Delegation hears from base-related organizations

Due to several legislative votes on the Maryland House of Delegates floor March 29, lawmakers from the three Southern Maryland counties were mostly absent that day when the contingent held its final meeting of the session.

The virtual meeting was attended by two members of the upper chamber — Sen. Michael A. Jackson (D-Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s) and Sen. Jack Bailey (R-St. Mary’s, Calvert) — along with Del. Debra Davis (D-Charles), who had to leave early to cast her votes.

“It’s getting pretty hot and heavy,” Davis said of the House’s Good Friday agenda.

Davis said the theme of the final Southern Maryland delegation meeting was “veteran military families.”

Jackson and Bailey received updates from The Patuxent Partnership, the Southern Maryland Navy Alliance and the Military Alliance Council. Additionally, University of Maryland University Systems Chancellor Jay Perman provided a report focusing on USM at Southern Maryland.

Bonnie Green, executive director of The Patuxent Partnership, said “workforce development” is always a priority. “The Patuxent Partnership has a proven track record of success in workforce development.”

The partnership is working with the Naval Air Warfare Center Aviation Division to accomplish the goals of SoMD 2030, which aims to support science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies in the region’s public schools and colleges.

Green added that the partnership is making a push to expand “apprenticeships” throughout the tri-county region.

“Workforce development is the Achilles heel of us all,” Pam Franklin of the Military Alliance Council, said.

She said in addition to increasing membership, an aim of her organization is to “promote the development and establishment of the technology corridor to attract the workforce of the future.”

Dale Moore of the Southern Maryland Navy Alliance said his organization started in 1992 in a move that was “BRAC-driven,” when the U.S. Congress’ Base Realignment and Closure initiative led to the expansion of Naval Air Station Patuxent River.

“We are technology-driven,” Moore said. “It’s amazing what’s going on inside the base.”

He said the Pax River base is the “busiest flight test center in the world.”

Moore told the legislators the region has a “need [for] continued investment in infrastructure in and around our military bases.”

Specific to the base in St. Mary’s County, Moore said lawmakers representing the region in Annapolis must “increase awareness of Pax River and Southern Maryland’s role in national security, ensure appropriate offshore windmill placement to avoid impacting Pax River’s mission, develop strategies for the Thomas Johnson Bridge replacement” and build the region’s University of Maryland local campus for “graduate program availability.”

To the latter point, Perman said his goal is to make the facility near the St. Mary’s County Regional Airport “a local viable option for local graduate students. We’re working on an academic plan.”

“We’re ready to jump in and help you,” Bailey told Perman.

When told by Moore that many of the Armed Forces veterans who might use their expertise to help the development of software at the naval air station are being lost to other states “basically because of taxes,” Jackson admitted that was a concern.

Jackson said state leaders need to prioritize “keeping our heroes here.”

The Maryland General Assembly’s final day of the 2024 session is April 8.