Washington, DC —  Senator John Thune today issued the below statement following the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, the Judiciary, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies' (TTJHUD) markup of the FY2007 TTJHUD Appropriations bill. This bill contains several requests Senator Thune made on behalf of South Dakota.

"While the full Appropriations Committee won't consider this bill until tomorrow, this measure would provide record funding for some of South Dakota's most important sectors," Thune said. "Whether it's providing funding for programs geared toward helping at-risk South Dakota youths or making improvements to South Dakota roads and bridges, this bill will strengthen our state's economy, create quality jobs and increase the quality of life for all South Dakotans."



FY 2007 TTJHUD Appropriations highlights for South Dakota:

Transportation Projects

• The FY 2007 TTJHUD Appropriations bill releases $39.87 billion in funding authorized by the Transportation Reauthorization bill that Congress passed last year, of which South Dakota is slated to receive over $213 million in formula obligation limitation funds for road and bridge improvements. This important funding is entirely funded through user fees that are collected from gasoline and diesel fuel. As a result of Senator Thune's work on last year's Transportation Reauthorization bill, South Dakota will continue to receive a 2-1 rate of return for every dollar of motor fuel tax that's collected.

In addition to the transportation formula funding that South Dakota is slated to receive, Senators Thune and Johnson also worked to secure the following items:

• $5 million for SD-11 & SD-42 in Sioux Falls.


• $4.75 million for Ellsworth Air Force Base road improvements (Commercial Gate entrance).


• $2 million for BIA Route 12, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.


• $2 million for BIA Route 6, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.


• $1 million for emergency bridge rehabilitation for US-14, Pierre/Fort Pierre.


• $1 million for a connecter road between East Saint Patrick Street and East Saint Joseph Street - South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Economic Development Projects

• $1,000,000 for University of South Dakota Medical School construction.


• $600,000 for Children's Home Society construction of facilities for at-risk youth in Sioux Falls.


• $400,000 for Wakpa Sica Reconciliation Place construction in Fort Pierre. This will house the Sioux Nation Cultural Center and the Sioux Nation Judicial Center. Then-Congressman Thune led the charge in the House of Representatives to authorize this project in 2000.


• $400,000 for Four Bands Community Fund, Eagle Butte to assist with loan fund recapitalization.

Essential Air Service Funding

• $117 million for the Essential Air Service program, which is a $7.6 million increase over last year. This funding helps bring commercial air service to Brookings, Pierre, Huron, & Watertown.

Public Transportation Funding

• $7.875 million for overall public transit funding for South Dakota.