Getting Things Done

Hello friends,

I can’t believe it’s already March...The year is zipping by, and I’ve been up to a lot these past couple weeks!

While cable news has focused its attention on some of the chaos in DC (warning: don’t watch cable news within an hour of eating), the last couple of weeks have actually seen some forward progress on issues that matter to folks in our neck of the woods. Read on for details!

Protecting our Natural Treasures

One of the big wins from the past week was the passage of the Natural Resources Management Act, a bipartisan public lands package that consisted of more than one hundred public lands, natural resources, and water bills.

This bill accomplishes some great things:

First, it permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), a program that supports conservation and recreation in communities across the country. This is big news...Over the last few decades, the LWCF has provided $675 million worth of investments in Washington State. It’s opened access to areas for hunting, hiking, and fishing. It’s renovated community parks. It’s built athletic fields and trails. It’s been an amazing contributor to our economy! 

Additionally, this package also includes the establishment of the first two National Heritage Areas in the Pacific Northwest. The first was included in a bill called the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area Act that I introduced with my friend Rep. Denny Heck. It will designate a majority of Western Washington’s shoreline as a National Heritage Area to help promote maritime-related tourism, economic development and maritime history as told through Washington state’s museums, historic ships, fishing culture and other activities. No federal regulations are imposed, and no private land is affected or acquired. As someone who used to work professionally in economic development, I’m excited to see some new tools for our community to attract tourists and investments. The bill also includes the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Act, which designates 1.5 million acres of land from Ellensburg to Seattle as a National Heritage Area.

Last week I spoke about why I support this package, and you can learn more about how else it benefits Washington here.

Protecting Our Kids from Gun Violence

In recent years, Congress has had far too many moments of silence following mass shootings - and far too few moments of action to prevent gun violence. Our nation has lost too many people to mass shootings in schools, churches, movie theaters, and concerts.

The good news is, there are common-sense steps Congress can take to address the problem of gun violence that also respect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. And Congress took one big step in that direction last week. I joined 240 of my colleagues - Democrats and Republicans - in passing a bipartisan bill that expands background checks to ensure that convicted felons or someone with a serious mental illness can’t get a weapon. The bill mirrors an effort passed by Washington’s voters through the initiative process. It’s an important bill that can keep people safe while respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens. 

I’ve heard from people across the political spectrum in our region, and it’s clear that everyone wants to find common ground and take action to protect our kids and keep our communities safe.

Moving forward, I hope Congress, and our community, can continue to engage in a constructive and respectful conversation about this issue.

Fixing Congress

I’m very conscious that, as a Representative in the U.S. House, I’m a member of an organization that is now less popular than head lice, colonoscopies, and Nickelback.

As many of you have probably heard me say by now - the House is a fixer-upper. So I’m excited to be Chairing a new Committee called the “Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress.” I’m really thrilled to be part of a bipartisan group of lawmakers - six Democrats and six Republicans - who are going to be spending a lot of hours looking at how to fix Congress.

I spoke to Bloomberg News last week about some of the issues we’ll be tackling - and I look forward to keeping you up to date on our progress.

Restoring Voting Rights - and a Pilgrimage to Selma

This week, I signed on again to co-sponsor the Voting Rights Advancement Act, which is sponsored by Rep. Terri Sewell and legendary civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis. I regard the right to vote as an essential right of every American. Sadly, we’ve seen recent attempts to suppress voting across the country. In response, this bill will help ensure that we put some teeth back in the Voting Rights Act and ensure everyone has equal access to the ballot box.

To highlight this important issue, this past weekend, I participated in a Civil Rights Pilgrimage with Mr. Lewis. He invited us to visit sites in Selma, Birmingham, and Montgomery, Alabama “where the conscience, courage, and conviction of many individuals changed the nation.” 

This year, I brought my daughter, Sophie, in hopes that she will understand some of the history of the civil rights movement - and that she will appreciate the continued need to work for equality for everyone.

Perhaps the most powerful moment of the weekend was visiting the Edmund Pettus Bridge. On March 7, 1965, John Lewis led 600 marchers on a march from Selma to Montgomery to elevate the issue of voting rights. They were stopped at this bridge - sprayed with teargas, beaten with clubs, and trampled by horses. Hearing Mr. Lewis share his experience on Bloody Sunday was a vital reminder of why the effort to protect voting rights needs to continue.

Working For You

Bonus points if you made it through this far. As always, my favorite part of this job is meeting with all of YOU. These past couple of weeks I was able to spend a lot of time going around our region - here are the highlights:

Creating More Local Opportunities

I had a great check-in with members of the Pierce County Central Labor Council’s executive board. We talked about the importance of infrastructure investment, retirement security, workforce development and other efforts to create more economic opportunities!

Promoting Healthy Communities

I had the opportunity to speak at the second annual Pierce County Opioid Summit. Though we’ve taken large steps as a community to combat this epidemic of addiction, we still have a lot of work to do. I’m committed to supporting local efforts to ensure our communities can recover.

 

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