In The News
Port Angeles, National Park Service to sign Elwha water agreement
by Rob Ollikainen
PORT ANGELES - The National Park Service is expected to sign Monday a settlement with the city of Port Angeles over the transfer of the Elwha water facilities, a landmark agreement that the City Council approved last week. The council voted 7-0 Tuesday to accept the $6.65 million transfer agreement with the U.S. Department of Interior, ending a two-year stalemate over infrastructure built for the removal of the Elwha dams. The action quashes a lawsuit that the city filed against the federal go… Continue Reading
07.27.18
One year after Trump tweeted he'd ban transgender troops, the fight to stop him continues
by Soraya Ferdman
One year ago, President Trump used Twitter to announce a ban on transgender troops. Today, the fight to protect transgender service people is still very much alive. LGBTQ civil rights organizations and activists across social media are using the hashtag #TransBanTweetUp on Thursday to get people talking about Trump's continued attempts to bar transgender people from serving in the U.S. military. Led by Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal, the campaign makes strategic use of the president's f… Continue Reading
07.27.18
St. Regis Mohawk Tribe completes Northern Tribal Border Alliance aimed at improving border relations
AKWESASNE - The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, and Six Nations of the Grand River have announced the successful completion of the Northern Tribal Border Alliance July 19. The Mohawk Council of Akwesasne was unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances. The NTBA was first formed in August 2017 when more than 30 participants representing federally recognized tribes and First Nations communities met to discuss important common tribal interests along the Northern Border… Continue Reading
07.27.18
Kilmer-backed legislation would let servicemembers out of contracts before deployment
by Julianne Stanford
Shortly after Jill Jones and her husband, Jordan, moved back to the United States from an overseas duty station a few years ago, her application for an automobile loan was denied because of her credit score. "My score was really low, so I pulled it up and I was like 'Oh my gosh,' " Jones said. When she checked her credit score report, she discovered her number was being dragged down as the result of two reports for unpaid balances on service contracts she'd canceled before she and her husban… Continue Reading
07.24.18
Rep. Ryan Costello and Rep. Derek Kilmer Urge Colleagues to Pass HR 2409
Representative Kilmer speaks on the house floor to support a bill that allows service members to terminate contracts once they receive orders to relocate for more than 90 days.… Continue Reading
07.24.18
Rep. Kilmer Introduces Bill To Bring Broadband Internet To Rural Areas
by KXRO News
Representative Derek Kilmer has introduced the Broadband for All Act to assist rural residents. According to Kilmer, the bill creates refundable tax credits for businesses and groups of people who team up to build the infrastructure that connects them to the country's existing rural broadband service. "Too many rural communities are being left behind in our economy because America's internet infrastructure doesn't reach them," Kilmer said. "Connecting communities to high-speed internet will cr… Continue Reading
07.24.18
Plan on track to stop Victoria’s pumping of sewage into Strait of Juan de Fuca
by Q13 News Staff
OLYMPIA - A wastewater treatment plant under construction in Victoria, B.C., will have a big impact on the Puget Sound, state Department of Ecology officials say. A $765 million treatment plant slated for McLoughlin Point in Victoria is expected to be finished by 2020. Started in 2017, the plant will be the first treatment plant for the greater Victoria area, which has a population of nearly 400,000. Finally securing a treatment plan for a population of that size is a huge win, said Heather … Continue Reading
07.24.18
Washington State Representatives Work To Support Social Security For Tribal Members in HR 6124
Tribal members and councils will be able to contribute to social security and earn those benefits under HR 6124. The decision to participate would be voluntary.… Continue Reading
07.23.18
Kilmer, colleague present legislation to bridge broadband access gap
by Rob Ollikainen
PORT ANGELES - U.S. Rep Derek Kilmer has introduced a bill that would help expand broadband access to rural areas such as the West End of Clallam County, the Democratic congressman announced. Along with Republican colleague Elise Stefanik of New York, Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, introduced Thursday the Broadband Access for All Act. The bill would provide a refundable tax credit of up to 75 percent for groups of individuals or businesses that form a broadband district and build a local network. The i… Continue Reading
07.19.18
New voting machines are important, but here are three other ways states are investing in election security
by Benjamin Freed
In the past eight days, federal officials - including Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence; Kirstjen Nielsen, the homeland security secretary; and Christopher Krebs, the homeland security undersecretary for cybersecurity - have warned that the Russian hackers who attempted to meddle in the 2016 election are on the prowl again. Depending on who you ask, state election officials are either implementing sweeping new security measures or making minimal progress in safeguarding voters ah… Continue Reading
07.17.18
Dino Rossi and Other Washington Republicans Silent on Trump-Putin Summit
by Rich Smith
As you may have noticed from reading the internet, both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have criticized the President for taking Putin's word on Russian interference over the word of his own intelligence agencies at yesterday's summit in Helsinki. The joint presser with Putin went over so badly that even Fox News is reporting on the "bipartisan backlash." Congressman Adam Smith-who represents South Seattle, Tacoma, and Bellevue-said in a statement it's "hard to see President Trump siding wi… Continue Reading
07.17.18
Ryan, other members of Congress, weigh how to respond to Trump’s Putin remarks
(WASHINGTON) - While House Speaker Paul Ryan struggled Tuesday to defend President Donald Trump's performance with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland, without criticizing him directly, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer took to the Senate floor with a laundry list of things he says it's obvious Congress should do in response to Trump's remarks. They are, in the order Schumer presented them: Increase sanctions on Russia; demand that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other m… Continue Reading
06.14.18
Army Corps announces additional $4 million for Harbor dredging, breakwater repair
An additional $4.255 million for operations and maintenance work was released Monday by the Army Corps of Engineers for shoreline revetment and navigation in Grays Harbor County. The additional funding will be used for extended maintenance dredging of Grays Harbor and repair of the Point Chehalis breakwater in Westport. The additional funding brings the total operations and maintenance for Grays Harbor to $15.965 million for the fiscal year 2018. "This additional federal funding directly suppo… Continue Reading
06.12.18
India decision to increase tariff on apples to hit US growers, say Congressmen
A bipartisan group of about a dozen influential lawmakers today said the recent Indian decision to increase tariff on apples from 50 percent to 80 percent would hurt growers of the fruit in America. The lawmakers also alleged that India was abusing rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). On May 28, India notified the WTO that it plans to raise its tariff before June 21 on apples from the already very high level of 50 percent to 80 percent. India describes this increased tariff as retalia… Continue Reading
06.12.18
Trump optimistic, Kilmer skeptical after North Korea summit
President Trump says his historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was honest, direct and productive. Trump says North Korea agreed to denuclearization. Democratic Washington Congressman Derek Kilmer weighed in on this today on the KOMO Morning News with Gregg Hersholt and Manda Factor.… Continue Reading
06.12.18
SOS: NOAA funding cuts would hurt coastal Washington
An additional $4.255 million for operations and maintenance work was released Monday by the Army Corps of Engineers for shoreline revetment and navigation in Grays Harbor County. The additional funding will be used for extended maintenance dredging of Grays Harbor and repair of the Point Chehalis breakwater in Westport. The additional funding brings the total operations and maintenance for Grays Harbor to $15.965 million for the fiscal year 2018. "This additional federal funding directly suppo… Continue Reading
06.08.18
Rep. Kilmer Discusses Access to Healthcare on the Floor of the House of Representatives
Representative Derek Kilmer discusses access to health care on the House Floor.… Continue Reading
06.08.18
The Rise of the Congressional Reformers Caucus
by Eleanor Clift
An entire wall of Meredith McGehee's K Street office is covered with white boards that track current and past members of Congress who are aligned with the newly launched Congressional Reformers Caucus. A longtime ethics-in-government activist, McGehee is the executive director of Issue One, an advocacy group founded in 2014 that works to restore confidence in government and reduce the role of money in politics. A map shows former members of Congress in just about every state signing on to redu… Continue Reading
06.07.18
Eight state lawmakers -- stop taking immigrant children from families
by Joel Connelly
All eight Democrats in Washington's congressional delegation have joined letters calling on the Trump administration to immediately cease forcibly taking children from their parents at America's southern border. "Your administration's decision to separate children from their parents at the border is cruel, unnecessary and goes against our values as Americans," said Sens. Patty Murray, Maria Cantwell and 38 of their Democratic Senate colleagues in a letter to President Trump. The letter was sig… Continue Reading
06.07.18
Turf war: DOD v. National Guard on election security
by Shannon Vavra
Two Senate Democrats have introduced a bill that would provide $50 million to stand up National Guard cyber units in every state to prevent and respond to election security issues. But there's a glitch: the Defense Department is somewhat resistant to shifting its authority to states. Why it matters: This is the latest example of the age-old fight in election security - that states should run their own elections, but much of the resources and authority lie with the feds. The buzz: "It's … Continue Reading