Senate Bill sb2522c1

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    Florida Senate - 2004                           CS for SM 2522

    By the Committee on Military and Veterans' Affairs, Base
    Protection, and Spaceports; and Senator Jones




    301-2593-04

  1                     Senate Memorial No. 2522

  2         A memorial to the Congress of the United

  3         States, urging the United States Department of

  4         Defense to award the contract for the creation,

  5         development, and implementation of the Mobile

  6         User Objective System, known as MUOS, to the

  7         project team led by the Raytheon Corporation in

  8         partnership with Honeywell Space Systems,

  9         however, if the contract is awarded to another

10         project team, the Florida Senate would be

11         supportive of that decision.

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13         WHEREAS, one of the most important components of an

14  effective and efficient military, whether in periods of war or

15  peace, is its communications system, and

16         WHEREAS, because the military superiority of the United

17  States is based in large part on the use of technologically

18  advanced weaponry and weapons systems, it is of the utmost

19  importance that the United States military utilize an equally

20  advanced communications system, and

21         WHEREAS, the communications system currently being used

22  by the servicemen and servicewomen of the United States Armed

23  Forces provides limited connectivity and will fall below

24  useful performance standards by 2009, and

25         WHEREAS, the Mobile User Objective System, known as

26  MUOS, is a massive and dynamic communications network being

27  developed for the safety and security of the United States

28  military, and

29         WHEREAS, MUOS, the United States Navy's next-generation

30  satellite communication system, solves the limitation problems

31  of the current system by providing a replacement which will

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    Florida Senate - 2004                           CS for SM 2522
    301-2593-04




 1  enable worldwide ground communications among all branches of

 2  the United States military by 2009, and

 3         WHEREAS, with the MUOS system, American military

 4  personnel will have reliable radio communications capabilities

 5  from the air, ground, or sea, whether they are fighting in

 6  dense jungle terrain or in urban war zones, and

 7         WHEREAS, more importantly, because of its effectiveness

 8  and efficiency, the MUOS communications system will save the

 9  lives of men and women serving in the United States Armed

10  Forces, and

11         WHEREAS, the United States Navy is scheduled to award

12  the $6.2 billion contract for the MUOS system in the first

13  quarter of 2004, and

14         WHEREAS, Raytheon Corporation's St. Petersburg

15  Division, in partnership with Honeywell Space Systems in

16  Clearwater, is currently competing for the contract, and

17         WHEREAS, under Raytheon's proposal, Raytheon would

18  serve as the prime contractor, responsible for overall system

19  design, integration, and communications software, and

20  Honeywell would develop the satellite's computer, which would

21  provide control of the payload that transmits signals among

22  aircraft, ships, military ground stations, military vehicles,

23  and military personnel, and

24         WHEREAS, the Raytheon/Honeywell Florida team has the

25  expertise and commitment to develop the technology, talent,

26  and resources needed to secure this project, and

27         WHEREAS, the MUOS contract would create an estimated

28  1,000 high-technology jobs along the Interstate-4 corridor,

29  paying an average salary of $65,000 per year, with staffing

30  beginning in mid-2004 and building to full strength in 2005,

31  and

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    Florida Senate - 2004                           CS for SM 2522
    301-2593-04




 1         WHEREAS, the high-wage project work would be spread

 2  throughout Clearwater, Tampa, Orlando, and the Kennedy Space

 3  Center, with labor income generated by the MUOS project

 4  averaging $65 million per year by the end of 2005, and

 5         WHEREAS, the MUOS contract is scheduled to be completed

 6  in 2013 after the full constellation of satellites and ground

 7  systems are in operation, and

 8         WHEREAS, in keeping with Florida's long and proud

 9  history in space integration and launch operations, securing

10  the MUOS contract would open the door for an influx of

11  aerospace technology work in the state, thus elevating the

12  stature of Florida's technology base, and

13         WHEREAS, MUOS would be a catalyst to increase

14  engineering and high-tech job opportunities in Florida,

15  attracting companies serving both the space and defense

16  industry, and

17         WHEREAS, the initiation of the MUOS project would

18  stimulate business, engineering, and computer-related talents

19  within Florida's universities and would generate the required

20  specialized competencies among our graduates who are seeking

21  high-technology careers, and

22         WHEREAS, MUOS would establish Florida as a premier

23  academic, scientific, and technology leader in the nation, and

24         WHEREAS, state university officials are eager to

25  partner in this venture which would capitalize on the

26  considerable intellectual resources within our state

27  university system, and

28         WHEREAS, by mobilizing the resources within its

29  institutions of higher education through internships, Florida

30  would cultivate a workforce that is focused on high-technology

31  and produce a steady stream of professionals who are prepared

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    Florida Senate - 2004                           CS for SM 2522
    301-2593-04




 1  to bring innovative advancements to the space research and

 2  development industry, and

 3         WHEREAS, the State of Florida is committed to assisting

 4  in MUOS technology development, is committed to recruiting

 5  engineers to support the MUOS project and retaining trained

 6  engineers and scientists within the state, and recognizes the

 7  need to support and enhance high-technology research in

 8  Florida's universities, NOW, THEREFORE,

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10  Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

11  

12         That the Senate of the State of Florida urges the

13  United States Department of Defense to award the contract for

14  the creation, development, and implementation of the Mobile

15  User Objective System, known as MUOS, to the project team led

16  by the Raytheon Corporation in partnership with Honeywell

17  Space Systems.

18         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the State of

19  Florida recognizes that other qualified contractors are also

20  bidding for this project and should the Department of Defense

21  award the MUOS contract to another project team the Senate of

22  the State of Florida would be supportive of that decision.

23         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be

24  dispatched to the President of the United States, to the

25  President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the

26  United States House of Representatives, to the United States

27  Secretary of Defense, and to each member of the Florida

28  delegation to the United States Congress.

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    Florida Senate - 2004                           CS for SM 2522
    301-2593-04




 1          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 2                         Senate Bill 2522

 3                                 

 4  The most significant change made in the committee substitute
    is the recognition that other qualified contractors are also
 5  bidding for this project and should they be awarded the
    contract instead of Raytheon the Senate would be supportive of
 6  that decision.

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