A U.S. Senate appropriation could provide $9.3 million for a new U.S. Army Reserve Center in Starkville, but it must first be reconciled with recently passed House legislation that does not specifically fund the project.
Ninety-four U.S. senators, including Sen. Thad Cochran, approved the Fiscal Year 2016 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) appropriations bill, the first stand-alone appropriations bill amended, debated and passed in the senate since 2011, Cochran’s office announced Tuesday.
A majority of the legislation’s funding goes toward veterans’ benefits and health care, while $8.2 billion is set aside for military construction projects.
Within that allotment, funding is specifically earmarked to replace the Guy II & Will Jones U.S. Army Reserve Center in Starkville.
The Starkville project is authorized in the National Defense Authorization act, which received final congressional approval from the Senate Tuesday, clearing the policy bill to be resent to the White House for consideration, a Cochran press release states.
The new center can be considered for joint military use in the future, the release states.
“I look forward to conferencing our bill with the House bill, and making our case for this project. The Army Reserve Center replacement project is supported by the Army and was included in the budget request,” the senator said in the release. “There are good arguments to be made for replacing a run-down center with one that has joint-use potential and meets modern standards.”
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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