DEPARTMENTS OF TRANSPORTATION AND TREASURY

DEPARTMENTS OF COMMERCE, JUSTICE, STATE AND THE JUDICIARY

DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION AND RELATED AGENCIES

ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS

DEPARTMENTS OF VETERAN AFFAIRS, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND RELATED AGENCIES

LEGISLATIVE CHANGES IN THE OMNIBUS

On November 20, 2004, the Senate and House passed an Omnibus spending plan that encompassed nine Fiscal Year 2005 appropriations bills, and President Bush signed it on December 8. The Omnibus bill, H.R. 4818, was approved in the House by a vote of 344 to 51 and in the Senate by a vote of 65 to 35. The Conference Report accompanying the bill is H.Rept. 108-792.

The following is a quick analysis of the report from a California perspective as prepared by the California Institute. We apologize for any errors or omissions in our discussion of these documents, and would appreciate any input/feedback on how to make improving corrections. The ordering of items generally reflects their presence in the bill and does not mean to imply any relative importance.

As part of the Omnibus, the conferees approved a 0.80% across-the-board cut for the agencies and programs incorporated in the bill. The figures in this analysis do not reflect that reduction. However, the bill initially called for a 0.83% reduction and some of the figures below may reflect this cut. Where that is the case, it is clearly noted.

The following analysis examines seven of the nine bills included in the omnibus conference report.  The other two bills — Foreign Operations and Legislative Branch — typically contain few California-related provisions. (Earlier this year, Congress completed action on four other bills: Defense, Homeland Security, Military Construction, and District of Columbia.)

The report is available online at http://www.calinst.org/pubs/omn05.htm and in printable (pdf) format at http://www.calinst.org/pubs/omn05.pdf .

[Please note that the printed version of the report exceeds 40 pages in length.]

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DEPARTMENTS OF TRANSPORTATION AND TREASURY

The Conferees approved $90.5 billion in funding for the Transportation-Treasury Appropriations, roughly the same as appropriated in FY04, but $1.8 billion over the President’s request. Most of the increase was included in the $34.7 billion appropriated for highways.

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is responsible for the safety and development of civil aviation and the evolution of a national system of airports. The Omnibus appropriations bill makes a combined appropriation of $13.6 billion for FAA operations, facilities, grants and research and other activities; representing a cut of $219 million from previously enacted FY2004 levels and $335 million less than the amount requested in the President’s Budget. FAA funding is broken down as follows:

$7.7 billion Operations

$2.5 billion Facilities and Equipment

$3.5 billion Grants in Aid for Airports

Airport Discretionary Grants

The Conferees agree to an overall $3.5 billion funding level for Grants in Aid to airport projects. One California discretionary grants project (AIP) under this section is redesignated as “Stockton Airport.” Out of a list of High Priority Project earmarks, the following projects are designated for California:

– Castle Airport, Upgrade Part 139 Certification, tower into compliance and imprvmts, $1 million

– Nut Tree Airport, Imp. airport access and parking aprons; seal hanger taxi landings, $1 million.

– Sacramento International Airport, Various Improvements, $1.5 million.

– San Bernardino International Airport, Runway Improvements, $ 4 million

– San Francisco International, Perimeter fence with electronic detection, $1 million

Instrument Landing System Establishment

Out of Instrument Landing System Establishment funds, an earmark of $2.5 million is appropriated for the establishment of ILS Runway 9 at San Diego International Airport, the same amount approved in the House report.

San Diego Metropolitan Area Airport Study

The Conference report adopts language contained in the House appropriations bill expressing concern with the San Diego Air Transportation Action Plan’s process of selecting an alternative to Lindburgh Field in San Diego. The Conference report notes that consideration of active military bases for future civilian use is “strictly prohibited by law.” It advances the House report’s terms prohibiting the expenditure of federal funds to study active military facilities or to influence base closure and realignment activities.

Transportation Research

The Conference report complies with the Senate’s proposed $462.5 million allocation for transportation research and development. Of the $103 million set aside for surface transportation research, $15,850,000 is directed to support environmental, planning, and real estate research. Research funds tagged for California based activities include $500,000 for a Central California Ozone Study, and $250,000 for the Sacramento Blueprint.

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS)

Conferees recommend $232 million to fund a number of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) activities including research and deployment pursuant to sections 5208 and 5209 of TEA-21. Of $122 million assigned to fund ITS deployment, roughly $7.776 million in California earmarks are approved for the following projects:

– Alameda Corridor East, San Gabriel Valley, $2,000,000

– City of Elk Grove, ITS Project, $1,500,000

– Inglewood, ITS Deployment Project, $400,000

– Los Angeles Union Station, Communications System, $1,000,000

– San Diego, Joint Transportation Operations Center, $750,000

– Culver City, Signal Preemption Upgrades, $110,000

– City of Fresno, Traffic Operations Center, $500,000

– Oakland, Transportation Management and Emergency Operations Center, $750,000

– Ventura County, ITS, $750,000

Federal Highway Administration

The Conference report acknowledges $34,700,000,000 in contract authority for the administration and operation of Federal Highway Administration programs in FY 2005. This represents a $1.9 billion increase from fiscal year 2004 enacted levels and the President’s budget request. The final figure lies between the House approved $34.6 billion and the Senate’s proposed $34.9 billion.

Federal-Aid Highways

The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) expired on September 30, 2003. Since Congress has yet to renew authorization language, the Committee bill assumes the account structure and funding level progression contained in the final year of TEA-21. TEA-21 aligned highway spending with highway trust fund receipts and is partially driven by excise tax receipts collected in the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), as well as general fund resources.

Ferry Boats and Terminals

Of funding set aside for ferries and ferry terminals, one California earmark of $1 million is included in report language to support San Francisco Water Transit Authority ferry boat expenses.

National Corridor Planning and Border Development

Of funding provided for these projects, $9.5 million is assigned to the following projects located in California:

– Cross Valley Connector, $5,000,000

– Improvements to Anaheim Street from 710 Freeway, $500,000

– I-5 Riverfront Connector, $1,000,000

– Reyes Adobe Road Interchange Project, $1,500,000

– Lawndale, Street Improvements, $500,000

– Los Angeles, US 101, Offramp Extension at Van Nuys Blvd., $1,000,000

Transportation Community System Preservation

Of funding for this program, $1.5 million is directed to California to support the following three projects:

– Shandon, Pedestrian Bridge, $250,000

– San Miguel, Pedestrian Safety Improvements, $250,000

– State Route 52 East from SR 125 to SR 67, $1,000,000

Bridge Discretionary

Of funds assigned to the bridge discretionary account, California’s Golden Gate Bridge Seismic Retrofit project is tagged to receive $5 million, and the Rancho Cucamungo I-15 Baseline Road Interchange project is slated to receive $500,000, according to the Conference Report.

Federal Lands Highways

This program provides funds for roads on public lands under four major categories–Indian reservation roads, parkways and park roads, public lands highways (which incorporates the previous forest highways category), and Federally-owned public roads providing access to or within the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Omnibus appropriations language includes funding totaling $8,360,000 for the following eight California-based projects:

– Beale Air Force Base, Access Road Improvements, $1,000,000

– Doyle Drive Replacement, $1,000,000

– Golden Gate National Prk Conservancy, $1,000,000

– Marin Parklands/Muir Woods Visitor Access project, $1,278,000

– Needles Highway/NV Improvements, $500,000

– Port of Stockton, Dagget Road, $1,000,000

– South Palm Canyon Drive, Phase 2, $1582,000

– San Bernardino County, Summit Valley Road, $1,000,000

Interstate Maintenance (IM) Discretionary Funds

This program finances projects to restore, resurface, rehabilitate and reconstruct the 46,567 miles of road that make up the interstate system. The Conference Report awards funds for 6 discretionary projects housed in California, under this section:

– I-10 Riverside Avenue, Interchange, $1,250,000

– I-215/Barton Road Interchange Improvements, $2,000,000

– I-5 South HOV Lane Phase I, $500,000

– I-10/Cypress Avenue Overcrossing, $500,000

– Laval Road Interchange at Interstate 5, $100,000

Surface Transportation Projects

Of funding for Surface Transportation projects, the following California earmarks are highlighted in the Conference report:

– Almaden Express Pedestrian Overcrossing, San Jose, $500,000

– Angels Flight, Los Angeles, $200,000

– Avery Parkway/I-5 Interchange, $1,000,000

– Bristol Street Multi-Modal Corridor, $750,000

– CETAP Corridor, Riverside and Orange Counties, $2,000,000

– City of Riverside Grade Separations, $1,000,000

– Covina Station Undercrossing, $500,000

– Friant Corridor Improvements, $500,000

– Girl Scouts Golden Valley Council Bridge Project, $150,000

– Gladding Road Overcrossing, $350,000

– Grade Crossing Improvements at Ramona Blvd., $700,000

– Grand Avenue Rehabilitation Project, $1,000,000

– Healdsburg Pedestrian and Bicycle Path, $1,250,000

– Highway 101 Corridor Widening Project, $1,000,000

– I-15 (Falchion Road)/SR 18 Interchange, $ 3,000,000

– I-405 Widening, $1,000,000

– I-405 Widening, $500,000

– I-5 Sorrento Valley Road and Genessee Avenue Interchange, $1,500,000

– I-710 Corridor/Gerald Desmond Bridge Gateway Program, $1,250,000

– I-10/Tippecanoe Interchange, $5,000,000

– I-5/SR78 Interchange Improvement, $500,000

– K Street Offramp, Tulare, $1,000,000

– Lincoln Blvd. Improvement Project, $600,000

– Lincoln Bypass, $1,000,000

– Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail, $400,000

– Noble Creek Bridge, Beaumont, $3,000,000

– Otay Mesa/SR 905 Improvements, $2,000,000

– Pacoima Wash Mountain Bikeway, $1,000,000

– Project Design Improvements to Refugio Road, $360,000

– R Street Development Project, $1,500,000

– Reconstruction of the I-80 and Sierra College Blvd. Interchange, $1,500,000

– Route 132 Connection Project Study Report, $400,000

– Route 152 Safety Improvements, Santa Clara County, $1,000,000

– Route 262/Warren Ave -I-880 Grade Separation, Phase 1B, $1,250,000

– SCAG, $1,000,000

– Second Street Extension, Los Angeles, $200,000

– Sheldon Road/SR 99 Interchange Project, $1,000,000

– SR 56/I-5 Northbound Widening, San Diego, $3,000,000

– SR 67 Mapleview to Dye Road SR 52 E, $500,000

– SR 71/Mission Blvd Congestion Reduction, $1,250,000

– SR 76, $1,000,000

– SR 905, $1,000,00

– Street Improvements, Gardena, $500,000

– Streetscape Improvements in Cherryland/Ashland, $1,250,000

– US 101 Improvement Program, $800,000

– UP/Sunset Avenue Grade Separation, Banning, $500,000

– Vasco Road Safety Improvements, $500,000

– Ventura County Farm Crossings, $500,000

– Van Ness Avenue Project, $1,000,000

– Western Placerville Interchanges, $1,000,000

– Ygnacio Valley Road Pedestrian Bike Improvements, $800,000

General Provisions

Section 113 of FHWA general provisions modifies public law to allow changes to STP projects in California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Michigan and Utah.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)

This program focuses on improving the safety of commercial vehicle operations in the nation’s highways. Safety regulations and other activities are enforced to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities caused by truck accidents. FMCSA was broadened by the USA PATRIOT act to include security enhancements such as requiring Mexican trucks traveling in the country to comply with U.S. safety regulations. The Conference report identifies $447,547,000 in FMCSA, slightly less than the $450 million proposed in the Senate proposal and over $9 million more than the House approved plan.

Border Enforcement Program

A general provision (section 130) of the Omnibus references section 350 of the Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-87) and directs the Secretary of Transportation to submit a report on Mexico-domiciled motor carriers. This legislation established 22 safety related prerequisites for long-haul cross border Mexican trucks. The Administration has completed all requirements under section 350 and has implemented a regime of regulations to ensure the safety of Mexican trucks operating within the U.S. On January 18, 2003, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had blocked Mexican trucks from gaining wider access to U.S. highways citing that DOT did not prepare a full environmental impact statement and a Clean Air Act conformity determination. That decision was overturned by the Supreme Court.

Total funding for motor carrier safety border related activities is set at $125,229,000, from which $33 million is provided to support the northern and southern border grants account, according to the Omnibus.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

The Conference report recommends a program funding level of $457,986,000 for NHTSA, the federal agency tasked with overseeing and conducting research on highway safety on roads and in vehicles. This amount is $10 million more than current levels and $231 million less than the amount requested in the President’s Budget.

Federal Railroad Administration

The Omnibus provides $1.438 billion for the operations and administration of the FRA which is responsible for railroad industry practices and management, as well as high speed rail activities and Amtrak.

Next Generation High-Speed Rail

The Omnibus provides $19,650,000 for the development, demonstration, and implementation of high-speed rail technologies (under section 1218 of TEA-21). This total exceeds the President’s budget request by $9.65 million, while it signifies a $17.5 million reduction from the FY04 enacted budget. Under funding for Magnetic Levitation Transportation, the Conference Report assigns $1 million each to the California-Nevada Interstate Maglev project.

National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK)

Amtrak, the nation’s major passenger rail service has lost money in every year of its operation since 1971. It escaped bankruptcy in 2003 although it continues to service a growing debt burden, projected to reach $1.5 billion in 2009. It’s FY’04 enacted funding level amounted to $1,217,773. The Omnibus proposes an FY 2005 program total of $1,217,000 in grants to maintain Amtrak operations, $317 million more than the House recommendation and the Bush Administration’s budget request.

The Omnibus report retains House language calling for the submission of a financial plan and quarterly reports to Congress on the implementation of this plan. DOT is also required to value Amtrak’s assets and to promote a fair bidding process to help states spur other rail service providers to compete with Amtrak.

Federal Transit Administration

In the absence of TEA-21 reauthorization language, appropriations language has historically continued the program structures governing bus and rail transit without tampering with programmatic priorities and modifications ascribed to the as yet unfinished reauthorization bill. The Omnibus bill includes $7.708 billion for FTA programs and administrative expenses, up from $7.266 billion enacted in the prior fiscal year.

Formula Program

The Conference report notes $4,032,175,000 in transit formula grant funds, roughly $216 million more than FY04 levels. Formula program funds are subdivided into three core categorical programs. The California Institute estimates that California’s formula apportionment share would reach 15.8 percent of the national total in FY05, broken down as follows:

– Urbanized Area (Section 5307) – $614,318,393

– Nonurbanized Area (Section 5311) – $11,044,530

– Elderly and Persons with Disabilities – $11,322,347

– Total, Formula Programs – $636,685,270

Transit Planning and Research

Out of an appropriated $128 million, the Omnibus specifies $2 million to fund the CALSTART/WestStart Advanced Transit Technology project.

Capital Investment Grants

The bill notes $3,338,825,000 for the three major transit capital programs: Fixed Guideway Modernization; New Starts; and Bus and Bus Facilities. Funds for discretionary projects governed by these programs may remain unobligated for three years before DOT is authorized to reallocate them. This amount represents an increase of $200 million from the previous year’s levels and an increase of 5.5 percent (when factoring in a 0.83% rescission). The Conference report instructs the FTA not to reprogram Bus and Bus Facilities funds allocated on or before 2002 for the following projects:

– City of Monrovia CNG Fueling Facility

– Costa Mesa, CNG Facility

– County of Amador Bus Replacement

– County of Calaveras Bus Replacement

– Livermore/Amador Valley Buses & Facility

– North County Transit District

– San Bernardino CNG/LNG buses

– Sierra Madre Villa & Chinatown Intermodal Trans. Centers/LA MTA Bus and Bus Facilities

Bus and Bus Facilities

The Senate Committee recommends $675 million for Bus and Bus Facilities funding. These funds may be used to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities. The Omnibus assigns discretionary bus and bus facilities funds for 55 California projects:

– Anaheim Resort Transit, $300,000

– Bellflower Dial-a-Ride, $120,000

– Calabasas Transit, $500,000

– Catalina Transit Terminal, Redondo Beach, $1,000,000

– Cerritos Clean Air Buses, $850,000

– Claremont Intermodal Transit Village Project, $200,000

– Collegian Avenue Busway, $400,000

– Downtown Transit Center ITS, $100,000

– Ed Roberts Campus, City of Berkeley, $500,000

– El Garces Intermodal Transit Station, Needles, $1,000,000

– Elk Grove Park and Ride Facilities, $1,000,000

– Fairfield/Vacaville Intermodal Transit Station, $500,000

– Fresno Area Express Bus Program, $1,000,000

– Golden Empire Transit Traffic Signal Priority, $300,000

– Hemet Transit Center, Bus Facility, $350,000

– I-15 Managed Lanes/Bus Rapid Transit, San Diego, $1,700,000

– LAVTA Buses and Bus Facilities, $500,000

– LAVTA Satellite Maintenance, Operations, and Administrative Facility, $300,000

– Long Beach Transit Bus Purchase, $500,000

– Los Angeles County MTA Bus Program, $2,000,000

– Los Angeles Trade Tech Intermodal Links with Bus and Metro, $500,000

– Los Angeles Valley College Bus Station Extension, $500,000

– Mammoth Lakes Regional Transit Operations Facilities, $1,000,000

– Metro Red Line Wilshire Vermont Station Upgrade, $750,000

– Modesto Bus Facility, $1,000,000

– Monterey Salinas Transit Buses, $1,000,000

– Municipal Transit Operators Coalition, $1,000,000

– Napa Transit Center Construction, $500,000

– Pacific Station Multimodal Multiuse Facility, $1,500,000

– Palm Springs Bus Station Relocation, $30,000

– Palo Alto Intermodal Transit Center, $750,000

– Riverbank Vehicle Garage Renovation, $125,000

– Riverside Transit Authority, $125,000

– Roseville Multitransit Center, $650,000

– Sacramento Bus Replacement/Facility Expansion, $500,000

– SamTrans Zero Emission Bus Project, $750,000

– San Francisco Muni Buses and Bus Facilities, $4,000,000

– San Luis Rey Transit Center, $400,000

– Santa Clara VTA Bus Signal Priority Project, $750,000

– SCAT CNG Fueling Station, $500,000

– Sierra Madre Villa Gold Line Light Rail Station, $1,000,000

– Solana Beach Intermodal Facility, $ 650,000

– Sonoma County CNG Buses, $300,000

– South Gate Clean Air Buses, $250,000

– Spring Valley Multi-Modal Center, $800,000

– Sunline Transit Agency CNG Buses, $500,000

– Temecula Park and Ride Facility, $50,000

– Temecula Transit Center, $400,000

– Transit First Implementation, $750,000

– Transit Oriented Neighborhood Program, $200,000

– Union City Intermodal Station, Phase 1, $500,000

– Vallejo Baylink Intermodal Center, $1,250,000

– Visalia Bus Operations Center, $250,000

– Visalia Bus Replacement, $250,000

– Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System, $400,000

Omnibus Conference Report language directs FTA to make FY2004 funds assigned to the Alameda Point Areil Transit project available for the Fairfield/Vacaville Intermodal Transit Station project.

Section 5309 Fixed Guideway Modernization

The Omnibus appropriates a total of $1,204,320,000 for the modernization of existing rail transit systems (after calculating the 0.83 percent across-the-board reduction). Under TEA21, all such funds are distributed to states by a formula that awards grants to states with fixed guideway segments in operation for at least seven years. California typically receives roughly 12.4 percent of the national FGM total.

Transit New Starts

The bill provides $1,449,425,000 for New Starts. These funds are available for major investment studies, preliminary engineering, right-of-way acquisition, project management, oversight, and construction for new systems and extensions. Conference report language specifies the following amounts for these California based projects:

– Los Angeles MOS III Metro Rail North Hollywood, $675,103

– Los Angeles, East Side Light Rail Transit System, $60,000,000

– Los Angeles, Goldline Foothill Extension, $500,000

– San Diego, MidCoast Light Rail Extension, $1,000,000

– San Diego, Mission Valley East Line Extension project, $81,640,000

– San Diego Oceanside-Escondido Light Rail project, $55,000,000

– San Francisco, SFO BART Extension project, $100,000,000

– San Francisco, MUNI Light Rail project, $10,000,000

– Santa Clara County, Silicon Valley Rapid Transit Corridor project, $2,500,000

Job Access and Reverse Commute Grants

The Committee recommends $125 million for the Job Access and Reverse Commute Grants (JARC) program. This discretionary program is meant to help welfare reform efforts succeed by providing enhanced transportation services for low-income individuals, including former welfare recipients traveling to jobs or training centers.

The program makes competitive grants to qualifying metropolitan planning organizations, local governmental authorities, agencies, and nonprofit organizations. The Conference report recommends the following allocations of California job access and reverse commute grant program funds in fiscal year 2002:

– Bay Area, AC Transit CalWorks Job Center, $5,000,000

– Guaranteed Ride Program, $600,000

– Hayward, Jobs Access Transit, $500,000

– San Bernardino Line Platform Additions and Extensions, $2,000,000

– Sacramento Region, JARC, $2,000,000

General Provisions

In compliance with House language, Section 174 authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to modify non-New Starts funding for the San Francisco Muni Third Street Rail Transit project, declaring that if new calculations result in a “not recommended” rating, funds provided may not be obligated.

DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY

The Department of Treasury formulates and recommends economic, financial, tax, and fiscal policies; serves as the U.S. government’s financial agent, enforces the law, and manufactures coins and currency. The Omnibus bill provides an $11.2 billion funding level for Treasury programs and activities. This figure is $122 million above the previously enacted level, and $393 million below the President’s Budget request.

General Services Administration

The Conference report provides $7,217,043,000 in funding from the Federal Buildings find to support GSA activities, a higher amount than the House recommendation of $6.997 billion or the Senate proposed $7.159 billion.

GSA Construction

Of $708,542,000 set aside for the construction of federal facilities, the Omnibus includes $14,054,000 for the construction of a new FBI facility in Los Angeles, $314,385,000 for a new Los Angeles federal courthouse, and $3,068,000 for a new federal courthouse in San Diego.

GSA Operations

Of $92,175,000 designated for GSA operating expenditures, $425,000 is awarded to the City of Hot Springs Civic Center and $750,000 is allocated to finance a San Francisco MUNI radio replacement system.

National Archives and Records Administration

A $500,000 grant is directed to the Nixon library to provide technical assistance.

General Provisions

Section 645 designates San Francisco’s courthouse at 95 Seventh Street in San Francisco as the “James R. Browning United States Courthouse”.

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DEPARTMENTS OF COMMERCE, JUSTICE, STATE AND THE JUDICIARY

The Omnibus funds the Departments of Commerce, Justice, State and the Judiciary at $43.7 billion, slightly more than the$43.5 billion approved by the House and the Senate Appropriations Committee.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

The Justice Department is funded at $20.9 billion, a 5 percent increase over FY2004 funding and 4 percent more than the Administration’s request of $20.1 billion. Most of the new funding is slated for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is getting a 13.6 percent increase for counterterrorism and intelligence programs. In addition to the 0.8% cut for all programs in the Omnibus bill, the Conferees included an additional 0.54% across-the-board reduction for Department of Justice Programs. The figures below do not reflect these cuts unless specifically noted.

Federal Prison System

The Conference Report provides the following funding for federal prisons in California :

Victorville $34,036,000

Herlong/Sierra minimum camp $39,454,000

State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance

The Conference Report provides $1,295,510,000 for these programs, compared to $1,335,971 in FY04 funding. The FY05 total includes funding for the following programs (these figures reflect the .83% across-the-board cut contained in the initial Omnibus version and the DOJ .54% across-the-board cut):

Violence Against Women – 166 million, a decrease of $1million;

COPS/21st Century Policing – $598 million, a decrease of $150 million; and

Juvenile Accountability Block Grant – $54 million, a decrease of $5 million.

Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants

The Conference Report combines the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant (LLEBG) program and the Byrne Formula Grant program into a new Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants program, as authorized by H.R. 3036, the Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2004 through 2006, as passed by the House on March 30, 2004. The new program is funded at $626 million, compared to FY04 funding for the LLEBG program of $223 million and $495 million for Byrne formula grants.

The Conference Report states: “This program is intended to consolidate the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant program and the Byrne Formula program. Funding under this program is authorized for: (a) law enforcement programs; (b) prosecution and court programs; (c) prevention and education programs; (d) corrections and community corrections programs; (e) drug treatment programs; and (f) planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs. Funding is not available for: (a) vehicles, vessels, or aircraft; (b) luxury items; (c) real estate; or (d) construction projects.

The formula used for distributing funds under this program allocates 50 percent of funding based on population, and 50 percent based on violent crime rates. The formula allocates 60 percent of funding to States and 40 percent to units of local government. Of the amount provided, $85,000,000 is for Boys and Girls Clubs; $10,000,000 is for NIJ [the National Institute of Justice] to assist local units of government to identify, select, develop, modernize, and purchase new technologies for use by law enforcement; and $2,500,000 is for the USA Freedom Corps initiative for the expansion of Neighborhood Watch programs and the Volunteers in Policing program.”

State Criminal Alien Assistance Program

The Conference Report provides $301 million, an increase of about $4 million over FY04 funding. California receives about 40 percent of the money in the program.

Byrne Discretionary Grants

The Conference Report provides $170,027,000, compared to $157,443.000 in FY04 funding. Within the funds provided, the Conferees expect the Office of Justice Programs to award the following grants, if warranted:

– $250,000 for the Gun Crimes Reduction Task Force in Ventura County;

– $400,000 for the San Joaquin Valley Rural Crime Prevention Program;

– $100,000 for California Front Line Law Enforcement ;

– $750,000 for San Francisco Ex-Offender Reentry Services;

– $150,000 for California Western School of Law;

– $625,000 for the Contra Costa County ARIES Integrated Justice System;

– $100,000 for the WAVE domestic violence program in California;

– $3,100,000 for the Monterey County Street Violence and Anti-gang Project; and

– $500,000 for the San Diego Crisis Intervention Response Teams;

Southwest Border Prosecutor Program – The Conference Report provides $30 million in funding for the program, as contained in the Senate bill.

COPS Hiring Program

The Conference Report provides $10 million for the hiring of law enforcement officers, $5 million of which is dedicated to school resource officers.

Methamphetamine Enforcement and Cleanup

$52,556,000 is provided for state and local law enforcement efforts against methamphetamine and to clean up drug sites.

The Conferees expect the COPS Program Office to fund the following programs, if warranted:

– $1,500,000 for the California Department of Justice, Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, for the California Methamphetamine Strategy (CALMS);

– $100,000 for the Merced County “Meth is Death” Project;

– $310,000 for the Fresno County District Attorney Methamphetamine Initiative; and

– $100,000 for the Woodland Methamphetamine Enforcement.

Law Enforcement Technology Program

The conference agreement includes $138,615,000 for the COPS Law Enforcement Technology Program. Within the funds provided, the Conferees expect the COPS office to provide funding, if warranted, for the following projects:

– $500,000 for San Diego County Sheriff’s Department for automation infrastructure upgrades;

– $500,000 for the City of Roseville Police Department for law enforcement technologies;

– $500,000 for the Placer County Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement technologies;

– $500,000 for San Bernardino Police Department for law enforcement technologies;

– $500,000 for the Redlands Police Department for a crime mapping project;

– $250,000 for the development of an electronic crime report filing system for San Bernardino County;

– $1,250,000 for the City of La Verne Police Department for law enforcement technologies;

– $750,000 for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement technologies;

– $250,000 for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement technologies;

– $250,000 for the City of Corona Police Department for law enforcement equipment;

– $250,000 for the Orange County Integrated Law and Justice System;

– $250,000 for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department for an identification based information system;

– $300,000 for the Kern County Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement technologies;

– $70,000 for the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement technologies;

– $500,000 for the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement technologies;

– $300,000 for Modesto for law enforcement technologies;

– $100,000 for Oakland for law enforcement technologies;

– $100,000 for Solano County for law enforcement technologies;

– $250,000 for the Montebello Police Department for law enforcement technologies;

– $250,000 for Pomona for law enforcement technologies;

– $188,000 for the Garden Grove Police Department for a digital camera system;

– $100,000 for Inglewood for law enforcement technologies;

– $200,000 for Fontana for law enforcement technologies;

– $100,000 for Colton for a police communications project;

– $300,000 for Rosemead for law enforcement technologies;

– $125,000 for Covina for law enforcement technologies;

– $100,000 for West Covina for law enforcement technologies;

– $1,000,000 for the San Francisco Police Department for a records management system;

– $500,000 for Santa Monica for law enforcement technologies;

– $150,000 for Whittier for a school resource officers program;

– $200,000 for the Lakewood Sheriff’s Department, for technology improvements;

– $50,000 for the Fullerton Police Department, for law enforcement technologies;

– $200,000 for Salinas for the Mobile Automated Fingerprint and Facial Recognition System;

– $200,000 for the Santa Ana Police Department for law enforcement technologies;

– $500,000 for the Interagency Communications Interoperability System [ICIS] in CA; and

– $500,000 for the Solano County Radio Interoperability Project.

Crime Identification Technology Act

The Conference agreement includes $28,450,000 for the Crime Identification Technology Act program. There are no funds earmarked for California projects.

Safe Schools Initiative

The conference agreement includes $4,325,000 for programs aimed at preventing violence in public schools, and to support the assignment of officers to work in collaboration with schools and community-based organizations to address the threat of terrorism, crime, disorder, gangs, and drug activities. There are no funds earmarked for California projects.

Juvenile Justice Programs

The conference agreement includes $102,177,000 for discretionary grants. Within those funds, the Conferees expect the OJP office to provide grants to the following projects, if warranted:

– $200,000 for the Colton Police Activities League [PAL] Program in CA;

– $700,000 for the Los Angeles Community Law Enforcement and Recovery Program [CLEAR];

– $400,000 for the IMPACT/Night Light Program in San Bernardino County to team police officers with probation officers to reduce juvenile crime;

– $750,000 for the California Safe from the Start;

– $750,000 for the Bay Area Youth Violence Prevention Network;

– $450,000 for the San Francisco “Safe Streets Project”

– $100,000 for the Junior Aztec Fire Fuels Crew programs for at-risk kids in Cypress Park;

– $100,000 for the Eagle Rock Center “Will Power to Youth” programs;

– $150,000 for the City of Norwalk for the Teen Alliance Program;

-$150,000 for the Gang Alternative Program in Southeast Los Angeles County;

– $250,000 for the Anaheim Police Activities League Center;

– $500,000 for the Los Angeles County Friends of Child Advocates;

– $500,000 for the Youth Development and Crime Prevention Initiative;

– $2,000,000 for the Anaheim Learning Center in CA; and

– $250,000 for the San Jose, B.E.S.T At-Risk Youth and Anti-Gang Program in CA.

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

The Commerce Department will receive about $6.6 billion in FY05 funding, as opposed to $5.94 billion in FY2004. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will receive most of the increase.

National Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordination Council

The conference agreement includes $2,000,000 for the National Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordination Council (NIPLECC), instead of $20,000,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Economic Development Assistance Programs

The conference agreement includes $257,423,000 for Economic Development Assistance (EDA) Programs. The conferees direct EDA to continue traditional programs to provide needed assistance to communities struggling with long-term economic dislocation, as well as sudden and severe economic dislocation. Of the amounts provided, $166,593,000 is for Public Works and Economic Development; $45,400,000 is for Economic Adjustment Assistance; $24,500,000 is for planning; $8,435,000 is for technical assistance, including university centers; $12,000,000 is for trade adjustment assistance; and $495,000 is for research.

Advanced Technology Program

The conference agreement provides an appropriation of $142,300,000 for the Advanced Technology Program (ATP), instead of $203,000,000 as proposed by the Senate and no funding as proposed by the House.

Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery

The conference agreement provides $90,000,000 for Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery, instead of $80,000,000 as proposed by the House and $99,000,000 as proposed by the Senate. Within the funds provided, $13 million is for California.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOAA Fisheries/national Marine Fisheries Service

The conference agreement includes $674,199,000 for the operations of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

Within funds provided for Habitat Conservation, the conferees encourage NOAA to work with the Ocean Resources Enhancement and Hatchery Program in California, if warranted, and to support the program’s efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of marine replenishment.

______________________________________

DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, EDUCATION AND RELATED AGENCIES

For fiscal year 2005, the conference report on the omnibus appropriations bill provides $497,552,511,000 in new budget authority for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies, as opposed to $496,665,511,000 proposed in the House bill and $499,489,511,000 proposed in the Senate bill. The conferenced amount is $17,734,533,000 more than comparable spending in FY04 and $1,117,934,000 more than the President’s budget request. $143,309,000,000 of FY05 budget authority is discretionary, which is $3,885,000,000 more than FY04 discretionary funds (representing a 2.79% growth in discretionary funding) and $985,000,000 more than the President’s request.

Department of Labor

Employment and Training Administration

The conference agreement includes $5,361,957,000 for training and employment services, instead of $5,112,728,000 as proposed by the House and $5,377,662,000 as proposed by the Senate. Of the amount appropriated, $2,463,000,000 is an advance appropriation for fiscal year 2006, as proposed by the House and the Senate. Specific programs under this account are funded as follows:

Adult Employment and Training Activities,$898,107,000 as proposed by the Senate, instead of $900,000,000 as proposed by the House.

Youth Training, $994,242,000 as proposed by the Senate instead of $1,000,965,000 as proposed by the House.

Dislocated Worker program, $1,479,419,000 as proposed by both the House and the Senate. The conferees override the formula that provides that 80 percent of the funds provided will be used for State formula grants and 20 percent in a National Reserve Account. For fiscal year 2005 the conferees provide $1,196,048,000 for the State formula grants and $283,371,000 for the National Reserve Account.

Job Corps,$1,559,804,000.

Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers, $76,000,000 as proposed by the House and Senate

The omnibus bill also includes a plan for demonstration and pilot projects, a few of which are located in California. They include:

Central California Excellence in Workforce Development for an outreach campaign for career opportunities, $100,000

Center for Employment Training, San Jose for an At-Risk Out-of-School Youth Demonstration Project, $200,000

Charity Cultural Services Center, San Francisco for its Skills for Life, $400,000

City of Santa Ana, for a one-stop workforce preparation and job search center for youth, $200,000

Communities in Schools, San Fernando Valley, Inc., North Hills for its Striving for Success Jobs Initiative to provide job preparedness and placement for at-risk youth, $535,000

County of San Bernardino Workforce Investment Board, San Bernardino County , $250,000

Fashion Business, Inc., Los Angeles for workforce development and training, $50,000

Fresno County Workforce Investment Board, Fresno for workforce development, $400,000

Fresno County, Department of Employment and Temporary Assistance, Fresno for Rural Vocational Training Centers, $225,000

Jewish Vocational Service, Los Angeles for a certified nursing assistant training and job placement initiative, $200,000

Second Chance, San Diego for its Prisoner Reentry Employment Program, $220,000

South Bay Workforce Investment Board, Hawthorne for its Bridges to Work program, $290,000

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

The conference agreement provides $375,307,532,000 for the Department of Health and Human Services, as opposed to $374,298,336,000 proposed by the House and $375,556,107,000 proposed by the Senate. In FY04, the Department’s budget was $360,327,552,0000 and the President requested $374,327,562,000 for FY05.

Health Resources and Services Administration

The conference agreement includes $6,881,624,000 for health resources and services, instead of $6,330,333,000 as proposed by the House and $6,966,280,000 as proposed by the Senate. The conference agreement includes bill language providing $484,629,000 for construction and renovation (including equipment) of health care and other facilities and other health-related activities. The Senate included bill language providing $371,536,000 for this purpose; no funding was provided by the House. Of these funds, California received a number of direct appropriations:

Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton for facilities and equipment, $725,000

Asian American Recovery Services, Daly City for facilities and equipment for substance abuse intervention and treatment, $250,000

California Hospital Medical Center, Los Angeles for facilities and equipment, $1,370,000

California State University at Bakersfield Foundation, Bakersfield for equipment and facilities for the Valley Fever Vaccine project, $180,000

Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles for recruitment and appointment of new clinical faculty, $290,000

Children’s Hospital and Health Center, San Diego for facilities and equipment, $425,000

Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles for facilities and equipment for the Institute for Maternal and Fetal Health, $400,000

Chinatown Service Center, Los Angeles for facilities and equipment for its dental clinic, $200,000

City of Azusa for facilities and equipment for the City of Azusa Health Clinic, $320,000

Community Medical Centers, Fresno $100,000

Contra Costa Community College District, Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill for a program to train medical laboratory technicians, $225,000

County of San Diego, Edgemoor Hospital, Santee for facilities and equipment, $420,000

County of San Mateo for facilities and equipment for the San Mateo Medical Center, $800,000

East Valley Community Health Center, West Covina for facilities and equipment, $220,000

Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley $500,000

Edward R. Roybal Comprehensive Health Center, Los Angeles for facilities and equipment, $400,000

El Proyecto Del Barrio, Arleta for facilities and equipment at its Canoga Park site, $180,000

Familia Unida Living With Multiple Sclerosis, Los Angeles to improve support services to individuals and families affected by multiple sclerosis and other debilitating diseases, $100,000

Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center, Fresno for facilities and equipment for an outpatient care clinic at the Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno, $450,000

Grossmont Hospital Foundation, La Mesa for facilities and equipment for Grossmont Hospital, San Diego $200,000

Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, Valencia for facilities and equipment, $100,000

Holy Names University, Oakland $100,000 Hospice of Napa Valley, Napa for facilities and equipment, $640,000

Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles for facilities and equipment for its Casa de la Esperanza health care program, $150,000

Huntington Memorial Hospital, Pasadena for facilities and equipment, $350,000 Indian Health Council, Inc., Pauma Valley for facilities and equipment for the IHC Health and Wellness Campus on the Rincon Indian Reservation, $500,000

Isla Vista Youth Projects, Isla Vista for health related facilities and equipment, $200,000

Kern County Medical Center, Bakersfield for facilities and equipment, $250,000

La Maestra Community Health Centers, San Diego for facilities and equipment, $566,000

Los Angeles Southwest College, Los Angeles for nursing and allied health training programs, $350,000

Lucile Packard Children’s Heart Center, Palo Alto $100,000

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Palo Alto for facilities and equipment, $450,000

Lucy Curci Cancer Center at Eisenhower Medical Center, Rancho Mirage for facilities and equipment, $250,000

Mission Community Hospital, Panorama City for facilities and equipment for its San Fernando Valley facility, $265,000

Modoc Indian Health Project, Alturas for facilities and equipment for the Modoc Medical

Center and Surprise Valley District Hospital, $250,000

Motion Picture and Television Fund (MPTF), Woodland Hills for a physical and occupational therapy facility, $200,000

Multi Dimensional Imaging, Inc. of Newport Beach $500,000

Northeast Valley Health Corporation, San Fernando for facilities and equipment for its Canoga Park Health Center, $70,000

Paradise Valley Hospital, National City for facilities and equipment for an emergency department facility, $100,000

Partnership for the Children of San Luis Obispo County, Clinica de Tolosa Dentistry for Children, San Luis Obispo for facilities and equipment, $50,000

Placer County, Auburn for facilities and equipment for the Children’s Health Center and Emergency Facility, $500,000

Plumas County, Quincy for facilities and equipment for the Seniors Nutrition Program, $100,000

Plumas County, Quincy for the Rural Health Services Project, $100,000

Ridgecrest Regional Hospital, Ridgecrest for facilities and equipment, $125,000

Riverside County Regional Medical Center, Moreno Valley for facilities and equipment for the trauma unit, $250,000

Saint Mary Medical Center, Long Beach for continuation of its minority cancer education and outreach initiative, $100,000

Saint Bernardine Medical Center, San Bernardino for facilities and equipment, $575,000

San Antonio Community Hospital, Upland $1,000,000

San Francisco State University, San Francisco for programs to recruit high school students interested in nursing careers and to assist minority and disadvantaged students in masters and doctoral nursing programs, $350,000

San Joaquin Community Hospital, Bakersfield for equipment and facilities, $100,000

San Joaquin General Hospital, French Camp for information technology systems for medication dispensing, administration, and management, $300,000

San Luis Obispo County Community College District (Cuesta College), San Luis Obispo for facilities and equipment, $127,000

Santa Clara County Valley Medical Center Foundation, San Jose for a substance abuse treatment facility, $340,000

Scripps Health–Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, San Diego for facilities and equipment, $250,000

Sierra View District Hospital, Porterville for facilities and equipment, $500,000

Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center, Union City for facilities and equipment for its Hayward site, $250,000

Twin Cities Community Hospital, Inc., Templeton for equipment, $140,000

University of California-Los Angeles, Beverly Hills $100,000

University of California San Diego Medical Center, La Jolla for facilities and equipment for the Institute of Molecular Medicine facility, $650,000

University of California, Davis Health System, Sacramento for construction of medical library and education center, $700,000

University of California, Irvine Medical Center, Orange for facilities and equipment for the emergency department, $400,000

University of California at Los Angeles, School of Medicine for facilities and equipment for the UCLA AIDS Institute, $350,000

University of California at San Francisco Children’s Hospital, for facilities and equipment for a Mothers’ and Children’s Birth Defects Center, $500,000

University of the Pacific School of Dentistry, San Francisco for facilities and equipment, $200,000

West Los Angeles College, Culver City for the Allied Health Workforce Enhancement Project, $240,000

Westside Healthcare District, Taft for facilities and equipment, $200,000

White Memorial Medical Center, Los Angeles for facilities and equipment, $1,500,000

The conference agreement includes bill language providing $9,941,000 to remain available until expended for the National Cord Blood Stem Cell Bank Program. The House did not provide funding for this program. The conference agreement includes bill language identifying $288,283,000 for family planning instead of $278,283,000 as proposed by the House and $308,283,000 as proposed by the Senate. The conference agreement includes bill language identifying $793,872,000 for State AIDS Drug Assistance Programs instead of $783,872,000 as proposed by the Senate and $803,872,000 as proposed by the House.

Centers for Disease Prevention

The conference agreement includes $4,533,911,000 for disease control, research, and training at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), instead of $4,228,778,000 as proposed by the House and $4,538,592,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Public Health Improvement and Leadership

The conference agreement includes $269,145,000 for Public Health Improvement and Leadership instead of $199,775,000 as proposed by the House and $261,858,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Under this account, California receives funding for the following projects:

Bayview Hunters Point Health and Environmental Resource Center, San Francisco for education and outreach programs regarding asthma and cancer, $150,000

Boys and Girls Clubs of San Dieguieto, San Diego for a Health Lifestyle Program, $100,000

California State University, Fullerton, College of Human Development and Community Service, for programs aimed at preventing obesity and promoting health for children, $400,000

Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey for maintenance and expansion of the Monterey WMB Terrorism Database, $750,000

Community College Foundation, Sacramento for the ePassport foster child health and education data tracking program, $500,000

Community Health Partnership, San Jose for breast cancer screening and referral services to low-income, medically underserved women, $300,000

East Los Angeles Community Union (TELACU) Education Foundation, Los Angeles to address healthcare epidemic by implementing a bilingual outreach program, $100,000

Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, San Francisco $150,000

L’Garde, Inc., Tustin for bioterrorism technology development, $400,000

Marin County Health and Human Services Department, San Rafael for research and analysis related to breast cancer incidence and mortality in the county, $440,000

National Foundation for Trauma Care, Irvine to conduct a study on the impact a terrorist attack would have on trauma centers, $150,000

Orange County Council of Government, Santa Ana for a Healthy Waterways Initiative, $200,000

Orange County Fire Authority, Orange for a public safety and education center, $150,000

South Central Family Health Center, Los Angeles for women’s health outreach, education, and screening services, $150,000

Telacu Education Foundation for a bilingual outreach program on diabetes, $700,000

Vitiligo Support International, Inc., Encino for education and awareness programs, $200,000

National Institutes of Health

The National Institutes of Health are funded by the conference committee at $28,600,048,000, as opposed to $28,526,871,000 approved by the House and $28,900,300,000 approved by the Senate. The breakdown, by institute, is as follows:

National Cancer Institute, $4,865525,000

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, $2,965,453,000

National Institute of Dental and Cranofacial Research, $395,080,000

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease, $1,727,696,000

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, $1,552,123,000

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, $4,440,007,000

National Institute of General Medical Sciences, $1,959,810,000

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, $1,280,915,000

National Eye Institute, $674,578,000

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, $650,027,000

National Institute on Aging, $1,060,666,000

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, $515,378,000

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, $397,507,000

National Institute of Nursing Research, $139,198,000

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, $441,911,000

National Institute on Drug Abuse, $1,014,760,000

National Institute of Mental Health, $1,423,609,000

National Human Genome Research Institute, $492,670,000

National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, $300,647,000

National Center for Research Resources, $1,124,141,000

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, $123,116,000

National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities $198 million, $197,780,000

John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences, $67,182,000

National Library of Medicine, $317,947,000

Office of the Director, $361,145,000

Office of AIDS Research Funding is included within the appropriation for each Institute, Center, and Division of the NIH.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services

The conference agreement includes $3,418,664,000 for substance abuse and mental health services, of which $3,295,361,000 is provided through budget authority and $123,303,000 is provided through the evaluation set-aside. The House bill had proposed $3,391,663,000 for SAMHSA, of which $121,303,000 was from the evaluation set-aside and the Senate proposed $3,484,729,000, of which $123,303,000 was from the evaluation set-aside.

Center for Mental Health Services

The conference agreement includes $276,646,000 for programs of regional and national significance instead of $257,420,000 as proposed by the House and $303,128,000 as proposed by the Senate. The conference agreement provides $20,000,000 for the State incentive grants for transformation as proposed by the House rather than $43,782,000 as proposed by the Senate.

California receives the following incentive grants:

El Monte Police Department, El Monte for youth violence prevention, $200,000

Pacific Clinics, Arcadia for mental health and suicide prevention programs for Latina youth, $500,000

San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center, San Diego for mental health services, $80,000

San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco for mental health and substance abuse services for homeless persons in supportive housing, $1,500,000

Senior Community Centers, San Diego for mental health and related services in their supportive housing program, $100,000

Ventura County Probation Agency, Ventura for the Emotionally Challenged Juvenile Offender Intervention Program, $300,000

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment

The conference agreement includes $425,946,000 for programs of regional and national significance, which includes $4,300,000 from the evaluation set-aside, instead of $419,219,000 as proposed by the House and $424,017,000 as proposed by the Senate.

The following California projects are funded as follows:

Fighting Back Partnership, Vallejo for an intervention, treatment and aftercare program for students identified with drug and alcohol use, $250,000

Mental Health Systems, Inc., Family Recovery Center, Oceanside to enhance and expand substance abuse treatment services for women at risk for HIV, $50,000

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment

The conference agreement includes $200,428,000 for programs of regional and national significance instead of $200,000,000 as proposed by the House and $198,940,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

The conference agreement includes $2,696,402,000 for program management for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, instead of $2,746,253,000 as proposed by the House and $2,756,644,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Under the program management account, California receives the following funding for projects:

AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Los Angeles for a demonstration of residential and outpatient treatment facilities, $1,900,000

San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco for a demonstration project to improve HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention services, 1,500,000

Santa Clara County for outreach and enrollment assistance activities of the Children’s Health Initiative, $300,000

Administration for Children and Families

Payments to States for Child Support Enforcement and Family Support Programs

The conference agreement provides $2,873,802,000 for payments to States for child support enforcement and family support programs, the same as both the House and Senate.

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance

The conference agreement provides $2,200,000,000 for low-income home energy assistance rather than $2,249,000,000 as proposed by the House and $2,000,500,000 as proposed by the Senate. Of the amount provided $1,900,000,000 is provided for formula grants to States. The House bill had proposed $1,911,000,000 for State formula grants and the Senate bill proposed $1,901,090,000.

Refugee and Entrant Assistance

The conference agreement includes $488,336,000 for the refugee and entrant assistance programs rather than $491,336,000 as proposed by the House and $477,239,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Child Care and Development Block Grants

The conference agreement includes $2,099,729,000 for the child care and development block grant, the same level as both the House and Senate bills.

Social Services Block Grants

The conference agreement provides $1,700,000,000 for the social services block grant, the same level as proposed in both the House and Senate bills. The conference agreement provides 10 percent transfer authority from the temporary assistance for needy families program (TANF) to the social services block grant as proposed by the Senate. The House bill had proposed 4.5 percent transferability.

Children and Family Services Programs

The conference agreement includes $9,080,353,000 for children and families services programs, of which $10,500,000 is provided through the evaluation set-aside. The House bill proposed $8,996,145,000 for these programs with $10,482,000 from the evaluation set-aside and the Senate proposed $9,104,646,000 with $10,500,000 from the evaluation set-aside.

Head Start

The conference agreement includes $6,898,580,000 for Head Start as proposed by the House instead of $6,935,452,000 as proposed by the Senate. The agreement includes $1,400,000,000 in advance funding, the same level as proposed by both the House and Senate.

Child Abuse State Grants and Discretionary Activities

The conference agreement includes $27,500,000 for child abuse State grants as proposed by the Senate instead of $28,484,000 as proposed by the House. The conference agreement includes $31,912,000 for child abuse discretionary programs instead of $26,266,000 as proposed by the House and $34,386,000 as proposed by the Senate.

California receives a number of earmarks through this program:

Alameda County Social Services Agency, Oakland for the Another Road to Safety early intervention and prevention program, $650,000

Family Violence Prevention Fund, San Francisco for family violence prevention programs for children, youth and young families through its International Center to End Violence, $500,000

YMCA Youth and Family Services, San Diego to provide safe shelter and supportive services to young homeless women, $50,000

Social Services and Income Maintenance Research

The conference agreement includes $32,229,000 for social services and income maintenance research.

California receives funding for the following projects under this account:

Birth Choice Pregnancy Centers, Mission Viejo to support counseling and medical services at three pregnancy centers in Orange County $150,000

Coalition to End Family Violence, Oxnard for family violence prevention and treatment and other social services for youth and families, $200,000

Lady B Ranch, Apple Valley for a Therapeutic Horseback Riding Program, $150,000

Monterey County Probation Department, Salinas for a gang prevention and intervention program, $1,300,000

Parents Anonymous, Claremont to establish, operate, publicize and maintain a national parent helpline, toll free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for parents throughout the US, $32,000

Community Base Abstinence Education

The conference agreement includes $104,500,000 for community-based abstinence education as proposed by the Senate instead of $109,546,000 as proposed by the House.

Administration on Aging

The conference agreement includes $1,404,634,000 for aging services programs instead of $1,403,479,000 as proposed by the House and $1,395,117,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Under this account, California receives funding for a number of projects:

City of Rancho Cucamonga for a Senior Health, Nutrition and Transportation Program, $150,000

Family Caregiver Alliance, San Francisco for a National Resource Center on Family Caregiving, $250,000

Jewish Family Service of Sacramento for a naturally occurring retirement community demonstration, $200,000

Jewish Family Service of San Diego–Naturally Occurring Retirement Community ”Aging in Place” demonstration, $150,000

Jewish Family Services of Los Angeles for a Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORC) demonstration, $500,000

Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, for a Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities (NORC) demonstration project, $150,000

Padres Contra El Cancer, Glendale for patient education and family support services for Latino children with cancer and their families, $150,000

Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund

The conference agreement includes $2,308,287,000 for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund (PHSSEF) to enhance Federal, State, and local preparedness to counter potential biological, disease, chemical, and radiological threats to civilian populations, instead of $2,352,247,000 as proposed by the House and $2,330,058,000 as proposed by the Senate.

General Provision

The conference agreement includes a provision proposed by the Senate to extend the refugee status for persecuted religious groups.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

The conference report provides $59,668,693,000 for the Department of Education, as opposed to $60,317,016,000 proposed in the House and $61,484,313,000 proposed in the Senate. In FY04, the Department received $58,246,623,000 in funding and for FY05 the President requested $58,246,623,000.

Education for the Disadvantaged (Title I)

The conference agreement includes $14,963,683,000 for Education for the Disadvantaged instead of $15,515,735,000 as proposed by the House and $15,500,684,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Of the total funds in this account, $12,842,309,000 is provided for Grants to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) instead of $13,342,309,000 as proposed by the House and $13,457,607,000 as proposed by the Senate. LEAs are distributed through four separate grant accounts, which are funded as follows:

Basic grants, $7,037,592,000 (House proposed $7,037,592,000, Senate proposed $7,104,447,000)

Concentration grants, $1,365,031,000 (House proposed $1,365,031,000, Senate proposed $1,365,031,000)

Targeted grants, $2,219,843,000 (House proposed $2,469,843,000, Senate proposed $2,231,954,000)

Education finance incentive grants (EFIG) $2,219,843,000 (House proposed $2,469,843,000, Senate proposed $2,756,175,000)

The bill includes funding for other specific programs, including $226,910,000 for the Even Start program, $1,050,000,000 for Reading First State Grants, $25,000,000 for Striving Readers, $19,842,000 for Literacy through School Libraries, $50,000,000 for the neglected and delinquent program, $100,000,000 for a new local school improvement program,$207,000,000 for comprehensive school reform, and $18,888,000 for the migrant education high school equivalency program.

Impact Aid

The conference agreement includes $1,253,893,000 for the Impact Aid programs instead of $1,250,893,000 as proposed by the House and $1,229,527,000 as proposed by the Senate. Within this amount, $1,083,687,000 is provided for basic support payments as proposed by the House instead of $1,063,687,000 as proposed by the Senate. The conference agreement includes language proposed by the House regarding eligibility for school districts that enroll children whose parents have died or been deployed on active duty.

School Improvement Programs

The conference agreement includes $5,664,977,000 for School Improvement Programs instead of $5,661,401,000 as proposed by the House and $5,730,632,000 as proposed by the Senate. The agreement provides $4,229,977,000 in fiscal year 2005 and $1,435,000,000 in fiscal year 2006 funding for this account.

Of these funds, $2,940,126,000 are apportioned for State grants for improving teacher quality instead of $2,950,000,000 as proposed by the House and $2,975,126,000 as proposed by the Senate. The conference agreement includes $200,000,000 for the education block grant instead of $20,000,000 as proposed by the House. The Senate did not propose funding for this activity. The agreement also includes $500,000,000 for education technology state grants instead of $600,000,000 as proposed by the House and $691,841,000 as proposed by the Senate. The agreement also includes $999,070,000 for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program as proposed by the House instead of $1,007,000,000 as proposed by the Senate. The agreement also includes $415,000,000 for State assessments instead of $410,000,000 as proposed by the House and $420,000,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Innovation and Improvement

The conference agreement includes $1,101,454,000 for programs in the Innovation and Improvement account, instead of $669,936,000 as proposed by the House and $1,144,346,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Fund for the Improvement of Education

The conference agreement includes $417,418,000 for the Fund for the Improvement of Education.

California receives a number of targeted grants from this account:

Alhambra Unified School District, Alhambra for after-school and other academic programs at Mark Keppel High School, $40,000

American Film Institute, Los Angeles for its Screen Education program, $1,250,000

Bass Lake School District for music and art education programs, $75,000

Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County, San Luis Obispo for mentoring at-risk youth, $80,000

Boys & Girls Club of Whittier, Whittier for after school programs, $150,000

Business Council, Inc., Stockton for its San Joaquin Reads Program, $650,000 California Institute of the Arts, Valencia for equipment for the Community Arts Partnership digital arts project for middle and high school students, $150,000

California Professional Firefighters Foundation, Sacramento for development of an emergency preparedness curriculum and training materials for K-12 schools, $850,000

Children’s Museum at LaHabra for a Hands On English Program, $120,000

City of Bell Gardens, Bell Gardens for computers and software to serve low-income youth, $35,000

City of Brea for after school programs, $123,000

City of East Palo Alto for after-school activities for at-risk youth, $100,000

City of Fairfield, Fairfield for after school programs, $600,000

City of Lynwood, Lynwood for after school programs, $165,000

City of Palmdale, Palmdale for after school programs, $100,000

City of Pomona, Pomona in conjunction with the Pomona Unified School District, for after school and weekend academic enrichment programs, $140,000

City of San Diego for the 6 to 6 Extended Day Program, $100,000

City of Stockton, Stockton for after school programs, $328,000

Diamond Bar Center, Diamond Bar for Children’s Programs, $257,000

Envision Schools, San Francisco for the City Arts and Technology High School, $250,000

Exploratorium, San Francisco for an initiative to integrate science, mathematics and technology education into after school programs, $250,000

Fontana Teen Center, Fontana for after school programs, $320,000

Foundation for the Improvement of Mathematics and Science Education, San Diego to implement the Blueprint for Student Success Project in San Diego City Schools, $450,000

Fresno Metropolitan Museum for the Mobile Science Project, $100,000

Gateway Cities Partnership, Inc., Paramount for the Math, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) enrichment program, $50,000

Girls Today, Women Tomorrow, Los Angeles for after school programs, $200,000

Give Every Child A Chance, Manteca for educational enrichment services, $300,000

Go For Broke Educational Foundation, Gardena for curricula, materials, and teacher training to support instruction about segregated military units in World War II, $100,000

GRAMMY Foundation, Santa Monica for education programs, $150,000

Greater Sacramento Urban League, Sacramento for a dropout prevention program, $167,000

Hesperia Unified School District, Hesperia for an after school program for middle school students, $100,000

HighTechHigh-Los Angeles, Van Nuys for its technology education program, $390,000

IN TUNE Foundation, Santa Monica for its Kids in Tune character education, music and arts education programs, $500,000

International Music Products Association, Carlsbad, for music education, $125,000

Joy2Learn Foundation, Palos Verdes Estates to create and disseminate curricula integrating the arts and for professional development, $120,000

KIPP Foundation, San Francisco for KIPP schools in Oklahoma City, including subgrants, $50,000

KIPP Foundation, San Francisco for leadership training and extended learning time at KIPP schools, including subgrants, $3,000,000

KIPP Foundation, San Francisco to subgrant to KIPP schools in the State of Tennessee to support student programs, $150,000

KIPP Foundation, San Francisco for curriculum development and teacher training for California schools, including subgrants, $200,000

KIPP Foundation, San Francisco to subgrant to KIPP Philadelphia Charter School for educational programs, $25,000

LA’s Best in Los Angeles for the After-School Enrichment Program, $400,000

Long Beach Unified School District for High School reform, $100,000

Lucille Beserra Roybal Youth and Family Center, Los Angeles for computers and technology, $75,000

Milken Family Foundation, Santa Monica for the Teacher Advancement Program, $2,000,000

Mira Loma High School, Sacramento for the International Baccalaureate program, $83,000

North East Trees, Los Angeles for its Youth Environmental Career Training Program, including student support, $185,000

Oakland Unified School District, Oakland for the purchase, implementation, and maintenance of a district-wide student information system, $320,000

Orange County Fire Authority, Orange for K-12 fire safety and emergency preparedness education programs, $40,000

Proyecto Pastoral, Los Angeles for computers, furnishings and programmatic support for a pre-school center, $75,000

Riverside County Office of Education, Riverside for the Riverside County Achievement Team Plus Program, $200,000

Roseville City School District, Roseville for an English Instruction Program, $200,000

San Bernardino City Unified School District, San Bernardino for vocational training and work opportunities program, $350,000

San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, San Bernardino for an English Language Learners Initiative, $500,000

San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools, San Bernardino for school-to-careers initiatives, including The Alliance and Virtual Hi-Tech High, $320,000

Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts, for arts education programs, $60,000

Santa Barbara County Education Office, Santa Barbara for Sobriety High School, $100,000

Search to Involve Philipino Americans, Los Angeles for after school programs, including technology, $75,000

The Story Project, Culver City to support after school literacy programs for junior high and high school students, $250,000

THINK Together, Santa Ana, for after school programs, $400,000

Tiger Woods Foundation, Los Alamitos to offer programs to at-risk youth, $100,000

Turlock School Districts, Turlock for English instruction, $100,000

World Impact, Los Angeles for programming to educate and mentor at-risk youth at its Harmony Heart Camp in Jermyn, PA, $100,000

Zero to 5 Foundation, East Los Angeles for a pre-school education project in Boyle Heights in east Los Angeles, $150,000

Safe Schools and Citizenship Education

The conference agreement includes $867,713,000 for programs in the safe schools and citizenship education account, instead of $801,369,000 as proposed by the House and $902,008,000 as proposed by the Senate.

English Language Acquisition

The conference agreement includes $681,215,000 for English Language Acquisition programs as proposed by the House instead of $700,000,000 as proposed by the Senate. Grants from this program are based on each state’s share of the nation’s limited English proficient and recent immigrant student population. California, because of its large non-English speaking population, receives a large share of the grants.

Special Education

The conference agreement includes $11,767,748,000 for Special Education instead of $12,176,101,000 as proposed by the House and $12,328,391,000 as proposed by the Senate. The agreement provides $6,354,748,000 in fiscal year 2005 and $5,413,000,000 in fiscal year 2006 funding for this account. Included in these funds is $10,675,147,000 for Grants to States part B instead of $11,068,106,000 as proposed by the House and $11,228,981,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Rehabilitation Services and Disability Research

The conference agreement provides $3,076,112,000 for Rehabilitation Services and Disability Research instead of $3,054,587,000 as proposed by the House and $3,077,328,000 as proposed by the Senate. The conference agreement includes $2,321,000 for migrant and seasonal farmworkers as proposed by the House instead of $2,500,000 as proposed by the Senate.

California receives one earmark from this account:

Pride Industries, Roseville, for training for persons with disabilities, $250,000

Vocational and Adult Education

The conference agreement includes $2,027,166,000 for Vocational and Adult Education instead of $2,025,456,000 as proposed by the House and $2,102,086,000 as proposed by the Senate. The agreement provides $1,236,166,000 in fiscal year 2005 and $791,000,000 in fiscal year 2006 funding for this account.

The conference agreement includes $1,203,963,000 for Vocational Education basic State grants instead of $1,215,008,000 as proposed by the House and $1,194,295,000 as proposed by the Senate, and provides $574,266,000 for adult education state grants as proposed by the Senate instead of $574,372,000 as proposed by the House.

Student Financial Assistance

The conference agreement includes $14,380,795,000 for Student Financial Assistance instead of $14,755,794,000 as proposed by the House and $14,859,694,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Pell Grants

From within the Student Financial Assistance account, the agreement provides a program level of $12,464,715,000 for Pell Grants instead of $12,830,000,000 as proposed by both the House and the Senate. The maximum Pell Grant will remain unchanged at $4,050.

The conference agreement does not include language proposed by the Senate prohibiting the Department of Education from implementing annual updates to the tax tables used in Federal Needs Analysis Methodology. The House bill had contained no similar provision. If, as expected, the Department of Education does update the tax tables, as many as 1.2 million college students will have their financial aid reduced or eliminated, but California’s reduction may be somewhat less than that of the average state. The Administration and the Department of Education argue that the change would result in savings of $270,000,000. The tax tables were last updated in 1994.

In 2004, California received $1,480,000,000 of a total of $13,000,000,000 Pell Grant awards, constituting 11.3% of program funds.

Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)

The conference agreement also includes $785,000,000 for the supplemental educational opportunity grant program instead of $794,455,000 as proposed by the House and $799,850,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Federal Work Study

The agreement includes $998,243,000 for Federal work study as proposed by the Senate instead of $998,502,000 as proposed by the House.

Higher Education

The conference agreement includes $2,134,269,000 for Higher Education instead of $1,976,056,000 as proposed by the House and $2,148,458,000 as proposed by the Senate. Within this account, the Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education is funded at $163,915,000, as opposed to the $32,011,000 proposed by the House and the $157,700,000 proposed by the Senate. California is the recipient of a number of direct earmarks through the Fund:

California Institute of Arts, Valencia for technology and training, $200,000

California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo for a baccalaureate degree program in nursing, $200,000

California State University, Bakersfield Department of Nursing, Bakersfield for nurse training equipment, $180,000

California State University, Chico for equipment, $500,000

California State University, Hayward for professional development, equipment and technology for distance education programs, $425,000

California State University, Long Beach for its Technology Enhanced Literacy Project, $250,000

California State University, San Marcos to establish a nursing program, $400,000

Folsom Lake College, Folsom for computers, program development and teacher stipends, $150,000

Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, El Cajon for equipment and student assistance, $95,000

Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District, El Cajon for science equipment, $99,000

La Sierra University, Riverside for science and computer equipment software, $100,000

Los Angeles Valley College, Valley Glen for its Fast-Track Nursing Career Program, $200,000

Mills College, Oakland for its Institute for Civic Leadership, $320,000

Palo Verde Community College District, Blythe for equipment, $500,000

Riverside Community College District, Riverside for curriculum development of the Middle College initiative, $100,000

Sacramento City College, Sacramento for its Allied Health Professions Recruitment and Retention Center, $400,000

San Jose State University Foundation, San Jose for the development of paramedic and clinical laboratory scientist training programs, $440,000

San Pasqual Academy, Escondido for information technology infrastructure, $120,000

Santa Clarita Community College District, Santa Clarita for equipment for the University Center at College of the Canyons, $200,000

Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, including student scholarships and coordination with the nationwide Osher network, $200,000

Touro University–California, Vallejo to design, develop and implement College of Education programs on its Mare Island campus, $500,000

University of California, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco for the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies to establish a clinical education program, $200,000

University of Redlands, Redlands for technology enhancement, $350,000

University of San Francisco, San Francisco for equipment and programs at the Harney Science Center, $575,000

University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, Sacramento for a cross-disciplinary project 255,000

University of the Pacific, Stockton for the Business Forecasting Center, $490,000

West Kern Community College District, Taft for equipment, $150,000

TRIO

The conference agreement provides funding of $843,289,000 for the eight programs that comprise TRIO instead of $842,559,000 as proposed by the House and $844,500,000 as proposed by the Senate.

GEAR UP

The agreement also includes $308,960,000 for the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) program instead of $318,230,000 as proposed by the House and $302,500,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Byrd Honors Scholarships

The agreement also includes $41,000,000 for Byrd Honors Scholarships as proposed by the Senate. The House did not propose funding for this activity.

Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants

The conference agreement also includes $68,888,000 for Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants instead of $88,888,000 as proposed by both the House and the Senate.

Institute of Education Science

The conference agreement includes $527,453,000 for Education Research, Statistics and Improvement instead of $526,804,000 as proposed by the House and $536,804,000 as proposed by the Senate. Within this account, the conference agreement also includes $83,774,000 for research and innovation in special education. California receives the following from this program:

Fiesta Educativa, Inc., Los Angeles for its Fiesta Familiar, homebased training initiative for parents of children with disabilities, $55,000

City of Rocklin, for a Rocklin Integrated Schools Program, $195,000.

RELATED AGENCIES

Institute of Museum and Library Services

The conference agreement provides $282,827,000 for the Institute of Museum and Library Services instead of $261,743,000 as proposed by the House and $262,240,000 as proposed by the Senate. The bill also specifies funding for the following California projects:

Autry National Center, Los Angeles for exhibits, education programs and outreach at its Southwest Museum of the American Indian and/or its Museum of the American West, $200,000

City of Murrieta Public Library, Murrieta for a Literacy thru Technology Program, $150,000

Contra Costa County, Martinez for the Contra Costa Reads program, $72,000

Florence Library Learning Center, Los Angeles for reading and other education programs, $275,000

Hesperia Community Library, Hesperia $500,000

International Museum of Women, San Francisco for education and teacher professional development programs, $300,000

Kidspace Children’s Museum, Pasadena to develop its Shake Zone Education Exhibit, $250,000

Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut for equipment, $100,000

National City Public Library, National City for collections and technology, $100,000

San Bernardino County, San Bernardino for the San Bernardino County Museum, $350,000

Serra Cooperative Library System, San Diego $175,000

Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Los Angeles Museum for Tolerance, Los Angeles for the Tools for Tolerance for Educators program to provide teacher training in diversity, tolerance and cooperation, $100,000

Zimmer Children’s Museum, Los Angeles to develop and expand the youTHink education program, $75,000

______________________________________

ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

Corps of Engineers–Civil

The Conference Report states that the House Energy and Water Appropriations Committee Report, H.R. 108-554, is to have effect unless contradicted by the statement of managers to the omnibus conference report.

General Investigations

The conference agreement appropriates $144,500,000 for General Investigations.

Coastal Field Data Collection.–The conference agreement provides $4,875,000 for the Coastal Field Data Collection program. Funds are provided in the amount of $1,000,000 for the Southern California Beach Process Study.

Other Coordination Programs.–The conferees have provided $4,300,000 for the Other Coordination Programs. Within the funds provided, $500,000 is to continue work associated with the Lake Tahoe Federal Interagency Partnership.

General Investigations (In Thousands of Dollars)

Aliso Creek Mainstem – 265 Investigation

American River Watershed – 415 Planning

Arana Gulch Watershed 100 Investigation

Arroyo Seco Watershed Restoration – 175 Investigation

Ballona Creek Ecosystem Restoration 225 Investigation

Bolinas Lagoon Ecosystem Restoration – 100 Investigation

Calaveras County Watersheds – Zero Funded

California Coastal Sediment Master Plan – 116 Investigation

City of Carpenteria – 100 Investigation

City of Inglewood – 400 Investigation

City of Norwalk – 160 Investigation

City of San Bernardino – 75 Investigation

Coast of California, Los Angeles County – 450 Investigation

Coyote Dam – 200 Investigation

Desert Hot Springs – 200 Investigation

Estudillo Canal, San Leandro – 29 Investigation

Grayson & Murderer’s Creeks, Walnut Creek Basin – 200 Investigation

Humboldt Bay Long Term Shoal Mgmt – 123 Investigation

Laguna Creek Watershed – 29 Investigation

Laguna De Santa Rosa – 200 Investigation

Lake Elsinore Environmental Restoration – 25 Investigation

LA River Watercourse, San Jose Creek – 59 Investigation

Llagas Creek Flood Protection Project – 325 Planning

Los Angeles County Drainage Area, Cornfields – 45 Investigation

Los Angeles County – 630 Investigation

Los Angeles River Watercourse, Headworks Area – 225 Investigation

Lower Cache Creek, Yolo County, Woodland & Vicinity – 300 Planning

Lower Mission Creek (Flood Control & Creek Rehab) – 200 Planning

Malibu Creek Watershed – 325 Investigation

Marina Del Ray & Ballona Creek – 175 Investigation

Matilija Dam – 388 Investigation

Morro Bay Estuary – 175 Investigation

Mugu Lagoon – 184 Investigation

Napa River Salt Marsh Restoration – 250 Planning

Napa Valley Watershed Mgmt – 200 Investigation

Newport Bay LA-3 Site Designation – 100 Investigation

Newport Bay, San Diego Creek Watershed – 86 Investigation

No. California Streams, Lower Sacramento – 100 Investigation

Ocean Beach – 200 Investigation

Orange County Special Area Mgmt Plan – 195

Pajaro River Basin – 50 Investigation

Pajaro River at Watsonville – 400 Planning

Pine Flat Dam – 25 Planning

Poso Creek – 200 Investigation

Riverside County Special Area Mgmt Plan – 300 Investigation

Russian River Ecosystem Restoration- 250 Investigation

Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta – 200 Investigation

Sacramento & San Joaquin Comprehensive Basin Study – 1,000 Investigation

San Bernardino County – 100 Investigation

San Clemente Shoreline – 178 Investigation

San Diego County Shoreline – 125 Investigation; 100 Planning

San Diego County Special Area Mgmt Plan – 150 Investigation

San Francisquito Creek – 100 Investigation

San Joaquin RB, Consummes – 100 Investigation

San Joaquin RB, West Stanislaus County, Orestimba Creek – 200 Investigation

San Joaquin River Basin, Frazier Creek – 130 Investigation

San Joaquin River Basin, Tuolumne Creek – 200 Investigation

San Juan Creek Watershed – 50 Investigation

San Juan Creek, S. Orange County – 18 Investigation

San Pablo Bay Watershed – 400 Investigation

Santa Ana River & Tributaries, Big Bear Lake – 1,000 Investigation

Santa Clara River, City of Santa Clarita – 200 Investigation

Santa Clara River, Watershed Mgmt – 225 Investigation

Santa Rosa Creek Ecosystem Restoration – 525 Investigation

Santa Rosa Creek Watershed – 60 Investigation

Solana Beach/Encinitas Shoreline Protection Study – 121 Investigation; 250 Planning

Sonoma Creek & Tributaries – 274 Investigation

South San Francisco Shoreline Study – 325 Investigation

Southern California Wetlands Restoration – zero funded

Strong and Chiocken Ranch Slough – 25 Investigation

Sun Valley Watershed – 38 Investigation

Sutter County – 275 Investigation

Tahoe Basin – 275 Investigation

Tijuana River Environmental Restoration – 38 Investigation

Tijuana River Valley – 100 Investigation

Upper Guadalupe – 75 Planning

Upper Penitencia Creek – 273 Investigation

Upper Santa Ana – 75 Investigation

Ventura and Santa Barbara – 50 Investigation

Ventura Harbor Sand Bypass – 211 Investigation

Westminster, Coyote & Carbon Canyon Creek Watersheds – 122 Investigation

Westminster, East Garden Grove – 416 Investigation

White River & Deer Creek – 50 Investigation

Whitewater River Basin – 75 Planning

Wildcat and San Pablo Creeks – 100 Investigation

Yuba River Basin – 350 Planning

Construction, General

The conference agreement appropriates $1,796,089,000 for Construction, General.

American River Watershed (Folsom Dam Mini-Raise).–Within funds provided for the American River Watershed (Folsom Dam Mini-Raise) project, the Corps is directed to continue design of the Folsom Dam replacement road and permanent bridge to assure their completion at the earliest possible date consistent with the pace of the Mini-Raise project as a whole. The conferees include language directing the Corps of Engineers to expend its full capability, up to $5,000,000, to advance the permanent bridge to replace Folsom Bridge Dam Road, Folsom, as authorized by the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, 2004 (P.L. 108-137) with all remaining funds devoted to the Mini-Raise. The Conference Report states that: “The conferees are aware of reports that there have been attempts to place obstacles in the way of this work, and insist that it be allowed to proceed, unimpeded.”

Construction General

(In Thousands)

American River Wtrshd (Flsm Dam Mini-Raise) – 8,000

American Rvr. Wtrshd (Folsom Dam Mod.) – 6,675

American River Wtrshd – 5,000

City of Inglewoods – zero funded

City of Norwalk – zero funded

Cambria Seawater Desalinization Infrastructure – 425

City of Santa Clarita – zero funded

City of Santa Clarita (Perchlorate) – 175

Corte Madera Creek Flood Control – 275

Coyote and Berryessa Creek – 338

Desert Hot Springs – zero funded

Farmington Grndwtr Recharge Demonstration Prjct – 1,000

Guadalupe River – 6,000

Hamilton Airfield Wetlands Restoration – 6,000

Harbor/S. Bay Wtr Recycling Prjct, Los Angeles – 3,000

Imperial Beach/Silver Strand – 150

Kaweah River – 5,624

Llagas Creek – 125

LA County Drainage Area (Stormwater Mgmt) – 125

LA Harbor Main Channel Deepening – 23,000

Lower Walnut Creek – 250

Marysville/Yuba City Levee Reconstruction – 3,686

Merced County Streams – 350

Mid-Valley Area Levee Reconstruction – 2,300

Murrieta Creek – 1500

Napa River – 16,000

N. Valley Rgnl Wtr Infrstrctr (City of Los Angeles) – 2000

Oakland Harbor (50 Foot Project) – 27,500

Petaluma River – 3,000

Sacramento Area – 1750

Sacramento River Bank Protection Project – 1750

Sacramento River Deep Water Ship Channel – 375

Santa Ana River Mainstem – 17,850

San Lorenzo River – .010

San Francisco Bay to Stockton – 250

San Ramon Valley Recycled Water Project – 375

South Perris (Water Supply Desalination) – 625

South Sacramento County Streams – 2,250

Stockton Metropolitan Flood Cntrl Reimbursmnt – 2,500

Success Dam, Tule River (Dam Safety) – 4,000

Tule River – 3,500

Upper Newport Bay Ecosystem Restoration – 1,000

Upper Sacramento Area Levee Reconstruction – 2,400

Yuba River Basin – 375

Small Navigation Projects

Oyster Point Harbor Breakwater, $125,000

San Diego Harbor Deepening, $750,000

Project Modifications for Improvement of the Environment

Tujunga Wash Ecosystem, Restoration – $100,000

Small Flood Control Projects

Cosgrove Creek – $500,000

Santa Venetia Flood Control – $150,000

Calaveras County Watershed – $250,000

Tehama Flood Reduction Project, $500,000

Yucca Valley, West Burnt Mountain Basin, $300,000

Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Project (Section 206) (In Thousands)

English Creek Aquatic Restoration – $100

St. Helena Napa River Restoration – $600

Sweetwater Ecosystem Restoration – $180

Thompson Creek – $300

Upper York Creek Dam Removal and Restoration – $400

Operations and Maintenance (In Thousands)

Budget Request Conference Report

Black Butte Lake 1,882 1,882

Buchanan Dam. HV Eastman Lake 1,958 1,958

Channel Islands Harbor 4,985 4,985

Coyote Valley Dam, Lake Mendocino 4,348 4,348

Crescent City 500

Dry Creek (Warm Springs) Lake and Channel 4,779 5,500

Farmington Dam 526 526

Hidden Dam, Hensley Lake 1,828 1,828

Humboldt Harbor and Bay 2,864 2,864

Inspection of Completed Works 1,271 1,271

Isabella Lake 2,080 2,080

Los Angeles – Long Beach Harbor Model 175 175

Los Angeles County Drainage Area 5,376 5,376

Merced County Streams 292 292

Mojave River Dam 328 328

Morro Bay Harbor — 289

Moss Landing Harbor — 250

New Hogan Lake 2,044 2,044

New Melones Lake, Downstream Channel 1,335 1,335

Oakland Harbor 7,098 7,098

Oceanside Harbor 1,110 1,110

Pillar Point Harbor — 125

Pine Flat Lake 2,941 2,941

Pinole Shoal Management — 500

Port Hueneme, Ventura County — 250

Port San Luis, San Luis Obispo County — 500

Project Condition Surveys 2,173 2,173

Redwood City Harbor — 500

Richmond Harbor 7,572 7,572

Sacramento River (30 Foot Project) 2,745 2,745

Sacramento River and Tributaries (Debris Control) 1,246 1,246

Sacramento River Shallow Draft Channel 145 145

San Francisco Bay Long Term Mngmt Strategy — 1,000

San Francisco Bay, Delta Model Structure 1,277 1,189

San Francisco Bay Harbor and Bay (Drift Removal) 2,674 2,987

San Francisco Harbor 2,255 2,250

San Joaquin River, Port of Stockton — 3,000

San Pablo Bay and Mare Island Strait — 1,000

Santa Ana River Basin 4,023 4,023

Santa Barbara Harbor — 1,045

Scheduling Reservoir Operations 1,285 1,285

Success Lake 2,007 2,007

Suisun Bay Channel 4,559 4,559

Terminus Dam, Lake Kaweah 2,268 2,268

Ventura Harbor 2,910 2,910

Yuba River 126 126

General Provisions

Sec. 108 authorizes the establishment of a program for providing environmental assistance to non-Federal interests in Lake Tahoe Basin.

Sec. 109. WATERSHED MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT. Section 503 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 (110 Stat. 3756) is amended in subsection (c) by inserting the following: “The non-Federal share of the cost to provide assistance for the Lake Tahoe watershed, California and Nevada, and Walker River Basin, Nevada may be provided as work-in-kind.”

Sec. 110 states: “The Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works shall enter into an agreement with the Orange County Water District, Orange County, California for purposes of water conservation storage and operations to provide at a minimum a conservation level up to elevation 498 feet mean sea level during the flood season, and up to elevation 505 feet mean sea level during the non-flood season at Prado Dam, California. The Orange County Water District shall pay to the Government only the separable costs associated with implementation and operation and maintenance of Prado Dam for water conservation.”

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

Water and Related Resources

An appropriation of $859,481,000 is provided by the conferees for Water and Related Resources.

Building and Site Security

Security Costs and Allocations

The Conference Report states: “Within the funds provided for the Central Valley Project, Colorado Front Work and Levee System, AZ. The conference has included additional funds to continue activities for water management reservoirs to be constructed along the All American Canal.

Central Valley Project.–A total of $7,500,000 has been provided under various divisions of the Central Valley Project in support of the California Bay-Delta Restoration. A description of the activities for which funds have been added follows.

Environmental Water Account

Miscellaneous Project Programs.–$1,000,000 is provided to acquire water and groundwater storage.

Planning and Management Activities

Delta Division Oversight.–$500,000 is provided to continue coordination, administration, planning, performance tracking and science activities in coordination with CALFED Program Implementation Plan.

Storage

Delta Division.–$1,000,000 is provided for Reclamation to continue participating in planning and study activities associated with enlarging Los Vaqueros reservoir.

Sacramento River Division.–$1,000,000 is provided to continue planning and study activities for Sites reservoir.

Shasta Division.–$1,000,000 is provided to continue evaluating the potential impacts of the proposed Shasta raise.

Conveyance

Delta Division.–$1,000,000 is provided for the Tracy Test Fish facility.

Miscellaneous Project Programs.–$1,000,000 is provided for the continuation of feasibility levels studies and technical assistance to the State of California; $1,000,000 for the Bureau for the administration of storage, conveyance, water use efficiency, ecosystem restoration, science and water transfer.

Central Valley Project, Friant Division.–The conferees have provided an additional $1,000,000 for the Bureau of Reclamation to continue the Upper San Joaquin River Basin Storage investigation.

Klamath Project, Oregon and California.–The conferees recommend additional funds for the Klamath Project water bank program. From within available funds, the conferees direct that up to $1,000,000 be used for water quality multi-probe and flow measurement instrumentation.

Title XVI, Water Reclamation and Reuse Program.–The conference agreement provides $1,655,000 for the Title XVI Water Reclamation and Reuse Program. Of this, $125,000 is provided for the Bureau to work with the Mission Springs Water District to evaluate further the possibilities of using recycled water for groundwater recharge or other non-potable uses.

Water Management and Conservation Program.–Within the funds provided, the conferees direct that $700,000 be used to continue urban water conservation programs within the service area of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and $200,000 for the Bureau to continue a cost shared, industrial recirculation water efficiency effort related to recirculating water use by industries in Southern California to conserve water.

Central Valley Project Restoration Fund

The conference agreement provides $54,695,000 for the Central Valley Project Restoration Fund.

General Provisions

Sec. 201 provides that: (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to determine the final point of discharge for the interceptor drain for the San Luis Unit until development by the Secretary of the Interior and the State of California of a plan, which shall conform to the water quality standards of the State of California as approved by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to minimize any detrimental effect of the San Luis drainage waters.

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Supply

The conference agreement provides $946,272,000 for Energy Supply.

Renewable Energy Resources

The conference agreement provides $389,063,000 for renewable energy resources.

Biomass/biofuels.–The conference agreement includes $82,147,000 for biomass and biorefinery systems research and development. The conference agreement includes:

– $500,000 for the Oxydiesel demonstration program in California and Nevada.

Geothermal.–The conference agreement includes $25,800,000 for geothermal activities, the same as the budget request. Geopowering the West is funded at current year levels. The Department is directed to maintain funding for university research at the fiscal year 2004 funding level. The conference agreement includes:

– $500,000 for the Full Circle Project in Lake County.

Hydrogen.–The conference agreement includes $95,325,000 for hydrogen activities, including:

– $5,000,000 for the California Hydrogen Infrastructure Project, including $1,000,000 for validation efforts within the Lake Tahoe basin.

Solar Energy.–The conference agreement includes $86,533,000 for solar energy programs, including:

– $250,000 for the Town of Yucca Valley solar energy project.

Science Programs

The Science account funds the Department’s work on high energy physics, nuclear physics, biological and environmental sciences, basic energy sciences, advanced scientific computing, maintenance of the laboratories’ physical infrastructure, fusion energy sciences, safeguards and security, science workforce development, and science program direction. The conference agreement provides $3,628,902,000.

High energy physics.–The conference agreement provides $741,629,000 for high energy physics research. The control level is at the High Energy Physics level. The Conference Agreement states: “The conferees encourage the Department to proceed with the Dark Energy Mission even if the primary science of the mission and mission development must be pursued by the Department so as to avoid schedule delays resulting from implementing the mission jointly with NASA. International cooperation and appropriate launch arrangements should be pursued where appropriate. The conferees recognize that an excellent and energized science team has been assembled for this exciting mission. Within available funds, the conferees redirect $5,000,000 from the Science Laboratories Infrastrucuture construction funds at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center MEL-001 Subproject 36 to the High Energy Physics account for the research program at SLAC.”

Biological and environmental research.–The conference agreement includes $576,590,000 for biological and environmental research, including:

– $500,000 for Project Intellicare, Roseville;

– $700,000 for the Loma Linda University Medical Center synchrotron expansion;

– $500,000 for Digital Cardiology equipment at Children’s Hospital and Research Center, Oakland;

– $600,000 for the San Joaquin Community Hospital, Bakersfield;

– $1,000,000 for Medical Research and Robotics at the University of Southern California;

– $515,000 for the Center for Science at the University of San Francisco;

– $500,000 for the California Hospital Medical Center PET /CT Fusion Imaging System;

– $500,000 for the Southern California Water Education Center; and

– $750,000 for the Tahoe Center for Environmental Services.

Basic energy sciences.–The conference agreement includes $1,113,530,000 for Basic Energy Sciences. The conference agreement includes $628,228,000 for materials sciences and engineering research, and $253,422,000 for chemical sciences, geosciences, and energy biosciences.

Fusion energy sciences.–The conference agreement includes $276,110,000 for fusion energy sciences, an increase of $12,000,000 over the budget request. The Conference Agreement states: “The additional $12,000,000 is to be used to increase the utilization of existing large and small experiments; further work in inertial fusion technology; take advantage of opportunities in High Energy Density Physics, including research on fast ignition, and large-scale scientific computing; and provide for cost- effective construction and development of the National Compact Stellarator Experiment. The conference notes the delay in site selection for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and directs the Department to reduce its planned expenditures on ITER in fiscal year 2005 in consideration of this delay.”

Campaigns

Inertial Confinement Fusion Ignition and High Yield.–The conferee agreement includes $541,034,000 for the inertial confinement fusion ignition and high yield program. This represents a $25,000,000 cut of the NIF project baseline. An additional $46,000,000 is provided to support expanded research in non-NIF related ICF research including petawatt and high-energy petawatt laser development. The Conference Report states: “Funding also enables continued development of the beryllium shell targets currently envisioned for ignition demonstrations in 2010. This target, if successful, may enable advancement of the 2014 date for ignition specified in the budget request documentation, a date which represents a 4 year slip from the original goal of 2010. Since demonstration of ignition by 2010 was the rationale provided for construction of NIF under the current baseline funding, the conference is extremely concerned with suggestions of major delay in that date and requires that effort focus on achieving that goal on the timescale originally proposed. Until very recently, the beryllium shell and fill tube design was not considered viable, but it is now viewed by the program managers as the best option for regaining the 2010 ignition goal. Significant risks are associated with this design however, which is why this target design was not considered earlier in the program. To estimate the probability of success for this new target design, the conference mandates that a full review of NIF progress and the use and promise of this target be accomplished by an outside panel of experts, the JASONs, to validate the current NIF construction baseline and the outlook for ignition with this target design. As part of this validation, experiments should be designed and completed on alternative drivers, such as LLE at the University of Rochester and the Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories, to increase confidence in the performance of this target. The conference further requires that these experiments, as well as the JASON review, be used to develop a position paper authored by the NNSA Laboratory and LLE Directors by June 2005, discussing the promise of this target design to achieve ignition on the original schedule of 2010, 4 years ahead of the date specified in the current Budget. The conference is also aware that the laser glass used in the Japanese GEKKO program, which is identical to the optics used in the NIF project, has significantly degraded in efficiency over time. The conference requests the JASONs undertake a study utilizing the Japanese laser optic operations as a measure to determine if the NIF laser optics are performing as originally estimated and what impact this will have on the project, the ability to achieve ignition by 2010 and the overall lifecycle costs of replacing the optics more frequently. The conference provides $5,000,000 for the development of advanced target fabrication and diagnostic techniques required to support experiments at Omega, Z machine and NIF employing advanced materials. Target fabrication and manufacturing capabilities are critical in fielding increasingly sophisticated experiments.”

Petawatt Lasers.–The conference recommendation includes an additional $6,000,000 for university grants and other support, including $1,000,000 for research using the Z- Beamlet laser at Sandia National Laboratories under the Z-Petawatt Consortium that includes the University of Texas at Austin, the University of California, San Diego, the University of California, Davis, the University of Nevada, Reno, the University of Michigan, the University of Rochester, Ohio State University and the General Atomics Corporation.

National Ignition Facility.–Within the funds provided, $130,000,000 is for National Ignition Facility (NIF) construction, Project 96-D-111.

Non-Closure Environmental Activities.–The conference agreement provides $146,038,000, including:

– $100,000 for the Perchlorate Characterization study for the City of Simi Valley.

______________________________________

DEPARTMENTS OF VETERAN AFFAIRS, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES

The conferees for the fiscal year 2005 appropriations bill for the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development and Independent Agencies, which was included as part of the FY05 Omnibus appropriations bill, approved $132,869,084,000 in new budget authority, as opposed to $132,238,084,000 proposed in the House bill (HR. 5041) and $134,238,029,000 proposed in the Senate bill (S. 2825). The conferenced amount is $5,185,654,000 more than the FY04 comparable funding and $1,432,260,000 more than the President’s budget request. The conferenced bill includes $93,500,0000,000 of discretionary funding, which is $600,000,000 more than in the House and Senate bills, $2,700,000,000 more than FY04, and $400,000,000 more than the Administration’s budget request.

DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS

Veterans Benefits Administration

The conferees appropriated $32,607,688,000 for compensation and pensions as proposed by both the House and the Senate.

The conferees have agreed to provide total resources of $30,330,370,000 to fund the various operating programs of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), an increase of $1,195,000,000 over the appropriation request level. Those funds are divided into four separate accounts, all of which are funded at the level proposed by both the House and Senate: medical services, medical administration, medical facilities, and medical and prosthetic research.

Medical Services, $19,472,777,000

Medical Administration, $4,705,000,000

Medical Facilities, $3,745,000,000

Prosthetic Research, $405,593,000

The bill does not alter funding for four California projects under the VA’s Capital Asset, Realignment Enhanced Services (CARES), and one project under the National Cemetery Administration (CMA):

Seismic corrections in Menlo Park, $33,200,000 (CARES)

Seismic corrections in San Diego, $48,600,000 (CARES)

Seismic corrections in San Francisco, $41,500,000 (CARES)

Seismic corrections in Los Angeles, $8,000,000 (CARES)

Phase I development in Sacramento, $21,600,000 (CMA)

Under the CMA portion of the bill, the conference report “retains the provision proposed by the House authorizing the Department to expend such sums as are available in the unobligated balances of the funds originally appropriated to medical care for emergency expenses resulting from the January 1994 earthquake in Southern California, for the same purposes of the medical services account until expended. The Senate had proposed a similar provision.”

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Tenant Based Rental Assistance/Section 8

The conference agreement appropriates $14,885,000,000 for tenant-based section 8 (voucher) activities under the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance account instead of $14,677,019,000 as proposed by the House. The Senate proposed $15,359,019,000 for these activities within the Housing Certificate Fund account. Of these funds, the conference agreement includes $13,462,989,000 to fund tenant-based section 8 vouchers in calendar year 2005, instead of $13,303,177,000 as proposed by the House.

Project Based Rental Assistance

The conference agreement appropriates $5,341,000,000 for project-based rental assistance activities instead of $5,340,745,000 as proposed by the House. The Senate proposed $5,348,785,000 for these activities within the Housing Certificate Fund account.

Public Housing Capital Fund

The conferees appropriate $2,600,000,000 for the public housing capital fund, instead of $2,580,000,000 as proposed by the House and $2,700,000,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Public Housing Operating Fund

The conferees appropriate $2,458,000,000 for the public housing operating fund, instead of $3,425,000,000 as proposed by the House and $2,610,000,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Revitalization of Severely Distressed Housing (HOPE IV)

The conferees agreed on $144,000,000 for the revitalization of severely distressed public housing program (HOPE VI), instead of $150,000,000 as proposed by the Senate and $143,000,000 as proposed by the House.

Native American Housing Block Grant

The conference committee provides $627,000,000 instead of $622,000,000 as proposed by the House and $650,241,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Community Planning and Development: Housing Opportunities for Persons with Aids (HOPWA)

The conferees provide $284,000,000 for housing opportunities for persons with AIDS (HOPWA) instead of $282,000,000 as proposed by the House and $294,800,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Community Development Fund

The committee appropriates $4,709,000,000 for various activities funded in this account as proposed by the House, instead of $4,950,000,000 as proposed by the Senate. Most of the funds in the Community Development Fund are distributed through the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG) , which is funded at $4,150,035,000 instead of $4,304,900,000 as proposed by the House and $4,547,700,000 as proposed by the Senate.

California receives a number of targeted grants from this program, totaling $15,472,250, which is $1,397,259 more than earmarked in the House bill and $12,672,250 more than was earmarked in the Senate bill. The earmarks include:

$500,000 for the Sacramento Housing and Development Agency for the construction of new low income housing

$750,000 for the City of Inglewood for the construction of a senior center

$250,000 for the City of Stockton for costs associated with construction of the Eldorado Teen Center

$250,000 for the City of San Francisco for the Old Mint Redevelopment Project

$350,000 for the City of Davis for the construction of a senior center

$300,000 for the Los Angeles Harbor/Watts Economic Development Corporation for the development of a park and recreation site

$200,000 for the City of Riverside for costs associated with the completion of the Arlanza Neighborhood Center

$200,000 to California State University at Fresno for costs associated with the Fresno Regional Jobs Initiative

$250,000 to the Riverside Community College in Riverside for facilities construction and renovation improvements

$200,000 to the Riverside Community College for construction of the School of Nursing in Riverside

$330,000 to HomeAid America for the construction of HomeAid America Temporary homeless shelters in Costa Mesa

$250,000 to the San Diego Food Bank in San Diego for facilities improvements

$850,000 to the City of Lincoln for construction and renovation of a Cultural and Business Center

$100,000 to the Auburn Performing Arts Center for the purchase, demolition and reconstruction of the city’s State Theater in adjoining properties in downtown Auburn

$575,000 to the City of Sierra Madre for the construction of the Sierra Madre Youth Activity Center

$100,000 to the Lompoc Boys & Girls Club for facilities renovation of the Lompoc Boys & Girls Clubhouse

$150,000 to the Thousand Oaks Boys & Girls Club for construction of a new clubhouse on the campus of Colina Middle School in Thousand Oaks

$200,000 to the City of Redding for industrial park development at the Stillwater Business Park

$355,000 to the Boys and Girls Club of East San Diego County for construction of a new clubhouse in Santee

$250,000 to the City of Oceanside for construction of a new Senior Center

$100,000 to the town of Yucca Valley for the Civic Center Park

$150,000 to the City of Twentynine Palms for facilities and land acquisition for the Joshua Tree National Park Visitors Center

$250,000 for the City of Desert Hot Springs for the development and construction of the Civic and Community Center

$250,000 to the City of Banning for construction and renovation of the city pool

$280,000 to the National Orange Show in San Bernardino for facilities construction and renovation of the stadium

$625,000 to the City of Apple Valley for construction of the Civic Center Park project

$250,000 to the City of Lancaster for land acquisition for the North Downtown Transit Village Project

$200,000 to the City of Whittier for the expansion and remodeling of the Whittwood Branch Library

$200,000 to the International Agri-Center in Tulare for facilities construction

$200,000 to the City of Citrus Heights for the Auburn Boulevard Commercial Corridor Enhancements

$225,000 to the City of Livermore for facilities construction and renovations for the Tri-Valley Homeownership Clearinghouse

$250,000 to the North Fork Community Development Council for industrial park development in North Fork

$200,000 to the City of Westminster for construction of the Community Cultural and Education Center

$200,000 to Kern County for infrastructure improvements of the Imperial Way Industrial Park

$280,000 to the City of Bakersfield for sidewalks, street furniture and facade improvements

$475,000 to the University of California for facilities construction and renovation to the Shafter Cotton Research and Extension Center in Shafter

$150,000 to the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in Santa Ana California for facilities expansion and renovation

$72,750 to the City of San Bernardino for expansion of its senior center

$48,500 to the Optimist Youth Homes and Family Services in Highland Park, Los Angeles for facilities construction

$121,250 to the City of Los Angeles for rehabilitation of the Echo Park Boathouse

$97,000 to the Sylmar Recreation and Park Center in Sylmar for facilities construction and renovation

$97,000 to the Valley Economic Development Center in Pacoima for facilities construction of the Pacoima Community Development Federal Credit Union

$121,250 to the City of Santa Barbara for construction and restoration associated with the Arroyo Burro Beach Park

$72,750 to the City of Stockton for renovation of the El Dorado Teen Center

$72,750 to the Vietnam Veterans of San Diego for the construction of a new homeless shelter in San Diego

$72,750 to the City of Fresno for improvements in the Southern Fresno Industrial Park

$169,750 to the City of Palo Alto for restoration of the Palo Alto Children’s Library

$291,000 to the Second Harvest Food Bank in Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties for facilities construction and renovations

$97,000 to the County of Imperial for project planning of the Imperial County Eco Park;

$72,750 to the City of Los Angeles for land acquisition and development of the East Wilmington Park

$72,750 to the City of San Jose for renovations and upgrades to a shopping district

$121,250 to the County of Alameda Public Works Agency for sidewalks improvements in Cherryland and Ashland

$97,000 to the City of San Jose for construction of a multipurpose community center

$291,000 to the Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance for an economic development planning study and facility construction and renovation

$121,250 to the City of Long Beach for renovation and expansion of the Museum of Latin American Art

$72,750 to the South Montebello Irrigation District in Montebello for construction of a community center

$291,000 to the International Museum of Women in San Francisco for rehabilitation and buildout

$388,000 to the Filipino Cultural Center in San Francisco for construction and buildout

$72,750 to the El Proyecto Pastoral for construction of a pre-school center in Los Angeles

$121,250 to the East Los Angeles Community Corporation for renovation of office space in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles

$121,250 to the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Park for restoration of a mural in Los Angeles

$97,000 to the City of Anaheim for the reconstruction and lighting of the Magnolia High School athletic fields

$72,750 to the City of Burbank for construction of the Ovrom Recreation Center and Community Day School

$72,750 to the City of Porter Ranch for facility expansion of the North Valley YMCA

$97,000 to the City of Azusa for construction of a health care clinic

$97,000 to the City of Duarte for construction of a new library

$97,000 to the City of Fremont for facilities renovations to the Kidango Rix Child Care Center

$97,000 to the City of San Leandro for the construction of the San Leandro Senior Citizens Center

$121,250 to the City of Lafayette for the construction of a veterans memorial building

$72,750 to the City of American Canyon for construction of the Veterans Memorial Park

$72,750 to the City of Windsor for the rehabilitation of Keiser Park

$97,000 to the City of Lawndale for construction of the Lawndale Senior Center

$169,750 to the City of Inglewood for construction of the Inglewood Senior Center

$72,750 to the City of Los Angeles for renovation of the Barnsdall House and Park

$266,750 to the City of Santa Monica for facilities construction and renovation of the Santa Monica National Mountains Gateway Visitors Center

$97,000 to the Valley of the Moon Children’s Home for construction in Santa Rosa

$97,000 to Center Point, Inc. in Marin County for renovation of a treatment facility for youth

Brownfields Redevelopment

The committee appropriates $24,000,000 for brownfields redevelopment as proposed by the House. The Senate had proposed $25,000,000 for this account.

HOME Investment Partnership Program

The conferees appropriate a total of $1,915,000,000 for this account, instead of $1,920,000,000 as proposed by the House and $2,050,000,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Homeless Assistance Grants

The conferees provide $1,250,515,000 for homeless assistance grants, instead of $1,206,000,000 as proposed by the House and $1,260,000,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Housing for the Elderly

The committee provides $747,000,000 for this account instead of $741,000,000 as proposed by the House and $773,800,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Housing for Persons with Disabilities

The conference agreement recommends a total program level of $240,000,000 for the section 811 program instead of $238,000,000 proposed by the House and $250,000,000 proposed by the Senate.

Independent Agencies

Corporation for National and Community Service

The conference agreement appropriates $577,884,000 for the Corporation for National and Community Service. The House had proposed $572,000,000 and the Senate had proposed $590,061,000.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

The conference agreement includes $8,088,189,000 for programs administered by the Environmental Protection Agency. This is an increase of $335,120,000 above the amount provided in the House bill and $412,219,000 below the level in the Senate bill. The EPA budget is divided into three separate budget authorities: science and technology, environmental programs and management, and state and tribal assistance grants

Science and Technology

The committee appropriates $750,061,000 for science and technology instead of $729,029,000 as proposed by the House and $758,179,000 as proposed by the Senate. Additional resources of $36,097,000 are transferred to this account from the Hazardous Substance Superfund for a total resource level of $786,158,000 for Science and Technology. California receives three earmarks from this account. $350,000 to the University of California Riverside for the Center for Environmental Research and Technology in Riverside

$500,000 for the demonstration of an integrated approach to perchlorate remediation and treatment in the City of Rialto

$200,000 for the Central California Ozone Study

Environmental Programs and Management

The committee appropriates $2,313,409,000 for environmental programs and management instead of $2,241,476,000 as proposed by the House and $2,310,263,000 as proposed by the Senate. California received a number of earmarks totaling $2,375,000, which is $1,250,000 more than the House bill and $1,260,000 more than the Senate bill:

$100,000 to the Salton Sea Authority in Salton Sea for air quality mitigation projects

$250,000 to Calleguas Municipal Water for the Calleguas Creek Watershed Management Plan Implementation in Ventura County

$100,000 to the University of Redlands for the Salton Sea Database

$300,000 for the City of Highland for developing and implementing displays and exhibits for the City of Highland Environmental Learning Center

$200,000 for the Operation Clean Air Advocates, Inc. in San Joaquin Valley for Operation Clean Air

$100,000 for the California State University- Fullerton for the National Center for Water Hazard Mitigation

$175,000 to the Central California Ozone Study

$500,000 for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for a study of the effectiveness of biological treatment for the removal of perchlorate from groundwater

$250,000 for the Fresno County Council of Governments for a non-point source water quality management program

$400,000 for the County of Ventura Calleguas Creek Watershed Management Plan

State and Tribal Assistance Grants

Appropriates $3,604,182,000 for state and tribal assistance grants instead of $3,359,027,000 as proposed by the House and $3,886,550,000 as proposed by the Senate. California received a number of earmarks under this account, totaling $18,300,000, which is $2,550,000 more than the House bill and $16,200,000 more than the Senate bill. $500,000 for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for a study of the effectiveness of biological treatment for the removal of perchlorate from groundwater

$250,000 for the Fresno County Council of Governments for a non-point source water quality management program

$150,000 to the City of Rialto for water infrastructure improvements

$250,000 to the Box Springs Mutual Water Company of the City of Moreno Valley for installation of a sewer system

$200,000 to the City of Oxnard for the Headworks Expansion Project and Redwood Trunk Project

$150,000 to the City of Modesto for the neighborhood storm water, sewer, and water infrastructure project (Ninth Street Corridor Storm Drain Project)

$600,000 to the Orange County Sanitation District for wastewater infrastructure improvements in Fountain Valley

$500,000 to the City of Laguna Beach for emergency sewer repairs

$1,000,000 to the City of Solana Beach for wastewater treatment improvements in the municipal sewer system

$250,000 to the City of Roseville for water infrastructure improvements

$400,000 to the City of Monrovia for water and wastewater infrastructure improvement

$1,000,000 to the Cities of Arcadia and Sierra Madre for the Joint Water Infrastructure Restoration Program

$200,000 to the City of East Palo Alto for storm water infrastructure improvements

$350,000 to the Monterey County Water Resource Agency for the Salinas Valley Water Project in Monterey County

$100,000 to the Sweetwater Authority for the water quality monitoring in Chula Vista

$250,000 to the City of El Segundo for wastewater infrastructure improvements for Smoky Hollow

$350,000 for the City of Redding for water infrastructure improvements

$750,000 to the San Diego County Water Authority for the San Diego County Water Authority Regional Seawater Desalination Initiative in San Diego

$350,000 to the City of Brisbane for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements

$100,000 for the Bighorn Desert Water Agency for water infrastructure improvements in Yucca Valley

$450,000 to the City of San Bernardino for the Lakes and Stream Project

$250,000 to the City of Hesperia for water infrastructure improvements

$200,000 to the City of Lake Arrowhead for the Community Services District

$500,000 for Mission Springs Water District for the Groundwater Protection, Supply Enhancement/Reuse Program in Desert Hot Springs

$450,000 to the City of Banning for the Brinton Reservoir

$300,000 for the Hi-Desert Water District in Yucca, Valley for the Warren Valley Recharge Facility

$300,000 for the Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority for the Santa Ana Regional Interceptor (SARI) Enhancement

$200,000 for the City of San Jose for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements

$500,000 to the City of Sacramento for the combined sewer system improvement rehabilitation project

$250,000 for the Castaic Lake Water Agency for wastewater infrastructure improvements

$250,000 to the City of Barstow for a sewer master plan implementation project

$250,000 to the City of Victorville for water infrastructure improvements

$200,000 for the California State University, Dominguez Hills for the Center for Urban Environmental Research in Carson

$200,000 to the City of Brea for sewer infrastructure improvements

$200,000 to the City of Mission Viejo for the Oso Creek Barrier Project

$300,000 to the City of Vallejo for the Mare Island Sanitary Sewer and Storm Drain Improvement Project

$250,000 to the City of Norwalk for the Balancing Facility Project

$150,000 to the Strathmore Public Utility District for a wastewater treatment plant

$250,000 to the City of Folsom for the sewer rehabilitation project

$1,000,000 to the City of San Francisco for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements

$800,000 for the Santa Clara Valley Water District in Santa Clara County for Perchlorate Cleanup

$200,000 to the City of Westminster for the Westminster Water Quality Pilot Project

$300,000 to the City of Huntington Beach for the Wintersberg Channel Urban Run-Off Treatment Project

$250,000 to the City of Downey for storm water infrastructure improvements

$150,000 for the Municipal Water District of Orange County for an Orange County water reliability study

$200,000 for the Orange County Sanitation District for a new secondary treatment facility in Fountain Valley

$250,000 to the City of Eureka for the Martin Slough Interceptor

$250,000 to the City of Gardena for water and wastewater infrastructure improvements

$250,000 to the City of Santa Monica for water infrastructure improvements

$200,000 for Sonoma County for the Monte Rio sanitation project in Monte Rio

$400,000 for the City of Santa Ana for East and West Reservoir Upgrades

$500,000 for the City of San Jose for North San Pedro water and sewer infrastructure improvements

$500,000 for the City of Eureka for the Martin Slough Interceptor Project

$200,000 for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for the City of Ontario Final Design for Wellhead Treatment for Perchlorate and Nitrate

$400,000 for the City of Laguna Beach for wastewater infrastructure improvements

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Exploration Capabilities

The conferees appropriate $8,425,850,000 for exploration capabilities, instead of $7,496,800,000 as proposed by the House and $8,411,100,000 as proposed by the Senate. The Senate proposal included $600,000,000 in emergency funding.

Exploration, Science and Aeronautics

The conferees provide $7,742,550,000 for science, aeronautics and exploration, instead of $7,621,169,000 as proposed by the House and $7,936,500,000 as proposed by the Senate. The Senate proposal included $200,000,000 in emergency funding.  A few California programs received direct consideration including:

An increase of $500,000 for the Sacramento Space Science Center at California State University

An increase of $500,000 to the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland for The Future for Humans in Space Education Program

An increase of $250,000 for Dominican University, San Rafael for the Center for Science and Technology for science teacher training and education

An increase of $250,000 to Glendale Community College for the Cimmarusti Science Center’s Teacher Training and Science Education Outreach Program

An increase of $750,000 for the Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles.

______________________________________

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND RELATED AGENCIES

The Interior and Related Agencies appropriations are set at approximately $20 billion, about $500 million less than in FY04, and about $400 million than the President’s request. The conference agreement includes an across the board reduction of 0.594 percent. The following funding levels do not reflect this cut or the 0.8 percent across the board reduction for the entire FY05 Omnibus Appropriations.

DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR

The Interior Department will receive $9.89 billion in FY05 funding, just a little bit more than the House and Senate versions initially called for and a little less than the Administration request.

Bureau of Land Management

The conference agreement provides $848,939,000 for management of lands and resources instead of $840,401,000 as proposed by the House and $855,689,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Land Resources – Changes to the House level for land resources include an increase of $500,000 for the National Center for Invasive and Plant Management.

Wildland Fire Management

The conference agreement provides $743,099,000 for wildland fire management as proposed by both the House and the Senate.

State and Local Fire Assistance – The change to the House level for State and local fire assistance is an increase of $5,000,000 over the Senate version.

The Conference Report states: “The managers note that the conference agreement provides an additional $100,000,000 in Title IV of this bill for urgent wildfire suppression activities.

The managers remain concerned about the need to control suppression costs. The managers are concerned that effective performance measures are not in place on an inter-agency basis to report on suppression costs. It is imperative that the Secretaries establish appropriate performance metrics promptly. This includes the integration of reporting systems, implementation of polices through the Wildland Fire Leadership Council for cost reporting, and responding to findings of the independent cost control review panel established under Public Law 108-287. The managers direct the Secretaries to submit a report no later than June 30, 2005, on performance measures planned for implementation in fiscal year 2006 to be used on an inter-agency basis.”

Land Acquisition

The conference agreement provides $11,350,000 for land acquisition instead of $4,500,000 as proposed by the House and $22,850,000 as proposed by the Senate. Within the funds provided $750,000 is earmarked for the California Wilderness.

Oregon and California Grant Lands

The conference agreement provides $109,057,000 for Oregon and California grant lands instead of $111,557,000 as proposed by the House and $113,558,000 as proposed by the Senate. The change to the House level is a decrease of $2,500,000 for judgment fund repayment.

United States Fish and Wildlife Service

Resource Management

The conference agreement provides $977,205,000 for resource management instead of $970,494,000 as proposed by the House and $966,265,000 as proposed by the Senate. The changes described below are to the House recommended funding level.

Ecological Services

In Endangered Species Act consultation, there is a decrease of $750,000 for the natural communities conservation planning program in California.

In habitat conservation, changes to the House passed level for partners for fish and wildlife projects include:

– an additional $540,000 for the Don Edwards NWR for conservation and restoration work.

The conference agreement also includes statutory language earmarking $1,000,000 for Natural Community Conservation Planning in California. The Conference Report states: “Fiscal year 2005 represents the final year of a statutory earmark for Natural Communities Conservation Planning in California. This program is eligible to compete with other programs for funding in future years and for additional funding in fiscal year 2005.”

Construction

The conference agreement provides $53,400,000 for construction instead of $48,400,000 as proposed by the House and $37,136,000 as proposed by the Senate. Within that funding is the following California earmark:

– Klamath Basin NWR Complex – Water Supply and Management-Phase V [c] – $1,000,000.

Land Acquisition

The conference agreement provides $37,526,000 for land acquisition instead of $12,500,000 as proposed by the House and $49,864,000 as proposed by the Senate. Within that funding is the following:

– $1,000,000 for the San Diego NWR.

National Park Service

The conference agreement provides $1,707,282,000 for operation of the national park system instead of $1,686,067,000 as proposed by the House and $1,688,915,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Historic Preservation Fund

The conference agreement provides $72,750,000 for the historic preservation fund instead of $71,533,000 as proposed by the House and $71,250,000 as proposed by the Senate. Included within the funding are the following:

– El Gracia Train Depot – $200,000;

– Old Mint – $300,000; and

– Rios Caledonia Adobe – $200,000.

Construction

The conference agreement provides $307,362,000 for construction instead of $297,628,000 as proposed by the House and $330,019,000 as proposed by the Senate. Included in the funding is the following:

– Lassen Volcanic NP – replace condemned chalet with improved visitor service facility – $10,051,000;

– Point Reyes NS – restore Lifeboat Station Marine Railway – $1,885,000; and

– San Francisco Maritime NHP (C.A. Thayer) – $2,123,000 .

Land Acquisition and State Assistance – (Including Transfer of Funds)

The conference agreement provides $148,411,000 for land acquisition and State assistance instead of $107,500,000 as proposed by the House and $155,831,000 as proposed by the Senate. Included is the following:

– Mojave National Preserve (relocation) – $1,600,000; and

– Pinnacles NM – $2,600,000.

United States Geological Survey

Surveys, Investigations, and Research

The conference agreement provides $948,921,000 for surveys, investigations, and research instead of $944,498,000 as proposed by the House and $939,486,000 as proposed by the Senate. Included is the following:

Water Resources Investigations

A decrease from the House level $400,000 for the Klamath basin study.

Biological Research

A decrease of $400,000 for Klamath basin studies. However, the Conference Report states that the managers understand that the reduction to the Klamath basin study is offset by an internal reprogramming in the current fiscal year.

Payments in Lieu of Taxes

The conference agreement provides $230,000,000 for payments in lieu of taxes as proposed by the Senate instead of $226,000,000 as proposed by the House.

General Provisions

Secs. 107-109 retain identical provisions of both the House and Senate bills, prohibiting the expenditure of funds for Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) leasing activities in certain areas, including restricting various oil and gas preleasing, leasing, exploration and drilling activities within the OCS in Northern, Southern and Central California planning areas.

Sec. 131. The conference agreement retains a provision in section 127 of the Senate bill making funds available to the tribes within the California Tribal Trust Reform Consortium and others and separates this demonstration project from the Department of the Interior’s trust reform organization. The House had a similar provision in section 132 of the House bill.

Sec. 139. The conference agreement includes a new provision resolving a boundary encroachment on lands of the Union Pacific Railroad Company in Tipton, California; requiring the Secretary of the Interior to permit continued use and occupancy of certain privately owned cabins in the Mineral King Valley in the Sequoia National Park; and authorizing the continued use of certain lands within the Sequoia National Park by portions of an existing hydroelectric project.

Sec. 141 of the conference agreement includes a new provision regarding special use grazing permits on the Mojave National Preserve that states: “Upon the request of the permittee for the Clark Mountain Allotment lands adjacent to the Mojave National Preserve, the Secretary shall also issue a special use permit for that portion of the grazing allotment located within the Preserve. The special use permit shall be issued with the same terms and conditions as the most recently-issued permit for that allotment and the Secretary shall consider the permit to be one transferred in accordance with section 325 of Public Law 108-108.”

Sec. 146. The conference agreement does not include a provision proposed in section 118 of the House bill authorizing a cooperative agreement with the Golden Gate National Parks Association.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

U.S. Forest Service

Forest and Rangeland Research

The conference agreement provides $280,278,000 for forest and rangeland research instead of $280,654,000 as proposed by the House and $279,883,000 as proposed by the Senate. Funding includes $2.5 million, as proposed by the House, for Sudden Oak Death Research and $1.081 million for the invasive species initiative

State and Private Forestry

The conference agreement provides $296,626,000 for State and private forestry instead of $282,446,000 as proposed by the House and $291,169,000 as proposed by the Senate. The Conference Report states that funding for this appropriation should follow the House recommendations unless otherwise instructed.

Forest Health Management – The conference agreement provides $55,000,000 for Federal lands forest health management as proposed by the House instead of $46,012,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Cooperative Fire Assistance – The conference agreement includes $33,384,000 for State fire assistance instead of $36,384,000 as proposed by the House and $30,000,000 as proposed by the Senate. This allocation includes $5,000,000 as proposed by the House for urgent work near the San Bernardino National Forest and a general program increase of $2,000,000 above the House level. The Conference Report states that the managers do not agree to the specific allocation proposed by the House for community wildfire protection plans, but the managers do agree that this approach is of utmost importance and urge the Forest Service and the States to give this effort a very high priority.

Forest Legacy Program – The conference agreement includes $57,939,000 for the forest legacy program instead of $43,119,000 as proposed by the House and $76,329,000 as proposed by the Senate. These funds are derived from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The conference agreement includes the following distribution of funds:

– Six Rivers to the Sea – $2,300,000.

Economic Action Programs – The conference agreement includes $19,300,000 for the economic action programs instead of $10,000,000 as proposed by the House and $19,975,000 as proposed by the Senate. The Report states: “The funds for the education and research consortium of western North Carolina should include the Pisgah Forest Institute, and allow expansion of the education initiative to appropriate institutions with natural resources expertise in Pennsylvania and northern California. The conference agreement includes the following distribution of funds:

– South Lake Tahoe MTBE study – $500,000.

National Forest System – The conference agreement provides $1,400,260,000 for the national forest system instead of $1,399,599,000 as proposed by the House and $1,387,149,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Vegetation and Watershed Management – No specific appropriated allocation is designated for the Lake Tahoe basin.

Wildland Fire Management

The conference agreement provides $1,727,008,000 for wildland fire management instead of $1,734,865,000 as proposed by the House and $1,703,897,000 as proposed by the Senate. The managers note that Title IV also includes a special allocation of $400,000,000 for urgent wildfire suppression under certain circumstances.

Hazardous Fuels

The conference agreement includes $266,238,000 for hazardous fuels treatments as proposed by the House and the Senate, an increase of $32,758,000 over the fiscal year 2004 level. The managers have not included a specific amount for the Lake Tahoe basin.

Capital Improvement and Maintenance

The conference agreement provides $521,952,000 for capital improvement and maintenance instead of $522,940,000 as proposed by the House and $516,169,000 as proposed by the Senate. The conference agreement provides for the following distribution of funds:

– Supervisor’s facilities in the San Bernardino NF – $2,000,000;

– Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail – $500,000; and

– Pacific Crest trail improvements, CA or WA – $1,000,000

Land Acquisition

The conference agreement provides $61,866,000 for land acquisition instead of $15,500,000 as proposed by the House and $82,524,000 as proposed by the Senate. The managers agree to the following distribution of funds:

– San Bernardino NF – $1,500,000;

– Sierra Nevada Inholdings, multiple NFs – $1,500,000; and

– Six Rivers NF: Goose Creek-Smith River – $2,136,000.

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Elk Hills School Lands Fund

The conference agreement provides $36,000,000 to become available on October 1, 2005, for the 7th payment to the Elk Hills School Lands Fund as proposed by both the House and the Senate. Bill language is included referencing the settlement agreement of October 11, 1996, between the State of California and the Department of Energy as proposed by the House. The Senate did not reference the specific agreement.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Indian Health Facilities – The conference agreement modifies language proposed by the House permitting the use of funds to purchase land for the northern and southern California youth regional treatment centers for alcohol and substance abuse. The modification specifies that such land should be purchased using prior year unobligated funds. The Senate had no similar provision. The Conference Report states: “The [Indian Health] Service should finalize the site selections for the northern and southern California youth regional treatment centers for alcohol and substance abuse and, after the sites are selected, include funds in the budget request for construction of these facilities.”

PRESIDIO TRUST FUND

The conference agreement provides $20,000,000 for the Presidio Trust Fund as proposed by both the House and the Senate.

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Sec. 335. The conference agreement retains a provision in section 334 of the House bill, with a minor technical modification, authorizing the conveyance of land within the San Bernardino National Forest. The Senate had no similar provision.

TITLE IV–SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR URGENT WILDLAND FIRE SUPPRESSION ACTIVITIES

The conference agreement includes supplemental appropriations for the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service that provide an additional $500,000,000 in wildland fire suppression funds. This includes $100,000,000 for the Department of the Interior and $400,000,000 for the Department of Agriculture.

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND RELATED AGENCIES

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

The conferees, in passing the FY05 omnibus appropriations bill, provide the Department of Agriculture and Related Agencies with $86,190,567,000 in new budget authority of which $16,960,000,000 is discretionary. The total appropriation is $571,269,000 less than FY04 comparable funding and $2,604,268,000 more than the President’s budget request. The omnibus appropriation is $2,519,973,000 more than the amount appropriated in the House bill and $2,136,807,000 more than the amount appropriated in the Senate bill.

Agricultural Research Service

Salaries and expenses

The conference agreement appropriates $1,110,887,000 for the Agricultural Research Service for salaries and expenses, instead of $1,057,029,000 as proposed by the House and $1,090,261,000 as proposed by the Senate. The conferees have increased funding for the following programs by the amounts indicated:

Controlling Invasive Species, $500,000

Genetic Resources, $400,000

Genomics Research, $1,200,000

Food Safety, $4,313,000

Controlling Exotic/Emerging Diseases, $3,217,000

Native Plant Disease Recovery System, $1,800,000

Information Technology/Cyber Security, $150,000

Library and Information Services, $400,000

Obesity Epidemic and Promote a Healthier Lifestyle, $500,000;

Climate Change Research Initiative, $519,000

Congress also increases funding for the following California-related programs:

Cotton Pathology Research (Shafter) $100,000

Organic Minor Crop Research (Salinas), $125,000

Sudden Oak Disease/Sudden Oak Disease Syndrome (Ft. Detrick, MD/Davis), $200,000

Sustainable Viticulture Research (Davis), $50,000

Verticillium Wilt (Salinas), $125,000

A number of California related earmarks were included in both the House and Senate versions of the bill and are not specifically mentioned in the omnibus. All of the programs listed below will receive level funding from FY04:

Glassy Winged Sharpshooter and Pierce’s Disease (Parlier)

Improved Animal Waste Management

Red Imported Fire Ants (Albany) Food Safety for Listeria and E.coli (Albany)

Greenhouse Lettuce Germplasm (Salinas)

Olive Fruit Fly (Parlier)

Organic Minor Crop Research (Salinas) Post-Harvest and Controlled Atmosphere Chamber (lettuce) (Salinas) Sustainable Vineyard Practices (Davis)

Sustainable Viticulture Research (Davis)

Verticillium Wilt (Salinas)

Water Management Research Laboratory (Brawley)

Additionally, the conference agreement continues the fiscal year 2004 level of funding for all research projects proposed to be terminated in the President’s budget as provided in House Report 108-584 and Senate Report 108-340 accompanying the fiscal year 2005 Agriculture Appropriations bills at all locations.

The conferees agree to direct a portion of the funding for grape rootstock to support the ongoing grape industry research strategic planning process. However, they do not include funding for the development of a wine grape foundation block of certified clean” rootstock in ARS.

Buildings and Facilities

The conference agreement provides $187,838,000 for the Agricultural Research Service, Buildings and Facilities, instead of $202,000,000 as proposed by the House and $172,838,000 as proposed by the Senate. Funds are specifically earmarked for the following California projects:

Grape Genomics Research Center (Davis), $3,000,000

U.S. Agricultural Research Station (Salinas), $3,000,000

Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service

The conference agreement provides $660,781,000 for research and education activities instead of $628,607,000 as proposed by the House and $628,492,000 as proposed by the Senate. The following programs are of interest to California:

Hispanic Education Partnership grants, $5,645,000

Exotic Pest Disease, $1,945,000

Ozone Air Quality, $404,000

Pierce’s Disease, $2,088,000

Sudden Oak Death, $94,000

Sustainable Agriculture, $519,000

Viticulture Consortium (shared between CA, NY, PA), $1,850,000

Considering California’s position as the largest agricultural producer in the nation, the state receives an extremely small portion of the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service grants.

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services

The conference agreement provides $814,623,000 for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) instead of $831,823,000 as proposed by the House and $786,866,000 as proposed by the Senate.

California receives a number of APHIS earmarks including:

An increase of $500,000 for a cooperative agreement with the California County Pest Detection Augmentation Program.

Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter/Pierce’s Disease, $23,190,000

Sudden Oak Death, $3,000,000

In addition, the conferees specifically added the following language concerning Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter/ Pierce’s Disease: “The conferees strongly object to the recent decision of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to deny funding that the Secretary identified as necessary to combat the glassy-winged sharpshooter and to contain Pierce’s Disease. The conferees note that OMB’s decision to deny this funding has needlessly increased the serious threat posed by Pierce’s Disease to California’s multi-billion dollar wine and grape industries, constituted an unwelcome intrusion upon the Secretary’s exercise of discretion, and was in total disregard of the fact that 33 Members of Congress supported the Secretary’s request for these funds. The conferees further note that OMB’s decision in this matter contradicted the direction provided to OMB by Congress in fiscal year 2004 to ‘disregard any arbitrarily imposed cost-share requirements.’ Accordingly, the conferees strongly encourage OMB to approve the $5.2 million USDA requested for efforts to combat Pierce’s Disease.

“The conferees recognize the work conducted in Texas related to the glassy-winged sharpshooter, and direct the Department to continue this work.”

Conservation Programs

National Resources Conservation Service

The conferees maintained funding for four specific California conservation programs:

East Valley Conservation District/Santa Ana Watershed Authority Non-native Plant Removal, $1,000,000

Monterey Bay Sanctuary, $600,000

Cooperative agreement with the Municipal Water District of Orange County, $100,000

Lake Tahoe Basin Soil Conservation Project (NV/CA), $500,000

Rural Development Programs

The conference agreement provides $716,049,000 for the Rural Community Advancement Program (RCAP) instead of $668,408,000 as proposed by the House and $733,360,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Domestic Food Programs

The conference agreement provides $11,782,000,000 for Child Nutrition Programs, instead of $11,380,557,000, as proposed by both the House and Senate. The total includes amounts for the following:

– National School Lunch Program, $6,794,930,000

– School Breakfast Program, $1,925,044,000

– Child and Adult Care Food Program, $2,058,976,000

Special Milk Program, $17,210,000

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children

The conference agreement provides $5,277,250,000 for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), instead of $4,907,250,000 as proposed by the House, and $5,175,250,000 as proposed by the Senate.

Food Stamp Program

The conference agreement provides $35,154,554,000 for the Food Stamp Program, instead of $33,635,798,000 as proposed by the House and $33,641,798,000 as proposed by the Senate. Included in this amount is a reserve of $3,000,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2006.

Food and Drug Administration

The conference agreement provides total appropriations, including Prescription Drug User Fee Act, Medical Device User Fee Act, and Animal Drug User Fee Act collections, of $1,788,478,000 for the salaries and expenses of the Food and Drug Administration, instead of $1,788,849,000, as proposed by the House and $1,791,599,000 as proposed by the Senate.

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LEGISLATIVE CHANGES IN THE OMNIBUS APPROPRIATIONS BILL

TEMPORARY IMMIGRANT WORKER PROVISIONS

The Omnibus bill included language making changes to the H-1B and L-1 visa programs.

H-1B visas are available to skilled workers employed by a U.S. company unable to find qualified U.S. employees for the job. The cap on H-1B visas for FY2005 was 65,000, and it was reached on the first day of the fiscal year, October 1, 2004.

L-1 visas are intended to be used by U.S. companies to transfer foreign employees to the company’s United States-based operations. A Senate Judiciary Committee investigation showed, however, that some U.S. companies act as temporary foreign worker agencies, bringing immigrants into the U.S. on L-1 visas and then hiring them out to other companies.

The Omnibus bill incorporates provisions of two previously introduced bills, H.R. 4166 and S. 1635. Under the Omnibus, an additional 20,000 H-1B visas will be available to immigrants who have obtained advanced degrees from U. S. universities. Companies hiring an H-1B employee must pay a $1,500 fee, which will be used to train U.S. employees for technology fields. In addition, the Omnibus contains labor protections, including the minimum wage that H-1B employees must be paid.

The L-1 visa provisions require that employees entering the U.S. on that visa must be directly supervised by the sponsoring company.

These visas are often used by high technology companies unable to find qualified U.S. workers. Labor groups, however, argue that the availability of the visas impedes U.S. workers from obtaining jobs in these fields, and promotes “outsourcing” of American jobs to foreign workers.

MOUNT SOLEDAD

Section 116 of Division J of the Omnibus bill designates the Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial in Soledad Natural Park, San Diego as a national monument and authorizes the Secretary of Interior to accept the land if the City of San Diego offers to donate it to the United States. The Memorial includes a 29-foot tall cross that is the subject of a lawsuit concerning the separation of church and state under the U.S. Constitution.

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