WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR) applauded the assistance of federal regional commissions to communities in Arkansas and across the country, particularly in the wake of natural disasters and other economic challenges, in a hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee.

Boozman, a senior EPW Committee member, went on to urge witnesses from five federal-state partnership entities to help simplify federal grant applications in order to help state and local governments more readily access funds Congress intended for their use.

“Your budgets aren’t very great, but those dollars you have, being able to intervene and really knowing the communities you’re serving makes a huge difference,”Boozman said. “In recent years Arkansas has been devastated by natural disasters from tornadoes and wind to historic flooding along the Arkansas River. The impacts of which are still being dealt with. Once the dust has settled and the rubble has been cleared, communities struggle to continue growth and retain residents.”

Boozman also cited the difficulty small, rural localities like Mountainburg, Arkansas face in applying for federal grants to help fund projects like expanding water infrastructure to deliver safe, reliable drinking water to residents.

“It shouldn’t be that, if you have a good education, you have to hire a $30,000 grant writer in a very, very small community,” Boozman said. “I hope we can all work together on this. There’s no excuse for making things so very difficult.”

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators John Boozman (R-AR) and Ben Cardin (D-MD), senior members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, applauded passage of bipartisan legislation that will enable the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support conservation partners along migratory flyways throughout the Western Hemisphere. The Senate approved the bill Wednesday and it now heads to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

“I applaud Senate passage of legislation to protect migratory birds. This will allow us to build on the success we’ve seen from this program and provide certainty for vulnerable bird populations for generations to come,” said Boozman, a Migratory Bird Conservation Co-Chair.

“I am glad to see the Senate take swift action to pass Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Enhancement Act. This bill makes thoughtful improvements to a critical bird habitat conservation program at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The unique program helps to ensure that in the backyard birds we know and love in Maryland like the Baltimore Oriole have places to nest and winter along their full migratory journey,” Cardin said. “Support for this important conservation program has been a cornerstone of my environmental work in the Senate, but I am not done yet. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure the program’s funding levels continue to keep pace with its important work.”

The Migratory Birds of the Americas Conservation Act, formerly the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act, has a proven track record of reversing habitat loss and advancing conservation strategies for the hundreds of species of birds considered neotropical migrants—birds that spend summers in North America and winter in Central and South America and the Caribbean. Since 2002, the program has provided more than $89 million in grants to support 717 projects across five million acres of bird habitat in 43 countries. The federal investment in this program is leveraged to spur significant private partner funding.

Boozman Thanks Regional Economic Development Commissions for Support of Communities, Pushes to Simplify Grant Application Process

Boozman, Cardin Laud Congressional Passage of Legislation Protecting Migratory Birds