NORFOLK, Va. — Taking care of the people who take care of the fleet.
New legislation before Congress would throw a big lifeline to the area's private ship repair shipyards.
More than 300 companies make up the Virginia Ship Repair Association, employing more than 79,000 people and contributing more than $10 billion to the local economy.
But sometimes, they could use some help.
The Smart Ship Repair Act would increase the amount of time allowed to repair a Navy warship at its hometown facilities.
Specifically, the bill would require the Navy to change its current practice of soliciting ship repair contracts on a coast-wide basis for repair jobs longer than 10 months to only those that are projected to last more than 18 months.
The existing policy has made it hard for the Hampton Roads ship repair industry to recruit and maintain a stable workforce and plan for the future.
And it has required sailors to relocate elsewhere away from their families.
"We want to keep them homeported here and the repair work done locally," said Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia, 2nd District), the bill's co-sponsor.
In an interview with 13 News Now, she said it's important to protect the local shipyards and their workers.
"We need to give steady business to our ship repair industry It's one thing we've struggled with, with some of these continuing resolutions that we've passed in Congress. It's been frustrating," she said.
The vice president and general manager of BAE Systems Ship Repair likes the proposal.
In a release, Paul Smith said the bill "will help enhance predictability and stability."