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Virginia Beach lawmakers are urgently seeking restoration of $7.5 million in annual state funds to help the city acquire properties around Oceana Air Station.

The money, which is matched by Virgininia Beach, formed a $15 million state and local commitment to buy properties around Oceana and thwart a federal recommendation to move jets stationed at the base to Florida.

The Senate budget eliminates the state’s contribution. Under the House biennial-spending plan, Virginia would contribute its share the first year, but not the second.

“Ending this program would send a very negative message to the Navy about the Commonwealth’s commitment to maintain Oceana,” wrote Bob Matthias, an assistant to Virginia Beach’s city manager, in a letter to local legislators.

The immediate focus is to convince the Senate to join the House in backing a $7.5 million contribution for the next budget year, which starts July 1. Local lawmakers say they’ll worry about future appropriations further down the road when, hopefully, the economy has improved. The matter will be ironed out by House and Senate budget negotiators.

There is high support for the program in Gov. Bob McDonnell, who represented Virginia Beach for 14 years in the House of Delegates. Oceana Air Station kicks in an estimated $1 billion a year to the local economy.

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