In The News
Kilmer: Bipartisan Support Exists For PILT
by Rob Ollikainen
PORT ANGELES - U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer will "keep pushing" for Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) for rural counties like Clallam and Jefferson that have large swaths of non-taxable federal lands, he said. Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, told Clallam County commissioners during a virtual meeting Monday that there was bipartisan support to continue the program, which "flies under the radar unless your county's really impacted by it." Kilmer represents the 6th Congressional District, which includes the North … Continue Reading
08.26.20
Kilmer Votes to Support U.S. Postal Service
August 22, U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer voted in support of the Delivering for America Act, legislation he co-sponsored to prohibit the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from implementing or approving any changes to the operations or service levels that would impede prompt, reliable, and efficient service. The bill also includes $25 billion, as requested by the USPS Board of Governors, to address the financial crisis resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and the related economic downturn. "Durin… Continue Reading
08.18.20
$600 Checks Would Return Under Proposal Pushed By Small Group Of Democrats
by Daniel Cassady
Three House Democrats are pushing leadership to schedule a vote that would bring back the $600 federal unemployment payments while the House of Representatives is called back into session this week. The Letter, addressed to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D. Calif.) and House Majority leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), and signed by Representatives Scott Peters (D-Calif.), Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), asks the leadership to consider taking up legislation like "The Worker Relief and Security A… Continue Reading
08.18.20
Democrats Press Leadership to Vote Saturday on $600 Unemployment Insurance
by Mike Lillis
Rank-and-file Democrats are pushing party leaders to vote this week on an extension of federal unemployment benefits that expired at the end of July. Democratic leaders have already made the remarkable decision to cut the summer recess short, calling the House back to Washington on Saturday to vote on legislation providing billions of dollars to the Postal Service. Now, dozens of Democratic lawmakers want to expand the weekend itinerary, pressing leadership to stage another vote reinstating th… Continue Reading
08.18.20
Some House Democrats Urge Pelosi to Pass Smaller Bill Focusing on Expanded Unemployment Benefits
by Jacob Pramuk
More than 100 House Democrats are pushing Speaker Nancy Pelosi to vote on a bill to extend extra unemployment benefits when the chamber convenes this weekend.clTop of Form The House, which left Washington for its August recess before Congress could pass a pandemic aid package, will return on Saturday to vote on a bill that would fund the U.S. Postal Service and reverse changes Democrats worry will make it harder for Americans to vote by mail in November. "We owe it to people waiting to get ba… Continue Reading
08.15.20
Kilmer Hosts Virtual Student Town Hall with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and Astronaut Michael Barratt
Tacoma, WA - On Tuesday, August 11, Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) hosted a virtual student Town Hall and Q&A session with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Astronaut Dr. Michael Barratt and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine to discuss NASA's Artemis program which aims to land the first woman and next man on the Moon in 2024 - and answer questions from student's across the region about how an education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) can h… Continue Reading
08.11.20
Want to Attend a Military Service Academy?
U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer said Monday that he will host a virtual information session on Wednesday, Aug. 26 for students interested in attending one of the nation's military service academies. As a member of Congress, Kilmer can nominate students to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland; the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York; the U.S. Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colorado; and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy at N… Continue Reading
08.07.20
Local Journalism Needs COVID-19 Relief, Too
by Christian Trejbal
Local newspapers need immediate help or they could go extinct. In the natural word, there are two common paths to extinction. One is slow decline over decades, centuries or millennia. The world changes, and a species doesn't keep up. The other is sudden disaster. Giant meteor meets dinosaurs. The paths aren't mutually exclusive. Unexpected catastrophe can become the final nudge into oblivion for a species softened by long-term decline. Newspapers are at that crossroad. For the past 20 years, t… Continue Reading
08.04.20
Kilmer Votes To Support Workers, Economy By Improving Access To Quality Childcare
On July 30, Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) voted to pass two bills to provide support to families who need childcare and support for childcare providers to enable the safe reopening of the economy. The House passed a bill co-sponsored by Rep. Kilmer, the Child Care is Essential Act (H.R. 7027), to create a Child Care Stabilization Fund investing in childcare and ensuring providers across Washington have additional resources to safely reopen. Through the fund, approximately $838 million wou… Continue Reading
07.31.20
House Modernization Committee Approves Continuity Of Operations Recommendations
by Jory Heckman
Agencies that laid the groundwork for modernization before the coronavirus pandemic have seen those efforts pay off, especially with mandatory telework still in effect for much of the federal workforce. The same goes for the House Modernization Committee, which more than a year ago held a hearing on increasing videoconference capabilities for members. Today, those capabilities have proved invaluable for the House's continuity of operations. Now nearly five months into the pandemic, the House M… Continue Reading
07.27.20
Beyer, Kilmer Bill Offers Peace of Mind to Jobless Americans
by Dan McCue
Americans left jobless due to the COVID-19 pandemic could soon gain greater economic peace of mind thanks to a bill introduced Monday by Reps. Don Beyer, D-Va., and Derek Kilmer, D-Wash. The Worker Relief and Security Act ties expanded unemployment benefits to the current public health emergency and the prevailing economic conditions, instead of allowing them to lapse after a fixed period of time. The bill, which builds on a framework developed by Sens. Jack Reed, D-R.I., and Michael Bennet, D… Continue Reading
07.24.20
Congress Approves Great American Outdoors Act
by Daniel I. Weiner
For the second time in less than a year, the Federal Election Commission - the main enforcer of federal campaign finance law - has been rendered essentially dormant. A commissioner's resignation earlier this month leaves the FEC without a quorum heading into one of the most fraught and expensive general elections in American history. This latest development follows a decade of partisan gridlock that has left the agency notoriously dysfunctional, unable to appropriately address some of the bigge… Continue Reading
07.23.20
“Wild Olympics” Provision Passes House Spending Plan
A provision preserving the "Wild Olympics" effort has passed the US House. Monday, the Wild Olympic Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act passed as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act with bipartisan support. The Senate is debating its own version of the NDAA and then a conference in the coming weeks will reconcile differences and create a final defense authorization package. Sixth District Congressman Derek Kilmer says he's hopeful the provision will remain in the fina… Continue Reading
07.23.20
House Passes Kilmer Priorities To Support National Parks And Public Lands
On Wednesday, Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) voted to support the Great American Outdoors Act, legislation that advances Rep. Kilmer's long-standing priority of permanently and fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and providing funding to address priority repair needs in America's national parks. "Growing up on the Olympic Peninsula, I learned how important protecting and supporting our parks and our public lands is to driving tourism, growing jobs, and supporting rur… Continue Reading
07.22.20
Sound Transit Breaks Ground On Federal Way Link Extension
Sound Transit staff and Board members, elected officials and community partners celebrated the start of construction on the 7.8-mile Federal Way Link Extension with the debut of a new video: https://vimeo.com/438341470. Federal Way Link will extend light rail from Angle Lake Station in SeaTac to the Federal Way Transit Center. With King County currently under COVID-19 health guidelines, a traditional in-person groundbreaking event could not take place. Opening in 2024, the route to Federal Way … Continue Reading
07.22.20
Washington State Expected to Get Millions More For Parks, Forests as Congress Approves Conservation Bill
by Lynda V. Mapes
Congress passed sweeping legislation Wednesday allocating $900 million a year for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), and an additional $9.5 billion over five years to address an urgent backlog of maintenance projects at the nation's parks and other public lands. The legislation, S.3422, is a once-in-a-generation gift to the future, expected to more than double the money available under the program every year for parks and outdoor recreation of all sorts in Washington state. The work o… Continue Reading
07.21.20
An Update On Congress' IT Development
by Tom Temin
The modernization of Congress, from an information technology standpoint, has advanced in the month since we last spoke to the chairman and ranking member of the select committee dealing with updating Congress. Washington Democrat Derek Kilmer and Georgia Republican Tom Graves returned to the Federal Drive with Tom Temin with the latest developments.… Continue Reading
07.20.20
Key Committee Advances Kilmer-Led Priorities To Combat Climate Change, Invest In Resiliency
Last week, the House Appropriations Committee approved several initiatives led by Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) to increase federal investments in climate resilience and help communities that are dealing with persistent flooding. The Fiscal Year 2021 funding bills provide funding for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to support communities across the region that are working to manage flood risks and threats from coastal hazards. The $9 million invested in this program represents an 80% incr… Continue Reading
07.17.20
Kilmer Honored for Protecting Seniors’ Health Coverage
Wednesday, Representative Derek Kilmer (WA-06) was honored as a "Medicare Advantage Champion" by the Better Medicare Alliance, a leading national advocacy organization supporting Medicare Advantage. The "Medicare Advantage Champion" award recognizes lawmakers who have worked to strengthen and protect Medicare Advantage, the public-private partnership in Medicare relied on today by more than 24 million seniors and Americans with disabilities. There are over 35,000 Medicare Advantage beneficiaries… Continue Reading
07.16.20
House Passes Democrats’ Police Reform Bill Backed By Washington Members
by Joel Connelly
The U.S. House of Representatives, on a 236-191 vote, Thursday night passed a sweeping police reform bill named in honor of Minneapolis murder victim George Floyd. The vote, largely on party lines, came a day after the U.S. Senate failed to act on a much weaker Republican-sponsored bill. In a gridlocked Washington, D.C., the two chambers face the pressure to act in continued mass demonstrations and unfolding cases where police have used excessive force. All seven of Washington's Democratic Hou… Continue Reading