House OKs funding for BRAC

Thursday, November 08, 2007

From staff reports

Huntsville Times

Bill allows $29.9B for construction, implementation

The U.S. House on Tuesday approved a bill that will pay for moving military commands to Huntsville as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission decisions, U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer announced Wednesday.

Cramer said the House approved a conference report for the 2008 Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs Appropriations Bill. The bill, which now goes to the Senate, provides $8.4 billion for BRAC implementation and $21.5 billion for military construction and family housing projects throughout the military.

This summer the Army's Space & Missile Defense Command " became the first command to officially move to Redstone as a result of BRAC," Cramer said in a statement. "This move begins to make BRAC recommendations for North Alabama a reality."

The BRAC funding "will go a long way in ensuring that Redstone and other installations have the resources and support they need to prepare for an influx of new defense workers," he said.

In addition to SMDC, Redstone is set to gain the headquarters of the Army Materiel Command and the bulk of the Missile Defense Agency from northern Virginia, along with a recruiting brigade out of Atlanta. The new commands will bring an estimated 4,500 government jobs and perhaps as many contractor jobs to the Huntsville area.

Cramer said the bill also included $20 million for construction of a new software engineering lab on Redstone and $2 million for a new child development center for the arsenal.



House OKs funding for BRAC Thursday, November 08, 2007 From staff reports Huntsville Times Bill allows $29.9B for construction, implementation The U.S. House on Tuesday approved a bill that will pay for moving military commands to Huntsville as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission decisions, U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer announced Wednesday. Cramer said the House approved a conference report for the 2008 Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs Appropriations Bill. The bill, which now goes to the Senate, provides $8.4 billion for BRAC implementation and $21.5 billion for military construction and family housing projects throughout the military. This summer the Army's Space & Missile Defense Command " became the first command to officially move to Redstone as a result of BRAC," Cramer said in a statement. "This move begins to make BRAC recommendations for North Alabama a reality." The BRAC funding "will go a long way in ensuring that Redstone and other installations have the resources and support they need to prepare for an influx of new defense workers," he said. In addition to SMDC, Redstone is set to gain the headquarters of the Army Materiel Command and the bulk of the Missile Defense Agency from northern Virginia, along with a recruiting brigade out of Atlanta. The new commands will bring an estimated 4,500 government jobs and perhaps as many contractor jobs to the Huntsville area. Cramer said the bill also included $20 million for construction of a new software engineering lab on Redstone and $2 million for a new child development center for the arsenal. © 2007 The Huntsville Times © 2007 al.com All Rights Reserved.