Wes Hickman (202 224-5972) or Kevin Bishop (864 250-1417)

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today announced the Senate approved the FY 2004 Defense Appropriations Bill which includes several hundred million dollars for projects directly affecting South Carolina. Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, voted for the bill, which passed the Senate 95-0. Highlights of South Carolina projects in the bill include: South Carolina Upstate The bill appropriates a total of $140.222 million for the P-3 aircraft Anti-Surface Warfare Improvement Program (AIP). The Anti-Surface Warfare Improvement Program greatly expands the P-3C’s capabilities and includes additional advanced technology sensors, expanded communication systems, upgraded weapon delivery capabilities, and survivability upgrades. The plus up includes $18.2 million for additional AIP kits and $3 million for Tactical Common Data Link. A portion of this work will be done in Greenville. $12 million for Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Trucks (HEMTT) to support prototype development. A portion of this work will be done in Greenville. $1.25 million for Formidable Aligned Carbon ThermoSets (FACTS), a new composite product for naval aircraft construction. FACTS will allow the design and fabrication of much more efficient designs significantly lowering airframe weight. A significant amount of the development will be conducted in Anderson. South Carolina Midlands $34.592 million for the purchase of additional M109A6 Paladin Howitzers. The Paladin is the most advanced self-propelled howitzer cannon system fielded in the world. The additional 36 Paladins authorized and appropriated are solely for the Army National Guard. A significant number of components for the Paladin are built in Aiken. $5 million for M-249 Squad Automatic Weapons (Army) and $4 million for M-249 Squad Automatic Weapons (Marine Corp) produced in Columbia. The M-249 is a portable, high-fire volume, highly reliable light machine gun which serves as one of the Army and Marine Corps most valuable infantry weapon systems. $3.6 million for the AH-64 Vibration Management Enhancement Program (VMEP). The Army has selected the South Carolina National Guard’s VMEP, in conjunction with the University of South Carolina, as the aircraft maintenance diagnostic system for all Army AH-64 Apache and Apache Longbow helicopters. $1.2 million for the development of an Advanced Electric Drive for military use. South Carolina Lowcountry $8.4 million for continued research and development to create vaccines for the Ebola and Marburg viruses. The research will be conducted in Mt. Pleasant. $2.8 million for the procurement of Quadrangle Containers, produced in Charleston. These shipping containers divide into four separate sections to aid in transport by facilitating the loading and unloading process. $2.25 million for continued development of multi-spectral Barium GaloGermanite (BGG) glass window technology, an essential component for airborne reconnaissance systems. Research and development of BGG glass is conducted in Hilton Head. $2.1 million for further development of Lean Munitions, designed to reduce the time necessary to design, manufacture and test munitions to keep pace with the Army’s increased operational tempo. $2 million for the development of an Autolog System, a concept that uses multi-point stabilization to overcome the pendulations problems on existing shipboard cranes. Research will be conducted in Charleston. $1.5 million increase to the current Supply-Chain Practices for Affordable Navy Systems (SPANS) program. This will support additional pilot programs to help prime contractors work with their supply chains in the context of the new acquisition practices. Misc. $55 million for C-37 Procurement. These aircraft support combatant commanders of forward deployed Navy and Marine Corps forces. $5 million for Eagle Vision which provides the South Carolina National Guard with in-theater, real-time acquisition and processing of commercial satellite imagery of our adversary’s territory. "Our state is the tip of the spear for our nation’s armed services," said Graham. "South Carolina is also a leader in military technology and plays a vital role in the war on terrorism. The men and women stationed here, both active duty and reserve components, play a major role in defending American interests around the world and providing freedom.” "I am proud to be from a state that is invaluable to America’s fighting force," said Graham. "We provide the human assets and support systems that make the U.S. military the world’s premier fighting force.” “This bill is important to our men and women in uniform. It provides the crucial technology and equipment on which they depend. South Carolina plays an important role in the defense of our country and our way of life.” The Defense Appropriations Act has also passed the U.S. House and will now be sent to President Bush for his signature. ####

Wes Hickman or Kevin Bishop

WASHINGTON – A resolution introduced by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) commending the Clemson University Golf Team for winning the 2003 NCAA Division I Golf National Championship has passed the U.S. Senate. The resolution recognizes the many accomplishments the team achieved this year:

• Winning the national championship by two strokes;
• Becoming the first golf team in NCAA history to win its conference championship, an NCAA regional title, and the National Championship in the same year;
• Starting and finishing the year ranked number one in the nation;
• Winning 93 percent of their matches against teams ranked in the top 25;
• Players D.J. Trahan, Jack Ferguson, and Matt Hendrix were honored as All-Americans for 2002-2003;
• Head Coach Larry Penley won the Dave Williams Award as the National Coach of the Year as selected by the Golf Coaches Association.

“We’re all very proud of these young men and Coach Penley,” said Graham. “They have represented Clemson and the state of South Carolina well. The dedication, teamwork and sportsmanship they have demonstrated throughout the year set a high standard we should all strive to achieve.” Graham also noted that all members of the team who participated in the National Championship are native-born South Carolinians. The resolution extends an invitation to the team to visit the U.S. Capitol Building to be honored in Washington. U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett (R-Westminster) has introduced a similar resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Wes Hickman or Kevin Bishop

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today announced the U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded the National Textile Center a $9.78 million grant to conduct research in new textile technologies. Clemson University is one of the founding members of the eight-university Center. The grant will be used by the universities to research advanced textile technologies to improve the long-term global competitiveness of the domestic textile and apparel industry. “Clemson University is on the cutting edge in textile research,” said Graham. “This grant will allow the university to study new technologies and work toward a more level playing field. This is a step forward for the textile industry. Unfortunately, I don’t believe it will solve all of our problems.” The Center focuses on textile research, education and partnerships. Researchers design and develop new materials, and also work to improve manufacturing methods. Since its founding, Congress has invested more than $82 million in textile research at the Center. “Our textile industry has been hard-hit by unfair, foreign competition,” said Graham. “We’ve lost tens of thousands of jobs over the past decade. Until we stop agreeing to bad trade deals that ship our jobs overseas, in the coming years we face the real possibility of more job layoffs in the textile industry. It’s hard for our domestic textile industry to compete with countries that have no labor standards, no minimum wage, no government regulations and often use slave labor in their factories.” The National Textile Center is made up of Clemson, Auburn University, Georgia Institute of Technology, North Carolina State University, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, Philadelphia University, University of California Davis and Cornell University.

Wes Hickman or Kevin Bishop

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has awarded Lexington County a $276,614 grant for the improvement of the Adult Treatment Court. The court provides judicial supervision for nonviolent adult criminal offenders as they participate in addiction treatment services. They also monitor the offenders' progress in treatment to stop their use of drugs, end their involvement in crime and improve their ability to function as responsible citizens. “Drug court is an innovative approach to punishment of non-violent drug offenders,” said Graham.