The Quad Cities congressional delegation is working to retain union jobs, attract new projects and workers, and keep costs down at the Rock Island Arsenal through the proposed Arsenal Workload Sustainment Act. That federal legislation is co-sponsored by Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Moline; Illinois Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth; and Iowa GOP Sens. Chuck […]
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The Quad Cities congressional delegation is working to retain union jobs, attract new projects and workers, and keep costs down at the Rock Island Arsenal through the proposed Arsenal Workload Sustainment Act.
That federal legislation is co-sponsored by Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Moline; Illinois Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth; and Iowa GOP Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst. It incentivizes private industry to partner with arsenals by giving preference to public-private partnerships in Army contracting, they said in a recent news release announcing the introduction of Senate Bill 905.
That measure was referred to the Senate Armed Services committee on Thursday, March 6. A similar version was previously introduced by Mr. Durbin in the 118th Congress.
Currently there is no workload requirement for Army arsenals. By adding them, the Arsenal Workload Sustainment Act would provide Army manufacturing installations with a more predictable, sustained workload throughout the year. It also would allow them to keep costs low while remaining competitive with private industry in the manufacturing or procurement of defense products, the lawmakers said.
“Thousands of our neighbors play a crucial role in keeping our nation safe working at the Rock Island Arsenal in the Quad Cities,” Mr. Sorensen, who was recently named to the House Armed Services Committee, said in the release.
“The Arsenal Workload Sustainment Act will ensure the Arsenal can remain competitive, create good-paying jobs, and sustain the regional economy,” he added. ”I am grateful to have the support from my colleagues across the aisle to introduce this important bipartisan legislation that will help working families and support our local communities into the future.”
