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ST. LOUIS NEWS TODAY - Tuesday, November 11, 2003
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A new permanent security perimeter around the Arch will be built with $4.3 million in federal funds as part of the 2004 Interior Appropriations bill.
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Permanent Security Perimeter to Be Built Around Gateway Arch
ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), November 11, 2003 - Some of Missouri's most important landmarks are slated for renovation and restoration. Over $11.5 million in federal funds has been set aside to care for the parks and memorials as part of the 2004 Interior Appropriations bill passed last weekby the House. The legislation will now go the President to be signed into law.
In an announcement, Missouri Senator Kit Bond, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said "It is our duty to protect and preserve the most beautiful parts of our state for future generations to enjoy."
The following Missouri projects in the fiscal year 2004 Interior Appropriations bill include:
- $4.3 million to build a security perimeter at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial which consists of the landmark Gateway Arch, the Museum of Westward Expansion, and St. Louis' Old Courthouse. The perimeter is required to protect the landmark at a time of increased security threats related to the war against terrorism.
- $2 million for the George Washington Carver National Monument in Joplin which provides better educational opportunities for Missourians to learn about Carver's important contributions to the United States. Bond worked with Representative Blunt to secure these funds.
- $1 million for a "Wood to Energy" energy research program for the Missouri Forest Foundation.
- $1 million for construction at the Neosho Fish Hatchery.
- $750,000 for Mark Twain National Forest study. Project will study the potential environmental impact of lead mining in the region.
- $500,000 for U.S. Geological Service study. Project will study how best to protect the pallid sturgeon.
- $500,000 each (3) for land wildlife purchases in the Great River and Big Muddy Fish and Wildlife Refuges and the Mark Twain National Forest (total $1.5 million).
- $250,000 in funding for renovation of the Landers Theater in Springfield. Bond worked with Representative Blunt to secure these funds.
- $150,000 for restoration of the historic Memorial Cemetery in Ste Genevieve.
- $100,000 for renovation of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Columbia.
Funding Secured for Military Construction Projects in Missouri
WASHINGTON, D.C., (SLFP.com), November 9, 2003 - More than $50.62 million in military construction projects for Missouri has made it through the House of Representatives. The House of Representatives has passed the fiscal year 2004 Military Appropriations Conference Report and final adoption in the Senate is expected soon.
In an announcement, Missouri Senator Kit Bond stated, "I am extremely pleased to announce the House/Senate Conference on the Military Construction Appropriations Bill has reached a final agreement. As our soldiers defend our freedom on U.S. soil and abroad, we have an obligation to provide them with the necessary facilities to train and fight."
Over the past year, Senator Bond has worked to secure $45.67 million out of the total amount that will be spent for the following Missouri projects included in the final bill:
- $11,600,000 for the Whiteman AFB Education Center. This center will enhance the quality of life for the servicemen and women and their families at Whiteman Air Force Base.
- $8,000,000 for the Air National Guard: Rosecrans Field: Air Traffic Control Training Complex. This facility will provide a home for Air Traffic Control personnel operating from Rosecrans Field, St. Joseph, MO who have been serving proudly and deployed in support of the Global War on Terror.
- $7,849,000 for the expansion of the Missouri-Aviation Classification and Repair Activity Depot at Springfield, MO. The MO-AVCRAD provides support for aviation assets in a 14 state region as well as critical aviation support for the National Guard and the United States Army.
- $18,221,000 for military family housing at Whiteman, AFB.
In addition to the projects Bond fought for, Missouri will receive an additional $4,947,000 for the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Dexter. Bond was encouraged to see continued investment in the State's National Guard Armories, which are a centerpiece for many communities.
Senator Bond also drafted legislative language urging the Army to expedite the development of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Responder Training Facility at Fort Leonard Wood. Currently, there are no dedicated facilities at Fort Leonard Wood for WMD responder training. Such a facility is critical to continuing homeland security training and making Missourians and Americans more secure.
Senator Bond was pleased the bill includes language recognizing a growing concern over strains at mobilization sites and the treatment of Guardsmen and Reservists which he confirmed based on a recent staff investigation. The language directs the Army Chief-of-Staff to submit a report that assesses the current situation and makes recommendations for improvements.
In addition to his investigation and recent meetings with high-level Department of Defense officials, Bond and fellow National Guard Caucus Co-Chair, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) yesterday asked the Government Accounting Office to conduct a comprehensive study of all Army mobilization sites to determine the adequacy of medical care, housing and the standards of care for both active and Reserve military personnel.
St. Louis City Trial Courts Cited As 'Judicial Hellholes'
WASHINGTON, D.C., (PRNewswire), November 9, 2003 - The American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) has released Bringing Justice to Judicial Hellholes(TM) 2003, a report that identifies 13 jurisdictions where the law is consistently applied unfairly.
Through a survey of its members and follow-up research, ATRA has identified 13 trial courts, and three "dishonorable mention" jurisdictions that it deems 2003's Judicial Hellholes. The Hellholes are: Madison County, Illinois; Jefferson County, Texas; Mississippi's 22nd Judicial Circuit (Copiah, Claiborne and Jefferson Counties); Hidalgo County, Texas; Orleans Parish, Louisiana; Kanawha County, West Virginia; Nueces County, Texas; Los Angeles County, California; Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Pennsylvania; Miami- Dade County, Florida; the City of St. Louis, Missouri; and Holmes and Hinds Counties, Mississippi. The "dishonorable mentions" are: Hampton County, South Carolina; the Northern Panhandle of the State of West Virginia; and appellate level courts in New Mexico.
Some of the most egregious examples of abuse documented in ATRA's report include:
- In Madison County, Illinois, identified by ATRA as the worst Judicial
Hellhole of 2003, county judges receive three-quarters of their
contributions from personal injury lawyers. Not surprisingly, Madison
County saw a 2,050% increase in class action lawsuits from 1998-2001.
- Mississippi's 22nd Judicial District is the subject of an ongoing FBI
investigation concerning allegations revealed on 60 Minutes that some
jurors may have received payment for their verdicts. The jurisdiction is
infamous for certifying mass actions and handing down irrational jury
verdicts.
- In Orleans Parish, Louisiana, one judge celebrated with jurors after a
large verdict and invited jurors to have their pictures taken with him
and plaintiff's counsel Johnnie Cochran.
The result, says ATRA, is lawsuit abuse that costs consumers, compromises access to affordable healthcare, and acts as a drag on the economy.
In the report, ATRA President Sherman Joyce stated, "Personal injury lawyers bring cases to Judicial Hellholes because they know these courts will produce a large verdict or settlement, a favorable precedent, or both. As a result, this handful of jurisdictions has a tremendous negative impact on our civil justice system," Joyce added.
Joyce pointed out that even personal injury lawyers agree with the problems in Judicial Hellholes. Said Richard "Dickie" Scruggs, a trial lawyer who won $1.4 billion in legal fees from tobacco settlements: "... it's almost impossible to get a fair trial if you're a defendant in some of these places."
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