Slaughter Secures Base Visit from

Fourth BRAC Commissioner

Commissioner Bilbray to join Rep. Slaughter at NFARS Regional Hearing

Washington D.C. Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-Fairport), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee, has received assurances from BRAC Commissioner James Bilbray that he would take part in the June 27th visit to NFARS and Regional Hearing in Buffalo. The BRAC Commission has since confirmed his attendance. 

Commissioner Bilbray is attending the hearing at the personal request of Rep. Slaughter. Rep. Slaughter has had several conversations with Commissioner Bilbray in recent weeks emphasizing the importance of the Niagara Falls Air Base to both national and regional homeland defense as well as to overall Guard and Reserve recruitment levels. 

Commissioner Bilbray has publicly expressed his concern over the impact of this BRAC on recruitment levels for the Guard and Reserve program. Bilbray is the fourth of the nine BRAC Commissioners who has agreed to visit NFARS for the regional hearing.

"I asked Jim Bilbray to visit NFARS because I know him to be man who cares about the recruitment issues we are facing in America's military today. His willingness to accept my invitation and attend our regional hearing is good news for Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Jim and I have had several conversations about the important role that NFARS plays in military recruitment and to the economy and security of this region and I am confident he will be fair and open minded," said Congresswoman Slaughter.

The Honorable James H. Bilbray

Primary area of practice is government relations and administrative law. Former Congressman Bilbray received his B.A. in Government and Public Administration from the American University in Washington, DC in 1962, and his JD from the Washington College of Law in 1964. He is a Nevada native, and prior to being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1987, was a Nevada State Senator, where he served as Chairman on the Taxation Committee and was a member of the Judiciary Committee. During his four terms in the US Congress, he served as Chairman of the Small Business Sub-Committee on Taxation, Tourism and Procurement. He was also a member of the Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, and Intelligence Committees. He joined the firm of Kummer Kaempfer Bonner & Renshaw as Of Counsel in 1996, where he specialized in dealing with local, state and federal issues. In 2001, he received an honorary doctorate of laws from the University of Nevada Las Vegas for his extensive contributions to the State and U.S. government.

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