Lawmaker calls for state investment at military facilities
By: The Associated Press
news@abc6.com
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) _ A Democratic Rhode Island lawmaker wants the state to invest in infrastructure improvements at military facilities.
Middletown Sen. Louis DiPalma says a fund was created after the 2005 round of military base closings to help sustain and grow military facilities and the defense industry in Rhode Island, before another round of base closings.
He says its balance has always been zero.
DiPalma says the state should be proactive because he thinks Congress will eventually give the Pentagon authority to convene another base-closing commission, known as a Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC).
His district includes Naval Station Newport.
Republican state Rep. Patricia Morgan, of Coventry, says it’s the federal government’s responsibility to improve bases, and she thinks DiPalma is calling for this investment to get re-elected.
© The Associated Press WLNE-TV 2016
