[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 26, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E362]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      REINTRODUCTION OF THE BASE ACCESS PRIVILEGES IMPROVEMENT ACT

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                          HON. JOHN GARAMENDI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 26, 2023

  Mr. GARAMENDI. Mr. Speaker, today I reintroduce legislation that 
would standardize and streamline military base access for designated 
support personnel across the Nation. I thank my colleague Congressman 
Donald Norcross (D-NJ01) for being the bill's original cosponsor.
  Our outstanding service members require and deserve a great amount of 
backing. Every day, civilians access bases to provide services, 
transport goods, or conduct training. Unfortunately. from state to 
state--or even facility to facility--there are different standards of 
bureaucracy that these support workers must deal with.
  The Base Access Privileges Improvement Act will create an overarching 
set of access standards for people with constant, legitimate need to 
access military installations. For truckers who already carry national 
identification credentials, they will be able to streamline delivery of 
household goods to military members on base. For union workers who are 
training or repairing systems, it will make the time spent getting on 
base more efficient and effective.
  As Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on 
Readiness, I'm critically aware that the military requires support from 
the Nation. Military installations are secure for a good reason: our 
service members maintain a constant state of preparedness. However, for 
those civilians who are already appropriately vetted and cleared, we 
must ease the burdens currently in place for their access to do the job 
we've asked and the military needs.
  Military bases can maintain the highest level of scrutiny for those 
seeking access, while still equalizing the requirements across the 
nation. Adding access permissions for those already thoroughly screened 
will help make our military a more lethal force. The legislation I 
reintroduce today would ensure just that.

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