[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16967]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          EARMARK DECLARATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. K. MICHAEL CONAWAY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 7, 2009

  Mr. CONAWAY. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the House Republican 
standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information 
regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 2847, Commerce, Justice, 
Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. This 
legislation passed in the House of Representatives on June 18, 2009.
  In the Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs account, an 
earmark for Emergency Communications Equipment for the City of Midland 
was included on my behalf. The entity to receive funding for this 
project is the City of Midland, located at 300 North Lorraine, Midland, 
Texas 79702.
  Funding for this project will be used to upgrade backup equipment for 
Midland's emergency communications system, which is used by the city's 
police, firefighters and other first responders. In the past, not all 
first responder groups in Midland could communicate with each other due 
to differences in their systems. An advantage of Midland's new, 
upgraded communications system is interoperability, enabling police and 
other first responders to communicate directly. The backup equipment 
must be upgraded so that it will properly take effect should the main 
system fail during an emergency.
  In the Office of Justice Assistance, Edward Byrne Memorial Justice 
Assistance Grants Program account, an earmark for the Advanced Law 
Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Program, at the Texas 
State University, San Marcos, Texas (San Angelo Police Department in 
partnership with ALERRT) was included on my behalf. The entity to 
receive funding for this project is the ALERRT Program at Texas State 
University-San Marcos, located at 601 University Drive, San Marcos, 
Texas 78666.
  ALERRT was established by Texas State University to provide first 
responders with the tactics they will need to effectively respond to 
active shooter situations. ALERRT enables officers that have 
successfully completed a special ``Train-the-Trainer'' course to train 
fellow officers at their home agencies, providing an efficient and 
cost-effective manner to increase the number of officers with these 
life-saving skills. Continued funding for ALERRT in FY10 will enable 
the program to train more patrol officers, including San Angelo Police 
Department, help establish the program as a national training system; 
further build train-the-trainer capacity; enhance retention of learned 
skills by former students; provide valuable research and evaluation to 
improve first responder abilities; and provide investigative training 
and support for evolving threats. In addition to providing ALERRT to 
the more than 400 entities requesting it, FY10 funding and beyond will 
be integral to sustain and build capacity for a nation-wide effort to 
standardize a level of preparedness among the more than 650,000 peace 
officers employed by law enforcement agencies across the United States.

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