Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today reported that a key Senate committee has approved legislation that contains $755,000 he requested for law enforcement and other initiatives in southern New Mexico.

The Senate Appropriations Committee has cleared the fiscal year 2009 Commerce, Justice, Science spending bill, which contains the Bingaman-secured funding. The measure is now ready for full Senate consideration, but it will be several months before the spending bill will be signed into law.

“This bill recognizes the unique needs of law enforcement agencies and provides funding – for a second consecutive year – to assist them,” Bingaman said.

Bingaman reported that the bill contains the following for southern New Mexico:

• $375,000 for the Southwest Border Law Enforcement Alliance: The funding would be used 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, Columbus, Sunland Park, Lordsburg, and Las Cruces. Funds would be used to purchase needed equipment to improve communication capabilities, surveillance, and enhance officer protection. Bingaman secured $223,000 for the alliance this year.

• $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. Currently, the approximately 1/3 of inmates who have mental illnesses are housed in the Dona Ana County Detention Center and do not receive the psychiatric services required.

• $200,000 - New Mexico State University , Southern New Mexico Science, Engineering, Mathematics, and Aerospace Academy: New Mexico State University (NMSU) College of Education will use the funds 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. The program promotes increasing science and math achievement and opportunities for increasing the numbers of diverse students entering the science, mathematics, and engineering fields.

Bingaman said he is also very pleased that the bill sets aside significant funding for science, as outlined in the America Competes law he helped write. That law emphasizes the need to ramp up math and science education funding, and funding for scientific research. The FY 2009 appropriations bill includes $6.9 billion for the National Science Foundation – which contains $790 million for math and science education and training programs -- and $809 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

“I’m very pleased that Congress is investing in these key areas so that we can ensure we remain competitive in the global marketplace,” Bingaman said.

At Bingaman’s request, the bill also contains the following:

• $300,000 - New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD), Pilot Juvenile Crime Prevention Program: Funding would be used for CYFD to implement a pilot program aimed at preventing juvenile crime through a collaborative effort of courts, probation offices, schools, local governments, support groups, and community volunteers. The program would be targeted at at-risk youth who are suspended, expelled, or who dropout and are subsequently arrested.

• $400,000 - New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts, Drug Court Program: As part of a 5-year plan to place a drug court in every county, the state has established 35 drug courts in 24 of New Mexico’s 33 counties. Drug courts have been incredibility effective in New Mexico—the average drug court recidivism rate is 13.4 percent, compared with 27.5 percent nationwide. Funding will be used to continue and expand drug courts throughout New Mexico.

• $500,000 for Save the Children: Save the Children will use the funding to support after-school and summer literacy programs throughout rural New Mexico. This supplemental literacy approach helps many at-risk Native American and Hispanic children catch up, keep up, and excel in school. This program provides children with safe, educational after-school activities during the critical 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. window, when many parents are still working and juvenile crime rates triple. Bingaman secured $188,000 for this program last year.