WASHINGTON, DC —  The United States Senate today voted 94-5 to approve the conference report on the Fiscal Year 2006 Science, State, Justice, Commerce and Related Agencies Appropriations bill (CJS). This bill funds the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Economic Development Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Department of Justice, among others.

"Through funding included in this bill, we will be able to make important investments in a broad range of projects that will directly improve communities in South Dakota and across the nation," Thune said. "From enhancing technology and better equipping our law enforcement officers to strengthening drug abuse prevention programs and providing housing for troubled children—this bill will create safer communities, stronger families, and a higher quality of life for all South Dakotans."

FY 2006 CJS Appropriations highlights for South Dakota:

• $1 million for the Oglala Sioux Tribe for law enforcement, court, and detention equipment and operations on the Pine Ridge Reservation.


• $300,000 for the Children's Home Society of South Dakota to provide adequate out-of-home care for troubled children. The funding will help facilitate the successful placement of children from the Sioux Falls and Black Hills Children's Homes with families and communities across South Dakota.


• $150,000 for the Prairie View Prevention Services for the Methamphetamine Awareness and Prevention Project of South Dakota, headquartered in Sioux Falls.


• $100,000 for the Methamphetamine Awareness and Prevention Project of North and South Dakota.


• $200,000 for much-needed improvements to the Sisseton Wahpeton Detention Facility.


• $175,000 for the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault in Sioux Falls to assist in continuing efforts to provide support, education, and advocacy to individual groups and the general public in the prevention and elimination of domestic violence and sexual assault.


• $100,000 for the Children's Home Society of South Dakota (CHS) to provide family support services for at-risk youth. CHS will use this funding at its centers in Sioux Falls and Rapid City for continuing forensic interviews of children alleged to be the victims of sexual and/or physical abuse.


• $100,000 for improvements to the South Dakota Attorney General's Forensic Lab. The forensic lab is a critical asset to the South Dakota Attorney General and plays a pivotal role in the prosecution of criminals.


• $90,000 for the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office to purchase equipment to prevent airborne pathogens. The requested equipment will help reduce the jail guards and employees' exposure to dangerous airborne pathogens brought into the jail by inmates.


• $85,000 for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Prisoner's Liaison Office to help in meeting the needs of its incarcerated juvenile and adult tribal members and their families.


• $50,000 for the Children's Identification and Location Database (CHILD) Project of South Dakota. The CHILD Project of South Dakota will assist in creating a secure national database through the use of Iris Recognition Biometric Technology.