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McCollum Community Projects Totaling $2.9 Million For Public Safety Included in Funding Bill

July 15, 2021

Fiscal Year 2022 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Funding Bill Advances to House Floor

The House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2022 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies bill and report today, including two Community Project Funding (CPF) requests made by Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.) to benefit Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District:

  • Project: Saint Paul Police Department Portable Radio Replacement ($2,000,000)
    The replacement of 600 end-of-life police portable radios is necessary for the City of St. Paul to maintain the ability to effectively respond to public safety needs and sustain interoperable communications among the first responder network within the city and among mutual-aid communities. This project will assist with the most critical SPPD need: replacing 600 radios used by sworn officers to investigate, respond to, and prevent crime in the community. This federal funding would be partnered with additional funding procured by the City to sustain the communications necessary to protect and serve the community.
  • Project: Ramsey County Community Violence Prevention Project ($900,000)
    Multiple-focused deterrence efforts must be made to proactively engage young people caught up in violence with robust resources, including 24/7 support delivered by trusted community members. The county envisions an effort co-led with our community, aligning City and County resources, to invest in dedicated staff capacity to advance this work, along with a community-based infrastructure of 24/7 support coaches and flexible funding to meet the immediate safety and wellness needs of people involved in serious violence.

"Bringing federal taxpayer dollars back into the Fourth District for projects that will boost our community safety needs will benefit our neighbors and our families," Congresswoman McCollum said. "This funding will help ensure St. Paul Police officers have the equipment needed to communicate quickly and effectively in responding to emergencies. The Ramsey County Community Violence Prevention Project will employ a community-led effort and provide 24/7 support to help those involved in serious violence. I look forward to continuing to work with the City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County to advance these projects in Congress."

"In an emergency, every second counts and communication is critically important," said St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell. "Police radios help officers respond more quickly to people in need and share vital information that keeps our community and our first responders safe. Thanks to Rep. McCollum and the Commerce, Justice & Science Subcommittee, Saint Paul's guardians will have the best tools available as they work to protect the peace and maintain public safety in Minnesota's capital city."

"We commend Congresswoman McCollum for making it a high priority to help us address the uptick in gun violence and violent crime our community has been experiencing, like many others across our country, during the global pandemic and recognizing the need for comprehensive public health approaches to reduce the violence, said Ramsey County Attorney John Choi. "In partnership with our community, law enforcement, and City and County leaders, we will utilize this federal assistance to invest in proven ways to prevent and intervene in violent crime. We are grateful for Congresswoman McCollum's leadership and this critical step forward in reducing violence, engaging our community, and saving lives."

"The Community Violence Prevention Project, with its community-based focus, highlights Minnesota as a leader in working with our residents to reduce violence," said Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter. "Successfully decreasing violence in our community through data-driven, evidence-based and focused deterrence strategies will benefit everyone who lives, works, and plays in Ramsey County. We are so thankful to Congresswoman McCollum for partnering in this important work."

Overall, for FY 2022, the Commerce-Justice-Science funding bill provides $81.3 billion, an increase of $10.2 billion above the current 2021 funding level. The legislation:

  • Creates good-paying American jobs with investments in economic development in distressed communities with support for small businesses, including small- and medium- sized American manufacturers
  • Supports safer communities with funding for local law enforcement while bolstering police and criminal justice reform and expanding gun violence prevention efforts
  • Addresses gender-based violence with strong increases for Violence Against Women Act prevention and prosecution programs, as well as efforts to reduce the backlog of unprocessed rape kits
  • Confronts the climate crisis with strong funding for climate resilience and research at NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Science Foundation

The bill next heads to the floor of the U.S. House Floor for debate and approval.

A summary of the bill is here. The text of the draft bill is here. The bill report is here. In keeping with the Appropriations Committee's commitment to transparency, information on Rep. McCollum's Community Project Funding requests is available here.