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Baucus, Enzi tackle
education issues, Cuba relations
By Ted Monoson, of The
Gazette Staff. Billings
Gazette, MT, September 16, 2004.
WASHINGTON - While many of Max Baucus'
colleagues focused this week on completing
work on the group of bills that fund the
federal government, the Montana Democrat
also worked on education issues and U.S.
relations with Cuba.
Baucus joined Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., in
pushing a proposal to establish grant programs
that higher education institutions, businesses
and local workforce agencies can apply for
to fill local job-skills needs in those
communities.
The bulk of the grants would be available
to technical and community colleges.
"This bill will help us define what
job skills are most needed in our communities,
and then allow our community colleges and
colleges of technology to train students
to fill those needs," Baucus said in
a statement. "This is about putting
our businesses in touch with our schools
and helping our schools produce a highly
trained, skilled workforce. That's key to
economic development and jobs in our state."
The bill also would increase higher education
loan amounts by $2,000 during the first
two years of school, providing assistance
to those over the age of 24 who wish to
expand their skills, and require higher
education institutions to clarify course
requirements for transfer students.
Besides crossing the aisle to work with
Enzi on the education bill, Baucus also
joined Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., to argue
that the money that the Treasury Department
is spending more to prevent U.S. citizens
from traveling to Cuba could be better used
fighting terrorism.
"The Cuba travel ban is a drain on
the same federal resources that we use to
fight the war on terrorism," Baucus
said.
Baucus and Flake released information revealing
that the Treasury Department devotes more
personnel and money to enforcing the travel
ban than it does devoted to blocking the
financing of terrorism in countries like
Iran.
On the other side of the Capitol, Rep.
Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., continued to push
ahead with a proposal to extend federal
contracts that provide drinking water to
30 percent of the residents of Helena.
A Rehberg proposal that would extend the
contracts for two more years was approved
by the House Resources Committee on Sept.
14. Rehberg said he expects the full House
to take up the measure soon.
Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., plans to tuck
the contract extensions into one of the
spending bills that fund the operation of
the federal government. Burns is a member
of the Senate Appropriations panel, which
has jurisdiction over the bills.
On Sept. 14, the committee approved a spending
bill for the Agriculture Department that
would provide $9.1 billion for Montana projects
and a spending bill for the Interior Department
that would provide $83.4 million. The Agriculture
Department projects in Montana include:
$2 million Agricultural Research Facility
$864,000 for a brucellosis quarantine facility
$650,000 for Bozeman's Montana Sheep Institute
$600,000 for a wheat stem sawfly research
at MontanaState University
$450,000 for Brucellosis vaccine research
at Montana State University
The Interior Department bill includes $18.3
million for the Blackfoot Challenge, which
is a grass roots group that has organized
to coordinate management of the Blackfoot
River. Private landowners, local government
officials, several corporate landowners,
and federal and state agency representatives
work together on the project.
The bill also includes:
$5 million for Ft. Belknap Indian Health
Services staff headquarters
$3.5 million for conservation of the McMaster
Ranch
$1.5 million for Salish Kootenai College
student housing
$1.5 million for the Western Heritage Center
in Billings
$1.4 million for research on whirling disease
$988,000 for a grizzly bear DNA study
$200,000 for an extremophilic life study
in Butte's Berkley Pit.
Copyright
© The Billings Gazette, a division
of Lee Enterprises.
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