The House-Passed Funding Would Allow for Purchase of New Bi-Directional Amplifier System to Improve Emergency Radio Coverage in Madison County Schools & Keep Students Safe

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives today voted to pass U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger’s legislation that would provide $450,000 for the Madison County Sheriff’s Office to purchase new equipment to provide reliable emergency radio coverage at Madison County Public Schools.

This investment — which Spanberger secured as part of a House-passed fiscal year (FY)2024 appropriations package — would allow for the purchase of a new bi-directional amplifier system to install inside Madison County’s four public schools for use by law enforcement and first responders. This investment would provide full coverage inside the school buildings, eliminating signal dead zones and enabling communication that may otherwise be unavailable due to interferences with radio coverage. This project would improve communication between the Madison County Sheriff’s Office and the emergency dispatch center to keep students, faculty, deputies, and other first responders safe in an emergency situation.

“The ability to quickly gather and relay information is critical to local law enforcement officers’ ability to do their jobs and keep Virginians safe. This federal funding would allow the Madison County Sheriff’s Office to invest in technology to bridge the gap between emergency responders and Madison County students,” said Spanberger. “Virginia parents deserve to know their kids are safe in the classroom. Thank you to the Madison County officials and leaders who have worked directly with me and our office to secure this funding in the House-passed appropriations package — and thank you for your demonstrated commitment to keeping your communities safe.”

“Madison County is extremely grateful to be receiving an award of $450,000 through congressional appropriations. This funding will significantly enhance public safety within our school system and offer added support for our first responders while operating in the schools,” said Jonathon Weakley, County Administrator & Clerk of the Board, Madison County Board of Supervisors. “Public safety continues to be one of our biggest priorities and this award enhances our ability to provide for the safety of our school aged children and first responders alike. We would like to thank U.S Representative Spanberger for her dedication to the enhancement of public safety for Madison County.”

Spanberger worked directly with Madison County to make sure this project was included in this federal funding legislation. The FY2024 appropriations package now goes to the U.S. Senate for further consideration.

BACKGROUND

For FY2024, the U.S. House of Representatives allowed for specific Community Project Funding requests — as it did in FY2023. Spanberger worked directly with community leaders in localities across Virginia’s Seventh District to gather community-focused requests for her submissions. Click here for the full list of her submissions.

The Community Project Funding process was created to ensure that Members of Congress — in concert with the communities they represent — may submit direct applications for federal funding to support locally planned projects as part of the yearly appropriations process.

To be eligible, projects must be sponsored by local or state government entities or non-profit organizations and must be projects that would otherwise meet the qualifications to apply for federal grant funding. The purpose of Community Project Funding is to ensure direct, local engagement as part of the federal appropriations process. In line with this goal, funding applications needed to demonstrate significant local support for the projects.

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