[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 33 (Wednesday, February 25, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E418-E419]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          EARMARK DECLARATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. VERN BUCHANAN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 25, 2009

  Mr. BUCHANAN. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership 
standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information 
regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 1105, the Omnibus 
Appropriations Act, 2009:
  Requesting Member: Congressman Vern Buchanan
  Bill Number: H.R. 1105
  Account: Corps of Engineers--Operations & Maintenance
  Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Port Manatee
  Address of Requesting Entity: 300 Tampa Bay Way, Palmetto, FL 34221
  Description of Request: I secured $2,483,000 for Maintenance Dredging 
at Port Manatee.
  Funding will be used to perform maintenance dredging as needed 
(generally not every year). The funds being requested are appropriated 
in the Corps of Engineers' O&M Account but are entirely derived from 
the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund (HMTF). The Trust Fund is financed by 
a Harbor Maintenance Tax of 1/8 of one percent of the value of imports 
and domestic traffic and this generates considerably more than the 
amount actually appropriated by Congress each year for the navigation 
projects. The requested funds are needed to restore full project 
dimension of the Phases I and II work.
  The Fiscal Year 2009 federal budget for the Army Corps of Engineers 
includes $2.6 million for Manatee Harbor O&M.
  Requesting Member: Congressman Vern Buchanan
  Bill Number: H.R. 1105
  Account: Corps of Engineers--Construction
  Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Port Manatee
  Address of Requesting Entity: 300 Tampa Bay Way, Palmetto, FL 34221
  Description of Request: I secured $478,000 for a General Reevaluation 
Report (GRR) on Tampa Harbor.

[[Page E419]]

  The GRR is studying the need for improvements to the Tampa Harbor in 
order to meet projected increases in international commerce. As 
Florida's largest port (in tonnage), Tampa Port handles in excess of 50 
million tons of cargo annually and is West Central Florida's largest 
economic engine contributing billions of dollars annually to the 7 
county region surrounding Tampa Bay. Port Manatee supports 22,000 jobs 
and has a total economic impact of $2.3 billion. As changes in the 
global shipping market evolve, both Tampa and Manatee Ports must be 
able to accommodate modern international vessel fleets which require 
deeper draft. The GRR will determine the national economic feasibility 
of further improvements to the Tampa main federal channel.
  Requesting Member: Congressman Vern Buchanan
  Bill Number: H.R. 1105
  Account: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)--Health 
Facilities and Services
  Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Florida Hospital--Wauchula
  Address of Requesting Entity: 533 West Carlton Street, Wauchula, FL 
33873
  Description of Request: I secured $95,000 to support the expansion 
and renovation of the emergency department. This initiative is vital to 
the health care infrastructure and clinical services available to 
Hardee County and the surrounding communities.
  Florida Hospital Wauchula is a 25 bed facility specializing in 
emergency, outpatient and transitional care. In 2000, we became the 
first Critical Access Hospital in the state of Florida in an effort to 
enhance the health care services provided to our rural service area. 
The hospital employs 91 full-time staff, including 5 physicians on 
General Medical Staff. In addition to our 7-bed emergency department, 
Wauchula offers diagnostic imaging and lab services and a transitional 
care unit with short-term skilled nursing and rehabilitation services.
  As a rural community with limited medical resources, Hardee County 
relies on Florida Hospital Wauchula to provide high quality health 
care. The emergency department handles over 12,000 visits per year; a 
volume that taxes the facilities capacity to its limit.
  Requesting Member: Congressman Vern Buchanan
  Bill Number: H.R. 1105
  Account: Department of Energy--EERE
  Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Sarasota County
  Address of Requesting Entity: 1660 Ringling Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34236
  Description of Request: I secured $951,500 for a Renewable/
Alternative Energy Center in Sarasota County.
  Sarasota County is an established national leader in energy efficient 
practices as evidenced by its green building and sustainability 
policies, as well as its private sector and develop alternative energy 
and green building initiatives. The County will commit its resources to 
partner with the federal and state governments, universities and the 
private sector to construct a zero-energy LEED Platinum certified green 
building to house the Center. This collaboration will promote the 
application of alternative energy technologies to protect the public 
safety and welfare of our citizens and communities and contribute to 
the future sustainability of our state and nation.
  Requesting Member: Congressman Vern Buchanan
  Bill Number: H.R. 1105
  Account: Department of Justice--COPS Law Enforcement Technology
  Legal Name of Requesting Entity: City of Bradenton
  Address of Requesting Entity: 100 10th Street West, Bradenton, FL 
34205
  Description of Request: I secured $200,000 for the City of Bradenton 
Police Cruiser In-Car Video System.
  The City of Bradenton proposes to install in-car video systems for 
every police cruiser in its fleet. This project not only protects the 
officer but assists the State's Attorney's Office in case prosecution 
as evidence collection will be enhanced.

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