A bill that would benefit the Rock Island Arsenal has cleared a committee in the U.S. House. Last week, the House Armed Services Committee passed a defense spending bill which includes hiring and labor rate reforms.
Summary
The bill is called the National Defense Authorization Act. Illinois Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth introduced several amendments that would allow the arsenal to hire its own workers and make it more difficult to lay off "STEM" workers.
Sheila McCready of the American Federation of Government Employees union says the bill would provide arsenal employees a safety net and ensure them a share of next year's defense contracts.
The bill would also allow the arsenal to charge variable labor rates, which would make it more competitive with the private sector.
The bill is scheduled to go before the Senate later this month.