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Karcher Bill To Expand Membership On Council On Armed Forces

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According to Senator, Increased Representation on Council Would Strengthen Community Ties to Bases

TRENTON – A bill sponsored by Senator Ellen Karcher to strengthen the ties between New Jersey’s communities and local military bases by fostering greater cooperation on the New Jersey Council on Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs was unanimously approved by the Senate Law, Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee today.

“Our military bases are a vital component of our State’s economy, and allow New Jerseyans to contribute to the national security and viability of the country’s Armed Forces,” said Senator Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer. “In the New Jersey municipalities that host military bases, the bases are a key part of the tapestry of community there. By expanding the membership and mission of the Council on Armed Forces, we would allow the Council to work with base commanders in facilitating an open, productive relationship between our State and the local military installations.”

The bill, S-2206, would expand the membership and scope of the mission of the Council on Armed Forces to increase from 10 to 22 members, with the new members including the State Commissioners of Education, Environmental Protection, Community Affairs and Transportation, as well as the Treasurer and the Chair of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education. Additionally, six public members would be added to the Council, bringing the total of public members to nine, and of the nine, eight public members would be required to represent community and business support groups for New Jersey’s military installation. The newly restructured Council would be required to address quality of life issues for New Jersey’s military personnel and their dependents, and facilitate coordinated planning and expedited military construction permits to make base operation easier in the Garden State.

“With the New Jersey military bases in constant threat of closure through the federal BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) process, we need to make New Jersey as hospitable as possible to ensure that our bases avoid the chopping block,” said Senator Karcher. “When you consider the thousands of military and civilian jobs that the military installations provide to New Jersey, the alternative would be absolutely devastating to the Garden State.”

The bill now heads to the Senate for approval before going to the Assembly for consideration.

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Karcher Military Base Bill Package Signed Into Law

TRENTON – Two bills sponsored by Senator Ellen Karcher which would aid military facilities in New Jersey in an effort to avoid closings under the federal Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process were signed into law today by Acting Governor Richard J. Codey, while a third is pending consideration by the full Senate.

“Our State’s military bases are valuable partners in our communities and in our economies, and we cannot stand idly by while they are targeted for extinction by the BRAC,” said Senator Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer. “We must show the federal government that New Jersey has the perfect economic and regulatory climate to allow our bases to thrive. These bills will prove to the BRAC Commission that New Jersey’s bases have the tools necessary to serve our nation’s Armed Forces well.”

07 Mar 2005
Karcher Bill Package To Aid Military Bases Approved In Senate

TRENTON – A package of bills sponsored by Senator Ellen Karcher which would aid military facilities in New Jersey in an effort to avoid closings under the federal Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process was approved today by the Senate.

“In its decisions to close bases across the country, BRAC only takes into account the immediate cost savings to the military, without considering the larger impact on the region’s economy,” said Senator Karcher. “In New Jersey, our bases are linked inextricably to the communities in which they reside, and closure means that thousands of employees, both military and civilian, will have to look for new jobs in new locations, while surrounding industries which rely on the bases for business will take a huge hit. The closing of a military base leaves a hole in the local economy that may take years to fill in, and the State has to do everything in its power to avoid those closings.”

14 Feb 2005
Karcher Military Base Bills Receive Final Legislative Approval

TRENTON – Two bills sponsored by Senator Ellen Karcher which would aid military facilities in New Jersey in an effort to avoid closings under the federal Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process were approved today by the Assembly, receiving final legislative approval, while a third will be considered by the Senate Education Committee on Monday.

“Our military bases are under attack from ‘efficiency’ experts with partisan leanings who consider bottom-line costs without considering the quality of the bases they’re cutting,” said Senator Karcher, D-Monmouth and Mercer. “The BRAC process, which decides on cuts based on cost without taking into account the value of the installations they’re devastating, has bases like Fort Monmouth and the Picatinny Arsenal in the crosshairs, and it’s our duty to protect them by any means necessary. These bills will, hopefully, offer a shield, to allow our bases to avoid the BRAC cuts and closures, and deflate any argument that New Jersey is not a viable, cost-efficient location for military presence.”

24 Feb 2005