Dear Colleague,

Although we could have placed this article under Funding Awards, I thought the controversy on the subject of earmark funding deserved attention under my ‘soapbox’ column.

For the record, Congress only defines spending as an earmark if a project is added to an appropriations bill at the formal request of a lawmaker or the president.

Earmark critics in Congress have decried the practice of earmarks, arguing that it leads to an inefficient use of taxpayer dollars and can end up benefiting campaign donors. Earmarked funding also doesn't get publicly scrutinized during committee hearings like most funding requests.

Total Earmark in the 2010 budget was approximately $11 billion.

If you would like a list of agencies that received these “special appropriations,” email me at rkatz@hrms.net.

If you are attending the NAWB conference next week, be sure to talk to your colleagues about HIT funding opportunities coming your way.

Richard Katz

Publisher, NetAssets

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