In The News
Commercial fisheries disaster opens door to federal relief for Grays Harbor communities
by Dan Hammock
Commercial fishing communities along the central coast of Washington and some areas of Puget Sound are eligible for federal disaster funding because of poor fishing in 2015 and 2016. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzer named nine fisheries groups or areas in an announcement Wednesday, including Westport and Willapa Bay non-treaty commercial coho fisheries. Congress still needs to appropriate the funds for the relief program. Each of the nine fisheries "experienced sudden and unexpected large decr… Continue Reading
01.23.17
Kilmer: Future of health insurance remains up in the air
by Jesse Major
A day after President Donald J. Trump signed a single-page executive order aimed at scaling back the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer told Port Angeles Downtown Association members the fate of health insurance in the United States remains uncertain. "On one side you have folks who treat [the ACA] as if it's been handed down from God on stone tablets never to be adjusted in any way," Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, told downtown association members Saturday. "On the other hand you have folks th… Continue Reading
01.20.17
Kilmer, Cantwell, Murray to attend inauguration
by Paul Gottlieb
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer of the 6th Congressional District and U.S. Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell of Washington state plan to attend Donald Trump's presidential inauguration today. Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, will not join the 65 members of the House - a quarter of all members - who plan to boycott it. "I did not support Donald Trump and oppose much of what he stands for, but on Friday, he will take an oath to uphold the Constitution and become our next president," Kilmer, whose district inclu… Continue Reading
01.16.17
Remember the past, but fight for the future, Martin Luther King Day speakers urge
by Debbie Cafazzo
Parents spoke quietly to their children at Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in Tacoma, explaining an exhibit of photographs, posters, books and news clippings about the civil rights leader. One mom lined up her children so she could snap a picture of them in front of the artifacts. Watching the children engage with the collection pleased James Broggin, who with his wife Terri has been collecting the materials for most of their 26-year married life. Broggin said there's plenty f… Continue Reading
01.16.17
Gig Harbor Rep Kilmer Will Attend Donald Trump Inauguration
by Neal McNamara
Some Puget Sound-area Democrats are planning to skip Friday's presidential inauguration, but U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, is not one of them. Seattle's The Stranger newspaper reported Monday that Kilmer will attend, although he recently spoke out about the issue that's causing some Democrats to skip the event. Last week, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-GA, said that president-elect Donald Trump is not a legitimate president. Trump fired back on Twitter, saying that Lewis is all talk "no actio… Continue Reading
01.14.17
Kilmer hoping Trump will work with Democrats
by Ed Friedrich
Though Donald Trump's election can be expected to further divide Republicans and Democrats, Derek Kilmer believes common ground can be found. And unlike many of his peers, the Gig Harbor Democrat will be searching for it. Kilmer's first four years in Congress diverged from his experiences in the Legislature, where the parties frequently overcame their differences to solve problems. The last three bills he voted on before leaving for Congress were a balanced budget, a constitutional amendment to… Continue Reading
01.13.17
And Democrats Said: Let There Be Vice Ranking Members
by Lindsey McPherson
House Democrats on Friday adopted an amendment to their internal caucus rules allowing for the creation of vice ranking members for standing committees. The introduction of additional committee leadership posts comes in response to concerns raised following the Democrats' poor showing in last year's elections that there were not enough opportunities for younger members to contribute to the caucus at the committee and leadership level. Democrats do not have term limits for the top echelon of t… Continue Reading
01.11.17
Bonamici reintroduces tsunami bill
by The Daily Astorian
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici on Tuesday reintroduced the Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act. The legislation would strengthen tsunami detection and warning systems, improve response and resiliency and better protect communities vulnerable to a tsunami. "Many Oregonians, including students from Seaside High School in coastal Oregon, have told me that there won't be enough time to make it to safety when there's a tsunami," Bonamici, D-Oregon, said in a release. "I applaud Seaside residen… Continue Reading
01.11.17
Kilmer asks for more time for comments on Growlers
by Leader Staff news@ptleader.com
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer has asked the U.S. Navy to extend the time people can comment on a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) about the impact of increased testing of EA-18G Growler aircraft originating from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. In a Jan. 5, 2017 letter to Dennis V. McGinn, with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Energy, Installations and Environment, Kilmer contends that the "strength of the United States military comes from the support of the American p… Continue Reading
01.10.17
Bipartisan group key to getting things done
by Rep. Derek Kilmer
As a newer member of Congress, I'm still growing accustomed to folks back home asking me how I'm doing as though I've been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Admittedly, it's strange joining an organization that, according to recent polling, is held in lower regard than head lice and colonoscopies. A 2016 poll found that less than 10 percent of Americans expressed support for Congress - making me wonder how many times Gallup surveyed my mom. According to Pew, trust in government fell below 30 pe… Continue Reading
01.10.17
Rep. Peters Proposes ‘60 Day Rule’Break Gridlock in Congress (Scott Peters)
by Rep. Scott Peters
Today, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) introduced the 60 Day Rule Act, a bipartisan bill that would change the rules of the House of Representatives to break gridlock and make Congress more productive. The proposal would require any bill approved by a House committee to be voted on by the entire House of Representatives within 60 days of it passing committee. Currently, Congressional leadership has full discretion on which bills to advance to the House floor and which to block. 'It … Continue Reading
01.10.17
Renacci, Bucshon lead bipartisan resolution promoting transparency of nation’s fiscal challenges
U.S. Reps. Jim Renacci (R-OH) and Larry Bucshon (R-IN) joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in introducing a resolution that aims to bring transparency to the strained fiscal position of the federal government brought on by nearly $20 trillion in national debt. The Fiscal State of the Nation Resolution would require the comptroller general to outline the fiscal health of the federal government before a joint session of Congress in an effort to bring greater clarity to the nation's long-term f… Continue Reading
01.09.17
Cantwell, Herrera Beutler introduce bill to support stable Dungeness crab fisheries
by Dan Hammock
Members of Congress from Washington state Monday introduced bipartisan bills in the Senate and House to permanently extend a decades-long fishery management agreement that has been vital to Washington state's Dungeness crab fishery. The states of Washington, Oregon and California cooperatively manage the West Coast crab fishery in federal waters under a tri-state agreement that Congress first authorized in 1998. The act would make that existing authority permanent. The agreement expired without… Continue Reading
01.09.17
WA Congressional Delegation urges president-elect Trump to prioritize Hanford cleanup
Today, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Patty Murray (D-WA) and Representatives Dan Newhouse (WA-04), Adam Smith (WA-09), Rick Larsen (WA-02), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05), Dave Reichert (WA-08), Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Denny Heck (WA-10), Derek Kilmer (WA-06), and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) wrote President-Elect Donald Trump to urge him to make the ongoing cleanup at the Hanford nuclear waste site a high priority. The letter provided essential background in… Continue Reading
01.09.17
Bipartisan Working Group Announces Kilmer will serve as New Co-Chair
Today, the Bipartisan Working Group announced that Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA) will serve as a new co-chairman of the organization along with current Co-Chair Jim Renacci (R-OH). The Bipartisan Working Group was founded in 2011 and includes an even number of Democrat and Republican members. They meet once a week to discuss legislation and how they can work together on issues to make Congress more effective for the American people. 'I'm honored to serve as co-chair with Representati… Continue Reading
01.09.17
‘America can accomplish anything when we work together’
by Rep. Derek Kilmer
Regardless of one's opinions about what happened on Election Day, one thing is clear: Our country is a much more divided place than any of us hoped for. But there are still things we agree on. In our neck of the woods and across the nation, we can all agree that we need to count our blessings and help those less fortunate. And we can all agree that we - as Americans - are better than the current state of our politics. Part of looking ahead to what comes next requires embracing our shared values… Continue Reading
01.06.17
Renacci Introduces Fiscal State of the Nation Resolution
Today, Reps. Jim Renacci (R-OH), Derek Kilmer (D-WA), Larry Bucshon (R-IN), Kathleen Rice (D-NY), and 31 additional members of the House of Representatives introduced the Fiscal State of the Nation Resolution - a bipartisan initiative to address the fiscal condition of the federal government - through their Bipartisan Working Group (BPWG). BPWG is an ongoing group of members interested in bipartisanship legislative initiatives that meets on a weekly basis. The United States has a national… Continue Reading
01.05.17
Rep. DelBene gets coveted seat on House Ways and Means Committee
U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., has done time in a congressional purgatory -- a House panel set up by Republicans to torment Planned Parenthood -- and is now stepping into a heavenly committee assignment. DelBene, a former Microsoft executive, has been named to the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. Ads by ZINC The panel will deal with the most controversial elements of Republicans' legislative agenda, from repeal of the Affordable Care Act to cuts… Continue Reading
01.04.17
Huffman Urges Obama to Ban New West Coast Drilling
by Kimberly Wear
North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman today brought back legislation that would ban new gas or oil drilling leases off the West Coast in a move his office said would help permanently protect the environment, jobs and coastal economies. Huffman was joined by 14 other lawmakers in reintroducing the West Coast Ocean Protection Act on the first day of the 115th Congress while Sen. Dianne Feinstein was joined by her colleagues from California, Oregon and Washington in doing the same in the Senate. … Continue Reading
01.04.17
Kilmer begins third term in Congress
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer began his third term in Congress this week as the House was roiled by a Republican plan to undermine the authority of the Congressional Ethics Office. The move by the Republican majority to green light a change to House rules that would severely limit the ability of the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate allegations of corruption prompted criticism from both Republicans and Democrats, as well as a warning tweet from President-elect Donald Trump. The 115th Unit… Continue Reading