Appropriations relating to state efforts to retain military facilities or to assist in the mitigation of the adverse effects of closure of a military base.
Legislative
Alabama
Appropriations for BRAC
The following appropriations were made to the “Governor’s Task Force on Military Affairs to be used to assist communities in the Base Realignment and Closing Commission efforts:”
- $150,000 (HB 44, 2001)
- $90,000 (HB 190, 2002)
- $79,038 (HB 301 and SB 136, 2003)
California
California Defense Retention and Conversion Council
California Govt. Code ร 15346 (SB 1099, 1999) established the California Defense Retention and Conversion Council which sunsets on January 1, 2007. The bill also established the Defense Retention Grant Program, which is to “grant funds to communities with military bases to assist them in developing a retention strategy.” In 2001, the University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Urban and Regional Development wrote “Forecasting and Mitigating Future Urban Encroachment Adjacent to California Military Installations: A Spatial Approach” to respond to the requirement of a report to the Governor and the Legislature
Forecasting and Mitigating Future Urban Encroachment Adjacent to California Military Installations
Hawaii
BRAC Assistance Appropriations
Haw. Rev. Stat. ร 210-6 (HB 2662, 2004) appropriates $100,000 in fiscal year 2004-2005 to provide “loans to assist businesses located in communities near military installations to develop infrastructure to minimize the possibility of or assist in the mitigation of the adverse effects of the closure or reduction in capacity of a military installation.”
Massachusetts
BRAC Assistance Appropriations
SB 2304, 2004, appropriates $500,000 in matching grant funds to “support the operations of the Massachusetts Defense Technology Initiative for the purposes of preventing the closure of Massachusetts military installations.”
New Mexico
Appropriations for the Office of Military Base Planning and Support
General Appropriations Act of 2004 (HB 2) appropriates $150,000 for the office of military base planning and support.
North Carolina
SB 274, 2003 and HB 1414, 2004 provides up to $2 million for the 2003-2004 and the 2004-2005 fiscal years for “purposes related to the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC), including allocations for individual community efforts.”
Oklahoma
Task Force Recommendations Codified in State Statute
The Task Force 2002 report made many recommendations for state and federal actions.
- The seven recommended items to be conducted at the Federal Level were passed in 2003 by the legislature in HCR 1024.
- There were nine recommended action items to be conducted at the state. In 2003, the Legislature passed the following bills to respond to the task force recommendations:
- HCR 1005 directs the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to review all transportation projects affecting military installations and if possible accelerate funding for the project.
- HCR 1004 encourages the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to review its financial policies related to tuition, scholarship and aid to assist military dependents.
- HB 1397 (Okla. Rev. Statร 74-5403) creates the “Oklahoma Strategic Military Planning Commission Incentive Fund” which shall be distributed to a local government that:
- Demonstrated it would be affected by base closure or realignment
- Developed a plan to conduct public projects that protect the entity and its residents from base closure or realignment. The plan must include matching funds or “provide equivalent value in order to obtain available funds or funds for planning expenditures.” This plan must be approved by a 2/3 vote of the entities governing body and “memorialized in a document, executed under oath.”
- Received plan approval by the Oklahoma Strategic Military Planning Commission.
- Does not use the fund for administrative expenses.
- Does not misuse funds. If this occurs, then the entity shall be disqualified form filing for one year and may be liable to the State.
- SB138 Appropriates $1.5 million to the Oklahoma Military Strategic Planning Commission Incentive Fund “to perform the duties imposed upon the Oklahoma Military Strategic Planning Commission by law.”
- HB 1396 (Okla. Rev. Statร 74-501 and 74-5402) creates the seven member Oklahoma Strategic Military Planning Commission which sunsets December 31, 2010. The duties of the Commission include:
- Reviewing state policies that affect Oklahoma’s military facilities.
- Make recommendations to the legislature on state policies that would:
- Prevent military facilities from closure or downsizing.
- Maximize the state’s input into the federal base closure and realignment process and protect the interests of the residents and communities of military facilities.
- Mitigate the effect of a reduced military presence.
- Encourage and facilitate additional military missions to Oklahoma military facilities.
- Submit an annual port of activity and findings to the Governor, Speaker of the House and President of the Senate no later than December 31.
- HR 1030 states the House’s “recognition and deep appreciation be bestowed upon those units from Oklahoma serving outside the continental United States.”
Pennsylvania
BRAC Assistance Appropriations
HB 2579, 2004 appropriates $3,489,000 to the Department of Community and Economic Development to be spent by June 30, 2006 to prevent military base realignment and closure.
Administrative
Kansas
Governor’s Military Affairs Coordinating Council
Governor Sebelius through Executive Order 03-06 continued the existence of the Governor’s Military Affairs Coordinating Council until May 1, 2005. This Council is to coordinate the state’s efforts relating to Base Realignment and Closure. An appropriation of $250,000 has been allocated in FY 2005 along with existing $250,000 from the Kansas Department of Commerce to be used for “consulting services and lobbying efforts.”
Louisiana
BRAC Assistance Appropriations
HB 1, 2003 provides “$96,000 for economic development activities associated with the military segment of the state’s economy: $50,000 for a liaison with the federal government and $46,000 for a study assessment.” HB 1, 2004 provides $250,000 to the Business Services Program for “support for retaining military bases in New Orleans.”
Massachusetts
MA – Massachusetts Defense Technology Initiative
The Massachusetts Defense Technology Initiative (Mass DTI) “represents a coordinated public-private partnership to influence the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 2005 process. To date they have received over $300,000 in financial support in addition to the state matching grant money (see above).
Ohio
Governor formed the “All-Ohio Task Force to Save Defense Jobs” which is to provide state assistance to keep Ohio’s military bases. To date $2.5 million has been appropriated to local communities to assist their efforts.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Strategic Military Planning Commission
The statutorily created Oklahoma Strategic Planning Commission approved to allocate up to $40,000 for assessment surveys for each of the five communities that host Oklahoma’s military installations.