Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today reported that President Obama has signed a spending bill that contains funding for important southern New Mexico initiatives.

The FY 2009 Omnibus Spending Bill, which funds the work of most federal agencies through September, contains $5 million Bingaman requested for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to fund an initiative to prevent the illegal trafficking of weapons into Mexico.  According to ATF, 90 percent of the weapons seized in Mexico are from sources within the United States. 

“This funding is in addition to the $15 million I helped secure last month to fight the illegal smuggling of weapons into Mexico.  The goal of this effort is to stop the drug cartels from arming themselves and to allow Mexico to get a handle on the drug-related violence,” Bingaman said.

The bill also includes $13 million Bingaman requested for levee improvement in Dona Ana County.  This funding is in addition to the roughly $70 million set aside for the levees in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that was recently signed into law.

Bingaman worked to set aside funding for New Mexico projects.  They include:

LAW ENFORCEMENT

$375,000 Luna County Sheriff’s Department, Southwest New Mexico Border Law Enforcement Alliance: Funding is requested on behalf of the Southwest Border Law Enforcement Alliance to assist border law enforcement agencies situated along the New Mexico-Mexico border with border-related criminal activity, such as human smuggling, narcotics trafficking, vehicle thefts, and destruction of private property.  The Alliance is composed of the sheriff departments of Dona Ana County, Hidalgo County, Grant County, Luna County, Otero County, and the police departments of Deming, Sunland Park, Lordsburg, and Las Cruces.  Funds would be used to purchase needed equipment to improve communication capabilities, surveillance, and enhance officer protection.  The Luna County Sheriff’s Department, located in Deming, is the lead grant applicant 

$180,000 Dona Ana County, Jail Diversion Program:Funding would be used to enhance the existing jail diversion project by assisting misdemeanor offenders who are found to be mentally ill in obtaining services to help them with their rehabilitation and recovery 

HEALTH CARE

$737,000 La Clinica de Familia Chaparral Dental Clinic (HRSA/Facilities): Funding will be used to create a 3,000 sq. ft. dental services clinic at La Clinica de Familia Chaparral to provide oral health services to children and adults that do not currently have access to dental care.  The Clinic also will provide preventive care for prenatal patients and diabetic patients at high risk for oral health problems. 

COLLEGES/UNIVERSITIES

$1.65 million for New Mexico State University’s (NMSU) Agricultural Products Food Safety Lab: This funding would be used to continue operation of the Agricultural Products Food Safety Laboratory for the FDA’s food safety program. The lab is developing and evaluating rapid-screening methods to detect contamination in food products and counterfeit pharmaceuticals. Bingaman secured $2.15 million to operate the lab in FY 2005, $2.35 million in FY 2006, and $1.7 in FY 2008

$2 million for NMSU for research activities at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Alamogordo

$200,000 New Mexico State University, Southern New Mexico Science, Engineering, Mathematics, and Aerospace Academy:New Mexico State University (NMSU) College of Education, located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, would use the funding to continue the development of a unique model focused on space education for meeting the mathematics and science learning needs of under-represented K-12 students

$95,000New Mexico State University to increase the number of trainees in counseling psychology, social work, and family medicine 

$951,000 for Energy Technologies Research and Education Initiative at NMSU for R&D on modern grid that incorporates renewable energy

WATER/WASTEWATER/FLOOD CONTROL

$25 millionfor Water and Wastewater Projects in Colonias along the U.S.-Mexico border; New Mexico is expected to get about $7.9 million of this funding

PUBLIC LANDS

$500,000 to continue implementation of the US-Mexico Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Act

TRANSPORTATION

$1.9 million for I-10 Reconstruction from Las Cruces to milepost 165       

$617,500 for the Transit Maintenance and Operations Facility in City of Las Cruces

$522,500 for Phase II of Las Cruces Main Street Revitalization project

AGRICULTURE

$235,000 for the Southern Great Plains Dairy Consortium.  Funding would help New Mexico State University’s Agriculture Science Center in Clovis continue its work to support the state’s dairy industry.  The consortium will enhance the dairy industry's competitiveness and its impact on the economy, and will also focus on the environmental impact of dairy production, including converting biomass waste to energy. 

HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

$475,000 for the Grant County Food Bank in Silver City for the rehabilitation or construction of a facility to serve as a food pantry and thrift store to serve the needs of Grant County          

$118,750 for Luna County to renovate an unused school to house Victory Outreach Residential Services, a faith-based residential drug treatment program   

$950,000 for the Village of Columbus to renovate the former Columbus Elementary school building to house a multi-purpose community facility