Kilmer on a stick
Dear Friend,
By the end of August, I will have visited 8 fairs and festivals in one month. It’s a great opportunity for me to get to visit with the folks I represent and hear what’s on your mind.
It’s also a great opportunity for me to consume fair food. I’ve been alternating between the two basic fair food groups: 1) fried food and 2) meat on a stick. In Grays Harbor, I went chicken on a stick. In Clallam County, it was deep fried Oreos. Next up, the coup de grace...Combining the two food groups. That’s right – CORN DOGS (aka deep fried meat on a stick).
At the end of August, I’m committed to going back on my diet.
This past Friday at the Clallam County Fair, I got to visit with a lot of you (including a few friends from Port Angeles High School). I also got to chat with Todd Ortloff at the KONP radio booth and give an update on what I’ve been working on.
One of the things I mentioned to KONP is how much I enjoy the opportunity to visit with folks in our region during the August work period. So far this month I’ve crisscrossed our region and visited VFWs, local chambers of commerce, community meetings, and conducted roundtables with veterans, military spouses, and other groups in our region.
Read on for some of the highlights from the past two weeks!
Commute & Conversation
In our region, getting to the office doesn’t just involve getting in a car. Many people rely on the ferry system to get them where they need to go. So two weeks ago I joined Port Captain Bill Michael on the ferry from Bainbridge to Seattle.
I got to chat one-on-one with a lot of commuters. We had great conversations about everything from how to keep our region’s economy cooking to the need for campaign finance reform. I even got the chance to talk to a young woman who is interested in running for office some day!
Thanks to everyone who shared some of the issues they care deeply about.
The next morning, I got up bright and early to climb on the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Worker/Driver bus to talk with folks heading in for the work day from Port Orchard.
Moving from seat to seat we talked a lot about the damaging impact of the new DOD long-term per diem policy and I detailed what I’m doing to try and reverse this unfair burden for our civilian shipyard workers (for a refresher on that check out this news release here).
We also spent time discussing just how easy it was for outside hackers to blow holes in our cybersecurity defenses and swipe personal records contained in the Office of Personnel Management databases. On that topic I highlighted my bipartisan bill to extend identity theft protection to all those who may be impacted.
Hearing from You
We take pride that so many veterans, servicemembers, and their families call our region home. Because of deployments and duties that come with serving your country, the spouses and children of our brave men and women in uniform oftentimes face challenges that most others don’t.
That’s why I sat down with a few military spouses in Bremerton to hear firsthand what matters to them and what they’d like Congress to work on. During our discussion we touched on areas like the need for access to quality childcare and medical support and the importance of a quality education for their kids.
Listening to their perspective reinforced my belief that we need to do all we can for the families of those who serve.
Prepping for the Big One
A few weeks ago, I wrote about a recent magazine article which painted a vivid picture of the impact a mega-quake would have on our region.
The good news is that researchers, backed by investments I fought for as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, are taking steps to address this threat.
I joined my colleague Senator Murray at the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network at the University of Washington where we got an up close look at the latest advances in the early earthquake warning system and got to announce a grant to support these critical efforts.
Such a system can provide valuable time to give families and communities in the case of a massive earthquake. Imagine having critical seconds or even minutes for businesses operating heavy machinery, commuters approaching the Narrows Bridge, or surgeons holding scalpels in the midst of a surgery.
Sen. Murray and I highlighted the groundbreaking work that Washington state scientists and researchers are engaged in. But we also stressed how our current budget environment could impact vital programs like this one. It’s time we did away with across the board sequester cuts that endanger funding for this initiative and countless other vital investments across our region. Getting a more rational approach to the budget will be one of my top priorities when Congress returns to session in September.
You can read more here.
Freight Can’t Wait
Recently I joined Senator Cantwell and Representative Reichert at the Port of Tacoma to highlight our bipartisan, bicameral bill that would bring a national focus to smart freight policy. With better coordination and investments, we can help our businesses be competitive in a 21st century economy.
Washington state’s economy depends on transporting goods to market. In order to support job growth in our region, we need infrastructure that can efficiently get products out of warehouses and onto rail lines, highways, and waterways so they get into the hands of customers.
We teamed up on this bill because too much of our outdated freight infrastructure results in delays and congestion. Bottlenecks are already costing American businesses, farmers, and shippers $200 billion a year. With 95 percent of the world’s customers outside our borders, they need to know we can get freight moving quickly.
Specifically, our legislation would:
- Create a dedicated Freight Division that establishes a National Multimodal Freight Policy;
- Require the development of a National Strategic Plan and;
- Create a competitive Freight Investment Grant Program for projects specifically focused on improving freight mobility.
This is the type of bipartisan policy that Congress should take action on.
Helping People Save
Schoolhouse Rock fans will remember the “I’m Just a Bill” song. But sometimes we don’t talk about what happens a year after a bill becomes a law.
During my first term President Obama signed into law a bill I introduced to allow more financial institutions to offer prize-linked savings accounts. This is an innovative way to help encourage more families to save money and build assets. There are credit unions in Washington and in other states across the country that are already offering these accounts.
And now, because of the law we passed, the first U.S. bank is now offering prize linked savings accounts in Virginia. It’s exciting to see the progress the law has made and to think about where it’s headed!
Read more here.
Working for You
I was proud to join Community Health Care of Tacoma and Peninsula Community Health Services of Kitsap County to celebrate National Health Center Week. The staff and supporters of these organizations deserve our sincere thanks and continued support to carry out their critical mission.
Thanks also to VFW Post 91 in Tacoma, American Legion Albert C Kean Post 149 in Bremerton, and American Legion Elwha Post 121 on the Lower Elwha Klallam Reservation for welcoming me to their meetings this month.
I'm appreciative of the time I get to spend with those who have served our nation. I'm also grateful for their terrific questions and suggestions regarding how to better serve our service members, veterans and their families.
It was a thrill to visit with the first graduating class of the Tacoma Metro Parks SPARX Leadership program! This program is designed to give underserved middle school youth in Tacoma the opportunity to learn leadership skills, find volunteer opportunities, and gives them an introduction to employment skills training. Helping our region’s young students learn the importance of civic engagement and community development is key in developing strong citizens. I want to thank all these great kids for taking the time to listen, ask questions, and offer some great suggestions!
Finally, I’d like to end by mentioning that my thoughts and prayers are with the families of the brave firefighters who died protecting communities in Washington from the fires burning across our state. In the face of historic wildfires they showed uncommon courage and dedication to helping others. I’m wishing a speedy recovery to those who were injured and hoping that everyone impacted by these fires stays safe in the coming days.
As always, it's an honor to serve as your representative. Please don’t hesitate to holler if I can lend a hand to you or someone you know.
P.S. I'll be holding office hours this Wednesday from 3:00-4:30PM in Conference Room 2 at the Grays Harbor County Administration Building in Montesano. I hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
Derek Kilmer