04.30.09
Washington Priority Projects: Fiscal Year 2010 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations
Fiscal Year 2010 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations
Our state has been particularly hard hit by the economic downturn – unemployment levels have skyrocketed and I’ve heard from many local communities struggling to cover basic services like education, public safety, transportation and health care. As a United States Senator, part of my job is to help critical priorities in our state receive attention from the federal government so that we can help reinvigorate our economy, create new, high-paying jobs, and help our working families stay ahead in these tough economic times.
Part of that process at the federal level includes making sure that our state gets our fair share of funding from the federal government. Washington consistently pays more in federal tax dollars than we receive back in federal investment and services.
During the annual budget process, I submit requests to the Senate Appropriations Committee for congressionally directed spending for Washington state (sometimes referred to as “earmarks”) that benefits our state. Some of these include: flood control levees; airport, rail, highway and mass transit improvements; drinking water and wastewater infrastructure; gang crime prevention and intervention programs; workforce training; and, agricultural research. I am working to continue to make this process even more transparent and to ensure that we’re spending taxpayer dollars wisely.
Every year, I receive thousands of requests for assistance from cities, counties, water and utility districts, transportation agencies, and others. I carefully review and evaluate these requests — and choose to submit a selection of these projects to the Committee. The final outcome for any request will not be known until the bill has been approved by the House and Senate, and signed into law by the President.
I will be posting each request I make to my Web site as they are submitted to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Below you will find detailed information about the request I made for the FY 2010 Financial Services and General Government Appropriation:
Accelerating Economic Development in Rural, Underserved Communities of the Inland Pacific Northwest – Eastern Washington University (Spokane, WA).
Project Description – This project will assist disadvantaged rural communities throughout Northeastern Washington and Northern Idaho to identify economic opportunities for underserved populations, help them to develop strategies to capitalize on these insights, and mentor community members as they launch new businesses. One outcome of the project will be a replicable model of rural economic development that explicitly includes underserved populations for use across the nation. This funding request will allow Eastern Washington University to extend this project to Ferry, Grant, and Okanogan Counties to establish an accessible database for rural communities.
Amount Requested – $295,000.
