Washington ? Kansas would get millions to suppress fire on the Tallgrass National Prairie Preserve, study ice on airplane wings and expand a school mentoring problem from the $397.4 billion spending bill on its way to President Bush.

Hundreds of millions of government dollars are destined for Kansas now that Congress has approved the measure.

“Every federal dollar we bring back … is one less local tax dollar that must be raised for important local needs,” said Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan.

The fire suppression system on the tallgrass prairie program would get $2.8 million, and the school mentoring program, called Kansas YouthFriends, would get $1 million.

Tiahrt and GOP Sens. Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback and Democratic Rep. Dennis Moore issued lists of dozens of projects worth millions of dollars to Kansas.

Brownback applauded a spending earmark of $2 million for the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute.

“This funding will be designated for the University of Kansas Medical Center and the KU Lawrence campus as the Kansas stakeholders of the Kansas City Proteomics Consortium,” he said.

Every member of the Kansas congressional delegation except Rep. Jim Ryun, R-Kan., voted for the big spending measure.

“As budget times are tight across America, now is not the time for irresponsible spending,” Ryun said in a statement.

Among the funds earmarked for Douglas County are:

l $150,000 for the Working to Recognize Alternative Possibilities Program at the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. The program provides prevention, education and outreach services to at-risk junior and senior high school students.

l $500,000 for the Lawrence Transit System to purchase land and develop a transit center in downtown Lawrence.