The Virginia Employment Commission will be receiving $4,978,262 in grant funding targeted for workers and employers in Northern Virginia affected by BRAC, according to an announcement last week by Rep. Jim Moran (D-8).
BRAC hit Northern Virginia harder than virtually any other locality in the country, Moran said. But our local economy is resilient and our communities are preparing in earnest for the coming transition. These funds will help ease the burden on the lives of those most upturned by BRAC — the small business owners and employees located near BRACd office sites.
The funds will be released from the U.S. Department of Labor to the Virginia Employment Commission for programs providing employees and employers access to employment and training services.
A unique aspect of the 2005 BRAC was the effort to eliminate leased office space within the Defense Department. Nearly all defense related agencies in Northern Virginia were required to relocate onto military bases in this latest round of BRAC, some moving only a short distance to Ft. Belvoir while others farther away to places like Redstone Arsenal, Alabama.
The deadline for agencies to relocate is 2011. Rep. Moran has been working tirelessly since the 2005 BRAC decision to shield Northern Virginia from the impact and secure the funding necessary for localities to make a successful transition.