CHARLESTON, W.Va. — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today announced funding from a number of federal agencies to assist victims of crime, revitalize brownfields, foster small business growth, strengthen rural veterinarian programs, enhance mental health resources, increase food safety, and help fund a variety of research programs at West Virginia University (WVU).

HHS FUNDING: Senator Capito, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS), secured funding for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (WV DHHR) from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help support mental health services in the Mountain State.

“It is incredibly important to face mental health challenges, especially deadly ones like substance abuse, head-on. I was proud to secure these resources from HHS to help West Virginians get the care they need so they can thrive and reach their full potential,” Ranking Member Capito said.

CDC FUNDING: Senator Capito, Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-HHS, secured funding from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) to support five Prevention Empowerment Partnership (PEP) Drug-Free Communities Support Program grants across West Virginia.

“Funding like this is important when it comes to continuing our efforts to help keep communities across our state free of drugs and alcohol. These grants can help set up entire generations of West Virginians for success, and I look forward to seeing the impact they will have in the area,” Ranking Member Capito said.

EPA FUNDING: Senator Capito, Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), secured funding for the cleanup of two Brownfield sites in West Virginia.

“Brownfield sites can present both challenges and opportunities for employers, workers, and residents in communities across West Virginia,” Ranking Member Capito said. “In the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, we prioritized resources to help states assess, clean up, and revitalize these sites for future use. The funding announced today will have a positive impact on our state as we continue building more success stories through the Brownfields Program.”

DOJ FUNDING: Senator Capito also obtained funding from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to compensate victims of crimes, in line with the Victims of Crimes Act (VOCA), and provide assistance to survivors of sexual assault.

I am always devastated when I hear stories about people who have gone through traumatic experiences and been victims of violent crimes. I am constantly working to make sure West Virginia is a safe and prosperous state to live in and this funding is a part of that effort,” Senator Capito said.

WVU RESEARCH FUNDING: Senator Capito also secured funding from HHS, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and its Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to support five research projects at WVU, including medical and physics projects.

I am pleased to deliver resources to researchers at WVU, who continue to be a national and global leader in important research for how we see and understand the world around us,” Senator Capito said. “I am excited to hear about what the students and professors learn in their research and how we can use it to better understand the world and improve our lives.”

FDA FUNDING: Senator Capito also secured funding from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (WV DHHR) to expand its food safety resources to ensure that West Virginians are getting food that meet health standards.

I am pleased be have secured resources that continue to help ensure that the food West Virginians buy at the supermarket is safe and healthy,” Senator Capito said. “Proper nutrition is important and I am happy to see the DHHR getting resources that help in its mission.”

EDA FUNDING: Senator Capito also secured funding from EDA to help Marshall University boost its MOMENTUM program, which aims to assist in the growth of local businesses and careers of entrepreneurs.

“Supporting our local businesses and efforts that spur entrepreneurism is important to West Virginia’s economy. Marshall’s MOMENTUM program aims to start new businesses and grow existing companies to create more jobs for West Virginians, and I was proud to announce this funding that help them further their mission,” Senator Capito said.

Individual awards listed below:

  • $7,472,022 in DOJ Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding to GO33 Justice & Community Services (Charleston, W.Va.) to fund victim compensation.
  • $2,222,109 in HHS funding to WVU (Morgantown, W.Va.) for pharmacology, physiology, and biological chemistry research.
  • $2,000,000 in NSF EPSCoR funding to WVU (Morgantown, W.Va.) for neurological quantum sensing research.
  • $1,975,560 in HHS funding to First Choice Services, Inc. (Charleston, W.Va.) for a project titled “Cooperative Agreement to Support Navigators in Federally- Facilitated Exchange.”
  • $829,795 in EPA funding to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WV DEP) (Charleston, W.Va.) to help assess, clean up, and revitalize brownfield sites in West Virginia.
  • $809,896 in DOJ funding to GO33 Justice & Community Services (Charleston, W.Va.) for services assisting victims of sexual assault.
  • $500,000 in EPA funding to the City of Huntington, W.Va. to help assess, clean up, and revitalize brownfield sites.
  • $440,681 in HHS funding to the WV DHHR (Charleston, W.Va.) for community mental health services.
  • $300,989 in NSF EPSCoR funding to WVU (Morgantown, W.Va.) for a research project titled “MRI: Track 3 Acquisition of Helium Recovery Equipment at West Virginia University.”
  • $297,108 in NSF EPSCoR funding to WVU (Morgantown, W.Va.) for a research project titled “Collaborative Research: Elements: Building an open source DFT+eDMFT database for quantum materials.”
  • $275,000 in NSF funding to Qubitsoft, Inc. (Morgantown, W.Va.) for a research project titled “SBIR Phase I:  Computational Fluid Dynamics Software for Quantum Computers.”
  • $249,549 in NIST funding to WVU (Morgantown, W.Va.) for a research project titled “Advancing fabrication of inversely designed quantum nanophotonic devices,” aiming to design and fabricate nanoscopic light-shaping structures containing emitters of quantum light that will be useful in optical quantum computation and communication.
  • $249,549 in FDA funding to the WV DHHR (Charleston, W.Va.) for the West Virginia Foodborne Illness Rapid Response Team to support its Food Safety Capacity and Infrastructure Building program.
  • $233,000 in DOJ Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding to the Legislative Office of the State of West Virginia (Charleston, W.Va.) to fund victim compensation.
  • $137,923 in EDA funding to Marshall University (Huntington, W.Va.) to help communities capitalize on economic development opportunities.
  • $125,000 in USDA NIFA funding to Lewis Mobile Veterinary Services, LLC. (Jane Lew, W.Va.) to support rural practice enhancement (RPE) for veterinarian schools and provide better mobile services to farmers and ranchers in West Virginia.
  • $125,000 in ONDCP funding to Marshall University (Huntington, W.Va.) to empower youth to lead comprehensive prevention strategies designed to prevent underage drinking, marijuana and other illicit substance use by youth in Cabell County, W.Va.
  • $125,000 in ONDCP funding to Community Connections, Inc. (Princeton, W.Va.) to empower youth to lead comprehensive prevention strategies designed to prevent underage drinking, marijuana and other illicit substance use by youth in Mercer County, W.Va.
  • $125,000 in ONDCP funding to the Belington Community Medical Services Association (Belington, W.Va.) to empower youth to lead comprehensive prevention strategies designed to prevent underage drinking, marijuana and other illicit substance use by youth in Barbour County, W.Va.
  • $125,000 in ONDCP funding to the Southern Highlands Community Mental Health Center (Princeton, W.Va.) to empower youth to lead comprehensive prevention strategies designed to prevent underage drinking, marijuana and other illicit substance use by youth in Wyoming County, W.Va.
  • $125,000 in ONDCP funding to the McDowell County Commission on Aging, Inc. (Welch, W.Va.) to empower youth to lead comprehensive prevention strategies designed to prevent underage drinking, marijuana and other illicit substance use by youth in McDowell County, W.Va.

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