Senator Chuck Grassley today commented on the inclusion of two provisions that will help solidify the future of the Rock Island Arsenal in the Omnibus Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill resulted from a budget agreement between the House and the Senate. Both chambers are expected to act on the appropriations bill this week.
"It`s good news that this effort is moving forward. The capabilities of the Rock Island Arsenal have proven their value time and again and are a vital backstop in wartime. This measure will help secure the long-term viability of the Arsenal," Grassley said.
The first provision requires the Secretary of the Army to maintain a workload that allows the Arsenal to sustain critical capabilities for when they are needed in time of war. Those levels were determined in the Army Organic Industrial Base Strategy Report, released in August 2013. The report resulted from a mandated study that was first proposed by Grassley with U.S. Senators Tom Harkin of Iowa and Mark Kirk and Dick Durbin of Illinois as part of the Army Arsenal Strategic Workload Enhancement Act of 2012 and authorized in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013.
The second provision ensures the Arsenal`s competitiveness by providing additional funding through the Arsenal Sustainment Initiative. This will help the Arsenal compete more effectively for partnerships in the private sector.
The provisions were included by Durbin with the support of the entire Rock Island Arsenal delegation: Grassley, Harkin and Kirk along with U.S. Reps. Dave Loebsack of Iowa and Cherri Bustos of Illinois.
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