Mountain State Times

Washington, DC – On July 14, 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.

Original source can be found here.