CAMP RIPLEY, Minnesota, Aug. 1 -- The U.S. Army Reserve Command issued the following news: "The reason that they are smiling is because they are beating COVID-19 and training at the same time," said Lt. Col. Timothy Tyler, the commander of the 327th Military Police Battalion as he glanced toward a bleacher where his Soldiers practiced social distancing while carrying their assigned weapons waiting to fire. Soldiers from the 327th along with the 822nd Military Police Company and the 79th Milita  more

WASHINGTON, July 26 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. RL30378) entitled "African American Members of the U.S. Congress: 1870-2020" by Ida A. Brudnick, specialist on the congress and Jennifer E. Manning, senior research librarian, on July 23: Summary: In total, 162 African Americans have served in Congress. This total includes * 152 African Americans (146 Representatives and 6 Delegates) elected only to the House of Representatives; * 9 African Americans   more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R42346) entitled "Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data" by Carol Hardy Vincent, specialist in natural resources policy and Laura A. Hanson, senior research librarian, on Feb. 21: Summary: The federal government owns roughly 640 million acres, about 28% of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States. Four major federal land management agencies administer 606.5 million acres of this land (as o  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- The Environmental Defense Fund issued the following statement by Mark Rupp, director, state-federal policy and affairs: The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 7575, the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA 2020), a key piece of legislation that authorizes vital projects and priorities in the nation's water infrastructure systems, including advancing natural infrastructure to reduce flood risk and boost community resilience. "The U.S. House of Representati  more

ST. LOUIS, Missouri, July 29 -- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued the following news release: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Louis District welcomed a new commanding officer during a closed change of command ceremony, attended by personnel essential to the ceremony and viewed by many more on social media. Col. Kevin R. Golinghorst succeeded Col. Bryan K. Sizemore as District Engineer in a private ceremony at District offices and shared on Facebook. Maj. Gen. Diana M. Holland, commander  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Rep. Abby Finkenauer, D-Iowa, issued the following news release: Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer (IA-01) on Wednesday helped pass the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA) through the House. The legislation passed the House on a bipartisan voice vote. Finkenauer helped develop the legislation in the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee where it was passed with unanimous bipartisan support. WRDA is the primary water infrastructure development packag  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: Congressman Adrian Smith (R-NE), released the following statement after the House passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (H.R. 7575). Included in this legislation is language Smith developed with the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to help communities which abide by certain criteria restore their eligibility for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assistance to repair damage from 2019 flood  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Rep. Cynthia Axne, D-Iowa, issued the following news release: Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03) and her colleagues unanimously passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020, which authorizes Army Corps of Engineers flood prevention projects, repairs locks and dams, and addresses water management issues. "As Southwest Iowa continues to rebuild from last spring's devastating flooding, it's critical that we ensure our towns aren't just made whole but made stronger and mo  more

NEW YORK, July 30 -- The National Audubon Society issued the following news: The U.S. House of Representatives today passed the Water Resources of Development Act of 2020 in a bipartisan vote. This legislation is critically important because it authorizes projects and programs led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study, design, and construct water transportation and infrastructure projects including the restoration and maintenance of wetlands and watersheds critically important to birds.   more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) helped pass the bipartisan Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020. This legislation authorizes Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) water resources projects to strengthen our locks and dams, improve inland waterways, invest in flood damage reduction and update water infrastructure. "Our inland waterways are critical to delivering tons of goods to market each year and s  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release on July 29: Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) and the House of Representatives voted to pass the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2020 (H.R. 7575). The 2020 WRDA would authorize the study and construction of locally driven projects across the U.S. in cooperation and consultation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. These projects are essential to everything from preserving and growing our nation  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Illinois, issued the following news release: U.S. Representative Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) and a bipartisan group of lawmakers from the Illinois delegation yesterday sent a letter to Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works R.D. James regarding the closure and maintenance of the LaGrange Lock and Dam in the Illinois Waterway. The Illinois Waterway is a critical artery for the Illinois agricultural economy and the competitiveness of U.S. agriculture  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Rep. Sam Graves, R-Missouri, issued the following news release: The Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA) was passed by the full House of Representatives. Introduced earlier this month by House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Ranking Member Sam Graves (MO-06) and his colleagues on the Committee, the bill is critical for flood control, navigation, ports, locks, dams, and other water resources infrastructure. "This bill is vital for advancing flood   more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Rep. Garret Graves, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release: U.S. Congressman Garret Graves (South Louisiana) secured several provisions that will advance Louisiana's flood control, ports, inland waterways, hurricane protection, coastal restoration and other infrastructure priorities in the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (WRDA). Graves, as a member of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is positioned to advance the Army Corps of Eng  more

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 -- Rep. Garret Graves, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release: The U.S. House of Representatives approved a number of Louisiana-centric priorities advanced by Congressman Garret Graves (South Louisiana) and included in the six-bill appropriations package the House passed to fund the Department of Defense, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water, Financial Services, Labor-HHS-Education, and Transportation-HUD. Graves successfully influenced all six appropriations bi  more

WASHINGTON, July 29 -- Rep. Nita M. Lowey, D-New York, chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following news release: In advance of Floor consideration this week, the House Appropriations Committee released a division-by-division summary of the second minibus of fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills. The House is expected to consider the legislation, H.R. 7617, beginning this week. The package includes six FY 2021 spending bills: Defense, Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy   more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-Missouri, issued the following statement regarding House passage of the Water Resources Development Act, which included several Mid-Missouri priorities: "As the Representative of an area that is home to thousands of miles of shoreline, it is always important to me that Third District priorities are included in WRDA to ensure our infrastructure needs are being met, especially after the historic flooding and devastation Missouri experienced in 201  more

WASHINGTON, July 30 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke by phone with Illinois mayors from cities on the coast of the Mississippi River about the Heroes Act and its provisions to support local governments in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic's economic impact. With Illinois expecting to lose more than $10 billion in revenue by next summer, Durbin spoke about the $1 trillion in fiscal relief funding for states and lo  more

WASHINGTON, July 28 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration issued the following news release on July 27: U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $11.4 million in CARES Act Recovery Assistance grants to capitalize and administer Revolving Loan Funds (RLFs) that will provide critical gap financing to small businesses and entrepreneurs adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemi  more

CINCINNATI, Ohio, July 28 -- The University of Cincinnati issued the following news: The world's most advanced rover will look for evidence of ancient life on Mars with the help of a University of Cincinnati astrobiologist. The six-wheeled rover called Perseverance is scheduled for launch July 30 from Kennedy Space Center aboard an enormous Atlas V rocket designed for interplanetary flight. It will take the partially autonomous robot more than six months to reach Mars. Its mission: to look fo  more