Tag Archives: earmarks

Aaron Schock

Schock releases 2010 appropriations requests

41 Comments

I’m sure you already know this, but here’s the link in case you haven’t seen it yet. Of particular local interest are the following:

  • Washington Street in Peoria, Illinois: $1.0 million

    The funding would be used to create safer pedestrian routes and a more livable community in order to spur economic development in a former warehouse district in Peoria. I certify that I have no financial interest in this project.

    The entity to receive funding for this project is City of Peoria, located at 419 Fulton Street, Peoria, IL 61602.

  • Sheridan Triangle Business District in Peoria, Illinois: $1.0 million

    The funding would be used to create safer pedestrian routes and more urban-friendly roads in order to spur economic development in one of the older business districts in Peoria.

    The entity to receive funding for this project is City of Peoria, located at 419 Fulton Street, Peoria, IL 61602.

  • Purchase fixed route buses and paratransit vans for Peoria, Illinois: $2.0 million

    The funding would be used to purchase seven buses and two paratransit vans.

    The entity to receive funding for this project is the Greater Peoria Mass Transit District, 2105 N.E. Jefferson Ave., Peoria, IL 61603.

  • Peoria Park District Building Construction: $1.4 million

    For planning, design, renovation, and construction of new office buildings including renovations to meet current life safety codes and ADA accessibility.

    The entity to receive funding for this project is the Peoria Park District, located at 2218 N. Prospect, Peoria, 61603.

  • Grandview Drive in Peoria, Illinois: $1.8 million

    The funding would be used to protect Grandview Drive in Peoria, Illinois from becoming structurally instable due to erosion.

    The entity to receive funding for this project is the Peoria Park District, located at 2218 N. Prospect Road, Peoria, Illinois 61603.

  • Keller Branch Trail in Peoria, Illinois: $1.8 million

    The funding would be used to construct a bike trail in Peoria, Illinois.

    The entity to receive funding for this project is the Peoria Park District, located at 2218 N. Prospect Road, Peoria, Illinois 61603.

  • Lakeview Museum Construction: $500,000

    To plan and construct a new building

    The entity to receive funding for this project is Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences, located at 1125 W. Lake Avenue, Peoria, IL, 61614.

  • Peoria Riverfront Museum in Peoria, Illinois: $750,000

    The funding would be used to design and install sustainable design/green architecture aspects in a new museum facility. This would include energy-efficient mechanical systems, recycled materials, energy-use monitoring equipment, a water-filtering bioswale, bicycle racks and a hands-on computer kiosk that helps visitors understand building energy use and green design.

    The entity to receive funding for this project is Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences, 1125 W. Lake Avenue, Peoria, IL 61614.

  • Glen Oak Park Open Space Acquisition: $1.2 million

    For land appraisal, platting, demolition and acquisition to provide open public access to the park.

    The entity to receive funding for this project is the Peoria Park District, located at 2218 N. Prospect, Peoria, 61603.

  • Bel-Wood Nursing Home: $1 million

    For life safety improvements, upgrading the fire sprinkler system at Bel-Wood Nursing Home, ensuring the safety of the residents’ families.

    The entity to receive funding for this project is the County of Peoria, IL, located at 324 Main Street, Room 502, Peoria, IL, 61602.

  • County of Peoria: $200,000

    The funding will be used to assist in the replacement or major renovation of the Bel-Wood Nursing Home.

    The entity to receive funding for this project is the County of Peoria, located at 324 Main Street, Room 502, Peoria, Illinois, 61602.

  • University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria: $1.5 million

    The funding will be used to finance the construction of a cancer research facility.

    The entity to receive this funding is the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, located at One Illini Drive, Peoria, 61605.

  • OSF Healthcare System: $100,000

    The funding will be used for the implementation of electronic health record technology.

    The entity to receive this funding is OSF Healthcare System, located at 800 NE Glen Oak Avenue, Peoria, Illinois 61603.

  • Institute for Principled Leadership-Bradley University: $100,000

    The funding will be used to provide educational access to students and community residents through the Peoria Full Service Community Schools Initiative.

    The entity to receive funding for this project is the Institute for Principled Leadership of Bradley University located at 1501 W. Bradley Avenue, Peoria, Illinois 61625.

  • Replace a sewer system in Peoria, Illinois: $3.45 million

    The funding would be used to replace an out-of-date sewer line.

    The entity to receive funding for this project is City of Peoria, located at 419 Fulton Street, Peoria, IL 61602.

  • Manufacturing Lab for Next Generation Engineers at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois: $2 million

    The funding would be used to construct a laboratory to discover innovative and creative manufacturing techniques and teach these techniques to engineers so they can be competitive in a global economy.

    The entity to receive funding for this project is Bradley University, 1501 W. Bradley Avenue, Peoria, IL 61625.

  • Peoria Mental Health Court: $500,000

    To alleviate the overcrowded jail system by diverting mentally ill offenders into the help they need.

    The entity to receive funding for this project is Peoria County, 324 Main St., Room 502, Peoria, IL, 61602.

Nation/World, Ray LaHood

LaHood’s earmark legacy endures in ’09 omnibus bill (CORRECTED)

11 Comments

Taxpayers for Common Sense has published all of the disclosed earmarks in the 2009 omnibus spending bill. Even though Ray LaHood is out of Congress and now the Secretary of Transportation, the earmarks he requested last year remain… and there are a lot of them (an asterisk next to the amount indicates that LaHood was the sole requester of the funding):

 

Agency Account Project Amount
Agriculture Research Service Buildings and Facilities National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, IL $2,192,000*
Agriculture Research Service Salaries and Expenses Animal Health Consortium, Washington, DC $820,000*
Agricultural Research Service Salaries and Expenses Biotechnology Research and Development Corporation, Washington, DC $2,503,000
Agricultural Research Service Salaries and Expenses Crop Production and Food Processing, Peoria, IL $786,000*
Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service SRG Agricultural Marketing, IL $176,000
Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service SRG Center for One Medicine, IL $235,000
Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service SRG Future Foods $461,000
Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service SRG Livestock Genome Sequencing, IL $564,000
Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service SRG Midwest Poultry Consortium, IL $471,000
Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service SRG Soybean Research, IL $745,000
Department of Commerce NOAA–Operations, Research and Facilities Illinois State Geological Survey, Illinois Height Modernization, Champaign, IL $725,000
Department of Justice COPS Law Enforcement Technology Cass County Sheriff, 9-1-1 Center Equipment & Communications Upgrades, Virginia, IL $515,000*
Department of Justice COPS Law Enforcement Technology City of Lincoln Police Department, Lincoln PD security upgrades, Lincoln, IL $25,000*
Department of Justice COPS Law Enforcement Technology East Peoria Police Department, East Peoria Technology Grant, City of East Peoria, IL $410,000*
Department of Justice COPS Law Enforcement Technology Logan County Sheriff, Logan County 9-1-1, Lincoln, IL $300,000*
Department of Justice COPS Law Enforcement Technology Peoria Police Department and Peoria County Sheriff, City of Peoria radio and technology upgrades, Peoria, IL $650,000*
Department of Justice OJP–Byrne Discretionary Grants Jacksonville/Morgan County Underwater Search & Rescue Dive Team, Morgan County Rescue Dive Team, Jacksonville, IL $175,000*
National Aeronautics and Space Administration Cross Agency Support Lakeview Museum of Arts & Sciences, Lakeview Museum Planetarium, Peoria, IL $250,000*
Defense DHP Pediatric Medication Administration Product and Testing $800,000*
Defense GP STEM Education Research Center $5,000,000*
Defense OM,ARNG Advanced Trauma Training Course for the Illinois Army National Guard $2,400,000
Defense PA,A Small Caliber Trace Charging Facilitization Program $1,200,000
Defense PA,AF PGU-14 API Armor Piercing Incendiary, 30mm Ammunition $2,400,000
Defense RDTE,A 302 Advanced Battery Technology $4,000,000
Defense RDTE,A High Explosive Air Burst (HEAB) 25mm Ammunition $4,400,000
Defense RDTE,AF Scorpion Low Cost Helmet Mounted Cueing and Information Display System $4,000,000
Corps of Engineers Investigations Illinois River Basin Restoration, IL $382,000
Corps of Engineers Investigations Peoria Riverfront Development, IL $48,000
Corps of Engineers Investigations Upper Miss River-Illinois WW System, IL, IA, MN, MO & WI $8,604,000
Corps of Engineers Construction Upper Mississippi River Restoration, IL, IA, MN, MO & WI $17,713,000
Corps of Engineers Section 206 Emiquon Preserve, IL not disclosed
Corps of Engineers Section 205 Meredosia, IL not disclosed*
Corps of Engineers Section 1135 Spunky Bottoms, IL not disclosed*
Corps of Engineers O&M Illinois Waterway, IL & IN (MVS Portion) $1,772,000
Department of Energy EERE Green Building Technologies, Bradley University (IL) $475,750*
Environmental Protection Agency STAG Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Project County of Peoria, Regional Storm Water Plan Implementation $500,000*
Department of Education Higher Education Illinois College, Jacksonville, IL for a teacher preparation program, including curriculum development $190,000*
Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) – Health Facilities and Services Memorial Medical Center, Springfield, IL for the Intelligent Pharmacy and Automated Drug Management electronic medical records initiative $666,000
Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) – Health Facilities and Services OSF Healthcare System, Peoria, IL for an electronic medical records initiative $95,000
Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) – Health Facilities and Services University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, Peoria, IL for facilities and equipment $381,000
Institute of Museum & Library Services Museums & Libraries Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences, Peoria, IL for exhibits $95,000*
Architect of the Capitol House Office Buildings Renovation of the Jacksonville Bandstand $95,000*
Military Construction Air NG Illinois, Greater Peoria RAP, C-130 Squadron Operations Center $400,000
Department of Transportation Buses and Bus Facilities Paratransit Vehicles, west Central Mass Transit District, IL $104,500*
Department of Transportation Buses and Bus Facilities Replacement of Paratransit Vehicles, Greater Peoria Mass Transit District, Peoria, IL $380,000*
Department of Housing and Urban Development Economic Development Initiatives Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences, Peoria, IL for planning and construction of a new building that will highlight the achievement and skills of art, history, science and achievement $95,000*
Department of Housing and Urban Development Economic Development Initiatives OSF HealthCare System, Peoria, IL for planning, design and construction of a Hospice Home $332,500*
TOTAL* (requested solely by LaHood) $14,190,750
GRAND TOTAL (all earmarks listed above) $54,341,000

 

It struck me as I read through this list that LaHood did not request one large earmark for the proposed downtown museum, but instead has comparatively little earmarks sprinkled throughout the omnibus bill — a few thousand here for exhibits, a few thousand there for the planetarium, etc. I would imagine that he did the same in previous years, thus spreading the earmarks out over time as well.

Citizens Against Government Waste named LaHood their “Porker of the Month” in January 2009. When giving their reasoning, they specifically pointed out LaHood’s earmarks for Lakeview:

His congressional rating with the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste went from a mediocre 68.8 percent during his freshman year to an abysmal 11 percent in his last year in Congress. In fiscal year 2008 alone, Rep. LaHood was responsible for securing 52 earmarks totaling $58.9 million, among them a $250,000 earmark for the Lakeview Museum Planetarium along with an additional $198,000 for the installation of green technology in the Planetarium at a time when the nation faced tens of billions in transportation maintenance backlogs [emphasis mine]. A January 14 Washington Post article noted that in 2008 he sent $9 million worth of earmarks to campaign contributors, and that he ranked in the top 10 percent of all members who obtained earmarks. Secretary LaHood expressed his derision for the taxpayers’ money when he told the Peoria Journal Star last year that the reason he “went to the Appropriations Committee, the reason other people go on the Appropriations Committee, is they know that it puts them in a position to know where the money is at, to know the people who are doling the money out and to be in the room when the money is being doled out.”

With all this federal money coming in, one wonders why the museum partners need a county sales tax, too.

But getting beyond that, the fact that LaHood has so many earmarks in the mammoth appropriations bill (and the fact that he’s no longer in Congress, and the fact that President Obama made a campaign promise to veto any legislation with earmarks) has the mainstream media taking notice. ABC News’ Senior Political Reporter Rick Klein noticed and listed several of the projects LaHood earmarked — including the Lakeview earmarks. And Fox News is all over it as well:

In LaHood’s case, the former Republican Illinois congressman wrote a March 19, 2008, letter asking Congress set aside funding to move the “Jacksonville bandstand” from one of the House office buildings to the National Museum of American History in Washington. LaHood also earmarked funds for police radio upgrades, agriculture research and equipment at a planetarium in Peoria, Ill. . . .

Congressional Scholar Tom Mann of the Brookings Institution cautions that some of these earmarks are merely extensions of existing programs. Mann noted that earmarks authored by former members of Congress may have merit. But Mann concedes that doing last year’s bill in February 2009 enables these former legislators to continue to wield power long after they’ve left office.

“It sounds bizarre that there are earmarks by members who are no longer in Congress,” Mann said. “There are historical legacies to actions taken by politicians.”

But Mann has questions for House appropriators who authored the bill and allowed the old spending requests to linger.

“Did they feel they were bound by these earmarks? Were they scrubbed by the staff?” he asked. . . .

Still, others wonder if it’s appropriate for the ghosts of former lawmakers to continue to have power.

One congressional aide who requested anonymity asked whether the lawmakers who replaced the old members would advocate the same earmarks.

“Their legislative priorities might be different. Those members were lobbied and decided to write that earmark. And now we’re going to leave it in even though (the former member) isn’t here any more?” the aide asked.

That’s a good question. Since Schock replaced LaHood in the House, one wonders if he would advocate the same earmarks. I’ll see if I can find out. One thing we do know, Schock voted for the omnibus bill in the House on February 25

CORRECTION: Schock actually voted against the omnibus bill. Steve Shearer explains:

You cite Roll Call # 85 which was on a resolution just prior to the vote on final passage of the Omnibus. Roll Call 85 was a resolution which prevented the scheduled pay raise for House members from taking effect. The resolution passed overwhelmingly. So Aaron Schock’s aye vote in Roll Call 85 was against the pay raise.

The final passage of the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009 was Roll Call 86, not 85. On that, (passage of the Omnibus spending bill) Aaron Schock voted NO. As opposed to Roll Call 85, Roll Call 86 was a much more divided vote between the yeas and nays.

Roll Call 85 just was a preceding resolution against implementation of the scheduled pay raise. The vote on final passage of the Omnibus Appropriations Act followed that vote.

Here’s the correct roll call for HR 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations Act 2009. My apologies for the error.