Actually, I was in the bike shop the other day and quite a few bikes with drop handlebars have the additional brake levers, but they are not the old school style (suicide levers) where the levers simply connect to the brake handles on the drops, they now are actually a second set of brake levers with their own cables. I think I saw them on a Bianchi. Not sure if it will fit in your price range. One of these days, I do want to look at how they wire those up.

I just bought a Marin Muirwoods off Ebay, 2012 model - $350 with shipping. They retail at $700+ new. You're probably tall enough for the 29er version, however I went with the 26 as I'm shorter and like the agility of the smaller wheels in city traffic. The drivetrain components are on the lower range, but you can take some of that savings and upgrade if you need. I should get mine on Friday, I can give a better review after assembly, although I won't be using the stock components. I'm even considering adding drop handlebars to it after I see how the frame fits me.