Proposals could curb, eliminate congressional earmarks
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Some of the projects that benefitted from the earmarks include $2 million for Austin's Capital Metro for bus and bus facilities, $1.42 million to the City of Houston for advanced transit program solutions and bus expansion and $4 million for the Alliance for Nanohealth at Rice University. The Children's Medical Center of Dallas got $250,000 set aside for facilities and equipment and the Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston got $100,000 for the same uses.
In higher education, Texas Tech University was awarded $480,000 for facilities and equipment, Sam Houston State University's Regional Crime Laboratory garnered a $1 million award and Laredo Community College got $400,000 for its Terrorist Interdiction Law Enforcement Training Center. Other projects funded by earmarks for a variety of communities include park renovations, water and wastewater infrastructure, security project such as updates to police technology and construction of a public safety training facility.
Earmarks have always been a bone of contention for both members of Congress and the public. Either or both of these current proposals could have a profound effect on the use of earmarks, as well as on the budgets of some of the entities in line for these federal dollars.
