[StBernard] Washington Report from Rep. Richard H. Baker

[Westley Annis]

February 2, 2007

Thank you for signing up for Congressman Baker’s newsletter. Below are issue updates that you may find interesting. As always, please visit his website at http://www.baker.house.gov <http://www.baker.house.gov/>  for the most up-to-date news and information on what Congressman Baker is working on in the Sixth Congressional District of Louisiana.

 Appropriations Update 

While the deadline for fiscal year 2008 appropriation requests is approaching, the Appropriations Committee has not yet set their guidelines for submissions at this time. For this reason, Congressman Baker will promptly update his online request form as soon as information is available. In the meantime, be sure to visit the “Grant Information” section of his website at: http://www.baker.house.gov/html/grants.cfm#info to review last year’s appropriations form. Submissions must be received by February 23, 2007. Because of the competitive nature of appropriations requests, Congressman Baker also urges you to use this web page to seek information on grant opportunities.

 Congressman Baker Votes to Increase Pell Grants, Education Funding 

Congressman Baker voted in favor of H. Res. 20, a continuing appropriations resolution for fiscal year 2007, which provided $1.2 billion more for education funding. This legislation provides the following funding: 

*        Pell Grants: $13.6 billion, an increase of $615.4 million to increase the maximum Pell grant by $260 to $4,310; 

*        Special Education: $10.7 billion for IDEA, an increase of $200 million to help school districts serving children with disabilities; 

*        Title I K-12 Grants: $12.8 billion, an increase of $125 million to provide low-income children performing below grade level with intensive reading and math instruction; 

*        Title I School Improvement Fund: $125 million for schools in need of improvement to implement activities such as teacher training, tutoring programs, and curriculum upgrades; 

*        Head Start: $6.9 billion, an increase of $103.7 million to maintain and improve enrollment.

U.S. Economy and Job Growth Strong

Our economy finished 2006 with a robust 3.5% growth rate and low inflation rate of 1.5%.  This coupled with job growth of 110,000 jobs in January showed solid momentum for a continued strong U.S. economy. Trade contributed more than 1.6% of Gross Domestic Product growth, demonstrating the importance of trade to U.S. workers. In fact, U.S. exports are growing faster than imports and have been doing so for 4 straight quarters.

Congressman Baker Supports Increased Funding for Crime Prevention and Law Enforcement 

Representative Baker’s recent vote in favor of H.J.Res. 20,  signifies his commitment to helping federal, state, and local law enforcement officers fight crime.  Included in the legislation is a $70 million increase for the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program, bringing the fiscal year 2007 (FY07) total to $542 million.  The Byrne Justice Assistance Formula Grants will also see increased funding, as it will receive $520 million for FY07, $109 million over FY06 levels.  

Furthermore, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) will receive $6 billion, an increase of $216.6 million over FY06, to fully fund 31,359 positions, including 12,213 agents and 2,577 Intelligence Analysts – doubling the number of Intelligence Analysts since September 11th. This includes $100 million to proceed with Sentinel, the FBI’s plan to move from paper-based case management to electronic data sharing.  H.J. Res. 20 also includes $147.4 million for counter-terrorism and intelligence infrastructure.               

The Federal Prison System Buildings and Facilities’ funding will increase $343 million for a total of  $432 million,  This increase will be applied to the construction of  new prisons to reduce prison crowding and increase the safety of inmates and prison personnel. H.J.Res. 20 now awaits approval in the U.S. Senate.