Gov. Tate Reeves, local and state military leadership and elected officials gather for a photo prior to the governor signing SB2434 into law Thursday authorizing local governments to enter into intergovernmental support agreements with military installations. Photo by Thomas Howard

Military leaders and local officials celebrated Thursday as Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill allowing local governments and military installations to work together. Senate Bill 2434, passed by The Mississippi Legislature earlier this year, authorizes counties and municipalities to enter into intergovernmental support agreements with military partners in their communities.

 

At a ceremonial bill signing at the Mississippi Air National Guard 186th Air Refueling Wing at Key Field, Reeves said the bill will benefit the military installations, local governments and those under the purview of both.

 

“IGSAs strengthen the bonds between installations and communities. For installations, they provide efficiency and operational effectiveness. For communities, they provide economic benefits,” he said. “For instance, if an installation needs help with roadway maintenance and the county has the ability to provide that assistance, the two can enter into an IGSA for the service.”

 

The resources local government can provide often come at a lesser cost than hiring a federal contractor, Reeves said, which saves installations, and taxpayers, money. Spending locally also stimulates the local economy and helps support the community around the installation, he said.

 

Cooperative agreements and projects between local governments and military installations are not a new idea, but such efforts have traditionally been difficult to get established simply because of the amount of bureaucracy involved at both the local and federal levels, Reeves said. SB2434 makes significant steps in cutting through red tape and reducing the time it takes to get such efforts underway, Reeves said.

 

“It was a very cumbersome process. It took literally months and months usually to get that done, and it’s just the bureaucracy of both the local governments and the federal government. It’s no one’s fault. It is what it is,” he said. “What we did was we allowed ourselves to pass a state law to remove a lot of the roadblocks to success.”

 

Capt. Luke Davis, commanding officer at Naval Air Station Meridian, said the Naval installation entered into a similar agreement with the 186th ARW at Key Field last year. Under the agreement, Air National Guard members were allowed to train with NAS public works crews twice per year, providing the Navy base with needed manpower to tackle projects and giving guardsmen the necessary training to fulfill their duties.

 

“Through ISAs, we look forward to exploring and bringing this type of beneficial win-win relationship to our cities and counties as well,” he said.

 

Davis said NAS command met with Lauderdale County last year to discuss a potential partnership for paving and sidewalk work out at NAS Meridian, and county officials said they are willing to help. With the help of the state Legislature in passing SB2434 and the governor signing the bill into law, that project can now move forward, he said.

 

“We will move forward and enter into a 10-year IGSA with Lauderdale County very soon, and venture to say, hopefully, it’s only the beginning,” he said.

 

Thursday’s signing was the second military bill Reeves signed into law in as many days. On Wednesday he signed House Bill 1262 which allows Navy corpsmen, Air Force aerospace medical service specialists and Army combat medics to take the exam to become licensed practical nurses. The bill requires medically trained service members to have at least two years of clinical experience providing direct patient care in addition to their training.

 

Reeves said the bill will both improve healthcare throughout the state and recognize the specialized training of those serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

 

“I was proud to sign House Bill 1262 into law,” he said. “It’s a common-sense piece of legislation that will strengthen healthcare in Mississippi, while also supporting our brave service members. I’m glad we could get this done on behalf of those who sacrifice so much for our state and nation.”