S.Amdt. 1274

SA 1274. Mr. NELSON of Florida submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 2658, making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

Insert after section 8123 the following:

Sec. 8124. (a) Findings.--The Senate makes the following findings:

(1) Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, is a strategically important forward base for United States military forces operating in the Caribbean Ocean and South America.

(2) Naval Station Roosevelt Roads contributes significantly to the operations of a series of ranges and locations in a 240,000 square mile area of the eastern Caribbean Ocean that supports Navy readiness exercises, proficiency assessments, and research, development, test, and evaluation activities.

(3) The 2005 round of defense base closure and realignment under the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (part A of title XXIX of Public Law 101-510; 10 U.S.C. 2687 note) is intended to ensure the objective and careful consideration of the current and future military value of military installations, ranges, activities, and facilities in determining the infrastructure requirements of the Armed Forces.

(b) Sense of Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate that the resolution of the disposition of Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, should occur during the 2005 round of defense base closure and realignment under the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990.