WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Montana Senator Conrad Burns today announced that the Senate has approved the VA/HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2000, which contains $21.5 million in funding that Burns requested for Montana-related projects.

Burns noted that although he was pleased with Montana's share of the funding, he's still concerned that veterans' health care needs are not being met and that additional funding is needed to provide veterans with the care they deserve.

"Montana's veterans programs sorely need this funding, but quite frankly it's still not enough to provide the high level of healthcare that I believe they're entitled to," Burns said. "President Clinton clearly has no idea what it's like to wait for days on end, or to have to drive hundreds of miles to receive medical care. It's simply wrong that the healthcare needs of the men and women who fought for our country are not being met."

Burns was supportive of an earlier measure that would have increased veterans' healthcare funding by $1.1 billion, but the Clinton administration refused to back the effort. Burns opposed another effort to increase veterans' funding that would have raided the Social Security Trust Fund.

Burns continued to express disappointment with reduced funding levels for the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, which uses public funds to leverage millions of private dollars to build affordable housing. The bill includes $60 million for the program, although it received $90 million last year.

In addition the legislation contains funding for the following projects in Montana that Burns requested:
 

• •$6 million for the heavy metal and mine waste program to MSE Technology Applications in Butte. MSE is also earmarked to receive an additional $1.5 million for ongoing research projects with NASA.
• •$4 million to aid in the development of the Lockwood water and sewer district.

• •$2 million for the Center on Life in Extreme Environments at MSU-Bozeman.

• •$2 million for the study of advanced optoelectric material at MSU-Bozeman.
• •$2 million for the Earth Observation System Natural Resources Training Center at the University of Montana in Missoula.
• •$1.5 million to help upgrade the Big Timber wastewater treatment facility.
• •$900,000 for the construction of a community center in Libby.
• •$750,000 for the redevelopment of the Billings Depot.
• •$500,000 for the development of an MSU-Billings business development facility.
   

• •$69.5 million for combined EPSCoR funding through NASA, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Science Foundation.
• •$19 million for National Space Grant, which is used for space-related research at universities in a number of states, including Montana.
• •$2.3 million for the Jason Foundation, a distance learning program.
   

House and Senate negotiators must now come together to iron out the differences in their respective bills.