Better Late Than Never

Rep. Sandy Adams' district includes Titusville and Kennedy Space Center.

Space Coast Rep. Sandy Adams issued a press release August 3 announcing she'd introduced a bill called the Shuttle Workforce Revitalization Act of 2011. It's designated H.R. 2712.

Her proposal comes a year after President Obama's jobs plan for the Space Coast, which Congress failed to fund.

Florida Today reported last May that Adams "never weighed in publicly on the $40 Million, and her office did not respond to a request for comment last week. Adams voted against the April 8 compromise, not because of NASA, but because Congress didn't cut deep enough, she said in a prepared statement."

According to Adams' press release, fellow Space Coast representative Bill Posey supports her bill.

According to last May's Florida Today article, Posey failed to support the Obama initiative because the President didn't personally reach out to him.

"There was no point person to put it in any budget," Posey spokesman George Cecala said of the $40 million. "This was not our initiative. If the president had reached out, we could have helped."

Adams' proposed legislation can be found on the Library of Congress web site. The entire text is below:

H. R. 2712

To ensure that all of Brevard County, Florida, is treated as a HUBZone, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Shuttle Workforce Revitalization Act of 2011'.

SEC. 2. BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA.

(a) In General — During the covered period, any portion of Brevard County, Florida, that is not otherwise a HUBZone, as such term is defined under section 3(p) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632(p)), shall be treated as a HUBZone for purposes of that Act.

(b) Covered Period Defined — In this section, the term `covered period' means the period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act and ending on January 1, 2020.

What's a "HUBZone"?

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration web site:

The Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) program helps small businesses in urban and rural communities gain preferential access to federal procurement opportunities. These preferences go to small businesses that obtain HUBZone certification in part by employing staff who live in a HUBZone. The company must also maintain a "principal office" in one of these specially designated areas.

Adams claimed in her press release:

... My legislation will not cost the federal government a single additional dollar, nor does it authorize or appropriate any additional funding. The HUBZone designation would give the county a competitive edge and encourage our nation to better utilize the space industry workforce in our community.