The Lenco BearCat is a wheeled SWAT vehicle used by militaries and law enforcement around the world.
Governor Albert Bryan has written to Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett regarding priorities the territory would love to see funded through Congress's Community Project Funding, or CPF, which the administration is asking Ms. Plaskett to submit to Congress for consideration under the $1.5 trillion Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022. President Joe Biden signed the Act into law in March.
“Congressional earmarks for federally funded local projects are back, and the Bryan-Roach Administration is working with Delegate Plaskett to have our requests put before Congress," stated the governor. "We look forward to learning that our $21 million in CPF requests were accepted in Congress for these essential local projects that will bring about important outcomes in the Territory and greatly enhance the services available to Virgin Islanders.”
According to Government House, Mr. Bryan is requesting federal funding through the Omnibus Appropriations Bill for:
- Two 2021 BearCat armored vehicles for the Virgin Islands Police Department ($1 million).
- STEM and after-school programs for the Department of Education ($2.2 million).
- Bright Path Holistic Wellness after-school programming and mental health services for low-income public housing residents ($900,000).
- Seven ambulances for the V.I. Fire Service ($1.9 million).
- Virgin Islands Diabetes Center of Excellence remote patient monitoring, telehealth, and laboratory equipment ($995,000).
- Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency Emergency Operations Center for St. Croix ($1 million).
- Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency – St. Thomas Bertha C. Boschulte School on St. Thomas congregate shelter emergency power generator ($200,000).
- Virgin Islands Port Authority – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project planning for the maintenance of Christiansted and Charlotte Amalie harbors and related navigational aids ($2 million).
- Virgin Islands Department of Public Works – Estate La Grange flood risk management ($8.7 million).
- Community First Emergency & Supportive Services for St. Croix’s Formerly Homeless ($2.1 million).
Mr. Biden signed the Omnibus Appropriations Bill into law on March 15, 2022, and for the first time in a decade, it includes a large portfolio of earmarks, or CPF, after Congress reinstated the process of directing federal funds for local projects in the 117th Congress. CPF is defined as any congressionally directed spending, tax benefit or tariff benefit that would benefit an entity or a specific state, locality or congressional district.
Gov't House said that because the funding is specified to a recipient, it is not subject to competitive award processes, and eligible projects include infrastructure projects, community programs, STEM and after-school programs, mental health services, and other local initiatives.
