McCollum Successfully Secures Federal Funding for Violence Prevention, Public Safety

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) issued the following statement today in anticipation of President Biden signing the Fiscal Year 2022 conference agreement (H.R. 2471) into law this afternoon, with funding for all 10 Community Project Funding (CPF) requests made by Rep. McCollum that will directly benefit Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District:

"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 have heard directly from constituents about the need to invest in addressing this critical issue, and I look forward to continuing to work with the City of Saint Paul and Ramsey County to help keep our communities safe."

Two Community Project Funding (CPF) requests made by Rep. McCollum will benefit Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District by investing community safety:

• Project: Saint Paul Police Department Portable Radio Replacement Project ($2,000,000)
  Description: 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. The City depends on 1,974 radios to provide public safety and services to residents, and 1,215 of those are used by the police department to perform its role in the City's Community First Public Safety strategy. Those radios, first procured in 2003, have been out of manufacturer's support since 2018 and reached their end of life and must be replaced to ensure compatibility with the State of Minnesota's P25 ARMER network. Full replacement of all of the City's radios would cost nearly $10 million, but this project will assist with most critical need in Saint Paul: 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.

"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."

"This Justice funding directly supports our neighborhood safety efforts by replacing the end-of-life portable radios used by our sworn officers who protect and serve our community," said Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter. "I'm grateful for Congresswoman McCollum's leadership in securing this funding for our City."

"Saint Paul is so appreciative of Rep. McCollum's advocacy to lock in critical funds to replace the portable radios for our emergency responders," said St. Paul City Council President Amy Brendmoen. "The radios are nearing the end of their useful life, so the timing couldn't be more perfect."

• Project: Community Violence Prevention Project ($900,000)
  Description: In order to truly address the increased violence Ramsey County is experiencing, multiple-focused deterrence efforts must be made to proactively engage young people caught up in car jackings, gun violence and other serious 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 caught up in serious violence.

"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 in this critical project and 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."

Background:
Within the FY 2022 funding agreement, the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies bill provides $75.8 billion, an increase of $4.7 billion above 2021.

The legislation:

• Creates good-paying American jobs by:
  • Providing $9.9 billion for the Department of Commerce, an increase of $989 million, with investments in economic development in distressed communities and support for small businesses, including small- and medium- sized American manufacturers
  • Providing $55 million for the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) which helps business growth opportunities among minority-owned U.S. companies
• Helps make our communities safer by:
  • Providing resources for local law enforcement with $674.5 million for Byrne Justice Assistance grants and $512 million for COPS program grants
  • Addressing the gun violence epidemic with $95 million to strengthen the National Instant Criminal Background Check system and $50 million for community-based violence intervention initiatives
  • Including McCollum request for a tribal set-aside within the DOJ's Crime Victims Fund (CVF) to better improve consultation with tribal partners to protect victims of violence in tribal communities
• Addresses gender-based violence by:
  • Providing $575 million for Violence Against Women Act prevention and prosecution programs
  • Including $201 million to reduce the backlog of unprocessed rape kits and other DNA evidence
• Confronts the climate crisis by:
  • Providing $24 billion, an increase of $770 million, for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with strong funding within this total for efforts to gain scientific knowledge about the Earth's changing climate
    • Includes McCollum request to provide $60 million for the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program to support local grants to invest in STEM needs
  • Including $5.88 billion for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for climate research and mitigation efforts, improvements in weather forecasting, understanding sea level rise, supporting offshore wind energy, fisheries management, and STEM education
    • Includes McCollum report language for NOAA to work more closely with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a long-term strategy for the Mississippi River Restoration and Resiliency Initiative (MRRRI)

Full list of McCollum-secured CPFs:

Rep. McCollum's full statement on the passage of the FY 22 funding agreement is available here. In keeping with the Appropriations Committee's commitment to transparency, information on Rep. McCollum's Community Project Funding requests is available here.

###