Earmarks: Labor, Health, Science

Agriculture Management Technology
Project: Rangeland and Agriculture Management Technology 
Name of Recipient: Chadron State College
Location of Recipient: Chadron, Nebraska
Purpose: to purchase equipment and technology specific to enhancing and supporting the College’s Rangeland and Agriculture Management programs.
Amount Requested: $400,000
Taxpayer Interest: Facilitating curriculum development and expansion in high growth career areas at postsecondary institutions of education fits directly within the mission of the Department of Education
Letter requesting the earmark:
• Janie Park, President, Chadron State College
Letters in support of the earmark:
• Brad Carlson, Resource Conservationist, USDA-NRCS
• Brenda Schladweiler, BKS Environmental Associates
• Casey Lancaster, Resource Conservationist, USDA-NRCS
• Casey Redman, Redman Ranch
• Charlie Marsh, District Ranger, USDA-Forest Service
• David Russell, Vice President, Security First Bank
• Frank Bartlett, Natural Resource Specialist, Bureau of Land Management
• Jamie Eberly, Vegetation Ecologist, BKS Environmental Associates
• Jason Brengle, Vegetation Biologist, National Park Service
• Johnathan Despain, State 4-H Program Coordinator, University of Wyoming
• Lance Schutte, Senior Land Management Specialist, State of Wyoming
• Marji Patz, Rangeland Management Specialist, USDA-NRCS
• Matt Stoltenberg, Rangeland Scientist, RESPEC Consulting
• Nate Matlack, Range Management Specialist, USDA-NRCS
• Nick Simonson, District Conservationist, USDA-NRCS
• Paul Eitel, Rangeland Management Specialist, USDA-NRCS
• Rachel Vardiman, 4-H/Youth Extension Educator, Johnson County
• Stan Carpenter, Chancellor, Nebraska State College System
• Todd Nordeen, Panhandle District Manager, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission

Douglas County Health Center
Project: Douglas County Health Center Renovation
Name of Recipient: Douglas County
Location of Recipient: Omaha, Nebraska
Purpose: for renovation and equipment purchase at the Douglas County Health Center
Amount Requested: $2 million
Taxpayer Interest: As the only public long-term care facility in the region, this non-profit health center provides long-term care and delivers a range of health services to the most vulnerable in the area. The facility is in need of additional capacity and equipment in order to appropriately provide for residents and patients.
Letter requesting the earmark:
• Douglas County Board of Commissioners
Letters in support of the earmark:
• Abbie Widger, Acting Executive Director, Nebraska Health Care Association
• Ronald Jensen, Executive Director, Nebraska Association of Homes and Services for the Aging

Rural Telemedicine
Project: Rural Telemedicine Outreach Initiative
Name of Recipient: Faith Regional Health Services
Location of Recipient: Norfolk, Nebraska
Purpose: to purchase software in order to enable implementation of electronic medical records (EMR) at rural healthcare clinics and critical access hospitals in northeast Nebraska.
Amount Requested: $2 million
Taxpayer Interest: Many healthcare facilities – including critical access hospitals and rural healthcare clinics – are required to begin utilizing EMR to enable the best possible patient care. Implementing these electronic records systems require a significant upfront investment and this collaboration seeks to reduce the burden on smaller rural providers and facilitate quicker implementation of EMR
Letter requesting the earmark:
• James Sinek
Letters in support of the earmark:
• Governor Dave Heineman
• Mike Flood, State Senator, District 19
• Cap Dierks, State Senator, District 40
• Arnie Stuthman, State Senator, District 22
• Kate Sullivan, State Senator, District 41
• Timothy Tighe, President, Frontier Bank
• Neil Classen, General Manager/Three River Telco
• Jerald Dennis, President, Nebrsaka State Bank
• Michael Nolan, Executive Director, League Association of Risk Management
• David Simonsen, Executive Director, Elkhorn Valley Economic Development Council
• Debora Qualset, Assistant Vice President, The Tilden Bank
• Douglas Ketelsen, Branch President, NB Security National Bank
• Joe Metcalf, MD, Director Hospital Medicine Services, Faith Regional Health Services
• Dian Edwards, Chairperson, Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital Board of Directors
• Ronald Cork, President/CEO, Avera St. Anthony’s Hospital
• Ronald Briggs, President/CEO, Saint Francis Memorial Hospital
• Kelly Kalkowski, Administrator, Niobrara Valley Hospital and Medical Clinic
• Arlene Hofmann, Chairperson, Tilden Community Hospital
• Sue Fuchtman, Mayor, City of Norfolk
• Al Roder, Norfolk City Administrator
• Ivan Van Dyke, President, Norfolk City Council
• Dale Coy, Norfolk, Ward 1 City Councilman
• Vicki Saunders, Norfolk, Ward 1 City Councilwoman
• Dave Fauss, Norfolk, Ward 2 City Councilman
• Erik Wilson, Norfolk, Ward 4 City Councilman
• Karl Reeder, Norfolk, Ward 4 City Councilman
• Jim Brenneman, Norfolk, Ward 3 City Councilman
• Brandon Day, CEO, Daycos
• John Dinkel, Norfolk resident
• James Miller, Northeast Nebraska resident
• James Lange, Norfolk resident
• Jeff Eisenmenger, Norfolk resident
• Mike Adams, MD, Norfolk resident
• Orlyn Wingert, MD, Northeast Nebraska Resident
• Daniel Blomenberg, M.D., Northeast Nebraska Resident
• Jeff Pape, O.D., Authier-Miller-Pape Eyecare Consultants
• Roger Haberer, Osmond General Hospital Board Member
• Steffan Lacey, MD at Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk
• Doug Johnson, President, Commercial State Bank in Wausa, NE
• Kelly Hodson, West – Hodson, Lumber & Concrete in Osmond, NE
• Alton Fuelberth, resident of Osmond, NE
• Jean Henes, Director of Nursing at Creighton Area Health Services, in Creighton, NE
• Kim Hixson, CFO, Creighton Area Health Services, in Creighton, NE
• Connie Wagner, Interim CEO, Creighton Area Health Services, in Creighton, NE
• Russ Diedrichsen, Board President, Creighton Area Health Services, in Creighton, NE
• Douglas Laflan, Chief of Staff, Creighton Area Health Services, in Creighton, NE
• Michael Coyel, West Holt Memorial Hospital
• Roger Wiese, Executive Director, North Central District Health Department
• Victor Lee, FACHE, President/CEO for Boone County Health Center & Medical Clinics (Coming soon)   

Renewable Energy
Project: Renewable Energy Programs
Name of Recipient: Northeast Community College
Location of Recipient: Norfolk, Nebraska
Purpose: for purchase of equipment to support Wind Energy Technology curriculum at Northeast Community College
Amount Requested: $1,500,000
Pending Amount Earmarked: $500,000
Taxpayer Interest: As investment in wind energy continues in Nebraska it is crucial to develop a workforce to support the businesses that arise out of that investment. Facilitating expansion of Northeast Community College’s degree program in this high growth industry promotes economic growth and job creation in the region and fits within the mission of the Department of Education.
Letter requesting the earmark:
• Dr. Bill Path
Letters in support of earmark:
• Kendrick Marshall, Workforce Development
• David Simonsen, Executive Director, Elkhorn Valley Economic Development
• Dan Navrkal, Superintendent, Pierce High School
• Charles Troia, Water Systems/Renewable Energy Manager, Nebraska Public Power District
• Ken Navratil, Superintendent, Elkhorn Valley Public Schools

Behavioral Health Information
Project: Southeast Nebraska Behavioral Health Information Network
Name of Recipient: Southeast Nebraska Behavioral Health Information Network
Location of Recipient: Lincoln, Nebraska
Purpose: to purchase software in order to enable implementation of electronic medical records (EMR) by publicly funded behavioral health treatment providers in southeast Nebraska.
Amount Requested: $267,500
Taxpayer Interest: In addition to medical healthcare providers, behavioral healthcare providers are required to begin implementation of EMR in order to provide the best possible patient care. Behavioral healthcare providers will have to make significant investments up front in order to make this transition and currently are not able to utilize incentive payments or reimbursement. This funding would help offset some of those costs facilitate quicker implementation of EMR for 6 publicly funded behavioral healthcare providers in southeast Nebraska.
Letter requesting the earmark:
• Wende Baker
Letters in support of the earmark:
• CJ Johnson, Regional Administrator, Region V Systems
• State Senator Danielle Conrad, District 46
• State Senator Amanda McGill, District 26
• State Senator Kathy Campbell, District 25
• Nancy Shank, Associate Director, University of Nebraska Public Policy Center
• Jason Conrad, LADC, Houses of Hope in Lincoln, NE
• Jon Day, Executive Director, Blue Valley Behavioral Health in Gage County
• Kenneth Foster, Vice President, Regional Development & Strategic Planning, BryanLGH Medical Center
• Julie Fisher-Erickson, Southeast Regional Manager, Lutheran Family Services
• Phil Tegeler, Executive Director, Cornhusker Place
• Mary Barry Magsamen, Executive Director, St. Monica’s
• Topher Hansen, Executive Director, CenterPointe
• Jonah Deppe, Executive Director, National Alliance on Mental Illness
• State Senator Russ Karpisek, District 32

Wind Energy Training
Project: Western Nebraska Wind Energy Training Center
Name of Recipient: Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC)
Location of Recipient: Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Purpose: for purchase of equipment and development of the Western Nebraska Wind Energy Training Center
Amount Requested: $1,865,000
Pending Amount Earmarked: $500,000
Taxpayer Interest: There is rapid investment in wind energy in Nebraska’s panhandle. As such, it is necessary to develop programs and curriculum to train the workforce that will work at the businesses that crop up in this area as well as surrounding states. Initiation of this program at WNCC will result in economic development and job creation in the western part of the state. Certainly, development of this kind of training in a high growth industry fits within the mission of the Department of Education.
Letter requesting the earmark:
• Eileen Ely
Letters in support of the earmark:
• John Hansen, Nebraska Farmers Union President
• Richard Lombardi, CEO, American Communications Group, Inc.
• Neil Moseman, Director, Nebraska Energy Office
• State Senator John Harms, District 48
• City of Kimball Resolution, signed by James Schnell, Mayor of Kimball, NE
• City of Gering Resolution, signed by Mayor Susan Wiedeman
• City of Scottsbluff resolution, signed by Randy Meininger, Mayor of Scottsbluff
• City of Sidney resolution, signed by Dave Weiderspon
• County of Cheyenne Resolution, signed by Harold Winkelman, Chairman, Roy Rankin, Member and Kenneth McMillen, Member
• County of Kimball Resolution, signed by Rick Soper, Chairman, David Bashaw, Vice Chariman and Larry Brower, Member
• County of Scotts Bluff Resolution, signed by Mark Masterton, Chairman
• County of Banner Resolution, signed by Robert Gifford, Chairman
• Thomas Rohrick, II, D.C., CARE Chiropractic
• Charles Troia, Renewable Energy Manager, Nebraska Public Power District
• Ryan Reiber, General Manager, Panhandle Rural Electric Membership Association
• Rawnda Pierce, Executive Director, Twin Cities Development Association
• Western Nebraska Community College Endowment Association
• Western Community College Area Board of Governors resolution, signed by Jane Wisniewski, Chair
• Kevin Kelly, VP of Sales, Keley Bean Co.
• Sandra Hendren, Manager/Administration, Roosevelt Public Power District
• Howard Olsen, President, Western Nebraska Community College Foundation
• Scott Wentz, Board Member, WNCC Foundation
• Timothy Lindahl, CEO, Wheat Belt Public Power District
• Steven Boyer
• Joan Thomson, EcoBroker, Green SRES, broker/realtor with Woods Bros Realty
• Sandra Robnett, President/CEO of Syntek Resource Corporation
• Donald Roth, Executive VP of Platte Valley Bank
• Mark Guilloz, Operation Manager, Peetz/Cedar Creek Wind Power Plants
• Dan McGuire, NREL Facilitator, Wind for Schools
• Tom Swierczewski, AICP, Project Coordinator, Midwest Wind Energy
• Lawrence Gibbs, Board President, Panhandle Resource Conservation & Development, Inc.

Additionally, Senator Nelson asked the Appropriations subcommittee to support the following programmatic funding items:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Healthcare Quality and Promotion

In 2002, Nebraska suffered a major Hepatitis C outbreak with 99 individuals contracting hepatitis in the Fremont area. This outbreak, the largest in U.S. history at the time was due to reuse of syringes by medical providers. Senator Nelson is supporting an appropriation of $26 million within the CDC’s budget to track and respond to future outbreaks as well as promote research and collaboration between the private sector and academia in order to come up with solutions to injection safety and infection control. 

Health and Human Services (HHS) – Reducing Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAIs)

This funding is also directly related to the previous Hepatitis C outbreak that occurred in Nebraska and focuses on injection safety. Senator Nelson is supporting an appropriation of $1 million for HHS to use to develop new and innovative ways to reduce HAIs in outpatient settings.

Health and Human Services (HHS) Nursing Workforce Development Programs

The U.S. faces a shortage of Registered Nurses and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. As one way to address this critical problem, Senator Nelson is supporting $267.3 million to expand capacity at nursing schools and increase patient access by focusing funds on the Advanced Education Nursing, Nursing Workforce Diversity, Comprehensive Geriatric Education and Nurse Education, Practice and Retention programs.

Updated: October 2010