WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives today approved $12.8 million in funding requested by Congressman Dave Hobson (OH-7) for a new Ohio National Guard (ONG) Combat Communications Training Complex at the Springfield Air National Guard Base (SANG). The new facility will replace an overcrowded and outdated building, and be used for operations, equipment maintenance, and training in support of 150 personnel from the Ohio National Guard’s 269th Combat Communications Squadron and the 251st Combat Communications Group. The funding was included in the Fiscal Year 2009 Military Quality of Life-Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill approved by the House today. Overall, the bill provides for $24.8 billion for military construction, and $47.7 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“This bill will provide funding for veterans health care and military construction projects across the country. Locally, it will provide our Ohio National Guard personnel in Springfield with the kind of facility that they need to support this communications mission. At the same time, it will also prepare our local bases to receive new jobs and missions as a result of the 2005 BRAC recommendations. I’m pleased that the funding was approved, and I will support it throughout the appropriations process,” Hobson said.
Hobson is a former Chairman of the Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee, and now serves as the Ranking Member of the House Energy and Water Development Subcommittee, and as a senior Member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.
The next step for the bill is to be reconciled with a Senate version of the Military Quality of Life-Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill in a conference committee.
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