WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. House of Representatives today voted to pass U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger’s legislation that would provide $375,000 for a new office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Amelia County.

The funding for Amelia County — which Spanberger successfully secured as part of a House-passed fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations package — would be used to renovate a former bank building into the new Clerk’s Office, which is currently located in the Amelia County Courthouse. This renovation would allow the county to make necessary security improvements for the County Courthouse and the Sheriff’s Office.

“Through conversations with local officials in Amelia County, it is clear that the Clerk of the Court’s Office needs to be moved and upgraded — and this project would provide Amelia with the resources necessary to do so,” said Spanberger. “I am proud to have worked directly with community leaders to secure this funding, and I thank each of them for their commitment to improving their community and meeting the needs of Amelia’s residents. Since coming to Congress, one of my top priorities has been to bring federal resources home to Central Virginia. I am encouraged that these hundreds of thousands of dollars were passed today in the U.S. House, and I will continue working to get this funding to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.”

“After evaluating the status and condition of Amelia County’s Courthouse spaces, the Amelia County Board of Supervisors determined that significant upgrades are needed for the offices of the Clerk of the Circuit Court. The currently facility is not meeting the needs of citizens or employees,” said H. Joseph Easter, IV, Chairman, Amelia County Board of Supervisors. “The Board purchased an adjacent building, recently vacated, with the goal of converting it into new space for the Clerk. Amelia County is committed to enhancing services for our citizens and has engaged engineers and an architect to develop plans for the project. The current space in the existing Courthouse will allow us to provide enhanced space with improved security and safety for the court system. This project will be a catalyst for additional projects in and around the Courthouse to modernize our facilities and provide services our citizens want.”

Multiple incidents have taken place in the Courthouse which could have been mitigated with enhanced security, and the space currently being occupied by the Clerk’s Office is needed to make those security improvements. Additionally, this transition would take staff in the Clerk’s Office out of harm’s way and make routine operations in the office safer.

The FY2022 appropriations package now goes to the U.S. Senate for further consideration.

BACKGROUND

This year, the U.S. House of Representatives implemented a new effort as part of its annual appropriations process, which allowed for specific Community Project Funding requests — like the new office of the Clerk of Court. Spanberger worked directly with community leaders in all ten counties of the Seventh District to gather community-focused requests for her submissions. Click here for a 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 must demonstrate significant local support for the projects. 

Spanberger has consistently worked to secure funding for Central Virginia projects that would create new jobs, make infrastructure improvements, and strengthen the local economy. Recently, she joined a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House in voting to pass the INVEST in America Act, which includes more than $22.7 million in federal resources for Central Virginia transportation and infrastructure projects that Spanberger successfully secured in the legislation.

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