Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today said he is pleased that a spending bill being written in the Senate contains funding he secured for several key initiatives that would benefit New Mexico.

The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved the fiscal year 2009 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Bill, which contains $200,000 Bingaman secured for the City of Albuquerque Police Department’s (APD) Family Advocacy Center. Funding would be used by the APD to provide Advanced Forensic Interview training for up to 50 law enforcement personnel to learn to overcome obstacles in interviewing victims of child abuse and sexual assault. Additionally, it would also be used for psychiatric support services at the center.

“The APD’s Family Advocacy Center does a great job providing support and legal services to victims of domestic violence. The funding included in this bill will provide vital financial support for the center,” Bingaman said.

Bingaman also secured $500,000 for a state-wide anti-methamphetamine campaign. Funding would be used by the Office of the New Mexico Attorney General to implement a campaign to combat methamphetamine. The initiative would include public education efforts, media messaging, and community and law enforcement participation.

“This drug has invaded many communities throughout New Mexico and it is vital that we educate young people about the deadly consequences associated with it,” Bingaman said.

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 CJS 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.

Currently, the spending bill also contains the following Bingaman requests:

• $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.

The bill will now be sent to the Senate floor for consideration. It will be several months before it is signed into law.