“Recognizing the tight fiscal environment in Washington, I am pleased that West Virginia’s priorities were heard and addressed through the appropriations process.” – Senator Capito

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), chair of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee, issued the following statement today regarding key defense, research and development, and other funding for programs in West Virginia. Today the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to advance the following appropriations measures for FY2016: Commerce, Justice and Science, Legislative Branch and Defense.

“Recognizing the tight fiscal environment in Washington, I am pleased that West Virginia’s priorities were heard and addressed through the appropriations process,” said Senator Capito. “Few things are more important than continuing support for our active duty military and National Guard, promoting research opportunities at West Virginia universities and institutions, and ensuring the safety of our neighbors. These fiscally responsible bills prioritize these areas, and I look forward to their consideration by the full Senate.”

The bills include the following priorities for West Virginia:

The Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY2016

  • NASA’s Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) program is specifically cited for its importance to NASA. Located in Fairmont, IV&V provides software validation for NASA’s many missions and programs.  As NASA transitions in the post-space shuttle area and relies more on private companies to access space, the mission of IV&V has become even more critical.

 

  • The National Science Foundation’s Astronomical Observatories received $5.9 billion, including funding for research at the Green Bank Telescope, the world’s largest fully steerable radio telescope. 

 

  • FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division, called “the hidden gem of the FBI” by Director James Comey, received full funding.  CJIS is the leader in biometric and information sharing for law enforcement across the country. 

 

  • The Bureau of Prisons is funded at $6.8 billion to sustain the six federal prisons located in West Virginia.

 

  • Several programs created from the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) are funded in this legislation, including the Sexual Assault Victim Services Program at $35 million, the Rural Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Enforcement Program at $35 million, and the STOP Grant Program at $215 million.

 

The Department of Defense Appropriations Act for FY2016

 

  • Funding for the Youth ChalleNGe Program will benefit the Youth ChalleNGe Academy in Kingwood, which provides at-risk youth the opportunity to become contributing members of society.

 

  • The National Guard’s STARBASE program received an increase of $25 million for students to pursue education in STEM fields.

 

  • The National Guard’s Counterdrug State Program will be funded at $192.9 million to continue its critical work seizing illegal drugs and weapons. 

 

  • The National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account is funded at $1 billion through 2018. The 6,000 members of the West Virginia National Guard are crucial to our national security, serving various deployments abroad and assisting West Virginians in times of need.

 

  • The bill includes funding for the Army’s biometrics program, including the Biometrics Fusion Center in Clarksburg.