Prince William County Democratic Committee

Omnibus Appropriations Bill Includes Money for Rail, Cops, Roads, GMU, Schools, Health, Environment

WASHINGTON -- Congressman Gerry Connolly said the Omnibus Appropriations bill passed by the House of Representatives Wednesday contains $33.7 million in funding for a wide range of projects and activities benefiting schools, transportation, police departments, George Mason University, and the public across the 11^th Congressional District in Fairfax and Prince William Counties.   In addition, the legislation contains $10.75 million for environmental protection and preservation of the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem.

Congressman Connolly joined with the majority to pass the bill 245-178.  Connolly said he was proud to work with the leadership to protect the earmarks benefiting Northern Virginia that were originally supported by his predecessor, former Rep. Tom Davis.  Connolly also praised his House colleagues, Congressmen Jim Moran and Frank Wolf, for their efforts to include worthwhile Northern Virginia projects in the House-passed bill.

“This legislation adds another piece to the mosaic of economic recovery,” Connolly said, praising the passage of the bill “as an example of bipartisan continuity and cooperation for Northern Virginia’s citizens.”

The Senate is expected to take up the Omnibus Appropriations Bill next week.

Among the items included in the House-passed bill are: $29.1 million for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project; $1.9 million for the I-95/Fairfax County Parkway interchange; $1.4 million for George mason University’s National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Disease; and $300,000 for in-care camera and evidentiary processing equipment for the Prince William County Police Department.

Other funding includes $160,000 to the Vienna Police Department for communications upgrades; $237,000 for sidewalk construction in Vienna; $95,000 for the Fairfax County Public Schools Fire and Emergency medical Services program; $285,000 for Inova Health System’s Claude Moore Health Education and Research Center’s Medical Education Simulation Center in Prince William County; $190,000 for widening of I-66 from Route 29 to Route 15 in Prince William County and the construction of the Route 15 interchange; and $40,000 for computer and phone systems in the Dumfries Family Service Center of Action in the Community Through Service.

Here is a list of the projects affecting Northern Virginia contained in H.R. 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations Bill for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009:

$10.79 Million    Chesapeake Bay environmental protection and ecosystem preservation

$300,000              Prince William County Police Department in-car cameras and evidentiary processing equipmen

$160,000              Vienna Police Department communications technology equipment

$40,000                 Action in the Community Through Service (ACTS) for computers and telephone equipment in the Dumfries Family Service Center

$1.43 million       George Mason University’s National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Disease

$95,000                 Fairfax County Public Schools equipment purchase for its Fire and Emergency medical Services Program

$285,000              Inova Health System’s Claude Moore Health Education and Research Center’s Medical Education Simulation Center in Prince William County

$29.1 Million       Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project  

$190,000              I-66 widening from Rte. 29 to Rte. 15/interchange construction at Rte. 15 in Prince William County

$1.9 Million         I-95/Fairfax County Parkway interchange

$237,500              Vienna Sidewalk Construction

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