WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.) released their requests for Congressionally Directed Spending for projects under the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Subcommittee for Fiscal Year 2022. The Senators’ requests will help strengthen local criminal justice initiatives and support scientific research at institutions across our state.
“Team Maryland continues to seek every available federal resource to meet the requirements of the consent decree between the Department of Justice and the Baltimore City Police Department. Investing in public safety projects statewide will make a positive difference for Marylanders down to the neighborhood level,” said Senator Cardin. “We also continue to identify local initiatives that will spur economic development, particularly Chesapeake Bay-related aquaculture and tourism, two pillars of our statewide economy. We have worked with local officials and organizations across Maryland to identify the projects that could use a strong federal partner to get started or expand in a meaningful way.”
“Together, we must work to create a criminal justice system that truly delivers justice for all and reform our public safety systems to put the needs of Marylanders first. That’s why I’ve introduced the Community-Based Response Act, to invest in alternatives to a law enforcement response in certain situations, and why we’ve partnered with government and nonprofit organizations across our state to request these funds to improve criminal justice and public safety. Each of these programs will help better serve Marylanders or will invest in crucial research driven by our state. We’ll be working to bring these resources directly to our communities, and we’ll continue pushing in Congress to provide vital funds to our state,” said Senator Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies.
Senator Cardin’s FY22 requests can be found here. Senator Van Hollen’s FY22 requests can be found here. These pages will be updated as Appropriations subcommittee requests are submitted.
Commerce, Justice, Science
Project Name: Baltimore City 9-1-1 Diversion Pilot Program
Project Location: Baltimore City, MD
Applicant: City of Baltimore
Amount Requested by the Senator: $2,000,000
Description: Funds will be used to expand the City’s new 9-1-1 pilot program that refers low-risk calls to behavioral health crisis response assistance instead of police responses. The City will increase the number of crisis service providers and community partners and add mobile crisis teams.
Project Name: Bringing Back the Bay: Reimagining the National Aquarium’s Waterfront Campus
Project Location: Baltimore City, MD
Applicant: The National Aquarium, Inc.
Amount Requested by the Senator: $1,000,000
Description: Funds will be used to develop the Aquarium’s new Waterfront Campus and provide a living laboratory with outdoor classrooms and public wetland access. This project will provide STEM learning opportunities for students and a platform for the Aquarium’s research while also contributing to the health of the Inner Harbor by increasing urban wetlands.
Project Name: Center for Hope Violence Cessation Program
Project Location: Baltimore City, MD
Applicant: LifeBridge Health
Amount Requested by the Senator: $600,000
Description: Funds will be used to expand programming in Baltimore for violence interruption, crisis assistance, legal services, shelter for domestic violence survivors, support for victims of crime, and workforce training in order to disrupt the cycle of violence and support children and families in Baltimore City.
Project Name: Charles County Body Worn Camera Project
Project Location: La Plata, MD
Applicant: Charles County
Amount Requested by the Senator: $1,610,000
Description: Funds will be used to implement a Body Worn Camera program and outfit 215 officers with cameras.
Project Title: Community Collaboration
Project Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Applicant: Baltimore Police Department
Amount Requested by the Senator: $600,000
Description: The City of Baltimore and the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) are currently party to a DOJ consent decree with the goal to have a stronger police department that fights crime while it serves and protects the civil and constitutional rights of Baltimore City residents. This request would provide BPD the resources necessary to meaningfully engage with the community in the consent decree reform process, one of the requirements under the federal consent decree, which meets the objective of creating a culture of community and problem-oriented policing. Greater collaboration and participation by community members in the police reform process required under the consent decree is intended make the public into active producers of police reform. These funds would assist in encouraging greater participation in the process, including organized policy, training and engagements committees as well as a youth advisory board. The federal funds would be used for stipends for the participation in community-based policy development, trainings, and evaluations, as well as for the hiring of a community engagement coordinator to assist in these efforts.
Project Name: Frederick Police Mobile Crisis Team Support
Project Location: Frederick, MD
Applicant: City of Frederick
Amount Requested by the Senator: $125,000
Description: Funds will be used to implement a Mobile Crisis Team, in coordination with community partners and mental health professionals, to respond to individuals in crisis and ensure that they receive follow-up assistance.
Project Name: Hyattsville Evidence Lab Equipment
Project Location: Hyattsville, MD
Applicant: City of Hyattsville, Maryland
Amount Requested by the Senator: $100,000
Description: Funds will be used to purchase equipment to process crime scene evidence more efficiently.
Project Name: Laboratory for Hydroponics and Aquaponics Research
Project Location: Bowie, MD
Applicant: Bowie State University
Amount Requested by the Senator: $1,000,000
Description: Funds will be used to develop a Laboratory for Hydroponics and Aquaponics Research and position Bowie State students and researchers at the forefront of research in plant biology, agriculture, and sustainable space exploration.
Project Name: Laurel Police and City Government Radios
Project Location: Laurel, MD
Applicant: City of Laurel, Maryland
Amount Requested by the Senator: $200,000
Description: Funds will be used to replace a 14-year-old radio system with a new digital system to connect the Police Department and all City government departments, increasing public safety and ensuring more timely responses to constituent service requests.
Project Title: Mallows Bay – Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary Virtual 3-D Paddle Experience
Project Location: Charles County, Maryland
Applicant: National Marine Sanctuary Mallows Bay – Potomac River
Amount Requested by the Senator: $500,000
Description: In 2019, NOAA designated Mallows Bay – Potomac River as the first new National Marine Sanctuary in more than 20 years. Nearly 200 vessels spanning from the American Revolutionary War through the present are found in the area, including the remains of the largest “Ghost Fleet” of World War I wooden steamships built for the U.S. Emergency Fleet, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. To expand access to the newly designated site, this request would establish a Virtual 3-D Paddle Experience, similar to experiences present at other designated National Marine Sanctuary sites. This would allow for the use of the collection of high resolution imagery of prominent shipwrecks and ecology for web-enabled visits and create user-driven virtual reality and augmented reality experiences. These experiences would be supplemented by web-enabled interpretative materials that help connect the history, ecology, and generations of local heritage along the Potomac River.
Project Name: Maryland Violence Prevention Coalition
Project Location: Baltimore City, MD
Applicant: Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence
Amount Requested by the Senator: $367,000
Description: Funds will be used to expand the Maryland Violence Prevention Coalition’s work, including assisting community-based organizations with Violence Intervention and Prevention Programs in building and sustaining their local work. The programs are intended to reduce violence and provide support services to survivors.
Project Title: NCCOS Cooperative Oxford Laboratory Equipment and Research Funding
Project Location: Oxford, Maryland
Applicant: NCCOS Cooperative Oxford Laboratory
Amount Requested by the Senator: $200,000
Description: The National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science’s (NCCOS) Cooperative Oxford Laboratory is one of four NCCOS laboratories and has maintained a unique partnership with the Maryland State Department of Natural Resources to support research regarding the environmental health of the Chesapeake Bay and the health of fish, shellfish and other aquatic life in the Chesapeake Bay and along the Atlantic Coast. Oxford Lab scientists also collaborate nationally and internationally to improve understanding of aquatic animal health and develop management strategies to prevent and mitigate diseases. This request would fund the purchase of a genome sequencer and support collaborative research at NOAA’s Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore. This new resource will allow the two research entities to accelerate research into illness caused by waterborne bacteria such as the Vibrio species. Warming water temperatures due to climate change are expected to extend the spatial and temporal extent of Vibrio species, affecting wild and aquaculture/mariculture shellfish operations in the nation’s estuarine and coastal waters.
Project Title: Neighborhood Policing Plans
Project Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Applicant: Baltimore Police Department
Amount Requested by the Senator: $600,000
Description: The City of Baltimore and the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) are currently party to a DOJ consent decree with the goal to have a stronger police department that fights crime while it serves and protects the civil and constitutional rights of Baltimore City residents. This request would provide BPD the resources necessary to develop distinct Neighborhood Policing Plans, one of the requirements under the federal consent decree, to focus on building community trust in policing. Baltimore is known as a City of Neighborhoods, with more than 200 distinct neighborhoods in the City. Each of these communities has unique policing needs. The federal funding can allow BPD to expand the number of neighborhoods included in the initial pilot that will be developed later this year. The Neighborhood Policing Plans empower trusted community members to identify, implement, and evaluate solutions to their specific neighborhood-identified public safety issues. Funds would be used to pay for technical assistance providers for community organizations to develop these plans, as well as for community-based participatory evaluations and academic institution evaluations of the plans once developed.
Project Title: Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office purchase of Cell-Site Simulator Equipment and Technology
Project Location: Prince George’s County, Maryland
Applicant: Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office
Amount Requested by the Senator: $834,000
Description: Support the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office purchase of cell-site simulator equipment and technology to locate and apprehend violent offenders. This would replace equipment more than a decade old that has failed to keep pace with current technology standards for broadband cellular networks. Violent offenders are elusive and transient, moving continuously to avoid capture and prosecution while contributing to violent crimes and gun-related violence in Prince George’s County. Increasing the ability of the Warrant Division to rapidly identify and apprehend known violent offenders will decrease violence within the community and increase the safety of law enforcement personnel during apprehension operations. The dedicated unit of the Warrant Division is trained in the legal requirements for the use of this technology and have incorporated judicial review prior to deployment.
Project Title: Records Management System and Early Intervention System
Project Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Applicant: Baltimore Police Department
Amount Requested by the Senator: $2 million
Description: The City of Baltimore and the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) are currently party to a DOJ consent decree with the goal to have a stronger police department that fights crime while it serves and protects the civil and constitutional rights of Baltimore City residents. This request would provide BPD the resources necessary to make needed technological upgrades and purchases, one of the requirements under the federal consent decree, to their nearly 20 year old Records Management System and acquisition of an Early Intervention System. Upgrades to these systems will allow BPD to more efficiently collect and store data that can be audited under the consent decree requirements and to streamline investigation-derived data from a variety of sources in order to clearly and efficiently establish connections and patterns that could lead to a decrease in the rising levels of violence crime in Baltimore.
Project Name: South Baltimore Peacemaking Project Pilot
Project Location: Baltimore City, MD
Applicant: Roca Baltimore, LLC
Amount Requested by the Senator: $400,000
Description: Funds will be used to provide transitional employment, mediation, and family assistance to connect young men at risk of violence to opportunities for sustained employment.
Project Name: Stop the Bleed Program
Project Location: Pikesville, MD
Applicant: State of Maryland
Amount Requested by the Senator: $150,000
Description: Funds will provide first responders with state-of-the-art equipment to support training in life-saving techniques in response to trauma situations and natural disasters.
Project Title: Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration (SOAR) in Maryland
Project Location: Maryland
Applicant: The Nature Conservancy
Amount Requested by the Senator: $1 million
Description: When restaurants shut down due to COVID-19, Maryland oyster growers were faced with the possibility of destroying their product and potential closure of their businesses. Nongovernmental organizations partnered to create the Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration (SOAR) Program to support the growers by purchasing mature oysters and utilizing them in local oyster rehabilitation projects, with regulatory support from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and scientific advice from NOAA. To build an economically resilient oyster aquaculture industry and rebuild imperiled oyster reefs in the Chesapeake Bay, this request would expand The Nature Conservancy’s SOAR Program in Maryland. The federal funding would provide $350,000 for purchase and transport of approximately 1 million additional oysters from oyster farmers that will help restore at least 10 additional acres of reefs. $150,000 is for planning to better guide and integrate the aquaculture industry’s role in oyster restoration. This activity includes monitoring and evaluation of SOAR restoration efforts; $400,000 to expand the Shellfish Grower’s Resiliency Fund in Maryland and issue at least 10 additional small grants to shellfish farmers and closely aligned organizations to fund innovative projects that diversify revenue streams and enhance participation in conservation efforts; and $100,000 for salaries for SOAR program management.
Project Title: University of Maryland, College Park National Quantum User Facility
Project Location: College Park, Maryland
Applicant: The University of Maryland, College Park
Amount Requested by the Senator: $10 million
Description: Maryland is home to one of the largest concentrations of scientists and students focused on quantum information science. The University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) and NIST were some of the early pioneers of quantum information science and worked collaboratively with the Laboratory for Physical Sciences to launch the Joint Quantum Institute in 2006. Both UMD and NIST are established international leaders in quantum computing, information sciences, and technology development. These funds would assist UMD in purchasing a Quantum Computer for use in a National Quantum User Facility (NQUF). The NQUF will help attract even more experts in this field to the region, who will forge innovative solutions that address the ethical, legal, and societal implications of quantum technology such as encryption and privacy, new sensing and navigation capabilities, and access to and control of new computing capabilities and applications. Two core missions of the NQUF will be expanding workforce development opportunities for researchers within government, academia, and the quantum industry. In addition, the open governance model of the NQUF will allow this wide spectrum of users to utilize this national resource in a truly collaborative relationship.
Project Name: Wicomico County Body Worn Camera System
Project Location: Salisbury, MD
Applicant: Wicomico County
Amount Requested by the Senator: $116,000
Description: Funds will be used to deploy Body Worn Cameras to all sworn deputies of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office.
Project Title: Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) Program
Project Location: Worcester County, Maryland
Applicant: Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office
Amount Requested by the Senator: $1 million
Description: Support the establishment of a Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program within the Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office. The State’s Attorney’s Office is collaborating with several government agency partners, nonprofit organizations, and local universities that will allow for social workers to be embedded with Worcester County first responders and address the behavioral health needs of those in need of emergency services. The social workers would be able to refer individuals for additional services, provide services directly to the effected individual, and coordinate care and monitor and track client progress, whether an individual needs support with issues related to homelessness, mental health issues, medical problems, child welfare concerns, substance abuse, domestic violence, or vulnerable adult-related concerns. Federal funding would allow for the hiring of additional case managers, victim-witness coordinators, dedicated prosecutors, and to purchase the equipment needed to fully implement and manage the LEAD system.
