WE, your Memorialists, the Members of the One Hundred and Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Maine now assembled in the First Regular Session, most respectfully present and petition the President of the United States and the United States Congress as follows:

WHEREAS,  stronger investment in upgraded United States National Guard facilities is needed not only for the security of our states and for the military readiness of the nation, but also as a powerful way to create and preserve jobs; and

WHEREAS,  in today’s global environment, our National Guard is called upon far more frequently than in the past for overseas deployments, becoming an operational force whose readiness, training and equipment must be on par with our nation’s active duty force; and

WHEREAS,  the National Guard provides crucial capabilities to alleviate suffering and help communities recover from damage when disaster strikes and these critical homeland and overseas missions of today’s National Guard demand higher readiness and greater capability; and

WHEREAS,  the Maine National Guard has deployed 37 units since September 11, 2001 and 2,231 Maine Army National Guard soldiers have been deployed since that time and the Maine Air National Guard flew over 180 missions in 2008; and

WHEREAS,  in 2008 the Maine National Guard fulfilled 75 requests for general military support; it supported relief efforts during the May 2008 flood in Aroostook County; the Maine National Guard rendered 1,665 Military Funeral Honors; and the 195th Army Band performed 61 times in over 27 communities across the State; and

WHEREAS,  the average age of an Army National Guard facility is 41 years, with 24% being more than 60 years old, and the Maine National Guard has over 300 facilities and training areas throughout Maine; and

WHEREAS,  Maine has one of the highest energy costs in the country and therefore retrofitting Maine National Guard facilities would help to reduce energy costs and our country’s overreliance on fossil fuels; and

WHEREAS,  modernization of our National Guard facilities will put people to work and enhance the quality of life for our troops who regularly train in these facilities; and

WHEREAS,  the Maine National Guard contributes over $150,000,000 to our State's economy through military pay and allowances, civilian payroll and the purchase of goods and services; and

WHEREAS,  Army and Air National Guard facilities are not concentrated on large military installations but are instead widely distributed across more than 3,200 communities in America; and

WHEREAS,  the average National Guard military construction project is less than half the cost of an active component military construction project so that National Guard facility investments go further and assist communities more broadly; now, therefore, be it