MORE IDAHO PROJECTS CLEARED IN CJS BILL

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Idaho Senators Larry Craig and Mike Crapo voted in support of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations bill for FY 2008, which cleared the full Senate today. The legislation includes funding for a variety of Idaho projects that will improve law enforcement around the State and support research and development at Idaho universities.

"I'm very pleased with the level of support the Senate has shown for these Idaho projects, which will help our law enforcement agencies improve their efforts to protect our children and share information," Craig said. "We need greater understanding of our water resources, and we must continue with our commitment to improved salmon recovery efforts. This bill will help us do just that."

"As in many states, Idaho's communities face challenges to the safety of our children and families, and I am pleased that the legislation recognizes this with increased assistance to help confront child abuse and other crimes that threaten Idaho's most vulnerable," said Crapo, a member of the Senate Budget Committee. Crapo was able to target funding to continue Idaho's efforts to protect children from Internet predators and to assist victims of rape and incest.

Projects in the bill include:

$1 million - Criminal Information Sharing Alliance Network (CISAnet), Idaho State Police
$150,000 - Children's Justice/Child Protection Program
$500,000 - Temporal Landscape Change Research Program, ISU
$250,000 - Improved hydraulic modeling of water resources for snow-dominated regions, BSU
$100,000 - National Consortium of Offender Management Systems (NCOMS) Sharing Software Development Project, Idaho Department of Corrections
$100,000 - The Children's Identification & Location Database (CHILD) Project, Multiple County Sheriff's Offices
$90 million - Idaho Participation in the Pacific Coastal Recovery Fund, Idaho Office of Species Conservation
$500,000 for I-Safe, Internet Safety Program to protect children
$500,000 for Rape Abuse Incest National Network

"Idaho will receive critical family violence prevention and crime prevention dollars as a result of this funding bill," Crapo added. "It's my hope that we can move this appropriations bill forward quickly and avoid the troublesome delays in FY2007 funding that have recently put some Idaho shelters in difficult financial straits. In addition, I'm pleased to see my efforts to keep the proposed Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) rescission out of the bill were successful, as VOCA represents millions of dollars annually for Idaho family violence prevention, intervention and education efforts. Also, the $390 million for Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) will ensure that Idaho family and teen violence prevention programs will continue to serve Idaho individuals and families in need."

The bill now goes to a House-Senate conference, to work out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill.