U.S. Senator Ken Salazar Member of the Agriculture, Energy and Veterans Affairs Committees 2300 15^th Street, Suite 450 Denver, CO 80202 | 702 Hart Senate Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
For Immediate Release Tuesday, December 18, 2007		CONTACT:Stephanie Valencia – 202-228-3630 Cody Wertz 303-350-0032
Sen. Salazar Secures Funding for Key Priorities in Denver Metro Region; Omnibus Appropriations Bill Passes in Senate WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tonight, by a vote of 76 to 17 the United States Senate passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008. United States Senator Ken Salazar announced that he secured funding for key priorities in the Denver Metro region in the bill. The funding Senator Salazar secured improves transportation infrastructure, provides funds for local law enforcement, supports our military and veterans and increases access to health care. “I am proud that this bill helps meet the needs of Colorado’s communities,” said Senator Salazar. “These investments are vital to the Denver metro area, helping fulfill the promise of the Fitzsimons VA Hospital, strengthening our transportation infrastructure, and giving our peace officers the tools they need to combat meth.” Below is a list of key projects that Senator Salazar included in the bill for the Denver Metro region: $61,300,000 million for the Fitzsimons VA Hospital: Senator Salazar secured funds million for the Fitzsimons VA Hospital to begin construction of a parking structure and an energy plant at the site. The bill also includes a provision authored by Senators Allard and Salazar which will allow the City of Aurora to transfer a parcel of land to the Veterans’ Administration as a part of the Fitzsimons Hospital campus. $89,700,000 for Regional Transportation District’s rail projects (T-REX and West Corridor Light Rail): The funds Senator Salazar secured will be used to complete the final design, acquire right-of-way, and begin construction of the West Corridor light rail, a 12-mile light rail line with 11 stations extending from Denver Union Station through Lakewood, Jefferson County and Golden. The funds will also support continued development of the Southeast Corridor Light Rail Line and other components of the T-REX Project. $819,000 for local law enforcement agencies to fight gangs and meth use: Senator Salazar secured $267,950 for the Denver Police Department Gang Bureau, $11,625 for the West Metro Drug Task Force, $133,950 for the North Metro Drug Task Force, $305,500 for the Jefferson County Methamphetamine Response Collaborative. $430,000 for Denver Health: Senator Salazar secured funding that will be used to immediately expand and upgrade Denver Health, the only major trauma center to care for the majority of low-income and uninsured individuals in Denver. $900,000 for Research on Traumatic Brain Injury: The omnibus includes an amendment that Senator Salazar added to the Labor-HHS Appropriations Act that added $900,000 to the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems of Care (TBIMSC) program to ensure the Nation has a top-notch traumatic brain injury system to share data, rehabilitation techniques and programs across the country. Englewood, Colorado’s Craig Hospital is the data center for the TBIMSC program. $7.3 million for an F-16 Facility for the Colorado Air National Guard at Buckley Air Force Base: Senator Salazar secured $7.3 million to replace the outdated squadron operations facility that houses the F-16’s of the 140th Air Wing of the Colorado National Guard at Buckley Air Force Base. $478,500 for the National Jewish Medical and Research Center: The funds Senator Salazar secured will help the National Jewish Medical Center construct the Center for Environmental Research, which will house clinical studies on patients with respiratory and immune diseases. Special focus will be placed on eradicating environmental and occupational illness in the Rocky Mountain region. The center will serve as a regional resource on the delivery of environmental clinical health services. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 will be sent back to the House of Representatives for final passage. It is expected to be sent to the President’s desk by the end of the week. ###