SAN ANTONIO, Texas –
Joint Base San Antonio officials met with local city and state representatives at the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Aug. 16 to commemorate the passing of House Bill 3399.
The bill, signed by Gov. Greg Abbot, May 28, allows agreements between the Texas Department of Transportation, the Department of Defense, and other federal entities to assist with the provision of road maintenance, improvement, relocation, or extension of services for military installations, is effective Sept. 1.
Efforts to pass this law has been in the works for numerous years, according to Richard Perez, President and Chief Executive Officer of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce,
“Enhancing the base’s transportation network within the fence line makes sense on many levels,” Perez said. “This law demonstrates the vital partnerships our state has with military missions throughout Texas and with Joint Base San Antonio, the largest joint base in the Department of Defense.”
This enterprise opportunity between TxDOT and JBSA will deliver additional benefits for both the military and civilian communities, including safety, economic competitiveness, environmental sustainability, innovative project delivery, and the ability to employ TxDOT skills and resources.
“TxDOT looks forward to this new partnership with the DoD that further supports our mission of ‘Connecting You With Texas,” said J. Bruce Bugg, Jr., Chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission. “This new chapter will benefit the civilian and military communities across our great state.”
Under the new legislation, JBSA and other military installations in the state will have the ability to establish Intergovernmental Support Agreements, or IGSAs.
“We have a long and successful track record of partnership activity at JBSA,” said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Caroline Miller, 502nd Air Base Wing and JBSA commander. “This is a testament to the support from our local communities and the state.”
With the leveraging of regional road service capabilities and IGSAs, the potential to save funding and demonstrating installations being better stewards of taxpayer dollars is presented.
“Allowing TxDOT to apply their resources and skills to projects that support our military missions is huge,” Miller added. “The benefits associated with the economy of scale, buying power and savings in time is paramount to military installations across Texas.”
As federal funding for military missions decreases, partnerships are key in ensuring service members and their families continue to obtain services vital in keeping the mission steadily growing.
“I’ve come to greatly appreciate Texas’ culture and the kindness of the members of this incredible community,” Miller said. “I deeply value the strength of the partnerships we have within the San Antonio region and throughout the state.”