A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to direct the department of military and veterans affairs and the department of commerce to study the creation of economic zones around communities that host military installations.
Whereas, North Carolina has a proud tradition of mutually beneficial cooperation with the military; and
Whereas, North Carolina has the fourth‑largest population of military personnel of any state; and
Whereas, the military accounts for over a half million jobs, $66 billion in gross State product, and represents 10% of the overall economy of this State; and
Whereas, North Carolina is home to many military installations; and
Whereas, some of those installations may be vulnerable to closure as part of the federal Base Realignment and Closure initiative; and
Whereas, a failure to adequately strengthen and protect the military in this State would make military installations in the State vulnerable to closure under the federal Base Realignment and Closure initiative; and
Whereas, a strong economy benefits both the military installations in this State and the communities that surround and support those installations; and
Whereas, the people of this State recognize the interdependence of the military and the communities that surround and support its operations; and
Whereas, it is in the best interest of the State to support the economic growth of the communities that surround and support our military installations; and
Whereas, the economic growth and success of one community in this State benefits us all; and
Whereas, this State has developed strategies to foster economic growth in targeted areas by categorizing those areas within distinct zones; and
Whereas, the use of economic prosperity zones has strengthened and bolstered the communities of our State to the benefit of all of its citizens; and
Whereas, this State must use its resources to determine similar ways to strengthen and bolster the economic growth of the communities that surround and support our military installations; and
Whereas, strong supporting communities are invaluable to the military institutions in our State and benefit the military as a whole and its continuing operations throughout the nation; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, in collaboration with the Department of Commerce, shall study the creation of military economic zones around communities that host the military installations in this State. The study shall consider at least all of the following:
(1)	The feasibility of creating economic zones in and around the communities that host and support the military installations of this State.
(2)	Methods of incorporating existing economic development programs, including Collaboration for Prosperity Zones, into prospective military economic zones.
(3)	Opportunities to leverage the unique and valuable characteristics of the regions and communities that support our military installations.
(4)	Ways to create synergies among the duties and missions of the various Department of Commerce entities that specialize in economic development, such as the Rural Infrastructure Authority, Rural Economic Development Division, and the NC Main Street and Rural Planning Center, as well as the North Carolina Military Affairs Commission.
(5)	The criteria used for previous recommendations for closures of military installations by the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission and the extent to which economic development initiatives can bolster the efficiency and effectiveness of the military installations in this State in advance of future BRAC recommendations.
(6)	Best practices from other states for economic development for communities hosting military installations.
SECTION 2.  The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs shall report the findings of the study and any legislative recommendations to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on General Government and the Fiscal Research Division on or before January 1, 2020.
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law.