Senator Latham Tiver and Assemblyman Michael Torrissi, both Republicans representing New Jersey’s 8th district, are calling for the passage of two legislative measures aimed at supporting military personnel, veterans, and civilian workers associated with Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and Picatinny Arsenal.
Tiver has introduced SR86, which calls on the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to set up an inpatient hospital facility at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. Torrissi’s bill, A721, seeks to secure annual funding for a state advocate tasked with lobbying against federal base realignment and closure decisions.
“The men and woman who serve at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst have been unfairly thrust into the media’s spotlight due to possible federal immigration policy, with national Democrats calling their professionalism into question. I rather take this extra attention as an opportunity to discuss what we can do for our military personnel and veterans as their representatives,” said Tiver, who serves on the Senate Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.
“More than 119,000 veterans live in the southern counties of New Jersey where there is no VA inpatient hospital facility, forcing them to travel long distances to northern New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, or Delaware. SR86 would be the first step in establishing a VA hospital in South Jersey,” said Tiver.
Picatinny Arsenal in Morris County has also come under discussion as a potential target for future base realignment efforts. Both bases play significant roles in their regional economies.
“The threat of base realignment and closure is always present. It’s happened in the past, and it could happen again. New Jersey needs to stay competitive at a federal level and have advocates that convince US Military officials of the major importance of our bases. My legislation would fund that position—a position we wrongly cut as a state years ago—to make sure our military installments are on steady footing,” Torrissi said
