Sheila Jackson Lee for Congress—Sheila Jackson Lee is running for re-election to U.S. Congress, Texas' 18th District

Today, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee secured $5 million in special projects for the 18th Congressional District as part of the Defense Appropriations bill, H.R. 3326, bill that passed the House 395-34.

The projects Congresswoman Jackson Lee got included in the bill were:

• $1 million for the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) at Houston’s Riverside General Hospital
• $1 million for the Center for Research on Minority Heath Prostate Cancer Outreach Project
• $2 million for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Initiative, and
• $1 million for High Efficiency Solar Energy Generation and Storage

“This bill is about helping my constituents and keeping a promise to our troops and putting their needs first,” said Congresswoman Jackson Lee. “We made a commitment to give them and their families the best possible care for their service to this country. With this bill, we are keeping that commitment and protecting them as they go into battle in defense of our nation.”

The Defense Appropriations Act includes a 3.4% pay raise for the military. It also continues to pay troops an additional $500 for every month their term of service is involuntarily extended by the practice of stop loss. It invests more than $29 billion in the Defense Health Program and boosts funding to support our military families with programs like child care, job training for spouses, and expanded counseling services.

The legislation provides the military with first class equipment to protect our troops on the battlefield and make sure that our soldiers are well-prepared for any challenge that comes their way. It gives them the weapons they need to fight the wars of today and prepare for the battles of tomorrow.

To help Americans hit hardest by this recession, the bill also provides emergency relief by extending unemployment insurance, helping with health insurance premiums through the COBRA program, and funding for nutrition assistance programs to help families in need put food on their table.