Tuesday, January 15, 2008 Van Hollen Secures Funding for Essential Projects for Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) announced that he has secured critical funding for domestic priorities for Maryland’s Eighth Congressional District in the fiscal year 2008 omnibus package that was passed by Congress and signed by the President.  The fiscal year 2008 omnibus package combines 11 spending bills that fund domestic priorities but have not yet become law because President Bush’s vetoes and veto threats have delayed their passage. “I am pleased that the legislation passed today includes funding for a range of important initiatives in our community,” said Van Hollen. “These projects are essential to improving the quality of life in our area.” Funding for MD-08 projects is detailed below: Agriculture (Note: All Levels Subject to 0.7% Rescission)   • $4,288,000 for Chesapeake Bay Activities • $535,000  for Chesapeake Bay Agroecology Initiatives    CJS   • $235,000 for the Community Crime Prevention Initiative in Langley Park, MD • $446,500 for the Maryland Regional Gang Initiative in Montgomery and Prince Georg e’s Counties • $893,000 for the Capital Wireless Information Network (CapWIN) in Greenbelt, MD for wireless database access and for public safety personnel and homeland security efforts in the National Capital region • $117,500 for the Gaithersburg, MD Police Department Public Safety and Anti-Gang Initiatives Equipment    Defense   • $4,800,000 for the Bethesda Hospital’s Emergency Preparedness Partnership • $2,000,000 for Fibrin Adhesive Stat (FAST) Dressing for Wounded Soldiers • $1,000,000 for the USUHS WMD Collaborative Medical Readiness Training Initiative • $1,000,000 for the Antibody-based Therapeutic Against Smallpox for Biodefense Initiative • $5,000,000 for Support of Naval Ship Hydrodynamic Facilities at Carderock       Energy and Water (Note: All Levels Subject to 1.6% Rescission)   • $1,500,000 for Montgomery College’s Germantown Biotechnology Project (MD) • $500,000 for efforts to clean up the Anacostia River and its Tributaries in Maryland and District of Columbia • $131,000 for water quality improvements in the Middle Potomac River — Greater Seneca/Muddy Branch, MD • Water Quality Improvement at the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River (Section 206 Authority, Funded at Discretion of the Army Corps of Engineers)                                                        -more-   Financial Services   • $282,000 for Montgomery College’s Germantown Biotechnology Project       Homeland Security   • $6,100,000 for the University of Maryland’s Capital Wireless Information Net (CapWIN) project for Public Safety Personnel and homeland security initiatives.     Interior and Environment (Note: All Levels Subject to a 1.56% Rescission)   • $700,000 for Glen Echo Park, National Park Service • $2,232,000 to Increase the President’s Budget for the Chesapeake Bay Program     Labor-HHS-Education (Note: All Levels Subject to a 1.747% Rescission)   • $243,000 for the George B. Thomas, Sr. Learning Academy of Bethesda, MD for tutoring services for at-risk students. • $292,000 for Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD, to recruit and certify postdoctoral scientists, mathematicians and engineers from the National Institutes of Health to become teachers. • $268,000 to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Foundation of Rockville, MD for its New Century Scholars Program • $170,000 to the National Cued Speech Association, Bethesda, MD, for parent, teacher and transliterator training and certification in cued speech for preschool and school-aged children. • $365,000 to Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, MD for equipment        Transportation-HUD (Note: All Levels Subject to a 2% Rescission)   • $2,010,000 for BRAC-MD 355 Transportation Analysis in Bethesda, MD  • $835,000 for the Bi-County Transit Center in Langley Park • $750,000 for the Maryland Statewide Bus and Bus Facility Program • $402,000 for the Colmar Manor Community Center • Extension of Glenmont Metrorail Parking Garage Expansion