Chet Edwards For Congress - Border Security & Illegal Immigration

B-CS Eagle: TEEX awaits word on funds

econnor — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

B-CS Eagle: TEEX awaits word on funds

By ERIKA JARAMILLO
Bryan-College Station Eagle
Monday, June 29, 2009

Officials at a College Station-based training facility that prepares first responders for terrorist attacks are awaiting word on federal funding that would ensure its nationally recognized programs continue.

If a spending bill pending in the U.S. Senate is approved and signed into law, the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center at Texas A&M will receive a $23 million grant for anti-terrorism training.

The grant is vital to ensuring that the nation's emergency personnel are properly equipped to serve the country in a disaster, said Bill May, associate director for the Texas Engineering Extension Service, the state agency that operates the training program.

"We are the most critical product from a national perspective," May said. "We prevent and protect the nation against catastrophic events, and it is critical that we meet our duties to the state. We are proud to be one of the five major cities selected for national training."

Similar training programs are based in Anniston, Ala., Socorro, N.M., Baton Rouge, La., and Las Vegas.

The training center at Texas A&M University's Riverside Campus began in 1998 and has received increased funding each year.

The center began with an $800,000 grant, but after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, funding increased to $15 million. If next year's $23 million allocation is approved, it will match this year's funding level.

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, a member of the appropriations committee, has long been an advocate of the center's mission.

"Throughout my career, I have encouraged Texas universities to focus on the creation of 'centers of excellence,' making them more competitive in the fight for federal funding," Hutchison said in an e-mail to The Eagle. "NERRTC is clearly a national 'center of excellence,' and I've enjoyed working with the NERRTC team for over a decade to ensure America's first responders get the training they so vitally need, and Texas A&M remains on the forefront of disaster and terrorism preparedness."

U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, added $1.3 million to a 2010 spending bill that would help fund a separate training program administered by TEEX. The Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training program is designed to help police officers learn to respond to an active shooter situation.

Edwards also earmarked $300,000 for the Texas Forensic Science Academy at TEEX.

"We've had the greatest support from Congressman Edwards," May said. "He has enabled us to get support in the House and, thanks to him, continue the necessary training that is vital to homeland security. He's a great champion."

B-CS Eagle: Reserve unit may get new home

econnor — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

B-CS Eagle: Reserve unit may get new home

By MATTHEW WATKINS
Bryan-College Station Eagle

Thursday, June 25, 2009

The home of the 420th Engineer Brigade of the U.S. Army Reserve is falling apart.

Built in 1958, the building on Carson Street in Bryan has foundation problems, cracked floors and damaged walls and ceilings. It also violates modern federal "force protection" requirements because it is too close to the street.

"The current Moore Memorial Center was constructed nearly half a century ago, to support a very different force than we have today," said Col. James Doty, commander of the 420th Engineer Brigade. "It is, quite frankly, beyond its useful life and wholly inadequate to serve as an Army Reserve headquarters."

A piece of legislation may provide the unit with a new headquarters that works, he said.

U.S Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, announced Wednesday that he had included $12.2 million in the 2010 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill to pay for a new headquarters for the unit.

The bill passed through the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday and will soon be considered by the entire House.

In its current form, it includes $133.7 billion in spending.

Edwards is the chairman of the House Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee. He earmarked $920,000 last year to hire architects and planners to design the center.

The new center's location hasn't been determined, but it may be moved from the existing site so that it can be closer to the area's connecting highways, officials said. It will feature administrative, educational and physical fitness areas, a library, a vault, and a maintenance shop.

Doty said a completion date was impossible to estimate because the project won't be a "done deal" until the bill is passed by both chambers of Congress and signed into law. He said the new headquarters would ideally be ready 18 months after the bill is enacted.

He said that the facility had long been recognized by the federal government as a site that needed improvements but that having the funding in the 2010 appropriations bill would accelerate construction by more than two years.

The center provides training for nearly 5,000 soldiers from across the country serving in the 420th Brigade. The group most recently served a tour in Afghanistan, returning this year.

"Twenty-first century soldiers shouldn't have to train in Cold War-era facilities," Edwards said. "Ensuring our service men and women have the best facilities in which to train and live is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do."

House committee appropriates $350K for STOP task force

econnor — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Cleburne Times-Review: House committee appropriates $350K for STOP task force

Cleburne Times-Review

June 15, 2009
Special to the Times-Review

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee agreed to fund $350,000 to the Johnson County Stop the Offender Special Crimes Unit and other county law-enforcement agencies on Tuesday, said U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco.

Edwards said he secured the funding in the 2010 Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill, which passed the committee on Tuesday.

STOP will use the money to crack down on drug crime and improve communications technology, Edwards said.

The bill must still pass the House and Senate and be signed by President Barack Obama, however.

STOP SCU will receive $200,000 in funding if the bill passes. STOP SCU, an undercover joint law-enforcement effort, operates to stop the spread of drugs and other crime in the county. If the bill becomes law, Edwards will have secured $688,000 for the program since 2005, he said.

“These funds will help our law-enforcement officers continue their work to arrest drug dealers, and send a clear message that drug crime will not be tolerated in Johnson County,” Edwards said.

Johnson County Sheriff Bob Alford applauded Edwards’ efforts.

“I greatly appreciate Congressman Edwards and his staff for all the hard work that went into obtaining this funding,” Alford said. “We will utilize this funding in a fiscally responsible manner for the purpose of exposing and apprehending those who engage in organized and violent crime as well as those trafficking in illegal narcotics.

“The Special Crimes Unit of Johnson County has become an essential tool that complements other law-enforcement efforts and has proven to have a positive impact on the quality of life of our law-abiding citizens.”

STOP Commander Adam King also called the funding crucial.

“This funding will allow us to continue supporting our local law enforcement agencies with specialized investigative assistance and will allow us to do so in a safe and effective manner,” King said. “We owe Congressman Edwards and his staff a big thank you for their support.”

The remaining $150,000 of the funding will benefit the Cleburne police and fire departments, Edwards said.

The funds will be used for installation of a wireless network to improve communication technology and to better access critical records.

The network may also be used by other city departments and will allow patrol officers to have quicker responses to calls, increase the time officers are actually in their vehicles on the streets and increase officer safety by providing instant access to information, Edwards said.

“During these difficult economic times, Congressman Edwards has continued to provide support to our community,” said CPD Chief Terry Powell. “The enhanced technology will allow for more efficient police service to the citizens of Cleburne.”

L-3 POSITIONED FOR FUNDS

econnor — Sun, 10 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

L-3 POSITIONED FOR FUNDS

Waco Tribune-Herald | May 10, 2009 |
By Mike Copeland

Waco's L-3 Communications plant could get part of the $100 million Congress is likely to approve for repairs to P-3 surveillance planes, says U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco.

Edwards joined other members of the House Appropriations Committee last week in supporting a supplemental appropriations bill allocating $100 million for this work on P-3 planes.

It now moves to the full House for a vote.

"Given their history of quality work on the P-3 project, there is a reasonable possibility that a portion of these funds could go to L-3 for wing repair, and that would mean additional jobs and increased economic development in Waco," Edwards said.

L-3 in Waco gets $136 million boost

econnor — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 16:14:44 -0700

L-3 in Waco gets $136 million boost to continue work on Navy surveillance planes

Waco Tribune-Herald | Friday, December 19, 2008 | By Mike Copeland | Tribune-Herald business editor

L-3 Communications has been awarded a $136 million contract to continue its work on Navy P-3 surveillance planes.

Refurbishing will take place at L-3’s plant at Texas State Technical College airport. The company is Waco’s largest private-sector employer, with about 1,700 on its payroll.

More than 300 of the plant’s employees repair and replace parts in the wing and tail assembly area of P-3 planes, which are used for surveillance missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

L-3 Communications has been given a $136 contract to continue work on Navy P-3 surveillance aircraft, like the one shown here at Texas State Technical College airport. (Duane A. Laverty, file)

“The work of L-3 Communications is important to our national security, and plays a vital role in bolstering Waco’s economy,” said U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, in announcing the contract. “At a time when the national economy is struggling, the P-3 contract for L-3 means increased economic development and quality jobs in Central Texas.”

L-3 spokesman Lance Martin said the $136 million for 2009 represents a continuation of an existing contract with the Navy.”

He said contracts such as these help keep L-3’s local employment level stable. Despite economic hard times, L-3 has a backlog of work and earlier this month broke ground on a new, $10 million hangar.

“With two wars going on right now, we have to meet demands to keep planes sustained and flying,” said Michael Holmes, the L-3 site executive in Waco and vice president of federal programs.

The city of Waco and McLennan County each chipped in $1 million from their economic development funds to help L-3 pay for a new hangar, the second it has built at TSTC since April 2005.

Securing our Borders & Stopping Illegal Immigration

Kat — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:10:19 -0700

Securing our Borders & Stopping Illegal Immigration

Chet believes our nation's first priority is to secure our borders and to protect our homeland and he strongly opposes amnesty in any form. While others have talked about securing our borders, Chet has done something about it.

Chet helped write the law that added 1500 additional border patrol agents and has supported legislation that would add 6000 more, to better police our borders and stop the influx of illegal immigration.

Chet secured $16 million for Waco's L-3 to build P-3 aircraft, a surveillance tool for securing our borders, catching drug smugglers and stopping illegal immigration.

Chet opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants and wants strict enforcement of our illegal immigration laws.

Chet voted to end the practice of “catch and release”, instead requiring all undocumented aliens to be detained until they are removed from the United States.

Chet voted for the Welfare Reform Act in 1996 that prohibits illegal immigrants from receiving any form of welfare benefits.

Chet supports building physical barriers along strategic portions of the U.S./Mexican border.

Chet supported legislation to implement a new mandatory employer verification system, which requires employers to check a job applicant's legal status and tough new penalties on employers who continue to hire illegal immigrants.

Chet opposes earned citizenship for illegal immigrants who have committed serious crimes while in the United States.

Local company develops Army devices

econnor — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:11:31 -0700

March 24, 2008

Local company develops Army devices

The Bryan College Station Eagle

By HOLLY HUFFMAN |Eagle Staff Writer

American soldiers may some day soon be able to immediately detect chemical and biological threats through the use of small portable hand-held devices that currently doesn't exist in the field.

And rather than lug around 80 pounds of disposable batteries, military troops may have rechargeable units to power their computers and night vision equipment.

Meanwhile, small spy planes that now fly less than two hours at a time may one day have batteries that are strong enough to keep the small aircraft in the air for half a day.

These technological breakthroughs in national defense and homeland security were unveiled Monday at Lynntech Inc, a College Station-based research and development company. The work is part of a $2.6 million congressional earmark secured last year by U.S. Congressman Chet Edwards. The funding was designated for fiscal year 2008.

"This is an important program because it is about protecting the lives of service men and women in harm's way who are protecting our country," the Democrat from Waco said Monday while visiting the Lynntech lab. "We have a moral obligation to do everything possible to protect our troops and bring them home safely."

Lynntech CEO John Clanton said the company has been working on the technologies involved with the projects for the past four years. In addition to the congressional funding, the company previously was awarded about $850,000 from the defense department, he said.

Oliver Murphy, Lynntech co-founder and chief technological officer, said all three projects are in similar stages of development. Each has about a year to go before being sent to the Army for testing, which he said could take another year.

The bulk of the congressional funding will go toward the development of the handheld threat detection system. The small, green prototype on display Monday is just a fraction of the size of its large, boxy predecessor.

In addition to saving soldiers lives, Murphy and Edwards said that the device also could be used as a tool for emergency responders called to plumes of strange smoke or unknown gases. Such a device, which could instantaneously determine the type of gas and its lethality, could have be used earlier this year when the toxic chemical ricin was found in a Las Vegas motel, the pair said.

"Maybe it's Baghdad today, but tomorrow it could be Las Vegas," Murphy said.

The funding also will be used for further development with fuel cells used to power military equipment in the field.

Lynntech scientists are working to lengthen the life of batteries used on spy planes, which would keep the aircraft aloft for longer periods of time. Currently, the planes, which have a 13-foot wing span, can only fly for about two hours, which means soldiers must carry them from place to place, scientists explained.

A 12-hour battery would allow the plane to fly in formation above the troops until coordinates were entered remotely. The plane then could fly over an area in question, automatically download its data and return to formation, scientists explained.

"We can save troops' lives," Murphy said. "This technology is probably the next major breakthrough in real time intelligence."

The researchers said they also are developing rechargeable batteries that can be used in the field. Currently, soldiers must carry with them between 60 and 80 pounds of disposable batteries, which are discarded once the power is drained.

Having rechargeable units would allow troops to carry just a couple sets of batteries, giving them more room for food and other basic necessities.

"That's amazing," Edwards said as he and Lynntech scientists walked around a large table displaying each of the three projects. "The bottom line is you end up saving lives. That's what it's all about."

Brazos Valley tallies $41 million in earmarks

econnor — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 22:09:42 -0700

Saturday, December 29, 2007

BV tallies $41 million in earmarks

The Bryan College Station Eagle

By JANET PHELPS |Eagle Staff Writer

More than $41 million will be poured into Brazos Valley projects next year, thanks to earmarks by U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco.

President Bush criticized special project money as "wasteful government spending" when he signed the $555 billion bill Wednesday that funds the Iraq war into 2008 and keeps government agencies running through September.

The money will go to 16 projects in Brazos, Robertson, Madison and Grimes counties. The projects range from high-profile aerospace engineering and biofuel research at Texas A&M University to a small, church-based drug prevention program.

Edwards said Friday he was proud of the federal money he secured for local projects because it's an effective way to encourage local growth.

The Constitution gives Congress the power to make appropriations, he said, and earmarks allow local leaders to identify and receive funding for projects they see as important.

"I believe [locally initiated projects] make more sense than letting some bureaucrat in the Office of Management and Budget in Washington, D.C., make decisions about what projects to fund," he said. "I would challenge anyone to criticize agricultural research at A&M or emergency response training that help make our cities safer."

A majority of the $41.6 million will go to Texas A&M, including $985,000 for biofuels research and $705,000 for aerospace engineering projects that are used by NASA for lunar and Mars exploration.

Ken Peddicord, director of Texas A&M's Texas Engineering Experiment Station, said the funding is an important step in advancing research into new energy sources.

Texas A&M's BioEnergy Alliance -- a partnership between the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and the Texas Engineering Experiment Station -- has developed groundbreaking research in alternative fuels such as sorghum that do not come from food sources, he said.

"This money allows the program to strike off in new directions, to move away from corn and ethanol," he said.

St. Joseph Health System also received money for repairs to its Madisonville hospital.

Gentry Woodard, director of legislative affairs and grants for the St. Joseph Health System, said employees at the 57-year-old hospital have volunteered on weekends to make repairs themselves.

Edwards said the staff dedication is one reason he allotted $117,000 to pay for repairs to the roof and emergency room upgrades.

"It was terribly important to that community," he said.

The earmarks come on top of the 2008 defense appropriations bill that was signed into law in November, in which Edwards secured $6.8 million for Texas A&M defense projects and $2.6 million for Lynntech Inc.

Other local earmarks include:

$392,000 to repave County Road 172 in northern Grimes County.

$196,000 to make improvements to Collard Street in Madisonville.

$376,000 to improve communication technology equipment at the Navasota Police Department.

$12.5 million to train emergency first responders at the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center at Texas A&M.

$2 million to fund research at the Nuclear Security Science and Policy Institute at Texas A&M.

$21.9 million to 23 farming, forestry and animal health research programs at Texas A&M.

$1.39 million to provide anti-terrorism training to educators and local law enforcement through the Texas Engineering Extension Service's Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training program and Texas A&M's Project Protect.

$588,000 to Brazos Valley Transportation Management Center to study local traffic solutions and plan for future growth.

$150,000 to Project Focus, a drug- and alcohol-abuse prevention program at Shiloh Baptist Church in Bryan.

L-3 likely to get $16 million.....

Kat — Thu, 18 May 2006 12:59:48 -0700

May 18, 2006
L-3 likely to get $16 million for high-flying border patrol

Waco Tribune Herald
By Mike Copeland | Tribune-Herald business editor

Waco’s L-3 Communications plant likely will get $16 million to refurbish three or four P-3 planes used by the Department of Homeland Security to patrol U.S. borders.

U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, pushed to have the money included in the budget for fiscal 2007, which begins Oct. 1. The Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee approved the expenditure this week. The full House has final say, but Edwards expresses confidence the money will be spent.

The $16 million allocation, Edwards said during a media conference Wednesday, “means more secure borders, more jobs for the local community and more work for L-3, which is Waco’s largest corporate employer.”

P-3 planes have been used to provide “high-tech surveillance” in hot spots like Iraq and Afghanistan, Edwards said, adding the same technology can be used to reduce the flow of illegal aliens and illicit drugs entering the country.

Edwards said he supports President Bush’s plan to place about 6,000 National Guard troops along the U.S. border with Mexico to stem the tide of illegal immigration.

But these troops need high-tech support in the form of P-3 planes providing surveillance, he added.

Edwards said the Department of Homeland Security has 16 P-3 planes in its fleet. Without funding to keep the planes in good working order, “we would see a significant degradation of our border security.”

Edwards’ office says the P-3 fleet is aging, with some airframes more than 36 years old. Last year, the P-3 aircraft were used in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

This is the second straight year Edwards has worked to ensure L-3 receives money to maintain the P-3 fleet. The last allocation also was for $16 million.

L-3 spokesman Lance Martin said work on P-3 planes goes on almost constantly at the plant located at Texas State Technical College. The plant had 1,683 people working there Wednesday, including just under 100 contractors.

“The dedication of Rep. Edwards to homeland security is tireless,” said Ed Boyington, site executive for L-3 Communications in Waco. “We are pleased to hear of the additional funding provided in this markup to extend the life of the (P-3 fleet).”

Proposed budget cuts hurt TEEX

Kat — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 14:34:43 -0700

February 27, 2006
Proposed budget cuts hurt TEEX

The Battalion
By Bunmi Ishola | Battalion staff writer

Thirty thousand fewer emergency personnel may be trained at Texas A&M and 97,000 nation-wide each year if a proposed federal budget cut is passed, said U.S. Representative Chet Edwards.

A&M's National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center (NERRTC) is facing a possible $15 million cut for the 2007 fiscal year, decreasing funding from its current $22 million to $7 million.

Edwards is a member of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, which is responsible for allocating funds for such programs as NERRTC.

On a local level, 55 staff members would lose their jobs, but the change would also impact local restaurants and hotels, Edwards said. With less people training at A&M yearly, it could be detrimental to the local economy, he said.

NERRTC was established in 1998 and funded by the U.S. Congress to improve the capabilities of emergency responders and local officials to respond to acts of terrorism and natural disasters. It is part of the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) in the Texas A&M University System.

As the founding member of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium, NERRTC has delivered training on behalf of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for more than 175,000 responders in all 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia, said Jason Cook, communications director for TEEX.

TEEX provides training courses ranging from threat and risk assessment to incident management and unified command, Cook said. Emergency personnel across the U.S. are equally prepared for national threats and natural disasters because training is standardized, he said.

Cook said the budget cut is not yet official and that a similar cut was proposed for the 2006 fiscal year. The change did not pass, and the program actually received a $2 million funding increase, he said.

"This is just the first step in the budget appropriation process," Cook said.

Yearly, the administration sends a proposed budget to the government. A budget appropriations committee looks over the proposed budget and suggests possible cuts or additions.

The budget passes between Congress and the president until an agreement is reached. Cook said it can take up to six months before a final budget is agreed upon and implemented.

The fundamental problem national budgeting faces is prioritizing, said David McIntyre, director of the A&M Integrative Center for Homeland Security. There is a short list of programs available for governmental funding, he said.

"I'd put NERRTC on the top of my list," McIntyre said. "(Cutting funds) would be a major mistake. (NERRTC) is really one of the crown jewels."