(Washington, DC) - Congresswoman Corrine Brown voted in strong support of H.R. 7110, the economic stimulus package.  With respect to the package, the Congresswoman made the following statement:

“As the subcommittee Chairwoman of the Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials subcommittee of the Committee on Transportation, I am more than happy to see the rail and infrastructure funding that is contained in this package.  The plan we worked on in the Transportation Committee providing $15 billion in infrastructure investment to enhance the safety, security and efficiency of our highway, transit, rail and environmental infrastructure, was incorporated into this bill.  The funding will not only put people to work immediately, but also strengthen our nation’s infrastructure.

Transportation funding is mutually beneficial to all involved. Our states benefit by receiving an improved transportation infrastructure, which in turn creates economic development and puts people to work.  In fact, Department of Transportation (DOT) statistics show that for every $1 billion invested in transportation infrastructure, 42,000 jobs are created, as is $2.1 billion in economic activity.  I am proud to announce that today’s stimulus package includes the following items:

AMTRAK: $500 million, to make necessary upgrades to tracks and stations so that Amtrak can meet growing demand due to high gas prices.  This year ridership has increased by 8 percent on the Northeast Corridor and 13 percent on other corridor routes.

Transit: $3.6 billion to purchase buses and equipment needed to expand public transportation and to make improvements to facilities and $1 billion to meet growing demand for public transportation due to higher gas prices while reducing American gasoline consumption.  Rising fuel costs have some transit agencies facing service reductions or fare increases.

Airport Improvement Grants: $600 million, for projects to improve safety and reduce delays at our nation’s airports

Highway Infrastructure: $12.8 billion, for our nation’s aging highways and bridges, to improve safety and reduce traffic congestion.

Corps of Engineers: $5 billion to invest in the nation’s water resource infrastructure with improved flood protection, navigation and hydropower and to increase the efficiency of existing water infrastructure.

Clean Water: $7.5 billion for drinking water and sewer projects including $6.5 billion for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and $1 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to repair, rehabilitate and expand water systems, many of which are over 50 years old and $300 million for Bureau of Reclamation water projects, including $98 million to provide clean, reliable drinking water to rural areas and $126 million to ensure adequate water supply to western localities impacted by drought.

And in addition to substantial funding for transportation, the bill also includes other very important items to assist American families such as:

Extension of Unemployment Benefits: Provides an additional 7 weeks of extended benefits for workers who have exhausted regular unemployment compensation (20 total weeks).  Workers in high unemployment states are eligible for an additional 13 weeks of benefits (33 total weeks).  Extending unemployment benefits is one of the quickest, most cost-effective forms of economic stimulus because workers who have lost their paychecks spend benefits quickly.

Public Housing:  $1 billion for repair and construction projects, including critical safety repairs.  Every dollar of Capital Fund expenditures produces $2.12 in economic return.

Medicaid Assistance:  Provides a temporary increase in the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for Medicaid health costs, with increases from one to four percent, at a time of increasing enrollment.  These funds will prevent cuts to health insurance and health care services for low-income children and families, as well as generate business activities, jobs, wages and State sales tax revenues that States would otherwise not see.

Food Assistance: $2.6 billion to address rising food costs for seniors, people with disabilities and very poor families with children.  This year, an average of 27.8 million individuals and 12.5 million households received food stamps.

Job Training: $500 million to help Americans find and prepare for good jobs including $400 million is for dislocated worker and youth employment activities and $100 million to provide customized help to folks receiving unemployment benefits.  Unemployment claims have increased by over 38% this year and 36% exhaust their benefits before finding work.”

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