Press Release by the House Appropriations Committee, June 28, 2000

Press Release by the House Appropriations Committee, June 28, 2000
NEWS
House Appropriations Committee
Chairman C.W. Bill Young (R-FL)
Website address: www.house.gov/appropriations

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Elizabeth Morra/John Scofield
June 28, 2000 (202) 226-5828
ADDRESSING THE SCOURGE OF DRUGS AT THEIR SOURCE, URGENT MILITARY SHORTFALLS, AND DISASTER ASSISTANCE

Summary of the FY00 Supplemental Conference Report

"I am pleased that the Senate is now ready to act on this important legislation, which the House took up and passed in March," said House Appropriations Committee Chairman C.W. Bill Young

(R-FL). "All along I've stressed the need to replenish the Pentagon's coffers, which have been dangerously depleted due to our mission in Kosovo and rising fuel costs. This bill will also go a long way toward addressing the military's troubled health system, undertake a major initiative aimed at stopping illegal drugs at the borders of source countries, and help out needy farmers, fishermen, and citizens, who have suffered great losses in recent fires and other natural disasters."

Highlights of the approximately $11.2 billion Supplemental Conference Report:

$1.3 billion for the Plan Colombia initiative to stop the flow of illegal drugs at the source, including:

$1018 million for a regional approach to battling the drug invasion, including $110 million for Bolivia; $20 million for Ecuador; and $18 million for other countries in the region. This also includes $315 million for helicopters ($234 million for 18 Blackhawks; $81 million for 42 "Huey II" helicopters (30 for the Colombia Army and 12 for the Colombia National Police).
$122 million for human rights and justice programs in the region, $29 million more than the President requested.
$185 million for training counternarcotics battalions and intelligence activities in Colombia.
$117 million to establish three Forward Operation Locations, which will provide U.S. surveillance aircraft support for DOD and multi-agency counterdrug operations in the Caribbean, South America and Eastern Pacific.

$6.4 billion to address urgent defense needs, including:

$2 billion to replenish operation and maintenance accounts depleted by the Kosovo mission.
$1.6 billion to address the Pentagon's rising fuel costs.
$1.3 billion to avoid severe disruptions in the military health care program.
$1.1 billion to address unfunded personnel and readiness requirements.
$40 million in development funding for Vieques, Puerto Rico.
$148 million in disaster assistance for damage at U.S. bases.
$125 million for Patriot missile reliability.
$361 million for Hurricane Floyd and other natural disasters, including:

$81 million to forgive marketing loans made by the Commodity Credit Corporation to producer-owned associations or producers that suffered losses from Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, or Irene.
$15.8 million for the subsidy cost to support $40 million in direct loans to fund new rural rental housing projects in areas affected by Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, or Irene.
$13.6 million in rental assistance grants to assure that qualifying tenants in the 1,000 units to be constructed in hurricane-affected areas will pay no more than 30% of their income for housing expenses.
$62.7 million for NOAA, for hurricane and fishery disasters.
$25.8 million for Economic Development Administration grants for disaster assistance.
$40.9 million for the Small Business Administration, disaster loans program.
$50 million for Federal Emergency Management Agency, for the purpose of buying-out flooded properties from available funds.
$36 million for HUD's HOME investment partnership.
$25 million for Mozambique disaster assistance.
$77 million for the Farm Service Agency, for the following:
$26.2 million for temporary staffing to assure continued delivery of programs to address the dire farm income situation.
$12.8 million for consent decree costs involving discrimination claims by African-American farmers.
$38.4 million to make computer system changes necessary to avoid potential failures, which would impair program and payment delivery.
$661 million for claims settlements and damages resulting from the Cerro Grande Fire in New Mexico

$350 million for wildland emergency firefighting

$192.5 million for DOE environmental cleanup (OH, KY); nuclear weapons infrastructure needs (TN, SC, MO, TX, NM, NV); and cybersecurity activities

$700 million to address Coast Guard needs, including $77 million for spare parts and health care shortages.

$600 million for the Low Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

$181 million for CALEA, to provide funding necessary to meet the deadline for implementing CALEA, which preserves drug law enforcement's ability to perform court-authorized surveillance in the new digital environment

$75 million for FAA operations

$20 million for the National Transportation Safety Board (salaries and expenses) to avert a funding shortfall created by Alaska Air and Egypt Air crash investigations

$35 million for the Social Security Administration to respond to the increased workload resulting from the recent repeal of the Social Security earnings limit

$17.5 million to address severe fire safety hazards in the Capitol and House and Senate Office Buildings recently identified by the Architect of the Capitol.

$4.5 million for D.C. Police to reimburse costs associated with recent protests

$2 million for Commission on International Religious Freedom

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As of June 29, 2000, this document was also available online at http://www.house.gov/appropriations/pr01suco.html