The FY 2009 House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill contains 1371 earmarks for a total cost of $619,187,000. The number of projects is up 6% from the 2008 House total of 1,293 projects. The cost of the earmarks has increased 19.92% from $516.3 million in 2008 (click here for the database).

The bill was supposed to be passed out of committee before the 4^th of July recess. But shortly after the bill was brought up for consideration, Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) offered an amendment to replace the entire spending bill with the Interior Appropriations, and then Rep. John Peterson (R-PA) sought to add his offshore drilling amendment. Committee Democrats pulled the plug after that, and the bill is in a holding pattern.

Here are some of the highlights of the earmarks that we were able to sift through:

Appropriations Committee (and Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee) Chairman David Obey (D-WI) pulled down 9 earmarks worth $3.3 million, but retiring Ranking Member Rep. Jim Walsh (R-NY) did him a few better in his swan song, with 13 solo earmarks worth $3.5 million.

Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL) who replaced former House Speaker Rep. Dennis Hastert obtained 7 earmarks for a total of $810,000 including $100,000 for Elgin Boys and Girls Club, Elgin, IL, for after-school programs; and $105,000 for Elgin Community College, Elgin, IL, for its automotive training program. Rep. Foster headed an impressive crop of special election winners who have proven to be quick learners in the school of earmarks. Rep. Don Cazayoux (D-LA) (replaced Rep. Baker) pulled down 3 for $810,000, Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) (replaced Rep. Jindal) got 2 for $400,000, Rep. Travis Childers (D-MS) (replaced Rep. Wicker) got 1 for $810,000 and Rep. Jackie Speier got 2 for $650,000 (replaced Rep. Lantos).

Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) obtained 6 earmarks for $1,266,000 including $150,000 for the American Ballet Theatre, New York, NY, for educational activities, and her highest request was $331,000 to Carnegie Hall for its National Music Education Program.

Rep. John Peterson (R-PA), whose offshore drilling amendment was the straw that broke the camel’s back on this bill got 9 solo earmarks worth $1.8 million in the bill, including $250,000 to establish an Energy Institute at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, PA.

Wynton Marsalis will be swinging to a new tune after Rep. Jerold Nadler (D-NY) obtained $400,000 for Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, NY for music education programs.

There were 61 earmarks for museums totalling $10.7 million; including $200,000 for the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, WY, for digitizing and editing the Cody collection, courtesy of Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-WY) and $150,000 for the Historic Jazz Foundation, Inc., Kansas City, MO, for the Musical History Project, obtained by Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO).

One major difference is that the House decided to zero out funding for the Denali Commission – a kind of Alaska project slush fund – that received $39.3 million in the their bill last year.