Today, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Fiscal Year 2006 Energy and Water Development Appropriations, and the Science, State, Justice and Commerce Appropriations conference reports. Congressman Michael C. Burgess voted in favor of both conference reports. “I am very pleased that these worthy projects will receive funding,” said Congressman Michael C. Burgess (TX-26). “When fighting for precious federal, taxpayer dollars, I knew I had to be accountable for picking projects that were necessary to the safe growth and development of North Texas’ natural water resources.” H.R. 2419, Energy & Water The conference report passed 399 – 17 on the House floor. The Energy and Water (EW) Conference Report provides a total of $30.5 billion in budget authority for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Civil, the Department of Interior including the Bureau of Reclamation, the Department of Energy, and several independent agencies. This bill is $1 billion below the Senate passed level and 2% or $749 million above last year’s level. Lewisville Dam Operations and Maintenance - $4.290 million  Funds will be used for repairing the service gates and the spillway; modernizing surrounding parks; resurfacing the embankment service road; and managing habitat restoration and archeological resources. Grapevine Lake Operations and Maintenance - $3.349 million  Funds will be used to sandblast and repaint the service bridge; maintain the shoreline; modernize surrounding parks; and restore habitat restoration. Ray Roberts Lake Operations and Maintenance - $963,000  Funds will be used for repairs to the Overlook Part that will bring the facilities up to the Corps of Engineers Justified Level of Service stands, and repairs to the shoreline damage from erosion. Texas Water Allocation Assessment - $1.44 million  Funds will enable the Corps to assist Texas water regions in determining if existing water can be better allocated to support more balanced water use in light of future needs. Upper Trinity River Basin Study - $800,000  Funds will be used to continue feasibility studies for the Dallas Floodway and Stemmons North Industrial Corridor. Fort Worth Central City - $7 million  Funds will enable the construction of a by-pass channel and appurtenant structures to control flood flows along the Clear Fork and West Fork or the Trinity River to provide ecosystem restoration and recreation facilities. Little Fossil Creek, Halthom City (Section 205) - $270,000  Funds will be used for flood control projects including the widening and deepening the channel for Little Fossil Creek; installing erosion control features where necessary; and building a multi-use recreational trail along the west side of the creek. H.R. 2862, Science, State, Justice and Commerce The conference report passed 397 – 19 on the House floor. The report provides a total of $57.85 billion which was roughly $3 billion less than the President requested by $1.61 billion over fiscal year 2005. The Science, State, Justice and Commerce Conference Report funds a wide range of federal agencies including the Department of Justice – which includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Department of Commerce – which includes the Patent and Trademark Office, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Bureau of Census; Department of State; as well as National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NSAS), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Small Business Administration (SBA). “To feel secure is a basic tenet of life, and I wanted to work to bring funds back to our men in blue” said Congressman Michael Burgess. “The $150,000 that will go to the City of Denton Police Department will allow them to acquire the necessary equipment for them to continue to keep us all safe.” The funding for the City of Denton Police Department will go toward the purchase of a Live Scan digital fingerprinting system. This device will allow for the immediate transmission of fingerprint records to the Department of Justice of other authorized receiving agency.