Political Quotes

“I rise to introduce legislation to better tailor the HUBZone program to meet the needs of communities affected by the closure of U.S. military installations through the Base Closure and Realignment, or BRAC, process. I am pleased to be joined by my colleague from Maine, Senator King, in introducing this legislation, the HUBZone Expansion Act of 2015. This issue hits close to home for both Senator King and me. When Loring Air Force Base closed in 1994 through the BRAC process, my home of Aroostook County lost 15 percent of its population. Senator King lives in Brunswick, ME, which also experienced a considerable drop in population when it lost a major naval air station in 2011. Military bases are often the economic heart of the towns and cities in which they are located, and communities can struggle for years to overcome the closure of those facilities as the redevelopment process is often lengthy and riddled with bureaucratic hurdles. In recognition of these challenges, Congress passed legislation providing HUBZone status for 5 years to military facilities closed through the BRAC process. This status allows small businesses located on former military bases or in ``economically distressed communities'' with high rates of poverty or unemployment to obtain certain Federal contracting preferences. According to the Small Business Administration, there are currently 107 BRAC-related HUBZones in the U.S.…”