A new Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill for federal fiscal year 2016 won approval in the U.S. Senate Tuesday, and includes $444 million for military construction projects in Hawaii.
The bill also includes an increase in funding for veterans health care and a provision written by Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nevada, to protect benefits for Filipino World War II veterans, according to a statement from Hirono’s office.
In addition, the Senate approved the National Defense Authorization Act on Tuesday. Passage of both bills was the result of a bipartisan compromise that lifted sequester caps on both military and domestic spending, Hirono said in a written statement. Hirono is a member of the Senate Armed Services and Veterans’ Affairs committees.
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said in a written statement that the $444 million in projects in the appropriations bill reflects “the long-term investment that the Department of Defense is making in Hawai‘i.”
“Our location, training environment, and knowledge of the Asia Pacific are central to the Defense Department’s strategic engagement in the region,” he said. “This appropriations bill ensures that the military will have the facilities, capabilities, and infrastructure it needs to sustain Hawai‘i’s role in America’s long-term rebalance to the Asia Pacific.”
The funding for Hawaii military construction projects is about $200 million more than what was included in the 2015 omnibus bill, Schatz said. The projects in Hawaii include:
>> $123.8 million for a new behavioral health and dental clinic at Schofield Barracks
>> $122.1 million to replace a medical and dental clinic at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay
>> $68 million for new bachelor enlisted quarters at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay
>> $46 million for a new F-22 fighter alert facility at Hickam-Pearl Harbor to support the Hawaii Air National Guard
>> $30.6 million in improvements to the electric grid at Kauai’s Pacific Missile Range Facility
>> $26.1 million to modernize lighting on the airfield at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay
>> $12.4 million for a new facility to support P-8A maritime surveillance aircraft that will rotate through Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay
The Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act also includes an amendment by Hirono and Heller to prohibit the VA from spending money in the Filipino Veterans Equity Compensation Fund for other purposes.
Congress established the fund for Filipinos who served alongside U.S. troops during World War II, and Hirono opposed a proposal by the VA earlier this year to transfer those funds to cover VA budget shortfalls.
The National Defense Authorization Act authorizes more than $12.8 million in funding for the Maui Space Surveillance System, a facility that supports the Air Force’s efforts to track and identify space objects.
The measure also authorizes more than $20 million in energy conservation projects in Hawaii, including $5.7 million for a carport solar array at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay.
In addition, the act includes provisions that call on the Department of Defense to study and report back on options for providing better defense capabilities in the event that a rogue nation launches a missile toward Hawaii.
