SJ0016 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SJ0016 LRB096 10716 GRL 20897 r

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, It is a core mission of the National Guard to provide the states with units that are trained and equipped to protect life and property; and

WHEREAS, The Fire Department of the 183rd Fighter Wing of the Illinois Air National Guard is such a unit; and

WHEREAS, The Department, which is based out of the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield, Illinois, provides invaluable people, equipment, and resources for meeting the State's needs in responding to emergencies and natural disasters; and

WHEREAS, In 2005, the U.S. Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission announced that the 183rd Fighter Wing would lose its F-16 aircraft; and

WHEREAS, The National Guard Bureau announced that, without a flying mission, the firefighter positions for the 183rd would be eliminated as of April 1, 2008; and

WHEREAS, The removal of the Fire Department at the 183rd would have a substantial negative impact on the safety of the flying public, on the emergency-response capabilities of Springfield and the surrounding communities, and on those communities' ability to respond to natural disasters and to homeland security; and

WHEREAS, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin recently requested an MC-12 Mission from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates for the 183rd Fighter Wing, Illinois Air National Guard to ensure the Illinois Air National Guard's ability to further its homeland defense and disaster relief efforts; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge the United States Congress and the National Guard Bureau to take all necessary steps to ensure that the Fire Department of the 183rd remains located at the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield, Illinois for the protection and preservation of the lives and property of citizens of Central Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be delivered to Lieutenant General H. Steven Blum, Chief, National Guard Bureau, the President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and each member of the Illinois congressional delegation.