|
|
|||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
| ||||||
| 2 | WHEREAS, It is a core mission of the National Guard to | ||||||
| 3 | provide the states with units that are trained and equipped to | ||||||
| 4 | protect life and property; and | ||||||
| 5 | WHEREAS, The Fire Department of the 183rd Fighter Wing of | ||||||
| 6 | the Illinois Air National Guard is such a unit; and | ||||||
| 7 | WHEREAS, The Department, which is based out of the Abraham | ||||||
| 8 | Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield, Illinois, provides | ||||||
| 9 | invaluable people, equipment, and resources for meeting the | ||||||
| 10 | State's needs in responding to emergencies and natural | ||||||
| 11 | disasters; and
| ||||||
| 12 | WHEREAS, In 2005, the U.S. Defense Base Closure and | ||||||
| 13 | Realignment Commission announced that the 183rd Fighter Wing | ||||||
| 14 | would lose it's F-16 aircraft; and
| ||||||
| 15 | WHEREAS, The National Guard Bureau announced that, without | ||||||
| 16 | a flying mission, the firefighter positions for the 183rd would | ||||||
| 17 | be eliminated as of April 1, 2008; and
| ||||||
| 18 | WHEREAS, The removal of the Fire Department at the 183rd | ||||||
| 19 | would have a substantial negative impact on the safety of the | ||||||
| 20 | flying public, on the emergency-response capabilities of | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | Springfield and the surrounding communities, and on those | ||||||
| 2 | communities' ability to respond to natural disasters and to | ||||||
| 3 | homeland security; and
| ||||||
| 4 | WHEREAS, The United States Air Force and the National Guard | ||||||
| 5 | Bureau should station the JCA (C-27J-Spartan) at the Capital | ||||||
| 6 | Airport in Springfield, which would: (i) provide the nation and | ||||||
| 7 | the State with a small cargo aircraft that is responsive for | ||||||
| 8 | flexible and tailored airlift for combat, humanitarian | ||||||
| 9 | operations, and homeland defense; (ii) enhance the State's | ||||||
| 10 | capabilities to respond to a disaster in the nation's third | ||||||
| 11 | largest city and to any incident at one of the nine nuclear | ||||||
| 12 | power plants in the State; and (iii) provide responsive airlift | ||||||
| 13 | for National Guard forces in response to domestic emergencies | ||||||
| 14 | because our nation's governors rely on this flexible mode of | ||||||
| 15 | transportation for interstate loans of National Guard troops | ||||||
| 16 | and equipment under Emergency Management Assistance Compacts; | ||||||
| 17 | therefore, be it | ||||||
| 18 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL | ||||||
| 19 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the United | ||||||
| 20 | States Congress and the National Guard Bureau to take all | ||||||
| 21 | necessary steps to ensure that the Fire Department of the 183rd | ||||||
| 22 | remains located at the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in | ||||||
| 23 | Springfield, Illinois for the protection and preservation of | ||||||
| 24 | the lives and property of citizens of Central Illinois; and be | ||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
| 1 | it further
| ||||||
| 2 | RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be delivered to | ||||||
| 3 | Lieutenant General H. Steven Blum, Chief, National Guard | ||||||
| 4 | Bureau, the President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, the | ||||||
| 5 | Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and each member | ||||||
| 6 | of the Illinois congressional delegation.
| ||||||