NORFOLK, Va. — The National Defense Authorization Act, approved 86-6 Tuesday in the U.S. Senate, provides billions of dollars worth of peace-of-mind for thousands of workers in the Hampton Roads ship repair industry heading into the new year.
Around $11 billion in all: $8.7 billion for the base bill, and, $2.3 billion for the Overseas Contingency Operations account.
Actual hull numbers and which shipyards the money will go to is yet to be determined until the Navy knows exactly how much money it will be getting in the final appropriation.
Still, $11 is a lot of dough, and however it eventually gets divided up, a large chunk of it will no doubt be coming to Hampton Roads' four major private repair yards.
"It is a wonderful thing for all those patriots in Norfolk and the Hampton Roads area that are involved in our industry, which for us includes Virginia Ship Repair Association's 293 member companies," said Virginia Ship Repair Association president Bill Crow.
He said it is far better to know a dollar figure in the pipeline than it is to guess, and the NDAA will now allow ship repair companies to properly plan for 2020, and make their business plans accordingly.
"This relieves a lot of uncertainty with regards to the future to make things be more steady in regards to our workload across the port," he said. "And for things not to be delayed because we would continue to be operating under a Continuing Resolution."