Congressman Lamar Smith 21st district of Texas

Contact: Blair Jones 202 225 4236

Washington, Jun 21, 2005 - Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) today announced that he has obtained $19.2 million for defense related projects in the 21st Congressional District. The funds are part of the FY 2006 Defense Appropriations bill, which passed the House of Representatives late Monday night.

“This is positive news for our region. These projects will improve homeland security, strengthen our military, protect our soldiers, and help local economies,” said Smith.

“This is just the beginning of the appropriations process,” Smith noted. “The funding levels could decrease when the Senate takes up the bill. I will continue working to ensure that these programs are properly funded.”

The $19.2 million obtained by Smith includes:

•$3 million for Southwest Research Institute, Applied Nanotech Inc., the University of Texas, San Antonio, and other partners to develop specialized clothing and tools suitable for dangerous environments, including chemical and biological threats and fire hazards;

•$2.5 million to Nanotechnologies, Inc. to further develop a weaponry system that will aid troops in urban warfare scenarios;

•$2.7 million for a Nanotechnologies, Inc. and Brooks City Base project to further implement nanotechnology based systems that detect and neutralize chemical and biological agents;

•$2 million to integrate software designed by Austin Info Systems for the U.S. Army to improve intelligence gathering and target identification capabilities;

•$4 million to Austin Info Systems to complete a DOD project that electronically enhances the military’s tactical situational awareness and mission planning abilities;

•$3 million to QuickFlex, Inc. to develop a system that allows silicone chips to reprogram and reconfigure themselves while running software applications;

•$2 million for the Flexible Display Initiative, designed to create a durable, field-worthy, flexible display for communication systems.