Senator Rockefeller has been fighting for solutions that work for West Virginia families for more than 40 years. He is committed to investing in West Virginia and in reforming our health care system, expanding our national security, and creating good-paying jobs for families. To improve our infrastructure, Senator Rockefeller is supporting a number of federally funded projects, which will create jobs, encourage research, and invest in education. West Virginia deserves its fair share of federal funding, and Senator Rockefeller will stand up and fight for all available resources.

Projects listed in alphabetical order based on the organization that submitted the request. West Virginia impact is also discussed below.

In addition, on June 30, 2010, following the death of his dear friend and colleague Senator Robert C. Byrd, and in accordance with Senate protocol and procedure, Senator Rockefeller proudly resubmitted to the Appropriations Committee the full list of Senator Byrd's pending West Virginia projects for funding consideration for FY 2011. Senator Byrd selected these projects after significant discussions and consultations with citizens, organizations, and government entities throughout the State of West Virginia, and, in some instances, with federal agency officials. While the budgetary climate is such that not every project will receive federal funding or the full amount being requested, as the Congress proceeds through the FY 2011 authorization and appropriations process, Senator Rockefeller will be working with his colleagues to advance these important West Virginia requests.

Senator Rockefeller also resubmitted the Water Resources Development Act requests that Senator Byrd submitted to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

The list of additional funding requests may be viewed here.

Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee

Project: Communities In Schools (CIS)
Requestor: Communities In Schools
Location: Arlington, VA
West Virginia Impact: A CIS site is located in Greenbrier County, West Virginia.
Amount: $5,000,000
Other Senators: Joined with 7 other Senators in making this request.
Description: Communities in Schools is the nation's largest dropout prevention organization. For thirty years, CIS has helped kids stay in school by identifying and addressing the unmet needs of children and families. CIS is active across the country, with 200 local affiliates serving more than one million kids at 3,400 sites in 25 states and the District of Columbia.

Project: National Writing Project
Requestor: National Writing Project
Location: Berkeley, CA
West Virginia Impact: There are three sites in the state of West Virginia that serve over 2,210 teachers.
Amount: $26,200,000
Other Senators: Joined with 27 other Senators in making this request.
Description: This program provides support for a national infrastructure of more than 200 writing project sites that serve their local schools and teaching communities with high-quality teacher professional development in all 50 states. It is the only national program that focuses on the teaching of writing and there are three sites in the state of West Virginia that serve over 2,210 teachers.

Project: Reach Out and Read
Requestor: Reach Out and Read National Center
Location: Boston, MA
West Virginia Impact: West Virginia has 21 program sites in the state.
Amount: $10,000,000
Other Senators: Joined with 39 other Senators in making this request.
Description: More than 52,000 health providers in all 50 states have been trained in Reach Out and Read's strategies of early language and literacy promotion, and more than 4,500 clinics and hospitals nationwide have implemented the program, reaching more than 30 percent of children in poverty nationwide. Reach Out and Read serves 13,210 West Virginian children in 21 programs.

Project: Reading is Fundamental
Requestor: Reading Is Fundamental, Inc
Location: Washington, DC
West Virginia Impact: West Virginia has 110 sites that provide over 78,000 books to approximately 21,000 children.
Amount: $25,000,000
Other Senators: Joined with 26 other Senators in making this request.
Description: The program is the nation's oldest and largest children's literacy organization and provides underserved children with free books for personal ownership and reading encouragement. Increased funding will not only enable the continued support of the most underserved children, but will also reach children currently on the waiting list of 1.5 million children. West Virginia has 110 sites that provide over 78,000 books to approximately 21,000 children.

Project: West Virginia University Healthcare Clinical Neurosciences Program
Requestor: West Virginia University Health Sciences
Location: Morgantown, WV
West Virginia Impact: The Program will create a state-of-the-art research and training center for the neurosciences. This Center will support the creation of approximately 50 health care related jobs along with approximately 36 construction jobs.
Amount: $4,000,000
Description: Funds will complete approximately 26,000 square feet and provide a state-of-the-art clinical and support facility for the work of neurology, neurosurgery, and neuropsychiatry. This new Program will benefit patients with severe neurological deficits as a result of injury or disease; education as a training location for medical experts in the neurosciences; and the larger research community as a unique center of excellence that turns research results into treatments for the patients they can help the most. This project was awarded $1,000,000 in FY 2010.