Date: 2011-11-17
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today to debate the conference report on H.R. 2112. containing FY 2012 appropriations. This bill will fund the departments of Agriculture. Commerce. Justice. Transportation. Housing and Urban Development. as well as NASA Additionally. the bill funds the government through December 16. 2011. I am pleased to see the conferees were able to restore essential funding for jobs. innovation. food safety. and vital investments in infrastructure. Moreover. the bill has come back from conference free of controversial policy riders that put special interest above the interests of the American people. The conference report contains key investments in infrastructure that will put Americans back to work. Funding for high ay and transit programs has been set at $39.8 billion for the federal aid highway program. and $10.5 billion for transit programs. allowing for 400.000 more jobs than the House version of the bill. I am extremely pleased that the conference agreement includes funding for METRO rail in the Houston. Texas North Corridor ($94.616.000) and Southeast Corridor ($94.616.000) for a total of $189.232. This funding is critical for the regional mobility of the citizens in and around the 18th Congressional District. At a time when cities around the country are struggling with a backlog of transportation projects amidst high unemployment. this funding is critical to improving transportation infrastructure while creating jobs. Houston. in particular. needs this infrastructure to relieve congestion and provide adequate public transportation. Furthermore. this investment in the citys New Start Transit Project will create jobs for Houstonians who want to work to support their families and improve their communities. As the Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security. I understand the vital importance of ensuring the nation has a developed transit system. Houston has been working for over 20 years to bring these New Start Projects to fruition. I have worked tirelessly to secure the necessary funding to complete the METRO RAIL New Start Projects. and I am very pleased this project was included in the conference report. This legislation also contains $2.3 billion dollars in funding for disaster relief. Adequate funding for disaster relief is imperative to our nations emergency preparedness. As a Representative from Texas. I have seen firsthand the necessity for disaster relief funding. During Hurricane Katrina. there were insufficient quantities of generators forced hospitals to evacuate patients. Local governments waited days for commodities like ice. water. MREs. and blue tarps. Evacuees from Texas arrived in Shreveport and Bastrop shelters that were grossly unfit for occupancy. and 2.500 people were forced to use the same shower facility. Emergency preparedness is only one part of keeping our communities safe. We also need to ensure that our law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to uphold law and order at all times. The Community Oriented Policing Services. COPS. Program for state and local law enforcement will receive $198.5 million dollars in this legislation. including $166 million dollars for COPS hiring to put more police officers on the streets. keeping our citizens safe. As a senior Member of the Homeland Security. I know that strong state and local law enforcement agencies are vital to our national security. I am also pleased to see funding for the Office of Violence Against Women. The conference agreement includes $412.5 million dollars for programs to prevent violence against women. and assist victims of violent crime. Across the country there are non profits. community based organizations. and religious groups that are diligently working to address all the issues that arise from domestic violence. One such organization is in my hometown of Houston. TX. the Houston Area Womens Center. Programs such as the Houston Area Womens Center will benefit from the grants made available through this funding. Throughout the budget and appropriations process. I have been concerned about the adverse effects of spending cuts on minority and underserved populations. I am extremely pleased to see that the Minority Business Resource Center program received $922.000 dollars in funding to provide loans and capital to invest in minority owned businesses. The conference report also allocates $3.06 million dollars for minority business outreach. These efforts show a commitment to revitalizing small business and giving everyone the opportunity to make it in America. This bill represents an investment in Americas future by allocating $4.5 million dollars for the Office of Science and Technology Policy. In the report. the conferees state their support for improvements to the federal Science. Technology. Engineering and Mathematics. STEM. education. STEM education is absolutely imperative for Americans to compete in the increasingly globalized economy. A commitment to improving STEM education is a commitment to our children and our students. H.R. 2112 also takes steps to further our economic recovery after the 2008 financial crisis. In the wake of the housing crisis. many responsible. hard working Americans lost their homes. not because they neglected to pay their mortgage. but because their rates went up unexpectedly. or because they lost their jobs. In an effort to prevent more families from losing their homes. this bill provides $45 million dollars for nonprofits to advise families on foreclosure prevention. While I support this measure. I also have some reservations. While I am glad to see the Women. Infants. and Children. WIC. nutrition program funded at $6.6 billion. $570 million above the House level. and $36 million above the Senate level. I am concerned that the Supplemental Nutrition Access Program. SNAP. and child nutrition have been funded at $98.6 billion. $2 billion below President Obamas request. Moreover. the decision to render tomato paste and tomato sauce as adequate servings of vegetables undermines efforts to teach children healthy eating habits at a young age. While the funding levels for SNAP allow all individuals and families that meet the programs criteria for aid to receive benefits. there is nothing in the conference report that addresses the very serious problem of urban food deserts. communities in which residents do not have access to affordable and healthy food options. Food deserts disproportionally affect African American and Hispanic communities. Fast food restaurants and convenience stores line the blocks of low income neighborhoods. offering few. if any healthy options. Food deserts have greatly impacted my constituents in the 18th Congressional District. and citizens throughout the state of Texas. Texas has fewer grocery stores per capita than any other state. The U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA. identified 92 food desert census tracts in Harris County alone. These areas are subdivisions of the county with between 1.000 to 8.000 low income residents. with 33 percent of people living more than a mile from a grocery store. I am also concerned about the decrease in funding for NASA found in this report. While I am very pleased that NASAs budget does include $138 million dollars for education. including the Minority University Research and Education Program. I wholeheartedly believe we need to further the space program. The Johnson Space Center in Houston attracts the best and brightest minds in the nation. and we must give them the resources they need. There is no blueprint for great achievement. but allowing for continued exploration of the universe can lead to great discovery. Despite these reservations. I am pleased to support this measure. and urge my colleagues to do the same.