FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 11, 2004

ACT Board Honors State Lawmakers for Pro-Military Legislation

Havelock , N.C. – Today the Board of Directors of Allies for Cherry Point’s Tomorrow (ACT) presented a resolution to its North Carolina legislative delegation, honoring them for the excellent service they performed on behalf of the military. There were many laws passed during the recent General Assembly session that support the military and encourage its continued growth in our state. Receiving special thanks and recognition from ACT were state Senator Scott Thomas (D-New Bern) and state Representatives Mike Gorman (R-Trent Woods), Jean Preston ( R-Morehead City) and William Wainwright (D-New Bern).

According to ACT President Jimmy Sanders, 2004 may have been the most pro-military session of the General Assembly in the state’s history. “Our legislators understood that they needed to pass laws that give tangible support to Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen and women stationed in North Carolina, and that allow expansion at our military installations. By doing so, they demonstrated to the nation’s military leaders that we want our bases to remain in service beyond the next BRAC round.”

The Department of Defense is gathering data in preparation for the appointment of next year’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission. That commission will evaluate the nation’s military infrastructure and determine which facilities will shrink or close all together, and which will grow.

Especially important to ACT are new laws that will affect military base expansion in North Carolina. One law would require communities and counties surrounding bases to share with military leaders any zoning or other land-use changes that could potentially impact future growth of the installation. Another new law would create a fund with which localities can conserve land around military bases to discourage private development that could encroach on the facilities.

“These are excellent pieces of legislation,” says ACT’s general counsel Hugh Overholt, of Ward & Smith, P.A. “Encroachment that threatens a base’s operation or curtails growth is one of the most important criteria that the BRAC Commission will use to evaluate a facility’s fitness.”

Another new law provides financial support to non-residents serving in the military and National Guard by offering their children in-state tuition at North Carolina universities and community colleges. Still another sells special automobile license tags honoring the National Guard and military reserves, the proceeds of which will help support dependent families whose father or mother is deployed overseas.

These new laws, plus a budget that helps military communities promote their bases, really shows that our legislators are taking the BRAC process seriously, and are doing what they can to make North Carolina the most military-friendly state in the nation,” adds Jimmy Sanders.