In Case You Missed It: Shaheen Touts Key Investments in Fiscal Year 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Chair of the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Subcommittee and a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, participated in a full committee markup of key legislation. In a 28-1 vote, the Committee approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 CJS Appropriations bill, which provides a total of $71.734 billion in discretionary funding, investing in a wide range of critical programs benefitting New Hampshire and the country.   

“The bipartisan fiscal year 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations bill will help keep our communities and nation secure, further United States leadership in science and innovation and assist in the growth and prosperity of American businesses. As Chair of the CJS Subcommittee, I have worked to ensure this bill gives our communities the tools they need to build a safe and prosperous future,” said Senator Shaheen. “These resources focus on critically important needs like combatting violent crime and gun violence, supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence and tackling the nation’s substance use disorder epidemic. In addition, the 2024 CJS Appropriations bill addresses economic security across our country. It makes critical investments that will directly foster economic growth, accelerate exports of American products, enhance safety through accurate weather prediction, promote innovation throughout the economy and help deliver good jobs. This legislation also prioritizes many other important policies necessary for America’s future success, including investments in climate resilience, environmental restoration and space exploration. As we look ahead, I’m confident that the investments made through this appropriations bill will benefit Americans and the shared security interests of our allies and partners, and we must continue to look for ways to make the necessary and smart investments to further bolster our economic and national security. I urge Congress to swiftly consider this legislation and send it to the President’s desk to be signed into law.” 

Summary of Shaheen priorities included in the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024:   

Support for Ocean Research & Conservation Efforts and Weather Satellites 

Senator Shaheen secured $6.51 billion for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is an increase of $154 million or 2.4 percent over the FY 2023 funding level. This includes $751 million for NOAA research, much of which works to combat the climate crisis. This funding will help coastal communities in New Hampshire and across the nation bolster their resilience to changing climate, as well as support ocean health and research. In addition, the bill invests in successful job-creating programs, sustainable economic development and environmental restoration.  

The bill provides full funding to cover the cost of at-sea monitoring in the New England groundfish fishery and supports the integration of collected data to improve stock assessment models. The bill also includes nearly $2 million in funding to support young fishermen and promote workforce development in working fisheries including nearly $1 million specifically designated for activities to support young fishermen in New Hampshire through a Congressionally Directed Spending project. Senator Shaheen also secured an increase of $4 million for research and conservation efforts to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale, for a total of $50 million, of which $30 million will support States with testing and voluntary deployment of innovative gear. The bill further includes $4.5 million specifically targeted for research related to key New England seafood species, including to study the effects of climate change, as well as $1 million for research into the impacts of PFAS and other contaminants of emerging concern in coastal regions.   

Additionally, Shaheen secured $1.92 billion for NOAA weather and climate satellites, an increase of $211 million, or 12.4 percent above the FY 2023 enacted level. The bill provides sufficient funding to keep the construction of the current generation of polar, geostationary and space weather satellites on track. Polar weather satellites help forecast weather to protect property and economic security for families in New Hampshire and across the nation.  

Secured Vital Funding for Economic Development, Trade, and Manufacturing 

Senator Shaheen secured $466 million for the Economic Development Administration (EDA), which awards infrastructure and planning grants to communities around the country. The EDA has recently awarded grants to Granite State communities for a wide variety of projects, including a $44 million award for Manchester’s biofabrication cluster. The EDA funding Senator Shaheen secured also includes $4.5 million to assist communities recovering from biomass plant closures, $41 million for the Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs program, $3 million for EDA’s partnership with the Northern Border Regional Commission and $25 million for the Good Jobs Challenge—a program funding employer-led workforce training systems and partnerships to train and place American workers into high-quality jobs to support regional economies.  support regional economies.   

Senator Shaheen also secured $637 million for the International Trade Administration (ITA), a $12 million increase above FY 2023 enacted, including $12 million for ITA’s supply chain resilience initiative to strengthen ITA’s ability to identify economic and national security risks to supply chains. This agency promotes American exports, supports small and medium-sized businesses and ensures fair trade practices on the global stage. 

Senator Shaheen’s funding bill also invests in advanced manufacturing, providing $175 million for the Manufacturing Extension Program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Senator Shaheen also secured $4.5 million for NIST for Regenerative Medicine standards and research to develop clinical measurement standards that will serve as the foundation for advancements in biomanufacturing technologies and treatments, a $12 million increase for NIST to support standards and research related to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, and $3 million for NIST PFAS standards and research, while directing NIST to further study sources of PFAS exposure for firefighters. 

Keeping communities and the nation safe 

The bill provides necessary funding for our federal law enforcement personnel to keep Americans safe and supports state and local law enforcement with new resources to hire over 1,400 additional officers nationwide. The bill funds Byrne-Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) program—the core of federal funding for state and local law enforcement—at $800 million, an increase of $28.3 million more than the fiscal year 2023 enacted level. Byrne-JAG core funding to states and territories is $421 million, which is $8.8 million more than the fiscal year 2023 enacted level. New Hampshire’s total state and local allocation in FY 2023 is approximately $1.5 million. 

The bill delivers a significant increase in funding for the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) to prevent violence against women and better support survivors. Specifically, the bill provides OVW $732 million for Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grant programs—the highest funding level ever. This includes: 

• $255 million for STOP Formula grants to develop and strengthen the criminal justice system’s response to violence against women and to support and enhance services for victims; 
• $10 million for implementation of the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights grant program, which Shaheen authored and became law in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act; 
• $80 million for the Sexual Assault Services Program; 
• $51 million for transitional housing assistance for survivors of domestic violence; 
• $51 million for rural domestic violence assistance; 
• $56 million for legal assistance for victims of domestic and sexual violence; and 
• $20 million for a new program to increase access to sexual assault nurse exams. 

The bill also provides critical funding for the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to support America’s youth.  OJJDP is funded at $415 million, which is $15 million more than the fiscal year 2023 enacted level. The bill includes increases for vital programs including youth mentoring grants ($110 million), Victims of Child Abuse Act grants ($50 million) and Missing and Exploited Children Program grants ($108 million).  

Finally, the bill works to combat the opioid crisis impacting communities across the country with $611.5 million in dedicated grant funding to be used in response to the substance use disorder crisis. Of this, $445 million is for Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) grants, which 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 $38 million, an increase of $3 million compared to FY 2023 enacted. 

Advances Cutting-edge Research and Invests in American Competitiveness.  

The bill delivers $11 billion to implement the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, of which $9.5 billion supports the National Science Foundation’s critical mission. It provides $1.45 billion for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)—including a $68 million (or 7 percent) increase in funding for NIST’s measurement labs and research to propel breakthroughs in cutting-edge fields like carbon dioxide removal, artificial intelligence, quantum information science and cybersecurity. 

Continues America’s Leadership in Space 

To support America’s continued leadership in space, Shaheen helped secure $25 billion for NASA to bolster climate research and space missions. The bill also includes an increase of $267 million to return Americans to the Moon, including the first female and first person of color. Additionally, within the $7.34 billion Shaheen secured for NASA Science, $805 million is for NASA Heliophysics, an increase of $54 million above the President’s request level. The University of New Hampshire is a leading heliophysics research institution, with instruments on 12 of 18 operating heliophysics missions, as well as 4 of the 13 missions under development.    

Senator Shaheen also included the following Congressionally Directed Spending projects for New Hampshire, totaling more than $23 million. 

Atkinson, NH Police Department	Atkinson, NH Police Department Cruiser Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) Upgrade Project	COPS	$28,000
Berlin Police Department	Communications is KEY. Help us Improve Public Safety & Response!	COPS	$355,000
City of Claremont	City of Claremont Enhanced Communication and Public Safety Assurance Project	COPS	$1,300,000
City of Dover, NH	Dover Police Dept. Dispatch Console	COPS	$438,000
County of Cheshire	Officer Training Simulator	COPS	$80,000
Grafton County Sheriff’s Office	Police Department Portable Radios	COPS	$520,000
Merrimack County Sheriff	Merrimack County Sheriff MDT request	COPS	$261,000
Merrimack Police Department	Body/Cruiser Camera Program	COPS	$420,000
Newmarket Police Department	Computer Aided Dispatch Systems (CAD) and Records Management Systems (RMS) Replacement and Upgrade Program	COPS	$358,000
Newport Police Department	Newport Police Department Dispatch Radio Consoles	COPS	$218,000
NH Dept. of Safety-Emergency Communications/9-1-1 (DESC)	New Hampshire Public Safety Interoperable Communications Network (NHICNET)	COPS	$4,878,000
Strafford County Sheriff's Office	Strafford County Public Safety Communications Improvements	COPS	$715,000
Windham Police Department	Greater Windham Emergency Regional Communications Interoperability Project	COPS	$419,000
Aviation Museum of New Hampshire	Alvirne High/Palmer Center Student Plane-Build	NASA	$90,000
Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI)	Build-out of a Biofabrication Standards-Related Test Lab	NIST	$1,200,000
Plymouth State University	Plymouth State University Cybersecurity Program	NIST	$1,000,000
University of New Hampshire	The Edge Innovation Community	NIST	$5,000,000
Mount Washington Observatory	Mount Washington Observatory World-Class Research Facility Project	NOAA	$1,538,000
New England Young Fishermen's Alliance (NEYFA)	Preparing the Next Generation of NH Fishermen and Women for Success: Preserving our Working Waterfronts	NOAA	$956,000
Seabrook-Hampton Estuary Alliance (SHEA)	Hampton-Seabrook Estuary: Building Coastal Resilience and Community Capacity	NOAA	$1,473,000
Alton, NH Police Department	Alton NH Police Body Worn Camera Project	Byrne	$255,000
Concord Police Department	Concord Police Department Evidence Equipment and Training	Byrne	$73,000
Derry Police Department	Body Worn Camera (BWC)/In-car Video (ICV)/Facility Cameras	Byrne	$586,000
Franklin Police Department	Franklin Police Department Body Worn Camera Project	Byrne	$208,000
Hampton Falls Police Department	Hampton Falls PD Virtual Simulation Training Equipment	Byrne	$38,000
Hampton, NH Police Department	Hampton Police Department: Enhanced Criminal Justice Response Team	Byrne	$200,000
Hillsborough County Sheriff	Hillsborough County Sheriff De-Escalation Program	Byrne	$276,000
Manchester School District	Active Attack CRCC Training – Manchester School District	Byrne	$48,000
Rochester, NH Police Department	In-car Camera Replacement Project	Byrne	$123,000
Stratham Police Department (SPD)	Active Threat Incident Equipment	Byrne	$53,000
Town of Mont Vernon	Mont Vernon PD Body Worn Cameras	Byrne	$25,000
Town of New Hampton	New Hampton Public Safety Cruiser	Byrne	$80,000

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