Rep. Wasserman Schultz Secures $9.7 Million for Health and Safety Projects in South Florida – Return of federal funds to South Florida helps balance out Florida’s donor state status
(Washington, DC) — Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz announced that she secured $9.7 million in federal funds for South Florida, helping to offset the fact that Floridians regularly pay more into the federal treasury than they receive back in funded programs. The approved projects were included in appropriations bills which recently passed the House and Senate and were signed into law by President Bush. Stretching from Miami Beach to Broward County, the projects were requested by communities and organizations to improve health and safety services for South Florida residents and fund programs that place South Florida institutions at the cutting edge of medical research.
“Returning $9.7 million in tax dollars is a victory for the families, workers and businesses of South Florida,” said Rep. Wasserman Schultz. “I am proud to have worked with many of my colleagues in Congress to secure funds for these worthy projects that will improve the health and safety of South Floridians and invests in cutting edge medical research at South Florida institutions.”
Rep. Wasserman Schultz sits on the House Appropriations Committee. You may view all of our Appropriations requests (funded and unfunded) on our Web site: http://www.house.gov/list/press/fl20_schultz/FY09AppropsRequests.html
The following South Florida projects were included in the fiscal year 2009 Defense and Homeland Security Appropriations bills:
Defense
Organization: Memorial Healthcare System
Title: Brain Interventional-Surgical Hybrid Initiative
Funds secured: $1,600,000
Description: Funding will be used for an initiative which incorporates clinical research to develop therapeutic approaches to enable the human nervous system to recover from major trauma involving blunt or penetrating brain injury or brain attack brought on by mass lesion, disease or preexisting vascular abnormality triggered by head trauma.
Organization: University of Miami and Jackson Health System
Title: Lehman Injury Research Center (Ryder Trauma Center)
Funds secured: $6,000,000
Description: Funding will be used for technology acquisition and Army Trauma Team and first responder training support.
Organization: St. Thomas University
Title: Neuroscience Research Consortium to Study Spinal Cord Injuries
Funds secured: $800,000
Description: The funding would be used for studying the regeneration of the spinal cord following spinal cord injury.
Homeland Security
Organization: City of Miami Beach
Title: Emergency Operations Center
Funds secured: $1,000,000
Description: The funding would be used for SWAT response capabilities, video surveillance, regional waterborne response, command and communications van, interoperable wireless communications systems, antidote kits, and other technology and communication initiatives.
Organization: Florida Atlantic University
Title: Pre-disaster Mitigation
Funds secured: $300,000
Description: The funding would be used for development, access, and delivery of evacuation planning and management best practices for local governments in the event of a massive evacuation from populous counties such as Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade into the adjacent counties of St. Lucie and Martin.