Dear Friend:
I am pleased to announce that I am now accepting Fiscal Year 2012 appropriations requests for priorities in the Fourth Congressional District. Unlike previous years, I can now only accept programmatic and language requests. Requests for earmarks, or specific projects, will not be accepted. Please note that if the request was previously listed as a congressional earmark, it will no longer be considered.
As a reminder, the House Rules define an earmark as: a provision or report language included primarily at the request of a Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, or Senator providing, authorizing or recommending a specific amount of discretionary budget authority, credit authority, or other spending authority for a contract, loan, loan guarantee, grant, loan authority, or other expenditure with or to an entity, or targeted to a specific State, locality or Congressional district, other than through a statutory or administrative formula-driven or competitive award process.”
What is a program or language request?
• Program Request: a request to fund a specific Federal program at a specified level—Example: Provide $5,000,000,000 for the National Cancer Institute.
• Language Request: a request to include specific bill or report language that does not direct funding to a particular entity but encourages, urges, or directs some type of action by an agency. Example: Committee encourages the Department of Education to study the impact of the availability of student loans on increases in enrollment rates.
The deadline for completed appropriations submissions is close of business on Tuesday, May 3rd. An electronic form must be received for each programmatic and language request. Completed requests must be submitted by May 3 to receive full consideration.
Instructions:
• Download form: click here to access my Fiscal Year 2012 Appropriations Request Form and instructions. Please read all instructions carefully before completing the form.
• Fill out form completely and properly: Save it as 2012_form_YOUR-NAME.doc.
• Attach form to an e-mail to ga04.requests@mail.house.gov.
If you have any questions, contact Scott Goldstein in my Washington, DC, office at (202-225-1605) or e-mail (scott.goldstein@mail.house.gov).
I am committed to fighting for federal assistance that will improve the infrastructure, economic vitality and quality of life throughout our fourth district. That is why I am looking for your recommendations. Appropriations requests should fill a clear and present need, have the ability to be administered competently, and must be supported by the local community.
As you prepare your requests, it is important to keep in mind that my office will receive far more requests for assistance each year than can be funded. This will be a very tight budget year, so only a small percentage of requests submitted to the Appropriations Committee will receive funding. Additionally, the amount that is approved by the Appropriations Committee is unlikely to match the requested amount. That is why it is important that you also pursue grant and other federal, state and local assistance for which your project may be eligible.
Again thank you for your interest in the Fiscal Year 2011 appropriations process. Please visit my FY12 Appropriations website and send your completed forms to ga04.requests@mail.house.gov by close of business on Monday, May 3rd.
My office is here to assist you as you move through this process. If you have any questions, you should feel free to contact Scott Goldstein in my Washington, DC, office. You can reach him either by phone (202-225-1605) or email (scott.goldstein@mail.house.gov).
Thanks,
