Language introduced by Congressmen Dave Loebsack (IA-02) and Bobby Schilling (IL-17) in the House of Representatives-passed version of the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to permanently lift the cap in current law on the number of public-private partnerships (PPPs) that arsenals are able to enter into has been included in the comprehensive legislation passed by the Conference Committee. The bill approved by the Committee – referred to as a conference report – reconciles a number of differences between the House and Senate versions of the NDAA, and must now be approved by each chamber before it can become law.
“Supporting good paying jobs at the Rock Island Arsenal is critical to both the economy of the Quad Cities, as well as our nation’s defense,” said Loebsack. “These public-private partnerships will help ensure continued economic growth for the Quad Cities and protect the Arsenal’s future as a strategic asset to the Army, all at no cost to the taxpayer.”
“Arsenals are a national treasure that must be preserved and protected as a strategic asset to the Army and our overarching national defense strategy,” Schilling stated. “There is no economical reason to limit their ability to increase workload, grow their local economies, and strengthen our domestic manufacturing base with any cap. I am pleased that my fellow conferees in both the House and the Senate have joined in support of lifting this cap, and would urge our colleagues to support this job-creating provision as well.”
Loebsack and Schilling both serve on the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), were named conferees on the Conference Committee and represent the Rock Island Arsenal, the largest government-owned weapons manufacturing arsenal in the United States. In October, Loebsack and Schilling, who sits on the HASC Panel on Business Challenges within the Defense Industry, took part in a hearing at the Arsenal, where they discussed regulatory burdens preventing small- and medium-sized businesses from contracting with the Department of Defense.
Loebsack and Schilling successfully offered language in HASC’s markup of the NDAA in May that would lift the cap on the number of public-private partnerships (PPPs) arsenals can enter into. Current law places a cap of eight on that number of PPPs, limiting the Rock Island Arsenal’s flexibility to increase its workload. The Loebsack/Schilling language went on to pass the House as part of the comprehensive NDAA in a bipartisan vote of 322-96 The version of the NDAA that passed the Senate on December 1 did not fully lift the cap, instead raising it to 15. While serving on the Conference Committee, Schilling and Loebsack urged fellow conferees to join them in maintaining the House-passed PPP language to maximize the possibility for private-sector job growth at installations like the Rock Island Arsenal. Loebsack and Schilling also successfully included language in the conference report that would designate the Arsenal as a Center for Industrial and Technical Excellence, further improving its ability to enter into PPPs, provide for our men and women in combat, strengthen the Arsenal’s core skills and manufacturing abilities.
“I am pleased that members of the House and Senate, on both sides of the aisle, worked together to produce a bill that will strengthen our economy and help create jobs,” said Loebsack. “By permanently lifting the cap, the Rock Island Arsenal’s highly skilled workforce can produce the equipment necessary for our troops to safely carry out their missions.”
“Supporting the well-paying jobs of the Rock Island Arsenal is critical not only to the Quad Cities area, but to our service members,” Schilling said. “We must ensure that our warfighters have the tools they need abroad, our national security remains intact and strong, and American workers are provided with the opportunity to prosper economically here at home. I will work to see that our provisions are approved by the House, the Senate, and sent to the President for signature and that the job-killing cap in current law is removed once and for all.”
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