Finkenauer Introduces Bill to Improve Military Painter Training, Expand Opportunities for Vets

Statement

Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer (IA-01) today introduced legislation that will help scale up military painter training programs that ensure military assets are protected from corrosion and reduce costs. The Military Readiness and Cost Savings Act establishes a National Center for Military Painter Training and Applied Research, which will be responsible for researching new corrosion-resistant coatings, developing new on-site and virtual reality teaching tools, and developing the military, commercial, and industrial painter workforce. It will also help expand career opportunities for veterans in the painter professions. Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) and Congressman Dave Loebsack (IA-02) are cosponsors of the legislation.

"Corrosion is expensive and costs our military in time and money," said Congresswoman Finkenauer. "My bill will help ensure that more military installations can benefit from painter training, like the kind provided by the University of Northern Iowa's STAR4D program, which helps protect our military assets from corrosion while saving the government money and ensuring military readiness."

The University of Northern Iowa runs the STAR4D program, which trains military painters at depots and other military facilities across the country. According to the Southwest Research Institute, military painter training helped Letterkenny Army Depot in Pennsylvania use 8,100 fewer gallons of corrosion-resistant coatings per year, saving the depot $500,000 per year through improved transfer efficiency and reduced rework.

"The continued investment by the Department of Defense in military painter training programs like STAR4D at the University of Northern Iowa has had a positive impact on military assets and the costs to maintain them," said UNI President Mark Nook. "UNI appreciates the bi-partisan effort by Congress to enable more military bases to receive the proven readiness, safety, and cost saving benefits of these programs."

Congresswoman Finkenauer's bill also opens doors to new career opportunities for veterans by requiring the new research center to work together with employers and unions to raise awareness of military painter career opportunities and related industrial and commercial painting apprenticeship opportunities for veterans. The bill is endorsed by the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, which represents workers in the finishing trades, including industrial and commercial painting.

"The IUPAT publicly and proudly endorses the Military Readiness and Cost Savings Act," said International Union of Painters and Allied Trades President Kenneth Rigmaiden. "Military painter and training certification helps mitigate costs to taxpayers by reducing waste and rework time. This bill provides the necessary support to maintain and protect the assets of our military and a crucial addition to the DOD's Office of Corrosion Control."

"Ensuring our servicemembers have access to the highest quality equipment is crucial to their success and our national security," said Congressman Loebsack. "Military painter training programs, like STAR4D at the University of Northern Iowa, contribute immensely to our national defense by eliminating corrosion that damages our military assets while saving critical funding at the Department of Defense. I am proud to support this bipartisan legislation that will strengthen investments in military painter training."

"Our region of the country has a proud tradition of military service and, as Members of Congress, we ought to do everything we can to help our men and women in uniform succeed," said Congresswoman Bustos, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. "This legislation takes important steps to protect military assets, save hard-earned taxpayer dollars, support veterans and invest in our workforce -- I applaud Congresswoman Finkenauer for her leadership on this important issue."

Source