The 82 members of the Ohio House of Representatives who this month overwhelmingly approved legislation creating the Ohio Space and Defense Commission merit a collective salute from all Ohioans, particularly those of us in the Mahoning Valley.

That legislation, House Bill 292 sponsored by Reps. Nick Santucci, R-Niles, and Ty Mathews, R-Findlay, and co-sponsored by Rep. Tex Fischer, R-Canfield, has supersized potential to fortify Ohio’s already robust defense and aerospace industries. That enhanced impact also would hit home with great promise for growth and long-term sustainability of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna and the under-construction Youngstown Innovation Hub for Aerospace and Defense in downtown Youngstown.

The bill, which now awaits action in the state Senate, creates the Ohio Defense and Space Commission to consider and implement strategies to promote the defense and aerospace industries and the Ohio Defense Fund to offer substantial grants to fund such projects to boost national security and to buttress regional development and job creation.

As Santucci aptly put it, the new commission stands to “protect jobs, strengthen our economy and keep Ohio at the forefront of national defense and advanced manufacturing. House Bill 292 ensures we are organized, strategic and ready to compete for even more opportunity.”

The esteemed Valley representative wasn’t mincing words. From a statewide perspective, the commission and defense fund would put the Buckeye State’s annual $69 billion defense industry on a more even playing field with that of most other states.

As Jason Molnar, chief growth and marketing officer from Infinity Labs, an Ohio-based defense contractor, testified in support of the bill, “Ohio is one of the few remaining states without a statewide defense commission, council, or department dedicated to supporting military assets, and the establishment of this commission strengthens Ohio’s role in national defense.”

In that regard, the commission would give Ohio more powerful ammunition in the increasingly hypercompetitive fight for federal defense dollars.

Closer to home, the commission would bolster the future fortunes of YARS, the Valley’s second largest employer.

As Josh Prest, executive director of the Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Commission based in Youngstown, said in prepared remarks for a recent hearing on the bill, attracting missions and planes to YARS — home of the 910th Airlift Wing and the U.S. Department of Defense’s only fixed wing aerial spray mission — and to the nearby Camp James A. Garfield Ohio National Guard Training Center “is exactly the thing that the Ohio Defense Commission and Ohio Defense Fund would help support.”

In addition, one of the stated primary missions of the commission would be to prepare and ensure favorable outcomes related to those much-loathed federal military base realignment and closure processes, which could activate at any time. Even though recent investment of $870 million in federal funds to station eight state-of-the-art C-130J planes at the base bodes well for its future, the value of a formal group of cheerleaders for the continued viability of the base cannot be overstated.

As for the $80 million Youngstown Innovation Hub in the former Vindicator building in the city’s downtown, the defense and space commission would complement its premise and purpose exceptionally well.

First, it would provide a reliable funding source. The proposed Ohio Defense Fund, to be supported by interest from state-held Israel bonds, would be targeted toward infrastructure and expansion projects, for which the Valley’s hub is a perfect fit.

Second, Santucci’s bill would also establish the Defense and Aerospace Industries Expansion Program, allowing the Youngstown Hub to better access grants for local companies (such as Juggerbot 3D and Ursa Major in the nearby Youngstown Business Incubator) to expand operations and increase competitiveness.

Third, the commission would also be charged with promoting research and manufacturing of technology to counter unmanned drones, a niche that aligns with the advanced manufacturing and technical focus of the Youngstown hub.

What’s more the hub itself could serve as a base for research and development for the commission’s policies and programs.

With so much to gain with passage, HB 292 deserves to zoom through the state Senate at the speed of light. After all, five thorough hearings already have provided concrete and convincing evidence of its potential long-term strategic value to our state and Valley. As such, we’d hope the Valley’s state Sens. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, and Sandra O’Brien, R-Lenox, would lead the charge to fast-track its passage and enactment.

In the name of strengthening Ohio’s role in national security and in catalyzing rapid economic growth in the Valley, the defense and space commission cannot blast off soon enough.