Senator Conrad Burns’ Montana eNewsLetter Tuesday, July 19, 2005 Version 4, Edition 8

Burns Fights for Amtrak Funding

The Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary and Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill has passed out of the subcommittee today, including $1.4 billion for Amtrak. The legislation includes some reform proposals, designed to address the continued funding shortfalls that Amtrak faces annually. In my roll on the Appropriations Committee, I was glad to help keep this funding included this far along in the process.

All Montanans have been watching the Amtrak debate closely over the past months, and I have been committed in my support of this national rail system from day one. We are talking about a transportation system folks depend on in areas where they have no other options, and unfortunately I don’t feel we have an advocate for Amtrak at the Department of Transportation right now, so that means we must win this fight here in Congress, and today’s movement is a good start.

I brought Transportation Appropriations Chairman Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond (R-MO) to Whitefish this May to ride the Empire builder, and we rode from Whitefish to Cut Bank so he could see first-hand how important the line is to Montana’s transportation infrastructure. At the time, Senator Bond said “This is a beautiful line, and I will not be a part of the Administrations’ plan to bankrupt it," and I am glad he stuck to his word.

The $1.4 billion that came out of committee today is not as much as I’d like to see, but it keeps the Empire Builder running and that’s what we need. This is the first step in a long process of Amtrak reform which I intend to be engaged in at every step of the way.

Burns Moves MILCON Funds Forward

As the former Chairman of the Senate Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee, I was happy to help designate $90,177,000 in construction projects for the military in Montana today. The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs funding totals nearly $83 billion for Fiscal Year 2006, and includes increases to Veterans benefits by $1.5 billion over 2005, and increases to Veterans health care by nearly $4 billion over 2005.

Our men and women in the armed services deserve the best in facilities and equipment. Malmstrom is continuing to grow and improve, and our National Guard facilities have brought world war two era installations into the twenty-first century. Our troops deserve no less, and I’m pleased we were able to include this funding in the Senate version of the bill. I am also proud to see we are continuing to increase funding to my fellow veterans, who put their lives on the line for our freedom and deserve not only our gratitude, but our financial support.

Specifically, Military Construction Appropriations for Montana include $13.5 million for the physical fitness center at Malmstrom Air Force base, and $68.9 million to construct 296 family homes there. Additionally, our Army National Guard will receive $5.9 million for Phase 2 of their Army Aviation Support Facility, and $1.3 million for their Readiness Center, both in Helena, and Miles City will receive $440,000 for their Readiness Center.

Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary and HUD Appropriations Move Forward

I was happy to see a few other big wins in the Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary and Housing and Urban Development (TTHUD) appropriations bill that passed out of subcommittee today. The Administration recently recommended reducing the HIDTA Program’s FY06 budget by 56 percent, from $227 million to $100 million, but I made sure this didn’t happen, and we were able to fund HIDTA at a level of $227 million. In Montana, we have seen the positive results of the Rocky Mountain HIDTA, and I am not willing to stand for cuts when I know the good work that is taking place at ground level with these programs across the country.

Also included in the TTHUD appropriations bill are the following funds at my request: Billings Public Bus Transit & Parking Facility, $2,500,000; Logan Airport Air Traffic Control Tower, $1,800,000; Helena Transit Center, $500,000; UM Bus Maintenance Facility, $500,000; Pablo Bus Facility, $400,000; Pablo Buses, $300,000; Kalispell Buses, $200,000; Lewistown Bus Facility, $200,000; Poplar Bus Facility renovation, $160,000; Big Sky Economic Development Authority low-income housing, Billings, $400,000; PenKay Eagles Manor renovation, Helena, $350,000; Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Headquarters, Missoula, $250,000; Liberty House, Ft. Harrison, $200,000; Garfield School renovation behalf of the Child and Family Intervention Service, Billings, $200,000; Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch expansion, Billings, $200,000; Carter County’s Highway to Hell Creek Project, Ekalaka, $200,000; Missoula Aging Services facilities renovation, $200,000; St. Vincent’s Center on Healthy Aging, $200,000. I also worked to ensure the following requests of Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont) were included: $1,750,000 for Mountain Line Buses in Missoula; $300,000 for the Daly Mansion in Hamilton; $250,000 for Community Works’ construction of the Exploration Words Museum in Helena; $200,000 for MonTech for lab construction. Additionally, the bill requires The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to move to a 12-month snapshot for evaluation of Section 8 vouchers, a perspective favored by many of Montana’s Public Housing Authorities (PHAs).

The legislation also creates a $45 million account for those PHAs that may have been disadvantaged under the prior rule, and total funding for Section 8 amounts to $15.665 billion. Upon passage of this legislation by the full Appropriations Committee and the Senate, it will then go to a joint House-Senate conference committee where additional Montana projects will be detailed pending the completion of the separate Transportation Authorization Act, or Highway Bill. Additional road and transportation infrastructure projects for Montana will be specified at that time. Once the bill leaves the joint conference committee, it will go back to the respective houses for final passage, then on to the President for his signature.