Congressman Walter Jones Takes Action | Eastern North Carolina Now

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Jones, Price Announce Beaufort NOAA Lab Protected in House Funding Bill

    WASHINGTON, D.C.     Representatives Walter B. Jones (NC-03) and David Price (NC-04) announced today that the Fiscal Year 2015 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies appropriations bill includes full funding for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ocean science labs, including the facility located in Beaufort, N.C. The text of the bill was released by the House Appropriations Committee today and will be considered by the full Appropriations Committee Thursday morning. The president's FY2015 budget had proposed shuttering the lab.

    "The Beaufort lab is both an integral part of the local economy and an important provider of scientific research affecting the entire East Coast," said Congressman Jones. "I am grateful to Chairman Frank Wolf (VA-10) for working with me and my North Carolina congressional colleagues to prevent the closure of this valuable facility."

    "The Beaufort NOAA Lab is the focal point for federal, state and university-based marine and fisheries research in North Carolina," Rep. Price said. "I'm very pleased we were able to work together to secure this funding because the lab has a significant economic impact, and it is critical to maintaining the competitiveness of our state's research enterprise."

    Earlier this year, Reps. Jones and Price asked the CJS subcommittee to include report language in its bill continuing funding for all existing labs in FY2015. The language also requires that "NOAA shall submit a comprehensive analysis no later than one year after enactment of this Act on all National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) facilities and labs, to include current maintenance costs as well as a detailed analysis of how the research conducted by NCCOS laboratories would be affected by any proposed NCCOS lab consolidation."

    According to a March report by McClatchy, the Beaufort NOAA Lab, opened in 1899, employs 108 people in the region. The lab is the only government facility between New Jersey and Miami studying Atlantic fish populations.

    In correspondence with the Subcommittee, both members highlighted that, in addition to its significant economic impact, the lab serves as a hub for collaborative endeavors among federal researchers and researchers located at neighboring labs overseen by the NC Division of Coastal Management, the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, Duke University and East Carolina University. The lab's presence helps each partner facility compete for federal grants, research programs, and economic development opportunities.

    Rep. Jones's 3rd Congressional District includes Beaufort and surrounding communities. Rep. Price is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee.

Jones Applauds Supreme Court Decision Upholding Legislative Prayer

    WASHINGTON, D.C.     Today, the Supreme Court released a landmark decision in Town of Greece v. Galloway, agreeing with Congressman Walter B. Jones' (NC-3) position that legislative prayer is lawful under the Establishment Clause of the Constitution. The case stemmed from a suit brought by two atheist residents of the town of Greece, New York, who challenged the town's longstanding practice of opening its meetings in prayer – a practice which was open to volunteers of all faiths or no faith.

    Congressman Jones submitted an amicus curiae brief in the case to urge the Supreme Court to apply the coercion test, which analyzes whether a government practice coerces any person to participate in a religious exercise or profess support for something that the individual does not believe. The Court ruled in agreement with Congressman Jones that opening a town meeting in prayer does not meet the standard of coercion and is thus lawful under the Constitution.

    "I applaud the Supreme Court for upholding the true intent of the Establishment Clause of the Constitution in Town of Greece v. Galloway," said Congressman Jones. "The free exercise of religion is one of our nation's founding principles, and the right of a town to open its meetings with prayer absolutely falls within the boundaries of the First Amendment."


    Sarah Howard
      Communications Director

    Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3)

     2333 Rayburn House Office Building
     Washington, DC 20515

     sarah.howard@mail.house.gov  •  (202) 225-3415