Earlier this week, two members of the North Carolina House Representatives, Annie Mobley of Ahoskie and Bill Owens of Elizabeth City, signed on as primary sponsors of House Bill 613. That legislation amends the state’s Federal Reservation Statute to read that “the consent of the state is not granted to the United States for acquisition of land for an outlying landing field in a county or counties which have no existing military base at which aircraft squadrons are stationed.”

“Basically, this legislation sets in motion an action that causes the Navy to first gain permission from the state of North Carolina before they purchase any property for the purpose of building an OLF,” said Rep. Mobley, whose 5th NC House District includes Gates County, one of five locations the Navy is looking at for its OLF. “And that property must be located in an area where a branch of the military currently has an aircraft operation.”

The bill, filed on Monday, passed its first reading before the House of Representatives on Tuesday. It was then referred to the Committee on Judiciary I, of which Mobley is a member.

“We will put this on our Judiciary schedule and study it closely from a legal standpoint,” Mobley said.

If the Judiciary Committee favors the bill, it will be passed on to Homeland Security, Military and Veterans Affairs committees for additional review before heading back to the House floor for a vote.