Van Hollen, Cardin Announce Key Committee Passage of Over $10 Million for Maryland Public Safety and Research Projects

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS), and Senator Ben Cardin (both D-Md) announced the inclusion of $10,360,000 in key Senate Committee legislation providing direct federal funding for community-led projects throughout Maryland. These community projects, funded at the Senators’ request, are within the Senate Appropriations CJS Subcommittee’s proposed funding legislation for fiscal year 2025. The projects seek to address a wide array of issues including gun violence, public safety, climate change, and supporting the innovative research at Maryland’s universities. This subcommittee legislation, released as part of the annual Congressional Appropriations process and approved Thursday in a bipartisan vote by the full Senate Appropriations Committee, will proceed to consideration before the full Senate. Funding is not finalized until the Appropriations bills are passed by the full Senate, reconciled with the House of Representatives, and signed by the President.

“When we invest federal dollars in our communities, we’re able to directly support local priorities. These funds will empower our community partners across Maryland to improve public safety and address the causes and consequences of gun violence. Within this legislation, we also worked to secure critical funding to support STEM education and research efforts across our state focused on reducing pollution, protecting our environment, and the preserving the health of the Chesapeake Bay. We’ll keep working to deliver these investments to build an even stronger Maryland for all,” said Senator Van Hollen.

“From blue catfish research that will protect the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem to scientific discoveries at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center that push the boundaries of our known universe, Maryland is a national leader in innovation across many fields,” said Senator Cardin. “This federal investment will boost Maryland’s scientific enterprise, make our communities safer, and secure the economic and environmental future of our state.”

These projects were included in the Senate Appropriations CJS Subcommittee FY2025 funding legislation. Additional projects will be announced as the Subcommittees continue to release their respective bills.

Project Name: Addressing Air Quality and Environmental Inequities in Baltimore, Maryland
Applicant: Goucher College
Project Purpose: Funds will support installation of weather stations and air quality sensors and research tools to fill critical data gaps in urban heat mapping in Baltimore. Data collection and research will also bolster environmental education opportunities at Goucher and the surrounding community.
Project Location: Baltimore County
Amount Included: $151,000

Project Name: Computer Aided Dispatch Replacement
Applicant: City of Baltimore Police Department
Project Purpose: Funds will be used to upgrade the City’s Computer-Aided Dispatch System, which is used by fire, police, and various city agencies to efficiently manage incoming calls for service.
Project Location: Baltimore City
Amount Included: $3,700,000

Project Name: Equipment for the Center for Education and Research in Microelectronics
Applicant: Morgan State University
Project Purpose: Funds will be used to acquire additional equipment for Morgan State's Center for Education and Research in Microelectronics and to meet critical demands training the next generation of leaders in semiconductor design and manufacturing.
Project Location: Baltimore City
Amount Included: $3,400,000

Project Name: Invasive Blue Catfish Mitigation
Applicant: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Project Purpose: Funds will be used to conduct research and data collection to address invasive catfish populations in the Chesapeake Bay and better understand ecosystem impacts from various harvest methods.
Project Location: Anne Arundel County
Amount Included: $500,000

Project Name: Montgomery County Sheriff's Office Gun Violence Prevention
Applicant: Montgomery County Sheriff's Office
Project Purpose: Funds will be used to provide the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office with a covert vehicle upfitted with a firearms vault to conduct surveillance and conduct operations for cases to prevent gun violence in the County.
Project Location: Montgomery County
Amount Included: $70,000

Project Name: National Children’s Museum STEM Exhibits and PreK-5 Educational Grade Programming
Applicant: National Children’s Museum
Project Purpose: Funds will support programming and exhibits that explore STEM concepts for students in PreK-5th grade.
Project Location: Prince George's County
Amount Included: $1,175,000

Project Name: Patuxent Riverkeeper and Chesapeake Biological Laboratory Pollution Monitoring Collaborative
Applicant: Patuxent Riverkeeper
Project Purpose: Funds will be used to study the Patuxent River to collect up-to-date and real-time data on runoff into the river and the possible sources in order to reduce pollution inflow and improve water quality.
Project Location: Prince George's County
Amount Included: $313,000

Project Name: SafePath Network: Bridging Hope for Trafficking Survivors
Applicant: Safe House Project
Project Purpose: Funds will be used to support the SafePath Network’s establishment of Maryland's first 24/7 support warmline, providing immediate crisis response and coordinated access to essential services for human trafficking survivors.
Project Location: St. Mary's County
Amount Included: $251,000

Project Name: UMCES Chesapeake Global Collaboratory
Applicant: University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
Project Purpose: Funds will support the development of a new Chesapeake Global Collaboratory at the UM Center for Environmental Science, which will take a partnership approach and environmental science to address restoration and community needs.
Project Location: Dorchester County
Amount Included: $800,000

Additional priorities secured by the Senators in the FY25 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies funding bill include:

Department of Commerce highlights

• Economic Development: The bill provides $483 million for community economic development through the Economic Development Administration, a $15 million increase over FY24. This also includes $100 million for Public Works grants, $25 million for the Good Jobs Challenge Program, and $50 million for the Regional Innovation Program. The bill also provides $70 million for the Minority Business Development Agency to help minority-owned businesses grow and succeed. In addition, this bill includes:
• No less than $323 million for EDA collaborations with Appalachian Regional Commission, which supports development in Western Maryland
• $7 million for working waterfronts to revitalize, expand, and attract new industries; and
• $2.5 million for STEM Apprenticeships.

• Trade: $648 million for the International Trade Administration, a $25 million increase over FY24. In fiscal year 2022 alone, ITA facilitated $174 billion in U.S. exports and foreign investment, supporting over 625,000 American jobs. The bill also includes:
• $206 million for the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), a $15 million increase over FY24, which will support its aggressive enforcement of Russian and Belarussian export controls and other BIS efforts to counter Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as exporter outreach programs to educate businesses of all size on export control obligations.

• Advancing digital equity: $61.65 million for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a $2.65 million increase over FY24.
• This includes report language encouraging timely technical assistance for states implementing the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, through which Maryland received $268 million last year.

Department of Justice Highlights

• $38.43 billion for the Department of Justice, a $906 million increase over FY24, including funding for U.S. Attorneys, U.S. Marshalls, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives who help jurisdictions in Maryland arrest and prosecute violent crime and combat gun and drug trafficking. This bill also provides $21.84 million for FBI’s National Bioforensic Analysis Center (NBFAC) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. The NBFAC is a unique laboratory that has played a critical role in protecting the United States against biological agents since 9/11. This bill also includes:
• Language from Senator Van Hollen’s Fresh Start Act, which urges DOJ to ensure that grants made under the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) can be available for states that allow for criminal record expungement or sealing.
• Language preventing the Justice Department from interfering with states, such as Maryland, that have passed medical marijuana legalization laws.
• Report language directing DOJ to enforce constitutional policing standards.
• Language directing DOJ to report on efforts to investigate and prosecute hate crimes.
• Strengthening police-community relations: The bill provides $251 million for State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance and Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office grant programs related to police-community relations. Dedicated funding of $25 million is provided for the COPS Community Policing Development program, as well as $20 million for the Law Enforcement Officer De-escalation Act. The bill also provides $10 million to train law enforcement on appropriately responding to situations when individuals are mentally ill or disabled, $45 million for Community Policing Development, and $55 million for the Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative. In addition, this bill provides $2.15 billion for State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance and $407 million for Juvenile Delinquency Prevention.

• Supporting victims of crime: The bill releases $1.9 billion from the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), which provides critical support through direct assistance and programs offered by victim service providers to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, human trafficking, and other violent crimes.

• Preventing Domestic Violence: The bill includes $739.5 million, the highest funding level ever, for the Office of Violence Against Women. Funding is provided for multiple competitive and formula grant programs that support training for police officers and prosecutors, state domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions, rape prevention programs, lethality assessment and homicide reduction initiatives, domestic violence hotlines, women’s shelters, transitional housing, and rural support services.

• Improving Juvenile Justice: The bill provides $407 million for grant programs within the Office on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, an increase of $32 million above fiscal year 2024. The bill bolsters funding for long-standing existing programs, including:
• $107 million for Missing and Exploited Children Program grants, an increase of $4 million above fiscal year 2024.
• $45 million for Victims of Child Abuse Act grants, an increase of $4 million above fiscal year 2024.
• $107 million for youth mentoring grants, an increase of $3 million above fiscal year 2024.

• Responding to Substance Use Disorder in Our Communities: The bill provides our communities and first responders with a total of $610.5 million in dedicated grant program funding to respond to substance use disorder, including opioids, and to crack down on drug trafficking. The bulk of this funding is for Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act grants, which receive $445 million to fund specialized court docket programs like drug, mental health, and veteran treatment courts and substance abuse treatment programs administered by state and local correctional facilities. The bill also funds the COPS anti-heroin task force program at $36 million and the COPS anti-methamphetamine task force program at $17 million.

Science Agencies

• NASA: The bill provides $25.4 billion for NASA, a $559 million increase above fiscal year 2024. This bill also includes support for missions at the Maryland-based NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (Greenbelt), the Applied Physics Laboratory (Laurel), and the Space Telescope Science Institute (Baltimore):
• $98.3 mission for the Hubble Space Telescope, which has provided over three decades of prolific science discovery and is managed by the Space Telescope Science Institute.
• $187 million for James Webb Telescope, which was developed by over 1,000 Marylanders.
• $384 million for the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope, led by NASA Goddard and set to launch in 2026.
• $50 million for the Habitable Worlds Observatory, which will serve as NASA’s next Astrophysics flagship mission and search for exoplanets outside of our solar system that could support life.
• $434.6 million for the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) Dragonfly mission to Titan, a moon of Saturn and the most Earth-like world in our solar system.
• Up to $174.5 million for the On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing 1 (OSAM-1) mission, pending a reasonable and executable plan for a 2026 launch.
• $2.369 billion overall for the Earth Science Division to support NASA’s earth observing missions, which are critical to measuring and understanding climate change and its impacts. NASA Goddard has the largest collection of Earth Scientists in the world.
• Up to $15 million for the 21st Century Launch Complex, which provides infrastructure support to NASA-owned launch facilities like Wallops Flight Facility.
• Up to $6 million to upgrade the Bermuda Tracking and Telemetry Station managed by Wallops.

• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland: The bill invests a total of $1.535 billion for the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Funding for NIST measurement labs and research is $1.064 billion to spur research advances in cutting-edge fields like carbon dioxide removal, artificial intelligence, quantum information science, and cybersecurity. The bill fully funds the President’s budget request for the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute, allowing NIST to execute its responsibilities under the landmark Artificial Intelligence Executive Order released last year. NIST will develop standards, tools, and tests to help ensure AI systems operate safely. This bill also includes:
• $5 million in support of the CHIPS for America office, which is housed at NIST and charged with administering semiconductor incentives;
• $175 million for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership and $50 million for Manufacturing USA, a network of regional institutes, each with a specialized technology development focus; and
• $245.6 million for Construction, Renovation, Maintenance of Facilities. A 2023 report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that over 60 percent of NIST facilities do not meet the Department of Commerce standard for acceptable building conditions.

• National Science Foundation (NSF): $9.55 billion for the agency overall, a $490 million increase over FY24. In 2023, Maryland institutions were awarded over $405 million in NSF grants. This year’s funding level will support approximately 450 additional research and education grants and 15,000 more scientists, technicians, teachers, and students, compared to fiscal year 2024. The proposed FY25 funding level includes $7.53 billion for NSF’s research and related activities, an increase of $352 million over FY24, to implement the CHIPS and Science Act, including investments in artificial intelligence and quantum information science, and the new Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships. NSF’s education and training programs to build tomorrow’s innovation workforce are funded at $1.23 billion, an increase of $53 million over FY24.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): $6.7 billion for the agency overall, a $380 million increase over FY24. This includes funding for key programs that Maryland relies on to protect the Chesapeake Bay and its ecosystems:
• $1.75 million for Chesapeake Bay Oyster Restoration, which is critical to the economic and environmental survival of the Chesapeake Bay and is a high priority for the State of Maryland, The Commonwealth of Virginia, and the Chesapeake Bay Program. The Committee also encourages NOAA to partner with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with a proven track record in aquaculture research work;
• $500,000 for Sea Turtle Stranding Response and Rehabilitation, which will provide grants to institutions such as the National Aquarium for its sea turtle rescue efforts;
• $56,184,000 for Marine Habitat Conservation and Restoration, which supports important efforts across the country, including in the Chesapeake Bay, to improve fisheries and build more resilient coastal ecosystems;
• $25 million for the National Marine Fisheries Service Aquaculture Program and $14 million for the Sea Grant Aquaculture Research Program, both of which help support the aquaculture industry, while providing resources to restore struggling fisheries and habitats, including oyster reefs;
• $9.7 million for NOAA Regional Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) grant programs, which award educational grants related to Chesapeake Bay restoration;
• Report language encouraging NOAA Fisheries and the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission to conduct Menhaden abundance research to monitor the population of this crucial forage fish in the Chesapeake Bay waters. Menhaden are particularly important to the health of the Rockfish population – the official Maryland State Fish and one of the most popular commercial and recreational fish species in the Bay; and
• $34 million in funding for the National Estuarine Research Reserve program. This funding supports the 6,000-acre Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Maryland, which provides important coastal ecosystem stewardship, education, and research services that are critical to coastal management decisions in the State and beyond.

• National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS): $390.2 million overall, a $9.5 million increase over FY24. This includes $176.8 million for Space Weather Next, a nearly $25 million increase over FY24. This program, primarily operated out of NASA Goddard, monitors near-Earth space weather and solar activity that can impact critical infrastructure on Earth like communication systems and electrical power grids and technology.

• National Weather Service (NWS): $1.3 billion overall, a $42 million increase over FY24. This includes:
• $1.5 million for Testbed and Training for Next Generation Weather Forecasting. The testbed will utilize cutting-edge meteorological technology and provide real-time, actionable data for assimilation into NWS operational numerical weather models and for applied research at oceanic and atmospheric research (OAR) laboratories.
• College Park, Maryland is home to the Air Resources Laboratory, which is an OAR laboratory.