Fiscal Year 2022
Congressionally Directed Spending Requests

I have submitted funding requests for important community projects in Maryland to the Senate Appropriations Committee for Fiscal Year 2022, under guidelines issued by the Appropriations Committee. Ultimately, only a few of these requested projects may receive funding. Eligible projects are restricted to a limited number of federal funding streams. Only state and local governments and eligible nonprofit entities are permitted to receive funding.

In compliance with Senate Rules and Committee requirements, I have certified that I, my spouse, and my immediate family have no financial interest in any of the projects I requested.

Requests are listed in alphabetical order by Project Name by Senate Appropriations Subcommittee

Agriculture & Food and Drug Administration Appropriations Subcommittee

Certification Letter Available Here

 Project Title: Maryland Soil Health Grants Program

Recipient Name: Maryland Department of Agriculture

Project Purpose: Maryland’s Healthy Soils Program supports farmers who want to explore new technologies and farming techniques that reduce polluted runoff, sequester carbon, and improve the health and productivity of agricultural soils in Maryland. The program administered by the Maryland Department of Agriculture, and in consultation with Maryland’s Soil Health Advisory Committee, supports initiatives to advance agricultural acres under healthy soil practices by 2030, and to promote further education and adoption of healthy soil practices. To accomplish these goals, the Department has launched several initiatives including a “Farming for Healthy Soils” grant to provide technical and financial assistance to farmers as they adopt new practices.

Project Location: Annapolis, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $2.5 million

Project Title: Susquehanna River Basin Watershed Implementation Plan

Recipient Name: Chesapeake Bay Foundation

Project Purpose: The Susquehanna River, which flows 440 miles from New York to Maryland and through Pennsylvania, drains nearly 92% of the watershed. Streams within the sub-watershed were identified as the optimal areas in which to concentrate restoration efforts. Within each of these, land use analysis, hydrological modeling, and detailed mapping identified the specific locations of deficiencies, and prescribed a combination of best management practices (BMPs) to address those conditions imperiling aquatic life. Each of these agriculture practices requires technical design and planning expertise, as well as outreach and education to assure compliance with various regulations, and to increase participation in conservation programs. Monitoring and modeling is also needed to assess impacts of BMP implementation, and direct ongoing efforts to improve soil and water quality. In addition to targeted stream efforts, watershed-wide goals are proposed, as well as monitoring to track progress and community outreach.

Project Location: Susquehanna River Basin within Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Amount Requested by the Senator: $2.184 million

Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee

Certification Letter Available Here

Project Title: Community Collaboration

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Baltimore Police Department

Project Purpose: 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. I request $650,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to 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 Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $600,000

Project Title: Mallows Bay – Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary Virtual 3-D Paddle Experience

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: National Marine Sanctuary Mallows Bay – Potomac River

Project Purpose: 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, I request $500,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to 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 Location: Charles County, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $500,000

Project Title: NCCOS Cooperative Oxford Laboratory Equipment and Research Funding

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: NCCOS Cooperative Oxford Laboratory

Project Purpose: 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. I request $200,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending with $120,000 designated to fund the purchase of a genome sequencer and the remaining $80,000 to 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 Location: Oxford, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $200,000

Project Title: Neighborhood Policing Plans

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Baltimore Police Department

Project Purpose: 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. I request $650,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to 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 Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $600,000

Project Title: Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office purchase of Cell-Site Simulator Equipment and Technology

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office

Project Purpose: I request $834,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office purchase 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 Location: Prince George’s County, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $834,000

Project Title: Records Management System and Early Intervention System

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Baltimore Police Department

Project Purpose: 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. I request $2 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to 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 Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $2,000,000

Project Title: Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration (SOAR) in Maryland

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: The Nature Conservancy

Project Purpose: 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, I request $1 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to 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 Location: Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $1 million

Project Title: University of Maryland, College Park National Quantum User Facility

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: The University of Maryland, College Park

Project Purpose: 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. I request $10 million for UMD to 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 Location: College Park, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $10 million

Project Title: Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) Program

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office

Project Purpose: I request $1 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to 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.

Project Location: Worcester County, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $1 million

Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee

Certification Letter Available Here

Project Title: C&O Canal Rewatering Project

Recipient Name: Army Corps of Engineers

Project Purpose: This project is a priority for Western Maryland as it will support recreation and economic development in the region. It aims to reconstruct and re-water 1.2 miles of the historic Chesapeake and Ohio Canal terminus at Cumberland with the vision of transforming the underutilized Potomac riverfront into a showpiece of historical preservation. The project requires funding to complete its environmental review process and move forward with design and construction.

Project Location: Cumberland, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $390,000

Project Title: Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration Project

Recipient Name: Army Corps of Engineers

Project Purpose: The Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration project provides a long-term strategy for placement of material dredged from the approach channels to the Port of Baltimore while maximizing the use of dredged materials as a beneficial resource. Mid-Bay will restore and expand approximately 2,000 acres of island habitat that will be utilized by fish, shellfish, reptiles, amphibians, and migratory and shore birds. Preconstruction engineering and design for the project has been fully funded and USACE is ready for a new start designation to negotiate and execute a Project Partnership Agreement (PPA) with the non-federal sponsor.

Project Location: Dorchester County, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $37,500,000

Project Title: Pocomoke River, Maryland

Recipient Name: Army Corps of Engineers

Project Purpose: This federally authorized navigation channel was last dredged nearly 20 years ago and serves heavy industry, commercial fishermen, and recreational boaters. Due to severe shoaling in certain parts of the river, commercial industry barges are limited in their overall load capacity. Future dredging efforts would allow for more efficient operations and increased economic opportunities for Somerset County businesses. I request $150,000 in engineering and design funding to establish a definitive cost estimate for dredging this navigation channel.

Project Location: Somerset County, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $150,000

Project Title: Section 510 Chesapeake Bay Comprehensive Plan Outreach and Training

Recipient Name: Army Corps of Engineers

Project Purpose: The Section 510 program is an important tool for advancing efforts to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay through implementation of the 2014 Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement’s 2025 milestone for integrated water resources management. Congress recognized this by increasing the authorization for the program in the Water Resources Development Act of 2020. In order to expand the pipeline of projects that are ready to take advantage of this program in Maryland, the Army Corps Baltimore District needs to expand its outreach efforts to potential non-federal project sponsors. WRDA 2020 also recognized the need for this outreach in Sec. 306(b) of the bill. I request funding to support this important outreach effort.

Project Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $5,750,000

Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee

Certification Letter Available Here

Project Title: Bowie Business Innovation Center’s Center of Excellence for 8(a) Government Contracting

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Bowie State University

Project Purpose: I request $3 million to establish the Bowie Business Innovation Center’s (Bowie BIC) Center of Excellence for 8(a) Government Contracting at Bowie State University. This will expand the existing work of the only 8(a) Accelerator Program in the country that currently provides diverse, socially and economically disadvantaged entrepreneurs with customized training, mentorship, and networking opportunities that have allowed the 57 8(a) company graduates to win more than $31 million in federal contracts since December 2019. Additional funding will allow for the expansion and replication of the Bowie BIC 8(a) Accelerator Program model through partnerships with other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) nationwide. The Center will provide procurement capture strategy training, 8(a) mentorship programs, access to commercial online market intelligence tools, and access to legal expertise in government contracting, and new opportunities for student internships and faculty researchers. The Center will be a resource and clearinghouse for best practices in 8(a) government contracting and utilize the data analytics capabilities at Bowie State University. Awarding funds for the establishment of the Center will support the creation of successful, diverse, and inclusive government contracting activity that drives the generation of new jobs and wealth creation for the communities served by HBCUs.

Project Location: Bowie, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $3 million

Project Title: University of Maryland, College Park’s Maryland Economic Opportunity Center

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: The University of Maryland, College Park

Project Purpose: I support $2.25 million in funding for the establishment of the Maryland Economic Opportunity Center (MEOC) at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). The MEOC will be the central hub for supporting efforts across the state to start, grow, and sustain businesses owned by minority, women, and other underserved business owners, most immediately to help them overcome pandemic-related challenges they now confront. MEOC proposes to serve a wide range of needs for entrepreneurs, including providing connections with external resources and coordinating assistance to address “gaps” in small business support programs. Through partnerships with colleges on campus, the MEOC will establish the Maryland Economic Opportunity Corps and pair paid interns with businesses to apply their academic lessons in support of real world business owners. The MEOC will also allow for engagement, mentorship, and networking opportunities between program participants. MEOC will fully wield the research strength of UMD to support underserved business owners and measure MEOC operations outcomes. Funding would allow the MEOC to hire staff for the Center, including full-time Navigators who would support underserved business owners through case management practices, identifying best available resources and potential collaborations with other MEOC supported businesses.

Project Location: College Park, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $2.25 million

Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee

Certification Letter Available Here

Project Title: City of Rockville 6 Taft Court Emergency Power Generation

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: The City of Rockville, Maryland

Project Purpose: I support $408,750 in Congressionally Directed Spending to provide the Federal Cost Share for the City of Rockville’s 6 Taft Court Emergency Power Generation project. The City of Rockville purchased and is renovating a building that will house the first dedicated Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in the history of the City and other critical city functions. In addition to the EOC, the new facility will be the home of critical city lifeline services to include the Department of Public Works and the City’s water utility and regional wastewater authority. Both components are critical community lifeline services. The new facility will allow for coordinated activities across city department in the event of critical incidents and disasters as well as serve as Continuity of Operations (COOP) relocation site for critical lifeline services and Continuity of Government (COG) functions housed in other city facilities. To ensure that critical lifeline services necessary for the health, safety, and welfare of Rockville residents is uninterrupted, this project proposes to install a 600kw Generator on-site at the facility. This project has received a written letter of support from the Maryland Emergency Management Administration (MEMA), Maryland’s State Administrative Agency (SAA) for the FEMA non-Disaster grant programs, that the project is eligible and meets the criteria established in the FY2020 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The project aligns with the Montgomery County Hazard Mitigation Plan, adopted by the City of Rockville, which calls for making improvements and updates to the Rockville maintenance and Emergency Operations facilities.

Project Location: Rockville, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $408,750

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee

Certification Letter Available Here

Project Title: Acquisition of Land for Administrative Purposes of the Historic Preservation Training Center

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: National Park Service

Project Purpose: I request $1 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for the National Park Service to acquire a new site for the Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC). The HPTC is a 44-year old program of the National Park Service, which supports the operations of the Service through execution of preservation projects, training of historic tradespeople, and workforce development initiatives. The program is a critical component of the National Park Service’s ability to meet the standards and requirements set forth in the National Historic Preservation Act. I also request the inclusion of the following bill language to provide acquisition authority: “Sec._____. The Secretary may acquire land or an interest in land in Frederick County, Maryland, for the Historic Preservation Training Center of the National Park Service in Frederick County, Maryland (Center) for the expansion of the physical space, program initiatives, and workforce development capacity of the Center.”

Project Location: Frederick, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $1 million and bill language to authorize the acquisition of the property

Project Title: Cambridge, MD Historic West End Sewer Line Replacements

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: The City of Cambridge, Maryland

Project Purpose: I request $504,000 to replace the City of Cambridge’s highest priority sewer lines in a lower-income neighborhood (400 block of Willis Street) at 630 linear foot at $800 per linear foot. This phase is part of the rehabilitation of sewer lines installed in 1912 or earlier along seven streets in Cambridge, MD, which the State of Maryland has determined to be a disadvantaged community under SDWA section 1452(d)(3). Work would consist of replacing the sewer main and house service laterals to the road right-of-way line and restoration of the street surface upon completion of sewer work.

Project Location: Cambridge, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $504,000

Project Title: Chesapeake Marshlands National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Dorchester County, MD

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: National Wildlife Refuge System

Project Purpose: I request $5,000,000 for the Fish and Wildlife Service to initiate habitat restoration projects identified as needs at the Chesapeake Marshlands National Wildlife Refuge Complex (Blackwater, Eastern Neck and Martin National Wildlife Refuges). FWS is currently designing a project to restore between 800-1000 acres of marsh, which is one-fifth of what has been lost since the 1930’s, using thin layer placement, living shorelines, invasive species control, and other management strategies to enhance climate change resiliency and protect communities.

Project Location: Dorchester County, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $5 million

Project Title: Elktonia/Carr’s Beach in Annapolis, MD

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: City of Annapolis Project

Project Purpose: I request $2,000,000 for the City of Annapolis to implement Park Planning, Resiliency and Development of the last remnant of historic Elktonia/Carr’s Beach, the last of private bayside beaches in use when anti-Black racism denied African Americans access to segregated beaches and facilities. In 1902, Frederick Carr, a formerly enslaved person, and his wife Mary Wells Carr purchased 180 acres of waterfront farmland on the Annapolis Neck, and in 1926 they founded Carr’s Beach as a beach retreat for Black families. In the era of Jim Crow laws, Carr’s Beach was prominent as a performance venue for Black artists and audiences. This Chesapeake Gateways Community Project will follow State-funded land acquisition of the site and will contribute to operating, managing, and preserving a natural, recreational, historical, and cultural resource within the Chesapeake Bay watershed under the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998.

Project Location: Annapolis, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $2 million

Project Title: Gorman, MD Waterline Rehabilitation Project

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: The Board of Garrett County Commissioners

Project Purpose: I request $704,000 to replace an aging ductile iron water main line with new, corrosion-resistant PVC material in Gorman, Maryland, a census-designated place located in Garrett County. The State of Maryland has determined all communities in Garrett County to be disadvantaged under SDWA section 1452(d)(3). The Gorman water system was installed in the 1970’s and is deteriorating at an alarming rate. This system serves approximately 147 low-to-moderate income households that would be cost-burdened by an increase in taxes or fees to pay for the replacement of the line.

Project Location: Gorman, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $704,000

Project Title: Stormwater Management Infrastructure Improvements in Anne Arundel County, MD

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Anne Arundel County

Project Purpose: I request $3,413,500 for the design and construction for stormwater management infrastructure improvements in Patapsco Tidal streams, nearby outfalls and ponds necessary to comply with Federal and State clean water requirements. The project includes the assessment of 15 outfalls, 8 best management practices (BMPs), and 12,000 linear feet of Rock Creek and restorations of 6,630 linear feet of stream, 3 outfalls, and up to 8 possible BMP retrofits. Anne Arundel County assigned this project its highest Priority Rating: Red. The Patapsco Tidal watershed is located in northern Anne Arundel County, near the confluence of the Patapsco River and the Chesapeake Bay. The Patapsco Tidal watershed has reaches determined to be impaired under CWA section 303(d).

Project Location: Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $3,413,500

Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee

Certification Letter Available Here

Project Title: Baltimore Grads to Careers Demonstration Project Expansion

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: The City of Baltimore, Maryland

Project Purpose: I request $500,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to expand the Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Economic Development’s Grads to Careers Demonstration Project. Six years after graduation from Baltimore City Public Schools, City School graduates who did not attend college or job training programs have an average yearly earnings of $15,000. The Mayor’s Office of Economic Development has recently created the Grads to Careers program that aims to identify potential future disconnected youth and while in high school, connect these individuals who will be eligible for career training programs and provide them with a pathway to enroll in in-demand training programs after graduation of high school. Under the first two years of the program, program participants have an average annualized salary of $28,000 to $29,000 just six months after graduation. Additional federal funding will allow the WIOA eligible program to serve an additional 50 disconnected youth.

Project Location: Baltimore City, Maryland

Amount Funded: $500,000

Project Title: Cecil County Mental Health Initiative, Ashley Addiction Treatment

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Ashley Addiction Treatment

Project Purpose: I request $1.15 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the Cecil County Mental Health Initiative under Ashley Addiction Treatment. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Cecil County is a geographic mental health professional shortage area. Given this staffing need, the Cecil County Mental Health Initiative will be instrumental in increasing access to mental health services for patients in need. The pandemic may have increased the need for mental health services, particularly for the uninsured or underinsured individual who may otherwise not have access to treatment. Funding for this project would allow Ashley Addiction Center to fill mental health staffing shortages in Cecil County to provide additional mental health services to this community, including for individuals involved in the justice system. Allocated funds would support salaries of full time employees and associated infrastructure support costs. This project would serve as a community asset by enabling Cecil Community to better address access to mental health services.

Project Location: Cecil County, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $1.15 million

Project Title: Establishment of an Interdisciplinary Research Center at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: The University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Project Purpose: I request $350,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the establishment of an Interdisciplinary Research Center at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) that will serve as the academic hub for the University. The Center would support the research and learning environment for the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) faculty and graduate students in an effort to increase the graduation rates of graduate students and lead to increased research productivity and maintenance of the Carnegie Classification (High Research Activity). It is proposed that graduate rates will increase by providing support in the areas of writing, research development, financial resources and research infrastructure and will provide resources that will support researchers and increase grant and contract development and proposal submission. Personnel of the Center will provide administrative, research support, and professional development to faculty and students through workshops, training, and experiential learning. These proposed activities will increase the number of faculty and students who are conducting peer-reviewed research and assist in the research infrastructure needs.

Project Location: Princess Anne, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $350,000

Project Title: Federalsburg Health Center Construction for Choptank Community Health System

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Choptank Community Health System

Project Purpose: I request $800,000 to support the construction of a new Federalsburg Health Center to better serve the medically underserved residents of Caroline County, Maryland. The proposed building will provide examination rooms for family medicine, behavioral health, medication assisted treatment, women’s health, and dentistry. As well as a waiting area, patient services, provider offices, a special purpose training room, restrooms, healthcare support function areas, communications, and mechanical spaces. The facility will also host training and classroom space for Choptank Community Health System’s Rural Residency Program and Teaching Health Center Development. The resulting facility will result in a larger and better organized facility, well-suited to deliver services to the community of Federalsburg and surrounding areas. $800,000 in federal funding will allow Choptank Community Health System to complete the site work for the project including tree removal, grading, earthwork, exterior improvements, seeding of disturbed areas and connection to underground utilities.

Project Location: Federalsburg, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $800,000

Project Title: Frederick County Crisis Stabilization Center

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Frederick County Office of the County Executive

Project Purpose: I request $846,303 in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the Frederick County Crisis Stabilization Center. The funding would be used to fund the County Crisis Stabilization Center, which will be a 24/7 program that is responsive to local needs, grounded in a public health framework, and integrated into the behavioral health crisis care system in Frederick County. It will divert people who are in crisis and/or under the influence of a substance away from emergency departments and provide stronger links to community-based behavioral health care for individuals who have not been engaged well by the behavioral health system. It will create another non-traditional access point for individuals who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis and may include those with behavioral health disorders who engage in high-risk substance use and related behaviors and who are at risk of overdose or other harmful behaviors. The initiative would significantly improve access to quality treatment to Frederick County and regional residents suffering from opioid and other substance addictions.

Project Location: Frederick, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $846,303

Project Title: Gaudenzia Park Heights Kitchen Renovations

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Gaudenzia, Inc.

Project Purpose: I request $83,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the renovations of the Gaudenzia Park Heights kitchens to better serve more than 175 daily residents of Gaudenzia’s drug and alcohol rehabilitation services in Baltimore City. The proposed kitchen improvements will allow the kitchen to be used as a training space for clients seeking their ServSafe certification and potentially for meal preparation classes to increase life transition training for our clients. The update will increase its usability to optimize use in providing nutritious meals for our clients and their families post discharge. This is intended to increase client resilience, thereby improving their ability to function, clean and sober, post program completion.

Project Location: Baltimore City, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $83,000

Project Title: Implementing Consent2Share in Prince George’s County Health Department Patient Records

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Office of the Prince George’s County Executive

Project Purpose: I request $1 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to allow the Prince George’s County Health Department (PGCHD) to consolidate electronic medical and behavioral health records into one electronic health record system in order to improve patient care. PGCHD currently houses medical (somatic) and behavioral health records on two separate electronic health record systems. Care coordination services offered by PGCHD would be more comprehensive if the records were integrated into one patient record. However, patients need to have the option to consent to sharing their information this way, pursuant to 42 CFR. PGCHD will adapt the SAMSHA-funded Consent2Share module to allow patients to opt into mental and somatic health record integration for their care coordination services with the Department. Federal funding will leverage an existing tool to implement Consent2Share on a large scale for all PGCHD patients and lead to greater patient outcomes.

Project Location: Prince George’s County, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $1 million

Project Title: Integrated Learning Center at Kennedy Krieger Institute

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Kennedy Krieger Institute

Project Purpose: I request $1.25 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the Integrated Learning Center demonstration at Kennedy Krieger Institute. The proposed demonstration site aligns with current, high-priority efforts in Maryland to strengthen results by advancing equity and inclusion for young children and their families, including through initiatives supported by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Division of Early Childhood, Division of Early Intervention and Special Education Services, and Maryland Department of Health Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Kennedy Krieger will establish evidence-based early childhood education demonstration sites that improve social/emotional, functional, and behavioral outcomes for children, with a focus on: 1) increasing access with defined outcomes; 2) advancing equity with meaningful participation; and 3) promoting progress with acceleration to close the learning gaps for young children with special needs.

Project Location: Baltimore City, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $1.25 million

Project Title: Living Classrooms Foundation Crisis Management System

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Living Classrooms Foundation

Project Purpose: I request $750,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to establish a Crisis Management System at the Living Classrooms Foundation (LCF) to work in tandem with their existing Workforce Development System and strengthen their State Streets initiative. Safe Streets violence prevention efforts in McElderry Park (since 2008) and Belair-Edison (since 2018) have been effective at mediating conflicts which may lead to violence via the Cure Violence model (formerly Ceasefire developed in Chicago). This project will strengthen and expand upon the existing Safe Streets initiative by streamlining and increasing access to work through a rapidly expanding network of essential skills training, job training, and job placement opportunities offered by both LCF and their partners. As part of this new system, LCF will assemble a team of Case Managers and community members who will be trained to mediate disputes and dedicated to helping individuals navigate alternatives to gun violence. The team will identify individuals and families who are at risk of being involved or have been affected by violence and connect them with immediate job training opportunities and other wrap-around supports in real time. Through continued partnerships and Resource Asset Mapping, they will build a comprehensive network of resources that draw upon evidence-based best practices and address underlying issues to reduce violence long-term. This nonprofit partnership will build the capacity of Baltimoreans to help address rising levels of gun violence in Baltimore.

Project Location: Baltimore City, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $750,000

Project Title: Melwood abilIT Federal Neurodiversity Workforce Pilot Program

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Melwood Horticultural Training Center (Melwood)

Project Purpose: I request $1.6 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to expand Melwood’s abilIT Federal Workforce Pilot Program to provide an additional 20 program participants with the job training and workforce experience necessary to gain employment with a federal cybersecurity agency. Federal funding will allow Melwood to scale up a federal neurodiversity workforce pilot program, leveraging Melwood’s past performance in disability employment and the expertise of our advisory partners. This project will fill an unmet technical need in the federal workforce, provide job opportunities for people with disabilities who are at greater risk of under- or unemployment, and enable independent living for people with disabilities, thereby reducing reliance on government services as they transition into full employment. Funds will be used to support an additional 20 six-month externships for neurodivergent adults, especially those with autism, at up to four federal agencies with the ultimate goal of transiting the externs to full federal employment. The proposed budget will provide funding for staff to train program participants prior to extern placement, stipends for externs, cybersecurity training curriculum, and overhead office costs to administer the program.

Project Location: Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $1.6 million

Project Title: National Federation of the Blind Center for Employment Opportunities

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: National Federation of the Blind

Project Purpose: I request $150,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending for the National Federation of the Blind (NFIB) to establish a Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) to give blind people the tools, techniques, and skills to succeed in their professional careers of choice. Federal funding would allow NFIB to develop programming to include: Each One Teach One, Train the Trainer, and the Virtual Career Club. To encourage employers in their efforts to diversify their workforces to include blind workers, the Center will operate an Employer Leadership Network. The initial phase of the project will include the hiring of additional staff members, purchasing equipment and supplies to operate the program virtual programming, and paying for travel related to providing support for NFIB affiliates with other vocational rehabilitation agencies across the country. The program is intended to become self-sustaining through the purchase of the CEO program by national affiliates once the program is fully operational.

Project Location: Baltimore City, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $150,000

Project Title: Park West Health System Capital Expansion Project

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Park West Health System Capital Expansion Project

Project Purpose: I request $2 million in Congressionally Directed Spending for the Park West Health System Capital Expansion Project to better serve the residents of West Baltimore. This will allow for the expansion of their existing Federally Qualified Health Center facility, a fraternity social house from the 1950s that does not meet modern standards for patient care. If funded, the expansion will allow this health system serving a medically underserved community to see 30 percent more patients annually and the behavioral health unit to include Youth Services (youth advocacy, school-based therapy, youth intervention); Family and Group Therapies; Violence Prevention; Addictive Behaviors; Psychotherapy and Mental Health (trauma, interpersonal skills and creative expression therapy). The project will consist of more than 25,000 square feet of expansion and renovations, including addressing existing asbestos remediation issues and increasing Americans with Disabilities Act compliance. The facility serves the needs of residents of the Park Heights communities regardless of their ability to pay, no one in need of medical services is turned away from seeking care.

Project Location: Baltimore City, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $2 million

Project Title: Program Enhancement through redesign of courses to meet online Quality Assurance

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Coppin State University

Project Purpose: I request $1.55 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to allow Coppin State University to meet their objective of expanding online program offerings. Federal funding will allow Coppin State to redesign its 62 general education requirement courses to meet Quality Assurance standards and ensure that students receive a quality education experience regardless of their experience in the classroom or through online programming.

Project Location: Baltimore City, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $1.55 million

Project Title: Sheppard Pratt Institute for Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Sheppard Pratt

Project Purpose: I request $1.2 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the Sheppard Pratt Institute for Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics. For individuals living with opioid addiction and substance use disorders, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it harder to access treatment and recovery services. The pandemic may have also exacerbated existing disparities in the mental health care system in the U.S., including for individuals in marginalized communities. Esketamine, a recently FDA-approved anesthetic used to treat depression, requires tailored and logistically challenging clinical administration settings. To help address this need, Sheppard Pratt proposes setting up the necessary infrastructure for an Esketamine dosing clinic for inpatients and outpatients while also providing case studies and lectures on the subject to improve clinician education on the subject. The funding request for this project will cover the personnel needed to staff the clinic and call center, time for the project director and guest lecturers, and indirect costs. This project would enable Sheppard Pratt to continue leading efforts to better treat and provide access to comprehensive mental health services, including for at-risk communities.

Project Location: Baltimore City, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $1.2 million

Project Title: Southern Streams Health and Wellness Center at Mary Harvin CDC

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Mary Harvin Transformation Center CDC

Project Purpose: I request $5 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the Mary Harvin Community Development Corporation’s Southern Streams Health and Wellness Center project. Once fully constructed, this 120,000 square foot facility will dedicate nearly 47,000 square feet to providing community-based health care in a medically underserved community where nearly half of residents qualify as low-income. Recognizing the community needs of residents, this facility will allow residents to treat a myriad of health disparities including kidney disease, blood disease, strokes, diabetes, and kidney care. Dedicated spaces for mental health services, dental services, adult daycare/nursing facilities, and emergency health care services will be established with federal funding. On other floors that are funded through non-federal dollars, the facility will serve other community resident needs, including library services and job training and financial literacy programs.

Project Location: Baltimore City, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $5 million

Project Title: University of Maryland, Baltimore County Shady Grove Biomanufacturing Center

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Project Purpose: I request $470,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to support necessary equipment purchase for the UMBC Shady Grove Biomanufacturing Center. The requested funds will be used to create biomanufacturing-related laboratory projects and class demonstrations in UMBC’s facilities at The Universities at Shady Grove (USG). These lab modules would then be integrated into the undergraduate and graduate biotechnology degree programs, which are focused on workforce development, used to initiate industry-relevant student internship projects, and leveraged to create a short-term training for workers displaced because of the COVID-19-related economic downturn. These funds would also allow UMBC to purchase additional biomanufacturing-related laboratory equipment, enabling us to educate more students and trainees and to procure systems that teach bioprocess development to enhance students’ understanding of biomanufacturing. Federal funds would allow the University to order to reach additional students and trainees through the purchase equipment such as bioreactors, preparative chromatography columns, an Ambr modular system, and other supplemental materials at $400,000, as well as funding personnel costs related to equipment setup, module development and faculty training at $70,000.

Project Location: Rockville, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $470,000

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee

Certification Letter Available Here

Project Title: 411 Kitchen

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Cross Street Partners

Project Purpose: I request $1.4 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support The 411 Kitchen project. The 411 Kitchen is part of a broader redevelopment of the former Phillips Packing Company, Factory F (Packing House) in Cambridge, Maryland, and intended to support and grow economic opportunity in agriculture, aquaculture, environmental technologies, and tourism. Federal funds will cover gap financing to finish the physical build out of the project and purchase equipment necessary for a fully functioning commercial kitchen. The 411 Kitchen is a shared-use commercial kitchen designed to empower, elevate and establish a thriving food entrepreneur community in Cambridge and the greater Mid-shore Region. The project will increase access to consistent and healthy food resources for the underserved communities in the region through this project. In addition to educating the region on the benefits of healthy eating, the 411 Kitchen is essential in supporting Maryland’s resource-based industries. The kitchen will not only preserve Cambridge’s unique agricultural heritage but will launch a new entrepreneurial engine that will bring vibrancy to be agricultural and food-related markets. As part of the broader Packing House redevelopment, the kitchen helps attract private investment, creates economic and employment opportunities, provides job training, reduces vacant space, and grows the local tax base.

Project Location: Cambridge, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $1.4 million

Project Title: Baltimore Penn Station Facilities and Multi-Modal Access Project

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Maryland Transit Administration

Project Purpose: I request $20 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the Baltimore Penn Station Facilities and Multi-Modal Access Project. This project proposes a suite of station facilities enhancements, including multi-modal infrastructure investments to facilitate walking, bicycling, transit, and shared ride access to and from one of the main gateways to Baltimore and the eight busiest passenger rail station in our national system. Improved connection to the station from the surrounding communities will also improve economic development opportunities for Baltimore City, allowing City residents and neighborhoods improved access to numerous jobs along the MARC Penn Line and the Northeast Corridor and to tourists and visitors that come to Baltimore by train. This project will complement the planned redevelopment of Penn Station and its environs.

Project Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $20 million

Project Title: Baltimore Penn Station Multi-Modal Access Project

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Maryland Transit Administration

Project Purpose: I request $10 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the Baltimore Penn Station Multi-Modal Access Project. This project proposes a suite of multi-modal infrastructure investments to facilitate walking, bicycling, transit, and shared ride access to and from one of the main gateways to Baltimore and the eight busiest passenger rail station in our national system. Improved connection to the station from the surrounding communities will also improve economic development opportunities for Baltimore City, allowing City residents and neighborhoods improved access to numerous jobs along the MARC Penn Line and the Northeast Corridor and to tourists and visitors that come to Baltimore by train. This project will complement the planned redevelopment of Penn Station and its environs.

Project Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $10 million

Project Title: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Air Traffic Control Tower

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Maryland Department of Transportation

Project Purpose: I request $4 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support a new air traffic control tower for BWI Airport. The current tower does not meet current building code standards and cannot fully reap the benefits of Next Generation air traffic control technology, including safety, environmental, and efficiency benefits. In addition, the existing tower constrains the airport’s ability to add new domestic and international gates due to sight line limitations from the existing tower to operational areas in planned future expansions. With the forecasted recovery from COVID-19 impacts and continued growth in international and low-cost carrier activity at BWI, additional gate capacity will be needed in the next several years.

Project Location: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport

Amount Requested by the Senator: $4 million

Project Title: Bethel Empowerment and Wellness Center

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Bethel Empowerment and Wellness Center

Project Purpose: I request $251,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to finish renovation of the Bethel Empowerment and Wellness Center (BEWC). BWEC serve as a community resource hub that connects low-income residents of Baltimore to resources and service providers to improve the quality of life and well-being of West Baltimore’s impoverished Upton community. The vision for the Center is providing quality resources and hosting vetted vital health, education, daycare, financial, nutrition, employment training, community development, cultural, and other services and small businesses to initiate long-term community change. Our board came together eight years ago to rejuvenate a vacant building owned by the Bethel Outreach Center (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization) that had fallen into disrepair. Funding this Center will allow the community to have a revitalized focal point, showing that out of despair can come something good, particularly in light of many years of neighborhood disinvestment and higher than average levels of poverty where nearly 40 percent of households are living in poverty. The project is intended to be self-sustaining with rental income from tenants.

Project Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $251,000

Project Title: Bladensburg Trade School

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Town of Bladensburg, Maryland

Project Purpose: I request $1 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the Town of Bladensburg’s construction of a new Trade School facility that would facilitate education, training, and career opportunities for local students and workers. In partnership with a long-time Bladensburg business, federal funding would be used to tear down an aging structure and allow space to build a new energy efficient trade school. This meets a direct community need for low-income residents and would allow the Town and Prince George’s County to provide apprenticeship opportunities to earn skills while enrolled in high school and obtain gainful employment in the skilled trades immediately after graduating that directly meet the needs of local employers.

Project Location: Bladensburg, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $1 million

Project Title: City of Fredrick to C&O Canal Trail Feasibility Study

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Journey Through Hallowed Ground

Project Purpose: I request $1 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the Journey through Hallowed Ground (JTHG) in conducting a feasibility study for a trail connecting the City of Frederick to the C&O Canal. Such a trail will provide a tremendous asset for tourism and recreation, linking and highlighting key historic and cultural resources of our region. JTHG has been active in identifying opportunities for trail development and expansion, and is well-equipped to explore in further detail a trail linking Frederick’s downtown with the C&O Canal Historical Park and Trail.

Project Location: Frederick, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $1 million

Project Title: Gwynn Falls Trail, Anne Arundel County

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Anne Arundel County Department of Transportation

Project Purpose: I request $1 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the study of the extension of Gwynn Falls Trail in Anne Arundel County. Extending this trial would help the Brooklyn Park community, currently poorly served by bicycle infrastructure for connectivity to jobs and services. MedStar Harbor Hospital was recently awarded a grant to provide 30% of design costs to connect the BWI Trail in Anne Arundel County to the Gwynn Falls Trail in Baltimore City. The study will explore opportunities to extend the Gwynn Falls Trail to the south and create a connection to the BWI Trail spur at the North Linthicum Light Rail Station, while winding through the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Brooklyn Park.

Project Location: Anne Arundel County, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $1 million

Project Title: Odenton MARC Transit Oriented Development

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Anne Arundel County

Project Purpose: I request $1 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the early phases of transit oriented development at the Odenton MARC station. To facilitate mixed-use development in the vicinity of the station, all surface parking spaces fronting the train platform would be replaced in a 1,100 space parking structure. 412 temporary use parking spaces will provide continuous use during the construction period at four sites near the MARC train platform. The next phase of the project will consist of developing 317 private residential units and 65,700 square feet of commercial retail space.

Project Location: Odenton, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $1 million

Project Title: Pikesville Armory Renovation

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: 1000 Friends of Pikesville

Project Purpose: I request $2.4 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to fund the first two phases of the renovation of the former Pikesville, Maryland Armory. This 14 acre campus is located in a diverse community that lacks any parks, public open space, or community gathering and arts venues. After an 18 month community visioning process undertaken by the Governor’s appointed Commission on the Future of the Pikesville Armory, the community has agreed to a project that, once completed, will provide significant opportunities for recreation, cultural arts, youth development, and senior activities. The $2.4 million will allow the Pikesville Armory Foundation to complete the design work for the first two phases of the renovation. State, County, and nonprofit funding has also been secured for this widely supported project.

Project Location: Baltimore County, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $2.4 million

Project Title: Public School 103 Henry Highland Garnett/Justice Thurgood Marshall Center

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Beloved Community Services Corporation

Project Purpose: I request $1 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to assist in the renovation of Baltimore Public School Building 103, the former elementary school of Baltimorean and former Supreme Court Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall. The redevelopment of this site will allow the community to pay proper homage to Justice Marshall, as well as other local leaders in the advancement of Civil Rights, including a replication of late Congressman Elijah E. Cummings’ campaign office. An ongoing Justice Thurgood Marshall Speaker Series is intended to provide funding for scholarships for local residents to attend Historically Black Colleges and Universities. An on-site, University of Maryland affiliated center for education, justice, and ethics will allow residents and tourists to the site to learn more about the legacy of Justice Marshall. Through a Congressionally funded National Park Service Public Resource Study, the National Park Service continues to evaluate the potential designation of the site as a new National Park unit.

Project Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $1 million

Project Title: Sandtown Center revitalization

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Clergy United for the Transformation of Sandtown Community Development Corporation

Project Purpose: I request $250,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the Sandtown Center project. The federal funding will allow fully fund Phase One of predevelopment construction and a complete renovation of the building that will serve as a community center. Currently, the site is a vacant, underutilized building strategically located in the center of the Sandtown community. Vacant and abandoned properties are a public eyesore and shelter criminal activity. With the award of funding for pre-design, the Clergy United for the Transformation of Sandtown Community Development Corporation can make transform the Center into a place of pride for the low-income residents of Sandtown. Proposed services at the Center would include business incubation for Sandtown small businesses, a meeting place for civic and nonprofit organizations and stakeholders, as well as retail, health, and business opportunities for residents.

Project Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $250,000

Project Title: Somerset County Trail, Crisfield to Westover

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Somerset County Department of Recreation & Parks

Project Purpose: I request $3 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the completion of a walking and bicycling trail linking Westover and Crisfield in Somerset County, MD. To date, 4.7 miles of this travel have been completed along state-owned right of way along an abandoned rail bed. Approximately eight miles are left to complete.

Project Location: Somerset County, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $3 million

Project Title: Southern Maryland Rapid Transit Project

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Charles County Department of Planning & Growth

Project Purpose: I request $5 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the design, engineering, and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, and secure a Record of Decision for the development of a 19-mile fixed-route, high capacity transit service from the Branch Avenue Metrorail Station in Camp Springs to Waldorf/White Plains. The SMRT transit corridor benefits the resident population of approximately 439,000 with an estimated ridership of 28,000 people in Prince George’s and Charles Counties. This high-capacity transit service will alleviate one of the worst documented commutes in the Country, ignite job growth in Regional Activity Centers, help to correct the jobs imbalance between the western and eastern side of the D.C. metropolitan area, and invigorate the economy of Maryland. As the only region west of the Chesapeake Bay without high-capacity transit, this project is critical in bringing much needed relief to an area that is primarily limited to two constrained highway corridors. Completion of this project will ultimately bring economic and racial equity to this majority-minority region through job creation and job access. The increased employment and property values resulting from rapid transit are projected to expand the tax base by $5 Billion to $6 Billion, which in itself would cover the construction cost of the project.

Project Location: Southern Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $5 million

Project Title: Sparrows Point Park Project in Baltimore County

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks

Project Purpose: I request $3 million in funding to allow the 22 acre Sparrows Point Park project to be completed in a single phase. The site is located at the historic Bethlehem Steel Mill, the former largest steel mill in the world. This project would provide a 16,000 square foot community center with double court gym, two community-accessible activity rooms and concessions areas, a full-size synthetic turf field, a 10,000 square foot playground, scenic walking path along the Chesapeake Bay, Americans with Disabilities Act accessible fishing pier any kayak launch. Sparrows Point Park will soon be shovel ready after the phase two environmental study was recently completed. Additional state and local funding for the project has been secured to begin work on the project over multiple years.

Project Location: Baltimore County, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $3 million

Project Title: Town of Brentwood Gateway Arts District Façade Improvements

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Town of Brentwood, Maryland

Project Purpose: I request $80,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to fund the federal match for façade improvements within the Town of Brentwood’s Gateway Arts District. The purpose of the facade improvements would be to improve the streetscape along and adjacent to major roads and increase the walkability of the neighborhoods within the Gateway Arts District. Additionally, the improvements would serve to increase the viability of local businesses, thereby stimulating the local economy, reduce blight, facilitate investment, and increase access to local businesses to those with disabilities. Federal funding would cover rehabilitation and repair improvements such as window or door replacement, painting or other like finishes, exterior lighting, signage, and awnings, exterior shutters and gutters, masonry, etc. that are approved under the approved Gateway Arts District Approved Sector Plan.

Project Location: Brentwood, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $80,000

Project Title: Town of Hyattsville David C. Driscoll Community Park Master Plan

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Town of Hyattsville, Maryland

Project Purpose: I request $400,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending to fund the completion of the David C. Driscoll Community Park Master Plan. The Town of Hyattsville has utilized local dollars to create a comprehensive concept design based off of community input for the redesign of the aging Magruder Park. Federal funding to complete the master plan for the park will provide the City with a template for providing increased recreational services, advanced stormwater compliance and protection of the existing tree canopy in a park space of more than 30 acres. The David C. Driscoll Community Park, once constructed, will include new opportunities for accessible programming at the new community center, and throughout the park places to enjoy nature, places to enjoy sports, places to play and safe places to walk or sit quietly.

Project Location: Hyattsville, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $400,000

Project Title: US 50 Pedestrian and Bicycle Overpass in Stevensville, MD

Requested By: Senator Ben Cardin

Recipient Name: Queen Anne’s County

Project Purpose: I request $3.5 million in Congressionally Directed Spending to support the construction of a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over U.S. Route 50 in Stevensville, MD. Kent Island is situated in the Chesapeake Bay, and the entire is bisected by US 50/301. This highway creates significant challenges in connecting the transportation network to the north and south. Currently there are no pedestrian and bicycle facilities to provide non-automobile access. The overpass project will construct a new pedestrian bridge to connect an existing pedestrian and bicycle trail network north of US 50/301 with the existing trail network south of US 50/301. The overpass will allow pedestrians to cross US50/301 without conflict with vehicular traffic and provide safer pedestrian access to employment, services, schools, parks and retail developments on Kent Island.

Project Location: Stevensville, Maryland

Amount Requested by the Senator: $3.5 million