In fiscal year 2008 the number of projects in the
Commerce, Justice, Science CJS) Appropriations Act decreased by 13% while the cost dropped 47%. This year, the number and total cost of projects fell again. The number of projects decreased by 10.6% from 1,731 in fiscal year 2008 to 1,548 in fiscal year 2009. The cost was down by 7.1%, from $1 billion to $936.8 million.
The Connunity Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program administered by the Department of Justice, accounted for 37.8% of the total umber of projects (585) and 23.5% of the cost ($220.1 million). In fiscal year 2008, the Office of Management and Budget's Program Assessment Rating Tool gave the COPS program a "results not demonstrated" rating, which "indicates that a program has not been able to develop acceptable performance goals or collect data to determine whether it is performing."
Here are but a few of the examples of how this administartion is spending the hard-earned money of the American taxpayer:
Commerce, Justice, Science
- $80,655,000 for 86 projects by Senate CJS Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-Al), including: $900,00 for fish management at the Dauphin Island Sea lab; $800,000 for the University of South Alabama for oyster rehabilitation in Mobile; $500,000 for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for public education in Mobile; $500,000 for NOAA for the Gulf Coast Exploreum Science Center in Mobile for education exhibits; $475,000 for the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville for missions systems recording, archival, and retrieval; $400,000 for the McWane Science Center in Birmingham for education and science literacy programs; and $100,000 under the COPS program for the Talladega County Commission to make radio upgrades.
- $41,065,000 for 26 projects by Senate CJS Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman Barbara Mikulski (D-Md), including: $1,000,000 for the University of Maryland College Park for its Advanced Study Institute for Environmental prediction to study climate impacts and adaptation in the Mid-Atlantic region; $1,000,000 for Coppin State University, Towson University, and the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute to partner on a program to increase the number and quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teachers in the region's public schools; $550,000 for the NOAA Chesapeake Bay office for blue crab research; $500,000 for the NOAA Chesapeake Bay office for a network of environmental observation platforms; and $500,000 to Charles County public schools for a digital classroom project.
- $32,950,000 for 17 projects by Senate CJS Appropriations Subcommittee member Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), including: $7,100,000 for NOAA for the conservation and recovery of endangered Hawaiian sea turtle populations; $2,600,000 for NOAA for the conservation and recovery of the critically endangered monk seal population and conservation of Pacific crestaceans; $2,000,000 for the Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawaii for the promotion of astronomy in Hawaii; $1,750,000 for the International Pacific Research Center at the University of Hawaii to conduct systematic and reliable climatographic research of the Pacific region; $1,500,000 for NOAA to create and implement an integrated system-wide ocean science education program piloted in Hawaii's schools; $1,250,000 for the Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research at the University of Hawaii to conduct research on open ocean fisheries in the Pacific Ocean; and $700,000 for NOAA for the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative at the Universtiy of Hawaii to support monitoring and research activities on Hawaii's coral reefs.
- $11,655,000
for 23 projects by House CJS Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.), including: $1,750,000 for the West Virginia University Environmental Center in Morgantown; $750,000 for the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources for a stream restoration program; $300,000 for the National Youth Science Foundation for the Youth Science Discovery Experience and Science Camp Curriculum; $250,000 for the World Vision Appalachia at-risk youth programming; and $75,000 each under the COPS Law Enforcement Technology Program for police departments in Benwood (population; 1,446), Bridgeport (population, 7,782), Cameron (population 1,093), Chester (population; 2,346), Glen Dale (population: 1,417), Glenville (population 1,465), Grafton (population; 5,311), Kingwood (population: 2,942), Mannington (population: 2,089), McMechen (population: 1,750), New Martinsville (population: 5,585), and St. Mary's (population: 1,900). Based on those 2007 Census population estimates, that is $900,000 for 35,126 West Virginia residents, or $25.62 per capita.
- $8,350,000 for 15 projects by Senate CJS Appropriations Subcommittee member Pat Leahy (D-Vt), including: $1,000,000 for the Burlington Technical Center to upgrade and improve the post-secondary aviation program: $500,000 for the University of Vermont Complex Systems Center for informed Decision-Making and Design to develop intelligent systems design and adaptive robotics: $400,000 for the Vermont Global Trade Partnership in Montpelier to help small businesses participate in trade missions (despite Sen. Leahy's continued votes against free trade agreements, including the Peru Free Trade Agreement in 2007); and $200,000 for Rutland COPS technology funding.
...and this is just the begining. Check back from time to time as we add more.
