NEWS RELEASE

Washington, D.C. – By a vote of 57-35, the Senate yesterday (Sunday, Dec. 13) gave its final approval to the FY2010 Omnibus Appropriations Act, funding nearly 20 Minnesota health and education projects that U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and his delegation colleagues requested.

“Minnesota is full of innovative health and education initiatives that do so much good for the folks in our state,” said Sen. Franken. “I’m really pleased that I was given the opportunity to weigh in on where federal dollars should be spent so that we can maintain and improve on the services and organizations that make Minnesota such a great place to live.”

Although Sen. Franken’s late arrival to the Senate meant that he missed the initial FY2010 appropriations request deadline for the year, Senate appropriators working out the final language of the bill gave Franken the opportunity to add his endorsement to projects previously requested by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and the Minnesota House delegation, thereby increasing the support for their inclusion in the bill.   

Below is a list of Minnesota health and education projects that will be funded in FY2010 as a result of Sen. Franken’s and the Minnesota delegation’s efforts:

·      Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN—$400,000 for facilities and equipment
·      Summit Academy OIC, Minneapolis, MN—$400,000 for a program focused on weatherization technician training and residential energy auditing  
·      Children's Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN—$675,000 for facilities and equipment
·      College of St. Catherine, St. Paul, MN—$600,000 for health professions training    
·      Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN—$450,000 for facilities and equipment
·      St. John's Hospital, Maplewood, MN—$675,000 for facilities and equipment   
·      Lake Superior College, Duluth, MN—$200,000 for certificate and degree programs in aviation (which may include equipment and technology)
·      College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, MN—$350,000 for a rural health technology project
·      Range Regional Health Services, Hibbing, MN—$500,000 for facilities and equipment
·      Anoka Ramsey Community College, Coon Rapids, MN—$800,000 for equipment and curriculum development in programs relating to the medical  device  manufacturing industry
·      Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN—$450,000 for facilities and equipment  
·      Jewish Family and Children's Service of Minneapolis, Minnetonka, MN—$250,000 for its Family Caregiver Access Network Demonstration Project   
·      University of Minnesota, Crookston, MN—$500,000 for its Center for Rural Entrepreneurial Studies, which may include equipment, technology and student support
·      Allina Hospitals and Clinics, Minneapolis, MN—$250,000 for a heart disease prevention program
·      Hormel Foundation, Austin, MN—$1,000,000 for facilities and equipment for biomedical research
·      Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, Office of the Chancellor, St Paul, MN—$300,000 for career and education services to veterans           
·      College of Saint Scholastica, Duluth, MN—$200,000 for an electronic health record system
·      Hormel Institute, Austin, MN—$1,000,000 for facilities and equipment related to bioscience
·      Metropolitan State University, St Paul, MN--$150,000 for expanding its nursing education program