Date: 2005-11-09
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of this bill to fund the Departments of Commerce. Justice. and State. as well as NASA and the National Science Foundation. In crafting this legislation. our appropriators faced the difficult task of adequately funding many national priorities. On balance. they did a remarkable job and have produced a bill worthy of our support. This. bill increases funding for many important Justice Department programs and included a 9 percent increase for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a 6 percent increase for both the U.S. Marshals Service and the Drug Enforcement Agency. For sure. there are programs that we would all like to see funded at higher levels. I am particularly disappointed to see reduced funding for local law enforcement. Community Oriented Policing Services and juvenile justice programs. however. I am pleased that appropriators did not accept the Administrations request to lump all of these programs into one broad Justice Assistance line. I also applaud the conference committee for increasing funds for Byme grants and the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program. both of which I have long supported. This is the first year that NASA has been funded in this legislation. which provided $16.5 billionor a 2 percent. increasefor NASA. I appreciate the committees support of NASAs efforts to develop a crew exploration vehicle that will eventually replace the Space Shuttle. With Johnson Space Center in our community. we are certainly grateful that the committee rejected the Administrations efforts to cut funding for NASAs Aeronautics Research program. While the billprovides a slight decrease in funding for the Commerce Department. I am pleased to see significant funding increases for the Economic Development Administration and NOAA. as compared to Housepassed funding levels. One program of particular interest to me and our community in Houston is NOAAs Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Program. This program exists to protect important coastal and estuarine areas that have significant conservation. recreation. ecological. or historical values and are threatened by development or conversion. In Houston. we are involved in an effort to preserve the Buffalo Bayou. which is the historic waterway on which the Allen Brothers founded Houston in 1836. NOAAs Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Program has allowed us to partner with the Trust for Public Land to conserve critical tracts of land along the Buffalo Bayou in order to further our conservation efforts. For the past two years. Congress has supported our land acquisition funding requests to help revitalize the Buffalo Bayou in a manner that balances the need to conserve the Bayous wetlands and waterways with the recreational and business development needed to. transform the Buffalo Bayou into an active and vibrant urban waterfront center. To date. congressionallyappropriated funds have played a significant role in the development of Buffalo Bend Nature Park. which was recently dedicated and has provided residents of my district with increased greenspace and recreational opportunities. In this bill. Congress appropriated $750.000 for the acquisition of two tracts of land. funding that will further the goals of the Buffalo Bayou master plan. Land along the Buffalo Bayou will be purchased to expand Hidalgo Park. which sits in a historically Hispanic community that has traditionally lacked park land. Through this acquisition. Hidalgo Park will be linked to Buffalo Bend Nature Park. enhancing residents recreational and environmental experience along the bayou. The funding will also allow the City of Houston to purchase land along Brays Bayou. beginning at the confluence of Brays Bayou and Buffalo Bayou and stretching to Mason Park. less than a mile away. This area is a prime location for a greenbelt park. the development of which would further the Citys plan for parks connected by and along the citys bayous. I would like to thank appropriators in both the House and the Senate for recognizing the value of these projects and positive impact they will make on the quality of life for my constituents. With that. Madam Speaker. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.