Washington, D.C. -  The Anniston Army Depot moved one step closer to gaining a new engine rebuilding facility today, as the House passed a bill that would provide the Depot $23.7 million in new construction funds, Congressman Mike Rogers said.

“President Bush and Congress continue to show strong support for the Anniston Army Depot,” Rogers said. “It’s great news for the thousands of Depot workers and their families, and a win-win for our military’s efforts in developing advanced defense systems.”

Rogers said H.R. 4837, the Fiscal Year 2005 Military Construction Appropriations bill, passed the House by a wide bipartisan vote. The $10 billion legislation allots $5.3 billion for military construction, $4.2 billion for military family housing, and $557 million for other military programs. On Friday the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a similar bill containing funding for the Depot facility.

“I was pleased to have helped advance funding for this vital project in February, and thank President Bush and Senators Shelby and Sessions for their continuing support,” Rogers added.

Nathan Hill, Military Liaison for the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce, also said this was a significant development for Northeast Alabama. “This is great news because it puts the Anniston Army Depot on the leading edge of developing new technology for ground combat systems within DoD,” he said. “We certainly owe a great debt of gratitude to Congressman Rogers and Senators Shelby and Sessions for helping make this happen.”

Rogers said the House also passed another bill recently, the Conference Report for the FY 2005 Defense Appropriations bill, which would provide $2.1 million for missile recycling and $3.5 million for Assault Breacher Vehicle development, among other projects. Rogers said the Conference Report was expected to be sent to the White House for approval, while the military construction bill still had several steps to complete before reaching the president.