Herald Mail
State Sens. Richard Alloway II and John Blake announced last week the formation of a legislative caucus to help preserve the state’s 11 military bases and defense jobs in the face of potential base realignment.
The primary goal of the Military Installations and Base Development Caucus will be the preservation of Pennsylvania’s 11 military bases and more than 164,000 defense-related jobs, according to a news release.
The caucus will work to strengthen the dialogue with federal lawmakers and military and civilian leadership at military facilities throughout the state, and prepare and plan for future Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC, activities, the news release said.
Letterkenny Army Depot in Chambersburg was considered by BRAC in 2005.
The annual economic impact of federal defense spending in Pennsylvania is estimated to be more than $18 billion, the release said.
“Our military bases play a pivotal role in training and equipping our troops around the world, and the communities that host these bases take tremendous pride in our local contributions to the nation’s military,” Alloway said in the release.
“With the recent mention that the Department of Defense will be convening another Base Realignment and Closure Commission in 2015, it is imperative that we start working now to make sure these jobs and the economic activity that comes with them are not lost to other states,” Blake said in the release.
Alloway, R-Franklin/Adams/York, and Blake, D-Lackawanna/Monroe, will serve as co-chairmen for the caucus in the state Senate, while Reps. Scott Perry, R-Cumberland/York, and Harry Readshaw, D-Allegheny, will serve as co-chairmen in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
Read more: http://www.herald-mail.com/news/tristate/hm-pa-legislative-caucus-aims-to-preserve-military-bases-20110517,0,1344380.story