Posted on: Monday, July 1, 2002
Panel approves construction bill
By Susan Roth
Advertiser Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — A Senate committee has approved a spending plan for fiscal 2003 military construction that includes $250 million for Hawai'i projects.
The plan approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday nearly equals the $251 million authorized for Hawai'i projects by the full Senate Thursday as part of another measure. Congress usually authorizes military construction projects before approving spending for them.
President Bush had requested about $204 million in military construction projects for Hawai'i, which would have been a drastic reduction from the fiscal 2002 budget of $383 million. Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawai'i, who is chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, secured an extra $46 million for Hawai'i projects.
"Adequate housing and facilities for our service men and women continues to remain one of my top defense priorities," Inouye said in a statement. "Thousands of military personnel work and live at installations in Hawai'i. Proper barracks, homes, training grounds, administrative buildings and base infrastructure are necessary for them to fulfill their mission of protecting and defending America.
"The bill also funds projects that will directly impact our nation's defense capabilities. These initiatives include site improvements on Ford Island, where the Navy will centralize its strategic Pearl Harbor operations, and the construction of a Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Test Facility."
The Ford Island money consists of $19.4 million to upgrade electrical systems. The THAAD missile defense project, which would be at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kaua'i, would cost $23.4 million.
Other big-ticket items include:
• $49 million for phase one of the Capron Avenue barracks complex at Schofield Barracks.
• $42 million for the Quad C barracks complex at Schofield.
• $29 million to replace 96 units of family housing at Hickam Air Force Base.
• $24.8 million for Capehart family housing at Marine Corps Base Hawai'i.
• $22.5 million for the first phase of a new administrative building for the Army National Guard at Barbers Point.
The full spending bill, which totals $10.6 billion, will next go to the full Senate for a vote. The House on Thursday passed its version of the fiscal 2003 military construction spending bill. The House measure would spend a total of $10.1 billion, but the amount for Hawai'i projects was not yet available. The two bills will have to be reconciled later this year.
