Border security to gain additional funding

JACKMAN – U.S. Rep. John Baldacci announced that the Treasury-Postal Appropriations Conference Report will bolster security along Maine’s border with Canada and provide substantial funding for a border station in the Jackman area. The appropriations measure includes $32.8 billion in funding for fiscal year 2002. For added security along the U.S. border, it provides $2.7 billion for the Customs Service. Of that amount, $28 million was included to specifically address staffing issues along the northern U.S. border. The conference report also includes $868,000 for design and construction expenses associated with a border station in Jackman. Additionally, the legislation includes $226 million for a high-intensity drug-trafficking program; $180 million to continue a youth anti-drug media campaign; $51 million for the Drug-Free Communities Act program; and $42 million for the Counterdrug Technology Assessment Center.