Manchin Secures West Virginia Priorities in 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Funding Bill
Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured a number of West Virginia priorities in the Appropriations Committee markup of the Fiscal Year 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies funding bill. The Senate Appropriations Committee continues to work through the rest of the funding bills, which will hopefully be voted on by the full Senate later this year.
“I am proud we were able to come together in a bipartisan manner and advance a funding bill that helps build a more prosperous, safe, and competitive West Virginia,” said Senator Manchin. “These investments will grow our economy, strengthen manufacturing, support innovative research and help our law enforcement fight crime and strengthen public safety. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I am committed to bringing back regular order, doing our job, and passing funding bills on time to deliver these crucial resources to West Virginia.”
West Virginia priorities included in the FY24 CJS funding bill:
- Fairmont IV&V Facility: $40,200,000 for NASA’s Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Program located in Fairmont, WV to assure the safety and success of software on NASA’s highest-profile missions.
- Green Bank: $10,830,000 for the Green Bank Observatory located in Green Bank, WV to continue leading ground-breaking research, advanced instrumentation to the U.S. scientific community, and education and public outreach programming.
- NASA On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing-1: $227,000,000 for NASA’s On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing-1 (OSAM-1) Program to continue the West Virginia Robotics Technology Center’s (WVRTC) work as the leading academic institution supporting NASA’s satellite servicing programs.
- FBI Facilities: At least $648,000,000 for the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) facility, located in Clarksburg, WV. $129,000,000 for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which plays a crucial role in implementing background checks through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives: Recognizes the importance of the ATF’s Martinsburg, WV National Services Center facility and calls for a report on the physical infrastructure needs of the facility. The bill also continues funding for the Program to Prevent Firearm Straw Purchases, a Bipartisan Safer Communities Act program that helps local law enforcement and families ensure firearms do not end up in the wrong hands.
- Federal Bureau of Prisons: Includes language expressing concern with staffing shortages at BOP facilities, and high-security facilities in particular. Calls for a report within 120 days on employee retention methods and separate reports on staffing shortages for facilities that have seen violent deaths in the past year. Also includes language supporting the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General’s initiative to devote more dedicated resources to allegations of BOP misconduct.
Senator Manchin also secured $24,434,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) requests or ‘earmarks’ in the FY24 CJS funding bill. The Senate Appropriations Committee allows members of Congress to submit CDS requests, which provide opportunities for state and local governments, non-profits, and other public entities to receive targeted funding for projects that bolster their communities.
|
RECIPIENT |
DESCRIPTION |
LOCATION |
COUNTY |
AMOUNT |
PURPOSE |
|
Braxton County Sheriff’s Office |
Braxton County Mobile Law Enforcement Technologies |
Sutton |
Braxton |
$211,000 |
Upgrades mobile technology and equipment at the Braxton County Sheriff’s office. |
|
Bridge Valley Community & Technical College |
BridgeValley CTC Gunshot Detectors Equipment |
South Charleston / Montgomery |
Kanawha |
$400,000 |
Implements a gunshot detection system to enable automatic lockdowns and safety notifications. |
|
City of Beckley |
Beckley Police Department Radios |
Beckley |
Raleigh |
$57,000 |
Purchases 10 portable radios for the Beckley Police Department. |
|
City of Clarksburg |
Clarksburg Public Safety Needs |
Clarksburg |
Harrison |
$446,000 |
Provides radio equipment and other crucial gear. |
|
Marion County Schools |
Marion County Schools ‘Locked Into Collaboration’ Smart Technology for Student Safety & Security Project |
Fairmont |
Marion |
$850,000 |
Provides critical school safety equipment to Marion County Schools. |
|
West Virginia University |
WVU High-Performance CPU Cluster for Research and Education |
Morgantown |
Monongalia |
$1,500,000 |
Funds hardware for a high-performance computational (HPC) cluster for research and education. |
|
West Virginia University |
WVU Research Equipment for Space Plasmas and Spacecraft Applications |
Morgantown |
Monongalia |
$465,000 |
Funds a new laser system for space plasmas and spacecraft applications. |
|
WVU Chestnut Ridge Research Center |
WVU Robotics Lab Equipment |
Morgantown |
Monongalia |
$1,000,000 |
Equips a new WVU robotics center. |
|
West Virginia University |
WVU Equipment for Sample Preparation for Electron Microscopy-Based Research |
Morgantown |
Monongalia |
$1,140,000 |
Funds a suite of tools for sample preparation for electron microscopy-based research. |
|
Cabell County Emergency Response Center |
Cabell County Emergency Dispatch Console Upgrade Project |
Huntington |
Cabell |
$1,500,000 |
Replaces an emergency dispatch console. |
|
Cabell County Sheriff’s Department |
Cabell County Sheriff’s Department Body Worn Camera Community Confidence Initiative |
Huntington |
Cabell |
$386,000 |
Purchases body cameras and in-car video systems. |
|
City of Beckley |
City of Beckley Police Bullet Proof Vests |
Beckley |
Raleigh |
$36,000 |
Purchases 30 bullet proof vests for City of Beckley Police. |
|
City of Charleston |
Charleston CARES Pre-Trial Diversion Initiative |
Charleston |
Kanawha |
$125,000 |
Funds a Pre-Trial Diversion Coordinator for those struggling with addiction who seek to avoid repeated encounters with the justice system. |
|
City of Charleston |
Leon Sullivan Way Safety Initiative |
Charleston |
Kanawha |
$301,000 |
Provides safety upgrades to Leon Sullivan Way and its surrounding, heavily-trafficked areas. |
|
City of Huntington Police Department |
Huntington Police Department Technology Modernization Project |
Huntington |
Cabell |
$1,300,000 |
Modernizes the City of Huntington’s Police Department technology and equipment. |
|
City of Huntington Police Department |
Huntington Police Department Community Oriented Policing Endeavors (COPE) Project |
Huntington |
Cabell |
$776,000 |
Provides Crisis Intervention Team to individuals experiencing mental health crises. |
|
Fairmont State University |
Fairmont State University Campus Security System Upgrades |
Fairmont |
Marion |
$1,701,000 |
Upgrades the security access system to improve campus safety. |
|
Marshall University Research Corporation |
Marshall University Forensic Genomics Institute |
Huntington |
Cabell |
$2,000,000 |
Establishes the Forensic Genomics Institute. |
|
Nicholas County Commission |
Nicholas County Police Vehicles and Outfitting |
Summersville |
Nicholas |
$308,000 |
Purchases six new police vehicles outfitted with emergency equipment. |
|
Nicholas County Commission |
Nicholas County Sheriff Body Worn Cameras |
Summersville |
Nicholas |
$84,000 |
Provides 20 new body cameras to the Nicholas County Sheriff’s Department. |
|
University of Charleston |
University of Charleston Safety and Security Upgrades |
Charleston / Beckley |
Kanawha / Raleigh |
$1,394,000 |
Provides critical infrastructure upgrades to improve campus safety. |
|
University of Charleston |
University of Charleston WV Law Enforcement Leadership Training Program |
Charleston |
Kanawha |
$1,922,000 |
Provides a leadership training program for 300 members of the law enforcement community. |
|
West Virginia Wesleyan College |
WV Wesleyan Center for Ethical Professional Development in Criminal Justice |
Buckhannon |
Upshur |
$795,000 |
Establishes the Center for Ethical Professional Development in Criminal Justice. |
|
Wetzel County Commission |
Wetzel County Commission Upgrading of Police Cruisers |
New Martinsville |
Wetzel |
$141,000 |
Provides three new police vehicles to the Wetzel County Commission for its police force. |
|
WVU Potomac State |
WVU Potomac State Security Equipment Enhancements |
Keyser |
Mineral |
$439,000 |
Purchases and installs state-of-the-art security cameras and integrated online locks. |
|
West Virginia University |
Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Equipment |
Morgantown |
Monongalia |
$233,000 |
Acquires a liquid chromatograph/mass spectrometer to support research. |
|
Braxton County |
Communications Upgrades |
Sutton |
Braxton |
$1,882,000 |
Upgrades the outdated emergency communications system in Braxton County. |
|
Nicholas County |
Dispatch System Upgrades |
Summersville |
Nicholas |
$2,062,000 |
Upgrades dispatch system equipment in Nicholas County. |
|
Marion County Sheriff’s Department |
Public Safety Equipment and Law Enforcement Technology |
Fairmont |
Marion |
$980,000 |
Provides technology upgrades to the Marion County Sheriff’s Department. |
|
29 TOTAL PROJECTS |
$ 24,434,000 |
A video of Senator Manchin highlighting Appropriations wins can be found here.
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