Joe Rice

Bill passes committee on 10-0 vote.

By Gary Massaro

THE GREENWOOD VILLAGER

Rep. Joe Rice, D-Littleton, last week introduced HB 1140, which would build three new National Guard armories in Colorado.   An armory is a headquarters where a unit meets monthly and trains.  The federal government would put up the most of the money to fund the armories.

“It’s way over match,” said Rice, a co-sponsor of the measure. “The state comes up with the land for the armory and builds the armory.”   Rice said the bill would provide for three new National Guard units with eight full-time jobs for each of them and around 3,000 part time employees.

“It increases the National Guard ability in responding to state emergencies plus federal call-ups,” Rice said.  The state money would come from the tobacco settlement portion in the state’s Veterans Trust Fund.

“Veterans organizations-these guys continue to serve- they didn’t have to consent to this money coming out of the Veterans Trust Fund.  As organizations, they have agreed,” Rice said. “Otherwise, it would be very difficult to come up with the money.”  If passed, armories would be built in Windsor, Alamosa and Grand Junction.

The bill proposes to allocate $4.7 million of the remaining balance of the fund to be appropriated to the construction of these three armories.  “Bringing in federal funds to help build these armories will allow the Colorado National Guard to grow it forces and keep Colorado safe,” said Rice, a colonel in the Army Reserve.

The bill passed 10-0 with bipartisan support in the House State, Veterans, and Military affairs Committee.  The bill now goes to another House committee.