of citizens spread throughout numerous rural counties. Funding could ensure that many of downstate Illinois' emergency health care needs are properly addressed. Specifically, they have devised the Rural Emergency Access Safety Net Program which would aid in: 1) Recruitment and retention of qualified emergency care practitioners through fellowships and stipends, and 2) Obtaining essential life-saving medical equipment. Funding would cover program costs for approximately 3 years. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $200,000 For The Guardian Angel Community Service’s Before-And-After School Enrichment Program. In 2006, Obama requested that Guardian Angel Community Services receive $200,000 to support its Before-and-After School Enrichment Program. The Guardian Angel Before-and-After School Enrichment Program was established to provide a low-cost day care to families in which both parents work. They offer program participants, children in grades K through 6, tutoring, mentoring and a safe environment in the morning from 6:00am to 8:30am and in the afternoon from 3:00pm to 6:00pm. During both sessions, they provide help with homework, social skill development, self-esteem building, and an appreciation and awareness of different cultures. The program fee is very inexpensive compared to other day care programs in the area, but the fee still poses a problem for many of the families they serve. Funding would go towards lowering the current costs these families are facing. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $162,000 To The Cristo Rey Jesuit High School For Its Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Work Study Internship Program. In 2006, Obama requested that Cristo Rey Jesuit High School receive $162,000 to support its Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Work Study Internship Program. Funding for the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School Work Study Internship Program will go towards financing 6 work study positions at local non-profit organizations. This will ensure a first class college preparatory education and work study program is accessible to needy young people, while also providing valuable support staff to worthy non-profits in their Chicago neighborhood. The program initially served as a financial proposition to pay the costs of running the school, while exposing the students to the many real world and academic benefits of a job. However, it has evolved into an innovative means of providing students with crucial hands-on, white-collar work experience, while simultaneously empowering them to take an active part in financing a major portion of their education. As a result of working in a business environment, students acquire desirable job experience and marketable skills, develop a network of business contacts, gain exposure to a wide variety of career opportunities, refine a strong work ethic and increase their self-esteem. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $1.95 Million For The Will County Health Department To Support Its Mentally Ill Substance Abuse Programs. In 2006, Obama requested that Will County Health Department receive $1.95 million to support its Mentally Ill Substance Abuser Programs. Will County is the second fastest growing county in Illinois, and one of the top five fastest growing counties in the United States. Due to this population growth and the displacement of individuals with special needs, there is a critical need to expand mental health and substance abuse services in the County, and there is a complete absence of Mentally Ill Substance Abuse Programs in the area. Funding for this program would provide supportive and case management services that are intended to assist and empower the client in obtaining and maintaining access and linkage to mental health and other resources needed to assist the client in living and functioning in the community. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $312,202 For Helen Wheeler Center For Community Mental Health’s Child And Family Services Program. In 2006, Obama requested that Helen Wheeler Center for Community Mental Health receive $312,202 to support its Child and Family Services Program. The Helen Wheeler Center (HWC) is a not-for-profit outpatient behavioral health clinic that serves the residents of Kankakee County in Illinois. The HWC is funded by the IL Department of Human Services, the Office of Mental Health, and the IL Department of Healthcare and Family Services, as well as the United Way of Kankakee County. HWC is seeking technology to adapt to the funding changes in or service delivery system and to streamline daily activities to allow for the maximization of the delivery care. They need to capacity to update their billing system, streamline clinical recordkeeping, and develop a system by which the two can interface in order to maximize productivity and efficiency and expedite the billing process. Current funding levels are not sufficient to meet this need. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $250,000 For The Beecher hall At Illinois College. In 2006, Obama requested that Illinois College receive $250,000 to support its Beecher Hall. Beecher Hall was dedicated in 1829 as the first higher education building in Illinois. As the oldest college building in Illinois, Beecher Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is an official Underground Railroad Site on the National Park Service's "Network to Freedom." It is a historically significant structure that is significant to the College campus and the area, and funding is important to ensure the restoration and preservation of this landmark. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $1 Million For A Center For Communicative Disorders At Augustana College. In 2006, Obama requested that Augustana College receive $1 million to support its Center for Communicative Disorders. The Center serves numerous patients who are afflicted with communicative disorders, and plays an invaluable role in the ability of the College to recruit and retain high quality teachers/scholars committed to ongoing, active and original research. Federal funding would go towards meeting the critical renovation and upgrade needs to the facility for its infrastructure base for the CSD Program and the Center for Communicative Disorders, including clinic rooms, lab space, equipment, and handicap access. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $400,000 For The Carr Center Second Floor Renovation Of Seguin Services. In 2006, Obama requested that Seguin Services receive $400,000 to support its Carr Center Second Floor Renovation. Seguin Services is a 501c3 organization that serves about 230 adults with disabilities in our residential programs, 325 adults with disabilities in our community employment and training programs, and 160 children with disabilities and other special needs, all from the greater Chicagoland area. Their mission is to support adults and children with disabilities and other special needs, enabling them to be productive, valued members of society. They have a have need for federal funding for their Carr Center Second Floor Renovation project. This project will provide state-of-the-art classrooms, labs, and computer technology to assist the 370 low-income adults and children with developmental disabilities in job skill building and job finding. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education, 4/5/06]
Obama Requested $2.5 Million For The Center For Excellence In Health Professionals Education At Governors State University. In 2006, Obama requested that Governors State University receive $2.5 million to support its Center for Excellence in Health Professions Education. Governors State University is uniquely qualified to develop this Center for a number of reasons. First, healthcare professional education has been central to the University’s offerings since it was founded more than 35 years ago. Second, GSU serves a diverse population of working adults, many of whom are first generation college attendees. Third, in keeping with the University’s mission, Governors State strives to remain accessible and affordable, with the lowest university tuition in the Chicago area. In addition, Issues in Black Higher Education ranked Governors State 15th in the nation among majority institutions conferring graduate degrees to minority students.
TRANSPORTATION/HUD
Obama Requested $200,000 For The Peoria County’s Get The Lead Out Program In Peoria County, Illinois. In 2006, Obama requested $200,000 for the Get the Lead Out program in Peoria County, Illinois. Funding was specified for equipment and costs related to the physical lead removal program for domestic dwellings and structures in order to reduce the occurrences of childhood lead poisoning in low-income families most affected by this problem. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Transportation, Treasury, HUD, 7/14/06]
Obama Requested $200,000 For The City Of Rock Island’s The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center. In 2006, Obama requested $200,000 for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center in Rock Island, Illinois. Funding will be used for renovation and construction on the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center serving the surrounding low-income community. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Transportation, Treasury, HUD, 7/14/06]
Obama Requested $200,000 For The Decatur Lakefront Development Project. In 2006, Obama requested $200,000 for the Decatur Lakefront Development project. Funding was specified for construction and development of the lakefront area with the purpose of promoting economic development of the currently diminished area. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Transportation, Treasury, HUD, 7/14/06]
Obama Requested $200,000 In Funding For The Shawneetown Community Center And Children’s Park. In 2006, Obama requested $200,000 in funding for the Shawneetown Community Center And Children’s Park. The funding was specified for construction of a children's park, including a play station and adjoining community center to serve as the centerpiece for redevelopment of the largest town in Gallatin County, one of the poorest counties in Illinois. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Transportation, Treasury, HUD, 7/14/06]
FISCAL YEAR 2006
AGRICULTURE
Obama Requested $1.6 Million And Helped Secure $815,000 For The Livestock Genome Sequencing Initiative (LGSI) At The University Of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2005, Obama requested $1.6 million and helped secure $815,000 for the Livestock Genome Sequencing Initiative (LGSI) at the University of Illinois-Champaign. The LGSI is part of an international effort to identify every gene of the cattle and swine species by both its unique DNA sequence and location on specific chromosomes. In addition, LGSI research is building a database to identify the function of these genes. Mapping and sequencing the cattle and swine genome will provide the basis for future biological research by improving livestock productivity and public health. [House Report 109-255 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, 2005]
Obama Requested $2 Million And Helped Secure $1.17 Million For The Illinois/Missouri Biotechnology Alliance. In 2005, Obama requested $2 million and helped secure $1.17 million for the Illinois Missouri Biotechnology Alliance (IMBA). IMBA provides grants for biotechnology research to develop new uses and markets for corn and soybeans produced in the Midwest, increase productivity, and minimize the adverse environmental impacts of corn and soybean production. In addition, it focuses on assessing the economic and social issues associated with agricultural biotechnology. [House Report 109-255 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, 2005]
Obama Requested $3 Million And Helped Secure $666,000 For The Future Foods Program At The University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign. In 2005, Obama requested $3 million and received $666,000 for the Future Foods Initiative at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and their interdisciplinary research to improve public health by utilizing the functional compounds of food products. The Future Food Initiative focuses on the relationship between the functional compounds in foods and the incidence of chronic diseases in humans; the impact of processing and storage on the functionality of these compounds, and; processing and packaging procedures to reduce the risks of contamination. [House Report 109-255 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, 2005]
Obama Requested $2 Million And Helped Secure $1.076 Million For The Soybean Disease Biotechnology Center (SDBC) At The University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign. In 2005, Obama requested $2 million and helped secure $1.076 million for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and its continuing research efforts at the Soybean Disease Biotechnology Center (SDBC). The SDBC is using scientific advances in structural, comparative and functional genomics and genetic engineering, in order to protect soybean crops from diseases and improve their productivity. [House Report 109-255 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, 2005]
Obama Requested $1.8 Million And Helped Secure $100,000 For Modernization And Expansion Of Southern Illinois University’s Agricultural Research And Education Laboratories (ARELs). In 2005, Obama requested $1.8 million and received $100,000 for modernization and expansion of Southern Illinois University (SIU)’s Agricultural Research and Education Laboratories (ARELs) at Belleville and Carbondale. The funding was requested to help the program develop a research network that anticipates trends in Illinois agriculture and delivers high-caliber research and education services to the surrounding community. The funding went towards renovating and expanding facilities at both campuses. [House Report 109-255 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, 2005]
Obama Requested $5 Million And Helped Secure $3 Million For The National Center For Food Safety And Technology. In 2005, Obama requested $5 million and helped secure $3 million for the National Center For Food Safety And Technology (NCFST). The NCFST is one of three ‘Centers of Excellence’ of the United States Food & Drug Administration. (FDA) It is a unique seventeen-year old collaboration between FDA, academia and the food industry that develops methods to detect and prevent contamination of food…The NCFST is playing a vital role in the federal government’s defense against attacks on the food supply. It is conducting food defense research for FDA. The FDA is supporting this research per Homeland Security Presidential Directive 9…The FDA and independently commissioned security officials have recommended that the NCFST upgrade the overall security of the facility, including its laboratories and pilot plants. The upgrades would make NCFST invulnerable to security breeches which would be unacceptable for a facility storing potentially dangerous agents…The total of $5 million ($1 million in security upgrades plus $4 million in infrastructure improvements) will arm the NCFST to confront every challenge along the nation’s food chain: from farm to fork.” [House Report 109-255 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, 2005; Obama Request Letter to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, 5/17/05]
Obama Requested $2.5 Million For The University Of Illinois At Urban-Champaign’s Integrated Sustainable Agriculture Program. In 2005, Obama requested $2.5 million for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and its Integrated Sustainable Agriculture program. The Illinois program for Integrated Sustainable Agriculture will research and develop an integrated livestock and corn-soybean production system which will recycle valuable nutrients from the animal waste stream in an effort to improve agricultural productivity and reduce the emission of livestock wastes into the environment. [House Report 109-255 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, 5/17/05]
COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE
Obama Requested $4 Million And Helped Secure $1 Million For The Information Trust Project At The University Of Illinois. In 2005, Obama requested $16 million over 4 years ($4 million in FY 2006) and helped secure $1 million for FY 2006 for the Information Trust project at the University of Illinois. The goal of the Information Trust project is to develop and validate new technologies, in order to make complex networked information systems, like those used in our defense programs, more trustworthy and efficient. This program specifically aims to improve areas such as aerospace, power, data/information processing, transportation and emergency response systems. The funding was requested in the Defense appropriations bill and was funded in the FY 2006 appropriations legislation for Commerce/Justice/Science. [Conference Report/H.R. 2862 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 6/23/05]
Obama Requested $140,000 And Helped Secure $125,000 For Public Allies, Inc (Chicago) Programs For Leadership Training. In 2005, Obama requested $140,000 and received $125,000 for Public Allies, Inc. Public Allies is a nonprofit organization that has represented over 1,800 young adults since 1992. It also utilizes other nonprofit organizations with full-time service in order to build capacity and better meet the needs of children and families. Funding will allow the group to further expand the capacity at 20 youth serving organizations and increase recruiting efforts. [House Report 109-272 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 6/21/05]
Obama Requested $300,000 And Helped Secure $100,000 For The Chicago Jesuit Academy’s After School Enrichment Program. In 2005, Obama requested $300,000 and helped secure $100,000 for the Chicago Jesuit Academy After-School Enrichment Program and its efforts to provide tuition-free college prep middle school for disadvantaged students on Chicago’s West Side. Funding will provide a supplement to the extended-day and extended-year aspect of its program and provide a successful alternative to the violence, drugs and gang activity prevalent in the surrounding community. The After-School Enrichment program will be a mixture of clubs and sports as well as mentoring and counseling programs and activities. [House Report 109-272 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 6/21/05]
Obama Requested $4 Million And Helped Secure $500,000 For The DuPage, Kane, and Kendall County Sheriff’s Offices’ Illinois Tri-County In-Car Video Camera Project. In 2005, Obama requested $4.0 million and received $500,000 for the DuPage, Kane and Kendall County Sheriffs’ Offices and their Illinois Tri-County In-Car Video Camera Project. These county offices have determined a need for cost efficient digital video camera systems for their existing combined fleets of 765 patrol vehicles. After thorough research and evaluation of the technology, they came to the conclusion that such a system would improve monitoring and oversight, as well as enhance officer safety and increase each participating department’s ability to protect itself from legal claims. [House Report 109-272 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 6/21/05]
Obama Requested $3 Million And Helped Secure $750,000 For The Renovation Of The Museum Of Science And Industry’s Henry Crown Space Center. In 2005, Obama requested $3 million and helped secure $750,000 for the renovation of the Museum of Science And Industry’s Henry Crown Space Center. The Museum of Science and Industry is the largest science and technology museum in the Western Hemisphere. The Henry Crown Space Center houses historical artifacts and interactive exhibits such as the actual Apollo 8 capsule, a moon rock brought back to Earth by Apollo 17, space suits worn by James Lovell and Frank Borman on Apollo 8, and an actual V-2 engine from WW-II. [House Report 109-272 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 6/21/05]
Obama Requested $775,000 And Helped Secure $50,000 For Metro Chicago Youth For Christ’s At-Risk And Incarcerated Youth Programs. In 2005, Obama requested $775,000 and received $50,000 for the Metro Chicago Youth For Christ (MCYFC) and its efforts to work with at-risk and incarcerated youth. Funding for this project was requested to help MCYFC expand its operations in an effort to effectively reach more troubled kids in the Chicago area. In 2004, Metro Chicago Youth for Christ worked with 1,041 troubled youth, of which 643 are now living successful, productive, honest lives. A federal investment will allow MCYFC to implement a two-year plan for program growth. [House Report 109-272 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 6/21/05]
Obama Requested $250,000 And Helped Secure $300,000 For The Uhlich Children’s Advantage Network’s School Based Violence Prevention And Mentor Programs. In 2005, Obama requested $250,000 and helped secure $300,000 for the Uhlich Children’s Advantage Network (UCAN) and its efforts to provide school-based violence prevention and mentor programs. The program has three main goals: reduce the danger of violence among youth in Chicago; increase community involvement in the fight against violence; and empower youth to improve the quality of their lives and lead the way to a safer future. The program has several components: community organizing, media advocacy, educational workshops, youth leadership development, youth advisory board, membership/school chapters and policy promotion. [House Report 109-272 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 6/21/05]
Obama Requested $165,000 And Helped Secure $150,000 For The South Suburban Coalition’s SouthCom E-911 And E-Comm Partnership In Matteson, Illinois. In 2005, Obama requested $165,000 and helped secure $150,000 for the South Suburban Coalition’s SouthCom E-911 and E-Comm Partnership. Obama requested the funding for an earmark in the Homeland Security appropriations bill for FY 2006, though the project was funded in the appropriations legislation for the Departments of Justice. The South Suburban Coalition (Villages of Matteson, Olympia Fields, Richton Park) serves over 53,000 residents for 911 and dispatch services. SouthCom consists of the Matteson, Olympia Fields and Richton Park Villages, and; E-Comm consists of the Village of Homewood. Officials from SouthCom and E-Comm wanted to serve as a back-up for each other in the event of a disaster or event where one of the centers would have to completely abandon its physical location or where the transfer of personnel to another facility would become necessary. Interconnecting the two centers via microwave or infrared wireless, in addition to installing the necessary equipment at E-Comm for SouthCom to operate remotely, would help ensure continued service to all covered residents. [House Report 109-272 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, 2005 ]
Obama Requested $30,000 For The Tower Lakes Police Department Effort To Update Outdated Radio Dispatch System. In 2005, Obama requested $30,000 for the Tower Lakes Police Department and their efforts to update the outdated radio dispatch system currently in use. The Tower Lakes PD currently contracts with another nearby police department for dispatch service. They are upgrading their old VHF radio system to UHF band, and in order to maintain the partnership, Tower Lakes will need to follow suit. Public Safety is as much an issue in Tower Lakes as it is anywhere else – the upgraded technology would be a tremendous benefit to residents of Tower Lakes and the surrounding communities. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, 6/21/05]
DEFENSE
Obama Requested $7.5 Million And Helped Secure $2.8 Million For The National Center For Advanced Secure Systems Research (NCASSR) At The University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign. In 2005, Obama requested $7.5 million and helped secure $2.8 Million for the National Center For Advanced Secure Systems Research at the University Of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Advanced Secure Systems Research (NCASSR) project at the University of Illinois aims to develop the next generation of cyber security systems for the Department of Defense. Research conducted by NCASSR focuses on developing more effective ways to ensure the security of the military’s computing, communications and data systems. [House Report 109-359 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 2005]
Obama Requested $5 Million And Received $2.8 Million For The Technology , Research, Education, And Commercialization Center At The University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign. In 2005, Obama requested $5 million and received $2.8 million for the Technology, Research, Education and Commercialization Center (TRECC) at the University of Illinois. The TRECC program provides access to high performance computing/web technologies to industry and education organizations in an effort to promote research and development by transferring advanced technologies of importance to the Department of Defense. [House Report 109-359 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 2005]
Obama Requested $5 Million And Helped Secure $3.5 Million For The Fuel Cells for Mobile Robotic Systems Project At Chicago State University. In 2005, Obama requested $5 Million and helped secure $3.5 Million for the Fuel Cells for Mobile Robotic Systems Project at Chicago State University. The project aims to develop a fuel cell technology system that will power mobile robotics systems in the defense arena, including UAVs, UGVs, airships, and other robotic vehicles. The developed technology would have the capability to provide safe, cost-effective, and energy efficient power sources for mobile robotics systems. [House Report 109-359 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 2005]
Obama Requested And Helped Secure $1 Million For The Impact Group’s IMPACT JEMS Program. In 2005, Obama requested and helped secure $1 million for the Impact Group’s IMPACT JEMS program. IMPACT JEMS (Jobs/Employment for Military Spouses) is a Department of Defense program conducted at Scott AFB, Illinois by the private firm, IMPACT Group. The purpose of the pilot was to determine whether corporate best practices used in providing spouse employment services for relocating spouses can also be used to benefit military spouses. During the eleven-month period from April 1, 2004 through February 28, 2005 IMPACT JEMS assessed 1,024 military spouses and recruited a network of 213 local employers to hire them. Of the military spouses who responded to the customer satisfaction survey, 95.5% reported satisfaction with the services received. [House Report 109-359 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 2005]
Obama Requested $2 Million For Nanomedical Technology Research. In 2005, Obama requested $2 million for Nanomedical Technology at the University of Illinois. This technology will lead to advances on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, new ways to redesign drugs and, perhaps most importantly, help detect biohazards by extending the technology of nanoelectronics to the realm of biology. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 6/23/05]
Obama Requested $3.5 Million For Diabetes Research At The Illinois Institute Of Technology. In 2005, Obama requested $3.5 million for the Diabetes Research Project at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), which will focus on the growing incidence of diabetes among our soldiers, sailors and airmen, as well as their families. This program will directly address serious diabetic health issues that pervade both the military and military-dependent populations. This is a growing problem and unless the epidemic is understood and addressed soon, the Defense Department will become further inundated with the cost of providing healthcare to diabetic soldiers and their dependents. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, 6/23/05]
ENERGY AND WATER
Obama Requested $2 Million To The Lock No. 27, Mississippi River-Illinois Major Rehabilitation Project; Final Legislation Funded Project At “Necessary Level” In 2005, Obama requested $2 million to the Lock No. 27 Mississippi River-Illinois Major Rehabilitation Project. The final bill, which was signed into law, funded the funded the project At “Necessary Level” Lock 27 is located at a critical juncture in the inland waterway system and controls traffic on the Mississippi, Illinois, and Missouri Rivers. Approximately 80 million tons of cargo passes through the lock each year. The major rehabilitation report was approved in August 2002. Initiation of construction is pending receipt of “new start” funds. Delaying the start of the project increases the probability of major failure, which could result in a total system shutdown with national economic impacts. Emergency repairs continue using Operation and Maintenance funds. Due to the new start delays, approximately $8,800,000 in FY 2006 Operation and Maintenance funds will be used to complete the Locks 27 lift gate machinery and counterweights contract. This project plan provides for rehabilitation of various structural, electrical, and mechanical components of the structure, which is over 50 years old. The work will include replacement of main lock miter gate, replacement of the main lock lift gate downstream leaf, replacement of the culvert valves for both locks, restoration of lockwall stability using drilled shafts, a new upstream protection cell and removal of the old deteriorated cell, replacement of the downstream bulkhead sill stability anchorages in both locks, replacement of the culvert valve machinery for both locks, replacement of the lift gate machinery for both leafs of the main lock and the downstream leaf of the auxiliary lock, modification and addition of river training structures at the canal lower entrance, and replacement of the bulkhead lifting beam for lock dewatering. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 5/12/05]
Obama Requested And Helped Secure $700,000 For The Rockford Health Council. In 2005, Obama requested and helped secure $700,000 for the Rockford Health Council to establish and implement a Minority and Underserved Health Initiative to address the needs of minority and underserved residents of Boone, Ogle, and Winnebago Counties. Rockford Health Council, Inc. is a non-profit representative of public and private sector organizations in the Boone, Ogle, and Winnebago County area. The Rockford Health Council Minority and Underserved Health Initiative would include chronic diseases, minority health disparities, expanding access to health care, and strengthening partnerships with school-linked healthcare centers. The Council’s plans have been made in concert with state plans recently developed by the Illinois Department of Public Health, including integrating state priorities to better address asthma, diabetes, heart disease, smoking reduction, and improving access to care. [Conference Report/H.R. 2419 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, Education, 6/7/05]
Obama Requested $30 Million And Helped Secure $27.5 Million For The McCook And Thornton Reservoir Project. In 2005, Obama requested $30 million and helped secure $27.5 million for the McCook and Thornton Reservoir Project. This project will protect hundreds of thousands of local homeowners from flooding and polluted drinking water. Federal funding will allow for current construction on the McCook and Thornton Reservoirs to continue. These reservoirs will provide a storage capacity of 18 billion gallons and will provide annual benefits of $115 million by fully protecting more than 500,000 homeowners from flooding and polluted waters. The total potential annual benefits of these projects are approximately twice as much as their total annual cost. [Conference Report/H.R. 2419 (109th Congress); Obama Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy/Water, 2005]
Obama Requested $10.103 Million And Helped Secure $5.567 Million For The Lake Shelbyville Lake Improvement Project. In 2005, Obama requested $10.103 million and helped secure $5.567 million for the Lake Shelbyville Lake Improvement Project. The goal of this project is to improve on several aspects of the lake, including: flood control, water supply, water quality control, recreation, conservation of fish and wildlife, and augmentation of navigation flows downstream on the Kaskaskia River. In January 2005, the lake experienced the second highest level in its 35-year history. Facilities sustained substantial damage which will result in the closure of several recreation areas for the 2005 recreation season. High water in 2002 and 2005 has accelerated the erosion of the lake's shoreline. This will not only further speed up shoreline erosion but will cause additional damage to facilities. [Conference Report/H.R. 2419 (109th Congress); Obama Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy/Water, 2005 ]
Obama Requested $1.85 Million For The Carlyle Lake Restoration Project, Which Received A Total Of $6.071 Million. In 2005, Obama requested $1.85 million for the Carlyle Lake Restoration Project, which received a total of $6.071 Million in the FY 2006 Energy and Water Appropriations Act. Due to flooding in January 2005, funding was needed to repair recreational facilities, infrastructure, revetments, rip rap, pumping equipment, and associated equipment and structures of the lake. Current budget levels do not allow for the repairs of these facilities. The annual recreation economic benefit is $47.4 million in visitor spending within a 30 mile radius of Carlyle Lake. [Conference Report/H.R. 2419 (109th Congress); Obama Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy/Water, 2005 ]
Obama Requested $1.5 Million And Helped Secure $563,000 For The Melvin Price Lock And Dam. In 2005, Obama requested $1.5 million and helped secure $563,000 for the Melvin Price Lock and Dam. The project includes one 1,200-foot lock; one 600-foot lock (authorized separately); a gated dam with nine tainter gates; an overflow dike; removal of most of the existing structure; relocation and abandonment of the Burlington Northern Railroad Bridge; and a visitor center. [Conference Report/H.R. 2419 (109th Congress); Obama Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy/Water, 2005]
Obama Requested $300,000 And Helped Secure $200,000 For The Nutwood Drainage And Levee District. In 2005, Obama requested $300,000 and helped secure $200,000 for the Nutwood Drainage and Levee District. During the flood of 1993, the levee was breached completely, inundating the area and causing a disruption of traffic on Illinois Routes 100 and 16 for over three months. The recommended plan of improvement for this project includes reconstruction of 11.4 miles of existing levees, construction of one mile of new levee, improved pumping capabilities, and construction of seepage control measures. [Conference Report/H.R. 2419 (109th Congress); Obama Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy/Water, 2005]
Obama Requested And Helped Secure $20 Million For Design And Reconstruction Of Eight Miles Of Deteriorating Lake Michigan Shoreline. In 2005, Obama requested $20 million for the City of Chicago – Chicago Shoreline, which received $20 million in funding for FY 2006. This project, which was authorized by the 1996 Water Resources and Development Act, provides design and reconstruction for eight miles of deteriorating Lake Michigan shoreline. An FY06 appropriation was needed to help move the protection project further towards completion and approach close-out of the total federal share of this project. [Conference Report/H.R. 2419 (109th Congress); Obama Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy/Water, 2005 ]
Obama Requested $10 Million Over Four Years, Beginning With $2.5 Million In FY 2006, For The Children’s Hospital of Illinois (CHOI) Replacement Project; Obama Helped Secure $500,000 In Funding For The Project In FY 2006. In 2005, Obama requested $2.5 million and helped secure $500,000 for the Children’s Hospital of Illinois (CHOI) Replacement Project. The new CHOI facility will include state-of-the-art Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units with sufficient space to treat an exploding number of pediatric cancer admissions. There will be a separate child friendly Emergency Department that only treats children. The new building will have new and sufficient number of operating rooms, including adequate space for robotic and cardiac surgery. The shared services will include 18 procedure rooms including operating rooms and cardiac catheterization laboratories. There will be 32 new inpatient pediatric beds, 24 in the Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units, and 8 pediatric medical/surgical beds - for a total of 143. [Conference Report/H.R. 2419 (109th Congress); Obama Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy/Water, 2005]
Obama Requested $803,000 And Helped Secure $300,000 For The East St. Louis & Vicinity Ecosystem Restoration And Flood Damage Reduction Project. In 2005, Obama requested $803,000 and helped secure $300,000 for the East St. Louis & Vicinity Ecosystem Restoration and Flood Damage Reduction Project. The project will restore bottomland forest habitat (1,705 acres), flood plain prairie habitat (1,111 acres), marsh and shrub swamp habitat (843 acres), lake habitat (460 acres), and upland riparian forest (379 acres). It will also restore 10 miles of flood plain stream and 178 miles of tributary streams. Flood damage reduction is incidental to the restoration project with an estimated $1,366,000 in reduced average annual flood damages. [Conference Report/H.R. 2419 (109th Congress); Obama Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy/Water, 2005]
Obama Supported And Helped Secure $2 Million For The Ethanol-to-Hydrogen Pilot Program for Chicago. In 2005, Obama supported and helped secure $2 million for the City of Chicago’s ethanol-to-hydrogen pilot program. Copley News Service reported, “The city of Chicago wants to build an experimental fuel station that would convert liquid ethanol to hydrogen gas - if the federal government will kick in $2.1 million for the estimated $3 million project. ‘This is a modest appropriation,’ Obama told reporters at a city-run fueling depot where the hydrogen outlet may be added. ‘You can't get a better bang for the buck than to spend a couple of million dollars for what is essentially a pilot program that can end up having widespread ramifications.’” [Conference Report/H.R. 2419 (109th Congress); Copley, 4/22/2005]
Obama Requested $1 Million To Establish A Science And Technology Center At Chicago State University. In 2005, Obama requested $1.0 million to begin establishing a campus Science and Technology Center. Federal funding will help support the planning and preliminary phases related to the establishment of a Science and Technology Center at CSU. Currently, CSU produces one-third of all minority baccalaureate degrees in the physical sciences in the state of Illinois. One quarter of the students obtaining baccalaureate degrees across the science disciplines are now pursuing advanced degrees in graduate or professional schools. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 5/12/05]
Obama Requested $1 Million For A Community Center At The Palliative CareCenter & Hospice Of The North Shore. In 2005, Obama requested $1.0 million to build a Community Care Center for the Palliative Care Center & Hospice of the North Shore. The Hospitice mission is to provide the community with compassionate, state-of-the-art palliative care and hospice services that ease pain, treat symptoms and enhance the quality of life for people of all ages. Their services promote independence, provide comfort and offer support for both patients and their families. Their goal is to improve care for the seriously ill, aging and dying, and as such, they actively educate the public, mentor other healthcare providers, participate in research and advocate at the local, state and national levels. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 5/12/05]
Obama Requested $2 Million To The Village Of Tower Lakes To Improve Their Water System Infrastructure. In 2005, Obama requested $2 million for the Village of Tower Lakes to improve their water system infrastructure. In 1995 the Village purchased the existing system from the previous owner who had grossly neglected it. A bond for $1.8 million was issued, which the citizens are still paying off annually. With the $1.8 million they constructed a water treatment plant, a 250,000 gallon water storage facility and a new well. In addition, they replaced the most critical of the deteriorating water lines. However, the vast majority of the old (circa 1925-1955) undersized (2 inch diameter) and leaking water mains (they average over 2 water main breaks a month) need to be replaced as soon as possible. Since the Village is still paying off its present bond and can’t take on any additional costs, the need for federal funds is especially dire. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 5/12/05]
Obama Requested $1 Million For The Chicago Botanic Gardens For Construction Of A Seed Bank and Plant Conservation. In 2005, Obama requested $1 million for construction of the Seed Bank and Plant Conservation at the Chicago Botanic Garden. In April of 2003, the Chicago Botanic Garden was asked by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to participate in the Millennium Seed Bank Project. The Project – which was conceived as a result of the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity – seeks to safeguard the most endangered of the world's plants by conserving more than 24,000 species of seed-bearing plants by 2010. In order to fulfill its role in this mission, the Garden is constructing a new Seed Bank and Plant Conservation Science Center. This new facility will significantly expand the capability and capacity of the Chicago Botanic Garden to protect vital plant resources, and conduct critical plant research and education activities. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water, 5/12/05]
HOMELAND SECURITY
Obama Requested $250,000 For The South Suburban Coalition For E-911 New Membership Initiatives. In 2005, Obama requested $250,000 for their E911 New Membership Initiative of the South Suburban Coalition (Villages of Matteson, Olympia Fields, Richton Park). This initiative will allow them to invite additional villages to join their 911 operation. The Village officials believe that the concept of combined dispatch has been functionally and financially beneficial to the neighboring member communities. However, there is significant start-up costs associated with adding additional members. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, 5/19/05]
Obama Requested $225,000 To The South Suburban Coalition For T-1 Phone Line Updates. In 2005, Obama requested $225,000 to the South Suburban Coalition (Villages of Matteson, Olympia Fields, Richton Park) for T-1 Phone Line Upgrades. The Coalition has experienced a continuing problem of high on-going operational costs and dependability in the area of dedicated T-1 phone lines. The South Suburban Coalition costs, along with the related costs of member communities has reached $30,000 annually. If the Coalition and the member communities could install an interconnected microwave or infrared wireless relay system with a one time up front capital cost of $225,000, the reoccurring cost of renting phone lines would be eliminated. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, 5/19/05]
Obama Requested $1 Million For The Village Of Olympia Fields’ Police Department And Village Hall For Capital Improvements. In 2005, Obama requested $1 million for capital improvements to the Village of Olympia Fields police department and village hall. The Village has recently purchased an empty, 18,000 sq. ft. commercial building for conversion into the Olympia Fields Police Facility and Village Administration Center. The existing facilities can no longer accommodate its dual purpose due to space restrictions. The new location will allow for better site utilization such as more visitors parking and secured police parking. It will fully accommodate the needs of the village administration and the police department. Additional space for police training and fitness will provide the Olympia Fields Police Department with the necessary facilities to better serve the community. The site will also allow for additional secured holding areas and accommodate female personnel with a private locker room and restroom. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, 5/19/05]
Obama Requested $6.33 Million And Helped Secure $1 Million For The Elgin, Joliet & Eastern (EJ&E) Bridge In Morris, Illinois. In 2005, Obama requested $6.33 million and helped secure $1 million for the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern (EJ&E) Bridge in Morris, Illinois. The EJ&E bridge crosses the Illinois Waterway, which is a major artery of commercial navigation, linking the Great Lakes ports with those along the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico. It also provides access to two chemical plants and a radioactive waste facility. In 1995 this bridge was declared unreasonably obstructive to navigation by the U.S. Coast Guard, under the Truman-Hobbs Act and an Order to Alter was served to the EJ&E Railroad Company, the bridge owner. Funding for this alteration is through a cost sharing program between the federal government and the bridge owner. The funding was requested for the Transportation/Treasury/HUD appropriations bill and was funded in the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act for FY 2006. [Conference Report/H.R. 2360 (109th Congress); Obama Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy/Water, 2005]
INTERIOR, ENVIRONMENT & RELATED AGENCIES
Obama Requested $3.5 Million And Helped Secure $500,000 For The Sewer Improvement Consortium of Lake Bluff, Highwood, Highland Park, And Lake Forest. In 2005, Obama requested $3.5 million and helped secure $500,000 for the Sewer Improvement Consortium of Lake Bluff, Highwood, Highland Park, and Lake Forest. This funding was requested to assist in the communities’ ability to exchange information, jointly develop model standards and management programs, collaborate in the development and construction of rehabilitation projects, and partner to solicit funds that will ensure that a uniform and cost-effective approach to reduce excessive runoff within the region is reached. Many of the neighborhoods in each municipality can be characterized as low or moderate-income. While the sewer improvements clearly have community-wide benefits, most of the households with the greatest risk of flood damage are owned by families of moderate means. The projects to be completed would be targeted to neighborhoods predominantly comprised of such households. [House Report 109-188 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, 2005]
Obama Requested $800,000 And Helped Secure $250,000 For Water Systems Upgrades In Port Byron. In 2005, Obama requested $800,000 and helped secure $250,000 for Port Byron and its need for a water systems upgrade. Port Byron is a small community of 1,535 residents (2000 Census) in upper Rock Island County with some major wastewater problems. The Village’s wastewater treatment lagoons, built in the late 1940’s, have been on Illinois EPA restricted status since 1996 for inability to achieve current discharge permit requirements due to poor biological nutrient removal. These facultative lagoons do not meet current EPA requirements and will not have the capacity to treat future wastewater flows associated with Village growth. Port Byron water and sewer rates are already among the highest in the area and many of their 500 users are on fixed incomes and cannot afford another increase. [House Report 109-188 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, 2005]
Obama Requested And Helped Secure $600,000 For Rehabilitation Of The Village Of Hampshire Sanitary Sewer System. In 2005, Obama requested and helped secure $600,000 for rehabilitation of the Village of Hampshire and the rehabilitation of its sanitary sewer system. Funds were requested in order to correct inflow and infiltration problems. [House Report 109-188 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, 2005]
Obama Requested $1 Million For Storm Water Infrastructure/Eco-Restoration In Upper Des Plaines, Indian Creek, Fish Lake Drain, Sequoit And Squaw Creek Watersheds; Squaw Creek Received $160,000 And Upper Des Plaines Received $500,000. In 2005, Obama requested $1 million for Storm Water Infrastructure/Eco-Restoration in the Upper Des Plaines, Indian Creek, Fish Lake Drain, Sequoit and Squaw Creek Watersheds. Squaw Creek received $160,000 and Upper Des Plaines Received $500,000. These five watersheds have experienced degraded water quality and habitat due to urbanization and agricultural activity and development pressure is increasing in all of them. The funding was requested to improve the water quality, habitat, storm water management and infrastructure for each of the watersheds. State and local funding in excess of $2.95 million was spent on these projects and additional funding was needed so that Lake County could bring these important projects to completion. [House Report 109-188 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, 2005]
Obama Requested $500,000 For A Water Treatment Upgrade In The City Of Jerseyville. In 2005, Obama requested $500,000 for the City of Jerseyville and their need for a water systems upgrade. The City of Jerseyville (population 8,000) is located in south central Illinois, approximately 40 miles north of St. Louis. In 2004 the City of Jerseyville hired an engineering firm to study and produce a preliminary report of their wastewater treatment plant. Jerseyville’s treatment plant was originally constructed in the 1960s and the last major upgrade was over 20 years ago. The city has done an excellent job of maintaining the system and has had no problems complying with EPA regulatory requirements on discharge of effluent. Jerseyville has made an application to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s revolving loan program for funds to help with the project. They have planned to have the cost for the plant offset by adjustments to user rates. In order to help minimize the impact on user rates, Jerseyville is looking for other means to offset these costs. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, 5/11/05]
Obama Requested $500,000 For A New Water Collection System In The Village Of Port Barrington. In 2005, Obama requested $500,000 for the Village of Port Barrington and their request for additional grant funding for a new wastewater collection and conveyance system. More than seven years of planning and public involvement has already been completed to find and fund a cost effective solution to wastewater treatment needs for the Village residents. The Village of Port Barrington began looking at installing a wastewater collection and treatment system as long as ten years ago. The overall objective of the project is to eliminate the direct and indirect discharge of raw wastewater on the ground surface or into the Fox River. By funding this project, the current and future wastewater flows generated in the Village will be properly conveyed and treated. The US Congress, in FY 2004, provided a direct federal STAG grant of $500,000 to the Village which is being used to help fund Phase 1 of the project. However, even with this grant, Phase 2 of the overall project is unaffordable without the requested additional grant. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, 5/11/05]
Obama Requested $943,317 For Infrastructure Improvements In The Village Of Hampshire. In 2005, Obama requested $943,317 for the Village of Hampshire infrastructure improvements in the downtown area, in order to spur private investment and restore that area of the Village. Roadway, sidewalk, landscape and signage improvements are all part of the improvements planned in the implementation of their Central Business District Plan. This plan will allow development in a manner that will enhance the sales tax base, compliment the growing industrial and manufacturing sectors and serve the expanding residential community. The economic benefits of this project include increased tax revenue for the Village and a reduction of out-migration of income from Hampshire and the immediate surrounding area. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, 5/11/05]
Obama Requested $1,228,681 For Water Systems Improvement For The Clark Edgar Rural District. In 2005, Obama requested $1,228,681, for the Clark Edgar Rural Water District (CERWD) and their water system improvement project. These funds would help aid in the construction of water lines to provide service to currently underserved households and eliminate the threat to health and safety posed by unsafe drinking water. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, 5/11/05]
Obama Requested $5.72 Million For A Wastewater Treatment Facility In The Village Of Burlington. In 2005, Obama requested $5.72 million for the Village of Burlington and the design engineering required for their sewage collection/conveyance system and the wastewater treatment facility. Funds are needed to design engineering and construction plans for a sewage collection and conveyance system, as well as a wastewater treatment facility. This will allow for the abandonment of the existing deteriorated septic systems and insure the integrity and operation of a viable sewer system for an area that is currently not being well served. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, 5/11/05]
Obama Requested $1,089,000 For The West Prairie Water Company For Construction Of A Water Transmission Main. In 2005, Obama requested $1,089,000 for the West Prairie Water Company and their construction of a water transmission main to serve Douglas and Moultrie counties. The construction of a transmission main from a connection point at Sadorus, Illinois to the WPWC service area would allow WPWC to purchase finished water from Illinois American Water. This will insure a reliable and adequate water supply for existing and future businesses and residents served by West Prairie Water Company. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, 5/11/05]
Obama Requested $2 Million For A Wastewater Treatment Plant In The City Of Paris. In 2005, Obama requested $2 million for the City of Paris to rehabilitate their wastewater treatment plant, in order to correct current capacity issues. Improvements to the wastewater treatment plant will correct current deficiencies and allow for continued expansion of the city’s industrial and employment tax base. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, 5/11/05]
Obama Requested $1.7 Million For Construction Of A Major Regional Water Supply Project In The City Of Effingham And Holland Regional Water Systems, Inc. In 2005, Obama requested $1.7 million for the City of Effingham and Holland Regional Water System, Inc. (HRWS) for the construction of a major regional water supply project. The project involves the construction of 13 miles of underground water line to transmit 3.0 million gallons of raw water per day from the Kaskaskia River to the City of Effingham water treatment plant. The project takes advantage of an existing intake structure and 6 miles of existing water line previously constructed by Holland Energy, which operates a power plant facility in the area. The project will allow the City of Effingham sufficient raw water to meet current and future demands for industrial water use and for current and future regional drinking water needs. The City will be treating the water and then distributing the finished water to the other members of HRWS. The following project components are now in place. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, 5/11/05]
Obama Requested $350,000 For A Storm Water Retention Program In The Village Of Richton Park. In 2005, Obama requested $350,000 for the Village of Richton Park and their efforts to complete a storm water retention program. Completion of this project would alleviate flood way and flood plain issues that impede economic development prospects in their revitalized downtown area. The proposed project covers an area of approximately 60 acres in the center of the Village’s Business District. Currently, there is a creek that flows underground – bisecting the downtown area. In order to alleviate flood way issues, the Village would have to remove the existing smaller underground system, enlarge and replace it, and create a detention or retention site. The Village currently owns twelve acres immediately north of the project area, zoned for commercial use and valued at $600,000. They are willing to dedicate seven acres of this area for use as a retention pond. This pond would be about 5 acres in size and would be approximately 10 feet deep. The current piping would be resized, replaced, and extended to handle all of the storm water needs in the project area while meeting Corp of Engineers specifications. This project will accomplish several goals: The Village would be able to return unusable land to the tax rolls with new development, solve many of the on-going storm water issues that have damaged property and businesses over the years, alleviate many of the storm water problems for the communities downstream that have caused them to expend large amounts of tax dollars, and continue with the Villages plan to revitalize the downtown area. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, 5/11/05]
Obama Requested $2 Million For A Storm Water Conveyance System In The Village Of Olympia Field. In 2005, Obama requested $2 million for the Village of Olympia Field’s improvements to their storm water conveyance system. The current system is currently is in dire need of dredging and debris removal - the original volume of the pond has been reduced by approximately 50% or more. The dredging and debris removal is necessary in order to restore the capacity of the pond to the original design, and reduce the current conditions that have led to the frequent and problematic flooding of a local subdivision, and other areas downstream. These improvements will also improve the ecology and quality of the pond water. Deepening the pond to the original design will recreate the deeper levels of cool, oxygenated water and thereby allow a healthy living environment for plants and animals. This will eliminate the conditions that allow the current warm temperature, algae cover and mosquito infested broods. Finally, this work will address the safety concerns of the subdivision residents. In the Chicago Southland area, there have been many pond-related accidents due to built up silt at the bottom of the pond. Restoring the depth will provide consistently clear water level in the event of a necessary rescue. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, 5/11/05]
Obama Requested $2.2 Million For A Watermain Replacement Project In The City Of Northlake. In 2005, Obama requested $2 million for the City of Northlake Watermain Replacement Project. The system has been repaired 93 times over the past 3 years, causing a loss of nearly $500,000 for spilled water and repairs. Funds will be used to replace a failing 70 year old cast iron watermain with modern materials to improve drinking water quality for the City. Additional federal funds will also help avoid a 14% user fee rate hike for low and moderate income families. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, 5/11/05]
TREASURY, TRANSPORTATION, HUD
Obama Requested $5 Million And Helped Secure $300,000 For The Haymarket Center’s McDermott Addiction Center. In 2005, Obama requested $5 million and helped secure $300,000 for the Haymarket Center’s McDermott Addiction Center. Haymarket Center is a private, non-profit comprehensive substance abuse treatment and related services facility located on the Near West Side of Chicago. The funding was requested for the Center’s construction of the multi-story McDermott Addiction Center (MAC). The McDermott Addiction Center will enable Haymarket to enhance and broaden its current services. The MAC will provide Haymarket to enhance the case management and aftercare it provides its clients. Plans for the MAC included space for outpatient and aftercare services, adequate space for general intake and drug testing, as well as recreational therapy. The funding was requested in the FY 2006 Labor, HHS, Education appropriations bill and was funded in the Treasury, Transportation, HUD bill. [Conference Report/H.R. 3058 (109th Congress); Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, 6/7/05]
Obama Requested $5 Million And Helped Secure $2 Million For The Town Of Normal’s Multimodal Transportation Center. In 2005, Obama requested $5 million and helped secure $2 million for the Town of Normal’s Multimodal Transportation Center. The Town of Normal and Illinois State University (ISU) have made the construction of the Multimodal Transportation Center the centerpiece of their comprehensive downtown redevelopment plan. The multimodal center will provide a focus for eight transportation modes including: the city bus system, inter-city and charter buses, Amtrak service to Chicago and St. Louis, airport shuttles, taxis, park and ride facilities, and pedestrian connections to the downtown and ISU campus. [House Report 109-307; Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Treasury, Transportation, HUD, 2005]
Obama Requested $375,000 And Helped Secure $375,000 For The Springfield Mass Transit District’s Night Bus Service Trial Period. In 2005, Obama requested $375,000 and helped secure $375,000 for the Springfield Mass Transit District’s night bus service trial period. Springfield is the state capital and the only large city that does not provide evening bus service. Currently, the operating hours of SMTD end at 6:00pm. Without evening transportation service, people who don’t own vehicles or aren’t able to drive are denied opportunities to work, pursue further education, attend church and community meetings, or tend to personal business. Springfield has not provided evening bus service since the 1950’s; however it is a city that has grown significantly over the past twenty years and has very diverse socio-economic needs. New retail development has created more employment opportunities, with jobs that are offered with varied shifts and later hours. [House Report 109-307; Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Treasury, Transportation, HUD, 2005]
Obama Requested $700,000 And Helped Secure $200,000 For Home Sweet Home Ministries’ Threshold Program. In 2005, Obama requested $700,000 and helped secure $200,000 for Home Sweet Home Ministries’ Threshold Program. Home Sweet Home Ministries (HSHM) is a private, not-for-profit organization that has been providing care to residents of Central Illinois since 1917. Funding was requested for expansion of HSHM programs and substance abuse/mental health counseling services offered by the Threshold Program, which was launched to help homeless and addicted Illinoisans who need assistance beyond the services offered in the temporary program. Threshold has more than an 80 percent success rate – with participants attaining their GEDs, going on to college, staying off drugs, securing a good job, and living on their own. [House Report 109-307; Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Treasury, Transportation, HUD, 2005]
Obama Requested $907,500 And Helped Secure $750,000 For The Village Of Matteson To Help Pay For Safety Upgrades And Improvements To Three Busy Intersections. In 2005, Obama requested $907,500 and helped secure $750,000 for the Village of Matteson to help pay for safety upgrades and improvements to three busy intersections. These upgrades were needed to improve traffic safety and the transportation level of service in the area. The status of work on the project is in the preliminary planning phase. The Illinois Department of Transportation had sent a written agreement, stating that these safety improvements were of critical need to the Village. [House Report 109-307; Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Treasury, Transportation, HUD, 2005]
Obama Requested $1 Million And Helped Secure $400,000 For The Center For Neighborhood Technology I-Go Car Sharing Program. In 2005, Obama requested $1 million and helped secure $400,000 for the Center for Neighborhood Technology I-Go Car Sharing Program (CNT). This program is a partnership between CNT with the City of Chicago and Chicago Transit Authority that aims to demonstrate an economical way to significantly reduce congestion, reduce transportation costs for moderate income residents, and provide options to those who wish to utilize transit, but occasionally need use of a car. [House Report 109-307; Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Treasury, Transportation, HUD, 2005]
Obama Requested $160,000 And Helped Secure $200,000 For The North Hurricane Township’s Multi-Purpose Building . In 2005, Obama requested $160,000 and helped secure $200,000 for the North Hurricane Township and their construction of a 2,000 square foot multi-purpose building. Fayette County has no industrial jobs or major businesses, and area farms are facing major challenges from foreign market competition, among other factors. As a result, the area is experiencing a depressed economy and has had the highest rate of poverty and unemployment in Illinois for the last two U.S. censuses – over two decades of families facing extreme hardship and financial struggles. The building’s purpose is to support social and economic development within Precinct 1 of the North Hurricane Township. It will provide several services, including: (1) act as a small business incubator to train farmers in value-added processing and niche marketing; (2) provide a commercial kitchen available for lease; (3) provide a multi-purpose meeting room available for rental, as well as hosting scheduled activities like cooperative extension training, senior citizen activities, as well to serve as a combined community center/township building and polling location during elections The Township anticipated that 500 households will benefit annually from the utilization of this facility. [House Report 109-307; Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Treasury, Transportation, HUD, 2005]
Obama Requested $925,000 And Helped Secure $250,000 For Northfield Park District Capital Projects. In 2005, Obama requested $925,000 and helped secure $250,000 for Northfield Park District capital projects in Northfield, Illinois. The requested assistance was for help in the renovation of the district’s three facilities in Clarkson Park, Willow Park and Fox Meadow Park. The funding was earmarked for Community Center improvements and debt repayment, reconstruction of tennis courts at Willow Park, construction of pedestrian and bicycle paths; infrastructure improvements at busy intersections, and landscape improvements in Willow and Clarkson Park. [House Report 109-307; Obama Request Letter To The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Treasury, Transportation, HUD, 2005]
Obama Requested $2.5 Million For The Chicago Botanical Gardens And Their Access And Transportation Improvements. In 2005, Obama requested $2.5 million for the Chicago Botanical Garden and their access and transportation improvements. The Chicago Botanic Garden urgently needs to upgrade the access to the Garden for public use, including access for the disabled and handicapped. Additional improvements are essential for the safety of all of the Garden's many visitors however; roadways, walkways, bridges and parking lots are in need of essential repair. In addition, improvements are needed to service the Garden's growing number of annual visitors. The Garden also must ensure that the display areas of our living collections are protected; upgrades to sidewalks and pathways can help ensure their well-being, as will improvements to current bridges and the construction of new overpasses. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, HUD & Related Agencies, 11/6/05]
Obama Requested $2.5 Million (And An Additional $ 5 Million Over Two Years) For A Pacesetter Redevelopment Program In The Village Of Riverdale. I2 2005, Obama requested $2.5 million for the Village of Riverdale and their Pacesetter Redevelopment Program. The redevelopment of the Pacesetter neighborhood is essential to the successful industrial development in Riverdale. The Pacesetter neighborhood is adjacent to Riverdale’s industrial redevelopment area. The poor quality of housing, crime and image that the neighborhood portrays must be changed in order to make the Village’s overall efforts a success. Pacesetter Redevelopment, Phase I, would be comprised of approximately 100 units and cost approximately $22 million. It is proposed that all of the units in this first phase be rehabilitated. The development team would acquire these properties from individual landowners. The plan is to control all properties along Lowe Avenue by the end of 2005. By location and number, these properties would create the critical mass required for economic feasibility, while providing a development of sufficient size to make a visible impact. The Village is seeking an initial investment in the project of $5 million over a period of two federal fiscal years. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, HUD & Related Agencies, 11/6/05]
Obama Requested $450,000 For The City Of Northlake And Their Police Facility Upgrade Project. In 2005, Obama requested $450,000 for the City of Northlake and their Police Facility Upgrade Project. The Project will enhance the safety of Northlake’s citizens, visitors and officers, improving the desirability of the City to families and businesses looking to relocate to the area. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, HUD & Related Agencies, 11/6/05]
Obama Requested $420,000 Million For The Storm Water Diversion Plan In The City Of Breese. In 2005, Obama requested $420,000 for the City of Breese and their Storm Water Diversion Plan along the US Route 50 ditches. During heavy rains, large flows have occurred through relatively small tributaries extending from the US Route 50 interchange ditch systems and through the City to the South. It is these tributaries and their periodic flooding that the City is intending to address by deepening ditches along the south side of US Route 50. This would essentially entail diverting the current drainage basin runoff from “natural basins” north of US Route 50, including the interchange area itself, via deepened ditches, eastward to Shoal Creek – alleviating flows experienced in the described tributaries. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, HUD & Related Agencies, 11/6/05]
LABOR/HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES/EDUCATION
Obama Requested $1 Million For Chicago State University (CSU) HIV/AIDS Research Program. In 2005, Obama requested $1 million for Chicago State University (CSU) and its HIV/AIDS Policy and Research Institute. The Institute supports local outreach, education, prevention and research efforts related to curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS among the disproportionately affected, African American population. Part of the effort includes the use of an abstinence-based approach, as well as research using animal models and mapping points of access in the health care delivery system for African American women…The University has provided technical assistance, educational and outreach programs, testing and research. In addition, they have provided rapid HIV testing and adopted research-based curricula that has been introduced to CSU teachers, students, police, residence hall leaders, and several local church personnel involved with HIV/AIDS ministries. The effort has been endorsed and supported by the Illinois Department of Health and the General Assembly. Federal resources are needed to continue the effort and to ensure evaluation and replication of the project. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, 6/7/05]
Obama Requested $1 Million For The Easter Seals Metropolitan Project. In 2005, Obama requested $1 million for the Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago (ESMC) to provide a new community service facility. The proposed project was a new one-of-a-kind facility to provide comprehensive services, including occupational therapy, nursing, speech and language therapy, education, training, vocational, research and residential services for the clients of ESMC. Services in the new facility will be tailored to children and young adults between the ages of 3-21 who have a primary diagnosis of autism, emotional behavior disorders, cognitive delays and/or severe learning disabilities. The new campus will accommodate at least 125 clients. The 40,793 square feet of space has been designed to address the sensory needs of clients and meet the complex therapeutic and educational requirements of the children and adolescents with autism, emotional behavior disorders and other developmental disabilities. In addition to expanding the number of people that can be assisted, this facility will allow Easter Seals to collaborate with the University of Illinois, and Rush University Medical Center on research intended to find the cause and cure of autism. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, 6/7/05]
Obama Requested $3.5 Million For The USC Annenberg Research Network. In 2005, Obama requested $3.5 million for the USC Annenberg Research Network on International Communication, in partnership with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to support the deployment of pervasive broadband for education and economic development.Funding was for the construction of a large-scale broadband wireless systems in two communities—one in South Los Angeles and the other in small-town Illinois. In each community, broadband network coverage will be provided over a minimum of about a half-square mile area, utilizing leading edge wireless technologies. In Los Angeles, this will include the five schools in USC’s immediate neighborhood, with about 8,000 K-12 students. USC also will provide wireless equipment and access to every family with a student entering the first grade of a new Science Center School, and in Illinois, a similar group of students will be selected to receive wireless equipment and access within the coverage area. The impact of these technologies on the students and their families will be tracked. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, 6/7/05]
Obama Requested $750,000 For Southern Illinois University’s (SIU) Saluki Kids Academy. In 2005, Obama requested $750,000 for Southern Illinois University’s (SIU) Saluki Kids’ Academy. SIU is interested in expanding the program to year-round delivery of academic tutoring and support research, as well as evaluate student gains. Saluki Kids’ Academy provides access to university academic and laboratory facilities, as well as other resources – through a six-week summer program on the SIUC campus. The goal is to promote career development and parent empowerment for low-income children and their parents. The mission is to enable these children to realize their potential through a community-based program of academic and enrichment activities. Nutrition is also a major focus of the summer program. The program is jointly sponsored by SIUC, Shawnee Community College, Cairo Unit School District #1, Carbondale Elementary School District 95, Unity Point Community Consolidated School District 140, and the Regional Office of Education for Alexander/Johnson/Massac/Pulaski/Union counties. The southern Illinois counties of Jackson, Alexander, Pulaski, and Union include high numbers of at-risk children and families. Free and reduced lunch percentages are as high as 94 percent and average 63 percent – unemployment rates approach 10 percent. There is research-based evidence of the academic loss that at-risk students suffer during summer breaks. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, 6/7/05]
Obama Requested $760,000 For The Training And Resource Center At The Swedish Covenant Hospital In Chicago. In 2005, Obama requested $760,000 for the Training and Resource Center at the Swedish Covenant Hospital. Swedish Covenant Hospital is a 320-bed urban community hospital, the only independent non-profit hospital serving the culturally diverse north side of Chicago. The Hospital was founded in 1886 by missionaries. The Community Resource Learning Center at the Hospital will provide personalized assistance in an environment that is conducive to both learning and healing. It will serve two target groups: 1) current patients and their families who utilize the hospital’s services; and 2) become a destination for community residents that need access to health information but are not currently using the hospital’s physicians and services. Physicians, hospital units and service lines can use the center as an “educational extender” to increase positive outcomes for their patients. The center will also serve the needs of all hospital employees, members of the Covenant Church and the Galter Life Center. The total cost of the project is $1.3 million. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, 6/7/05]
Obama Requested $600,000 For Rockford College’s Collegial Coaching For Professional Development Program. In 2005, Obama requested $600,000 for Rockford College and their Collegial Coaching for Professional Development Program. The program will provide professional development opportunities to 42 Rockford Public Schools that collectively serve 28,887 students and 1,600 teachers. Collegial Coaching for Professional Development is an interactive professional development program for beginning teachers and mentors. The project will help beginning teachers develop focused classroom management skills and instructional strategies that promote quality learning. Multimedia courses provide research based teaching with strategies with hands-on practice will be offered to both beginning teachers and mentors. The availability of mentors and inclusion of collegial coaching will greatly enhance the beginning teachers’ mastery of qualitative teaching behaviors, and thereby positively improve student achievement. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, 6/7/05]
Obama Requested $200,000 For The Chicago Park District And Museums In The Park, A Consortium Of Ten Chicago Cultural Institutions That Produces After-School Education Sessions, Family Workshops, Museum Visits. In 2005, Obama requested $200,000 for the Chicago Park District and Museums in the Park, a consortium of ten of Chicago’s most treasured cultural institutions. It is a four-phase program that takes place over three years, serving 3,000 persons each year. The first phase consists of after-school sessions at neighborhood parks three days a week for 12 weeks, where children have hands-on lessons relating to a theme specific to each museum. The second phase consists of family workshops in the park where museum personnel guide group projects over dinner. During each month of the third phase one museum hosts a special Park Voyagers event, culminating in the fourth phase where families receive free year-long admission to all participating museums. Seventy parks have been served throughout the city. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, 6/7/05]
Obama Requested $1 Million For The HistoryMakers Project To Create A National Digital Video Oral History Archive Of The Achievements Of African-Americans In The 21st Century. In 2005, Obama requested $1 million for the HistoryMakers project to create a national digital video oral history archive of the achievements of African-Americans of the 21st Century. The HistoryMakers represents the single largest archival project of its kind in the world, outdistancing the existing video oral history collections of New York’s Schomburg Library and the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum. The HistoryMakers is unique among these other collections of African American heritage, because of its massive scope. The initial goal of The HistoryMakers was to complete 5,000 interviews of both well-known and unsung African American HistoryMakers within the next five years, creating an archive of unparalleled importance and exposing the archival collection to the widest audience possible. Not since the recording of former slaves during the WPA Movement of the 1930s (1936-1938), resulting in approximately 2,300 mostly hand-recorded interviews, has there been a methodic and wide-scale attempt to capture the testimonies of African Americans. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, 6/7/05]
Obama Requested $1 Million For The National Louis University And Its McCormick Tribune Center For Early Childhood Leadership. In 2005 Obama requested $1 million for the National-Louis University and its McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership to allow the Center to continue and expand on their role in the field of early childhood development professionals, continued federal funding is needed. The McCormick Tribune Center for Early Childhood Leadership is the country’s premier institution, providing leadership and management training for administrators of early childhood programs. The activities of the Center encompass four areas: Training to improve the knowledge base, skills, and competencies of early childhood directors; technical assistance to improve the quality of early childhood programs; research on important professional development issues; public awareness of the critical role that early childhood leaders play in the provision of quality services for children and families The Center has also helped increase the number of accredited early childhood leadership centers throughout the country, due in part to increasing retention rates for trained professionals. Participants in the Center’s management training programs have gone on to assume key leadership positions at Chicago Metro Association for the Education of Young Children, Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, Action for Children, Child Care Bureau in Washington, DC and other early childhood organizations. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, 6/7/05]
Obama Requested $2.5 Million For Governor’s State University (GSU)To Establish A Center For Excellence In Health Professionals Education. In 2005, Obama requested $2.5 million for the Governors State University (GSU) to establish a Center for Excellence in Health Professions Education, which would follow the tradition of health professions education at Governors State University to create a model for multidisciplinary education that uses evidence-based practice to create health care practitioners who can meet the needs of an increasingly diverse local, state, and regional population. GSU proposed to undertake several academic initiatives as part of the Center for Excellence in Health Professions Education. The undergraduate nursing program will develop an accelerated baccalaureate or entry master’s degree program to get nurses into the workforce more quickly. The master’s degree program in nursing will be expanded to address the increasing shortage of nurse educators through the development of a distance learning nurse educator credential. The physical therapy program will implement an entry professional doctoral degree, in keeping with national goals of the profession. Finally, all of the programs will work to address the serious shortage of bilingual/bicultural health professions of Hispanic background. This need is acute in the area of speech and language pathologists to work in early intervention programs but is universal across the health professions. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, 6/7/05]
Obama Requested $2 Million For Lewis University And Its Effort To Establish A Center For Academic And Community Learning. In 2005, Obama requested $2 million for the Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, to establish a Center for Academic and Community Learning, which is designed to address the significant educational needs of the less advantaged in the Will County region by providing academic assistance not only for students on campus but also for residents of the surrounding communities. To decentralize their academic programs, and make them available day and night, Lewis will use these funds to offer online tutoring, invest in training, software, and wireless technology to increase off-site access to these services. Additionally, funds will be invested towards assistive technology aimed at advancing educational opportunities for children with special needs, as well as a reading clinic for K-12, undergraduate and graduate students. [Obama Request Letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education, 6/7/05]
Soooooooeeeeeeeyyyyyyyy.
Barack Obama - Earmark King.
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