Press Releases
Senator Roberts: Senate Passes Spending Bill, Contains Important Kansas Projects
Includes Important Language to Assist Greensburg in Continued Tornado Recovery
Dec 18 2007
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS) today announced the Senate passed a critical omnibus appropriations package, containing the remaining spending bills for Fiscal Year 2008. Sen. Roberts personally worked to obtain over $59.2 million in funding for projects in Kansas.
“The following projects are very important to Kansas. I have been working hard with appropriators for the past year to make these projects a priority. I am pleased the Senate was able to come together and continue to make important federal investments in Kansas’ infrastructure, education and research objectives before the year’s end.”
Senator Roberts personally worked to fund the following projects:
Agriculture:
* Kansas Blackbird Management: $127,104
* National Ag. Biosecurity Center at KSU: $276,054
* Karnal Bunt Research at the Manhattan Agriculture Research Service (ARS): $541,185
* Ogallala Aquifer research at KSU and ARS, joint project with Texas: $3.732 million
* Wheat Quality Research at Manhattan ARS: $417,060
* Wind Erosion Research at Manhattan ARS: $968,175
* Grain Sorghum Research at Manhattan ARS: $1.014 million
* Regional Molecular Genotyping Research at Manhattan ARS: $415,815
* Grain Research at Manhattan ARS: $482,627
* Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative at Manhattan ARS: $96,265
* Air Quality Research at KSU, joint project with Texas: $1.161 million
* Food Safety consortium, joint project with KSU, Iowa State, and Arkansas: $1.057 million
* Grain Sorghum Research, joint project with Texas: $548,136
* Pre-harvest Food Safety at KSU: $150,936
* Water Conservation: $74,475
* Wheat Genetics Research: $256,194
* USDA Homeland Security, Food and Agriculture Defense Initiative: $9.831 Million. Kansas State receives funding from this national program in support of its plant diagnostics laboratory. The lab provides rapid response diagnostic capabilities for potential disease outbreaks in Kansas and Great Plains crops.
Commerce, Justice, State:
* Ford County Sheriff’s Office for addressing and preventing terror risks in rural areas: $282,000
* Johnson County Emergency Communications: $94,000
Water and Energy:
* Turkey Creek Basin Construction: $8.8 million
* Tuttle Creek Lake, Dam Safety: $28 million
* Missouri River Degradation Study, General Investigation: $295,000
* Eureka Creek, Flood Control Program
* Wilson Lake: $1.54 million
* Wichita Project–Equus Beds Division: $1.47 million
* Wichita State University, Sustainable Energy Solutions: $984,000
The following projects were included in the President’s request for Water and Energy:
* Council Grove Lake: $1.47 million
* Elk City Lake: $983,000
* Fall River Lake: $2.3 million
* Hillsdale Lake: $806,000
* Inspection of Completed Works: $206,000
* John Redmond Dam & Reservoir: $2.48 million
* Kanopolis Lake: $1.26 million
* Marion Lake: $1.54 million
* Melvern Lake: $1.94 million
* Milford Lake: $2.37 million
* Pearson Lake: $968,000
* Perry Lake: $2.08 million
* Pomona Lake: $2.01 million
* Scheduling Reservoir Operations: $36,000
* Toronto Lake: $1.43 million
* Tuttle Creek Lake: $2.22 million
* Kansas Investigations Program: $71,000
* Wichita-Cheney Project: $412,000
Senator Roberts personally worked to fund the following projects:
Financial Services:
* Community Child Care Facility for the facilitation of daycare needs of small businesses in the Manhattan area: $500,000
Interior/EPA:
* City of Prescott Wastewater Treatment Plant: $295,320
* City of Lenexa Stormwater Improvement Project: $295,320
* National Rural Water Association: $7.58 million
Labor/HHS:
* University of Kansas, Lawrence, for the biodiversity research center: $1,121,067 * Kansas Learning Center for Health, Halstead, to support health education, including curriculum: $95,305
* Coffeyville Regional Medical Center, Coffeyville, for facilities and equipment: $335,043
* Butler County Community College, Andover, for a closed captioning training program, including curriculum development: $335,043
Transportation/HUD:
* Construction and Improvements to County Road One (RS-209) south of I-70 to K-32 in Leavenworth County: $490,000
* Wyandottee County Government Bus Replacement: $686,000
* Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), research on small aircraft: $686,000
* Intersection Rehabilitation and Improvements, US-24 and Marlatt Avenue in Manhattan: $686,000
* Kansas City, KS (KCK) Downtown Streetscape Improvements: $147,000
* Atchison Pedestrian Mall Redevelopment: $343,000
* United Methodist Youthville in Dodge City to provide a central kitchen/dining facility for the campus in compliance with federal regulations: $205,800
* 21st Street Industrial Corridor Revitalization Plan and Pre-Engineering Designs in Wichita: $205,800
This bill also includes a provision important to the revitalization of Greensburg. At issue were the parameters of a Department of Labor grant which would not allow the funds to be used to hire public sector employees such as administrators, zoning and planning officials and inspectors. Given the small size of local government in the affected areas, it became apparent to state and Greensburg officials that it would be necessary to hire public employees to assist in the reconstruction. Senator Roberts has worked with the rest of the Kansas delegation and Governor Sebelius to get this
important waiver for Greensburg.
The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for final approval before being sent to the president for his signature.
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“The following projects are very important to Kansas. I have been working hard with appropriators for the past year to make these projects a priority. I am pleased the Senate was able to come together and continue to make important federal investments in Kansas’ infrastructure, education and research objectives before the year’s end.”
Senator Roberts personally worked to fund the following projects:
Agriculture:
* Kansas Blackbird Management: $127,104
* National Ag. Biosecurity Center at KSU: $276,054
* Karnal Bunt Research at the Manhattan Agriculture Research Service (ARS): $541,185
* Ogallala Aquifer research at KSU and ARS, joint project with Texas: $3.732 million
* Wheat Quality Research at Manhattan ARS: $417,060
* Wind Erosion Research at Manhattan ARS: $968,175
* Grain Sorghum Research at Manhattan ARS: $1.014 million
* Regional Molecular Genotyping Research at Manhattan ARS: $415,815
* Grain Research at Manhattan ARS: $482,627
* Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative at Manhattan ARS: $96,265
* Air Quality Research at KSU, joint project with Texas: $1.161 million
* Food Safety consortium, joint project with KSU, Iowa State, and Arkansas: $1.057 million
* Grain Sorghum Research, joint project with Texas: $548,136
* Pre-harvest Food Safety at KSU: $150,936
* Water Conservation: $74,475
* Wheat Genetics Research: $256,194
* USDA Homeland Security, Food and Agriculture Defense Initiative: $9.831 Million. Kansas State receives funding from this national program in support of its plant diagnostics laboratory. The lab provides rapid response diagnostic capabilities for potential disease outbreaks in Kansas and Great Plains crops.
Commerce, Justice, State:
* Ford County Sheriff’s Office for addressing and preventing terror risks in rural areas: $282,000
* Johnson County Emergency Communications: $94,000
Water and Energy:
* Turkey Creek Basin Construction: $8.8 million
* Tuttle Creek Lake, Dam Safety: $28 million
* Missouri River Degradation Study, General Investigation: $295,000
* Eureka Creek, Flood Control Program
* Wilson Lake: $1.54 million
* Wichita Project–Equus Beds Division: $1.47 million
* Wichita State University, Sustainable Energy Solutions: $984,000
The following projects were included in the President’s request for Water and Energy:
* Council Grove Lake: $1.47 million
* Elk City Lake: $983,000
* Fall River Lake: $2.3 million
* Hillsdale Lake: $806,000
* Inspection of Completed Works: $206,000
* John Redmond Dam & Reservoir: $2.48 million
* Kanopolis Lake: $1.26 million
* Marion Lake: $1.54 million
* Melvern Lake: $1.94 million
* Milford Lake: $2.37 million
* Pearson Lake: $968,000
* Perry Lake: $2.08 million
* Pomona Lake: $2.01 million
* Scheduling Reservoir Operations: $36,000
* Toronto Lake: $1.43 million
* Tuttle Creek Lake: $2.22 million
* Kansas Investigations Program: $71,000
* Wichita-Cheney Project: $412,000
Senator Roberts personally worked to fund the following projects:
Financial Services:
* Community Child Care Facility for the facilitation of daycare needs of small businesses in the Manhattan area: $500,000
Interior/EPA:
* City of Prescott Wastewater Treatment Plant: $295,320
* City of Lenexa Stormwater Improvement Project: $295,320
* National Rural Water Association: $7.58 million
Labor/HHS:
* University of Kansas, Lawrence, for the biodiversity research center: $1,121,067 * Kansas Learning Center for Health, Halstead, to support health education, including curriculum: $95,305
* Coffeyville Regional Medical Center, Coffeyville, for facilities and equipment: $335,043
* Butler County Community College, Andover, for a closed captioning training program, including curriculum development: $335,043
Transportation/HUD:
* Construction and Improvements to County Road One (RS-209) south of I-70 to K-32 in Leavenworth County: $490,000
* Wyandottee County Government Bus Replacement: $686,000
* Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), research on small aircraft: $686,000
* Intersection Rehabilitation and Improvements, US-24 and Marlatt Avenue in Manhattan: $686,000
* Kansas City, KS (KCK) Downtown Streetscape Improvements: $147,000
* Atchison Pedestrian Mall Redevelopment: $343,000
* United Methodist Youthville in Dodge City to provide a central kitchen/dining facility for the campus in compliance with federal regulations: $205,800
* 21st Street Industrial Corridor Revitalization Plan and Pre-Engineering Designs in Wichita: $205,800
This bill also includes a provision important to the revitalization of Greensburg. At issue were the parameters of a Department of Labor grant which would not allow the funds to be used to hire public sector employees such as administrators, zoning and planning officials and inspectors. Given the small size of local government in the affected areas, it became apparent to state and Greensburg officials that it would be necessary to hire public employees to assist in the reconstruction. Senator Roberts has worked with the rest of the Kansas delegation and Governor Sebelius to get this
important waiver for Greensburg.
The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for final approval before being sent to the president for his signature.
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