Second District Congressman Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, announced Wednesday that he has secured $3.3 million for four Idaho initiatives, including $1 million for the Idaho Meth Project, for fiscal year 2009.
"Governor and First Lady Otter brought this project to my attention last year, and I was immediately sold on its importance to Idaho and its potential for keeping our state's kids off meth," Simpson said. "The sad reality is that meth continues to rob too many Idahoans of their money, their futures, and their lives. I am hoping this infusion of federal funding will help the Idaho Meth Project impact the lives of more Idahoans in a positive way and turn them away from the life-sapping scourge of methamphetamine."
Idaho First Lady Lori Otter said she and Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter are excited to see Simpson working on behalf of the effort.
"Every single day the Meth Project is positively influencing the lives of our state's children while fighting the devastating impacts of meth," she said. "I'm pleased Congressman Simpson secured this critical funding for this extremely necessary project."
In addition to the funding for the Idaho Meth Project, Simpson's office stated in a press release, the appropriations bill includes the following Idaho funding:
· $350,000 for Boise State University's research into improved hydrologic modeling of water resources for snow-dominated regions. Funding is provided through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
· $350,000 for Idaho State University's Boise Center Aerospace Laboratory (BCAL) Watershed Modeling Utilizing LiDAR project. Funding is provided through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
· $880,000 for the Idaho State Police participation in the Criminal Information Sharing Alliance work. Funding is provided through the Department of Justice's COPS Grant Program.
"The Idaho initiatives included in this bill will help enhance educational opportunities in Idaho's universities, improve our utilization of natural resources and expand the investigative tools of the Idaho State Police," Simpson said.
The Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill will now be forwarded for consideration by the full Appropriations Committee, where approval is expected in the next two weeks, Simpson said.
