Bill Would Give Communities Options To Save Military Installations

Lawmakers are considering legislation to give communities options in a battle to save military installations in danger of closing.

The Local Government Committee approved Senate Bill 260, which now moves to the full House for consideration.

Federal officials plan to launch the next Defense Base Closure and Realignment process in 2016 and some Indiana locations are thought to be in danger of making the list. That has motivated lawmakers to try to protect military installations in the state of Indiana.

One of those is an Air National Guard base in Fort Wayne. Sen. Jim Banks, R-Columbia City, said he’s backing the bill because the base supports nearly 1,200 jobs and an estimated annual economic impact of $58 million.

SB 260 would give local governments the authority to spend money to support federal facilities. Banks said the bill is about doing “whatever we can do to be proactive at this level to tell the federal government that we are serious about keeping our investment here.”

Carley Campbell is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.