Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) today announced that the Labor, Health, Human Services, Education and Related Agencies 2008 spending bill, which passed the full Committee, provides more than $2 million for education-related projects in Maryland's Eighth Congressional District.
"If America is going to be more competitive, we must make a national commitment to funding programs that strengthen education," said Congressman Van Hollen. "I am very pleased with this result, but want to stress that it is only the first hurdle in a long process."
The spending bill includes:
- $294,840 for the George B. Thomas, Sr. Learning Academy to help hire tutors for after-school and weekend tutoring to students in Montgomery County communities.
- $375,000 for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation of Rockville, Maryland to expand its New Century Scholars Program.
- $400,000 for the National Cued Speech Association (NCSA) of Bethesda, Maryland for NCSA's Deaf Children's Literacy Project.
- $391,894 for the Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, Maryland for the Transition of Scientists from the Laboratory to the Classroom program.
- $1.5 million was included in the Energy and Water Development 2008 spending bill for the Germantown Biotechnology Project -- The Bioscience Education Center is part of a collaboration between the State of Maryland, Montgomery County, and Montgomery College called the Germantown Biotechnology Project which provides bioscience education opportunities from middle school through post-doctoral work. Additionally, the Financial Services 2008 spending bill includes $230,000 for the Bioscience Education Center.
These spending bills passed the full House Appropriations Committee. In the next step of the appropriations process, the bill will move to the House floor for a vote.