Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced $977,733 from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Justice Programs (OJP) for the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. The funding was made possible through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which passed the Senate and was signed into law in June of 2022, and will support purchasing new network servers and switches to improve data accessibility and facilitate the conversion of mental health and juvenile justice files to electronic records.

“I’m pleased DOJ is investing more than $977K to modernize and improve the technology systems used by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, which will promote public safety in our communities across the state,” said Senator Manchin. “The funding announced today will help purchase new network servers and switches to ensure the court’s data is available to the national record systems, as well as convert paper mental health and juvenile justice files to electronic records. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue advocating for resources to strengthen our justice systems and keep our neighborhoods safe.”

The DOJ OJP National Criminal History Improvement Program provides funding to states and localities to improve the quality, timeliness and immediate accessibility of criminal history records and related information. Senator Manchin voted for and helped negotiate the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, commonsense, bipartisan legislation to protect America’s children, promote school safety and reduce the threat of violence across the country.