The Senate Appropriations Committee late Tuesday approved a bill containing funding sought by U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., for crime-fighting initiatives based in West Virginia.”West Virginia is building a reputation as a forensic science hub, and this bill includes funding I sought to continue our state’s foray into this exciting, opportunity-filled arena,”Byrd said.”In addition to $327 million I sought in the bill to continue operations of the FBI ’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division in Clarksburg, the bill contains a total of $7.5 million I added for ongoing forensic science programs at two of our state’s leading institutions of higher learning,”Byrd said of the facility which supports 3,400 federal and contractor employees in the state.”Right in the heart of West Virginia is a cutting-edge forensic science initiative like no other in the world. When it comes to the burgeoning field of forensics, the FBI ’s CJIS complex in Harrison County, is setting a standard for others to follow,”Byrd said.”Building on the opportunities presented by the CJIS facility, West Virginia University has developed a one-of-a-kind forensic identification degree program. I added $5 million to this bill for that program at WVU , which is working hand-in-hand with the FBI to ensure that its curriculum compliments the agency’s needs,”Byrd said.

Byrd added $2.5 million to the bill for a Marshall University program that focuses on DNA identification.

“DNA is increasingly providing the make-or-break clue in criminal cases, meaning that justice is more frequently hinging on the proper handling and understanding of DNA evidence. The funding I added to this bill will help to equip a state-of-the art laboratory to provide practical instruction in DNA testing to specialists and law enforcement officials,”Byrd said.

The bill also contains $30 million Byrd sought for operations of the 1,536-bed Beckley Federal Correctional Facility and $2 million Byrd added to the bill to initiate a $25 million secure facility to house female offenders in Hazleton.

“Based on its own criteria, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) selected a site at Hazleton for a new women’s facility, and this money will help to launch construction of that facility. Once constructed and operational, the BOP projects that the Preston County prison will employ 350 to 400 personnel, with sixty percent of these jobs going to qualified new hires. The facility will have an annual operating budget of $23 to $27 million,”Byrd said. The committee approved $1 million that Byrd earmarked to allow the National Institute of Corrections to work with state and federal correctional systems to address the issue of staff sexual misconduct involving female inmates. Byrd also obtained more than $2.4 million to improve security at the federal courthouses in Wheeling, Martinsburg, Elkins, and Bluefield.”After the tragic Oklahoma City bombing, federal buildings and courthouses have taken a longer look at ways to improve security. The funding in this bill will help to make these federal facilities across West Virginia safer for the employees and for the citizens who utilize the services in the buildings every day,”Byrd explained.

Of the $2.4 million, more than $1.3 million is slated for the Elkins courthouse, $500,000 for the Martinsburg courthouse, $489,000 for the Wheeling courthouse, and $108,000 for the Bluefield courthouse.

In an effort to address growing concerns about the effect that current television programming has on young people, Byrd added language to the report accompanying the bill that instructs the Federal Communications Commission to consider new network broadcasting standards.”Too much programming today panders to the lowest common denominators whether that be sex or violence or vulgarity. I want the FCC to report whether a new set of voluntary standards would help to improve the quality of programming that television stations broadcast,”Byrd said, noting that an analysis of prime-time programming by the Parents Television Council released in March found that overall sexual content, foul language, and violence have nearly tripled over the past decade. Byrd also earmarked $25 million in the bill for a national grant program to help states improve enforcement of laws barring alcohol sales to minors.