January 01, 2015
Getting two bills signed by the President into law
Even within a shockingly unproductive Congress, I was able to advance some of our legislative priorities. In addition to getting some of our region’s needs included in the Fiscal Year 2015 bill to fund the government just a couple weeks ago, I became one of only three Democratic freshman lawmakers who had two bills signed into law this session.
The most recent good news came after the Senate passed the American Savings Promotion Act a few weeks back - and then the President signed it into law. This bipartisan bill allows more financial institutions to offer prize-linked savings accounts, a way to encourage more folks to save money.
As some of you may recall, in August I visited Bainbridge Island and met with survivors of the Japanese Internment.
Earlier this year, I had the honor of working with the local Japanese American community to pass a bill to properly recognize the memorial on Bainbridge Island as the Japanese American Exclusion Memorial. It was just recently the 70th anniversary of the court case Korematsu v. the United States, which authorized the Japanese-American internment program through Executive Order 9066. Working on this bill was a reminder that we must always be vigilant in fighting prejudice and discrimination.
Speaking up for budgetary sanity
The unnecessary government shutdown last year hurt families and workers in our region. It hurt our economy when shipyard workers and park rangers alike went without pay. According to the private ratings firm Standard and Poor’s, the shutdown in October 2013 cost the economy $24 billion. I spoke out against the shutdown because it was an irresponsible and unnecessary move. I also visited the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard – the largest employer in the district I represent – to hear from the folks directly impacted by these shenanigans.
I didn’t think it was right to collect a paycheck while workers in our area didn’t. That’s why I returned my salary during the shutdown and why I’m fighting to pass a law that says if Congress doesn’t pass a budget members of Congress shouldn’t get paid – the No Budget, No Pay Act. Congress needs to get back in the habit of passing budgets to provide the stability and predictability that federal agencies and private industry needs. I’m hoping to see silly partisan games like the shutdown become a thing of the past. It’s time to get Congress – and this economy – back on track.
Getting our region’s priorities included in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2015
Before Congress wrapped everything up we also got an essential defense bill to President Obama’s desk. The National Defense Authorization Act is important to all our servicemembers because it sets and authorizes funding levels for the Department of Defense. It helps ensure our fighting force is the best trained and equipped in the world. It also aids our ongoing pivot to Asia and makes critical investments in America’s Navy.
That’s important for us because we have so many critical Naval assets in our region. I helped secure more than $120 million in construction for local military projects like updating the water treatment systems at Naval Base Kitsap and continuing the building of the explosives handling wharf at Naval Base Kitsap. Closer to home, I worked hard to ensure that the bill included a one-year extension of overtime pay for shipyard workers who get sent overseas. It’s only right that when we ask workers to leave their families for four to six months to help us maintain our naval edge we compensate them fairly.
While this was a short-term success, it is not the end of the road. Next year I’ll continue to work with my colleagues to get a permanent fix to overtime authorization so we can do right by our shipyard workers. Check out this article in the Kitsap Sun on the overtime issue. Here’s a video of a floor speech I gave on the defense bill too.
Puget Sound Caucus
Back in 2013, I co-founded the Puget Sound Recovery Caucus with my colleague (and my roommate when I’m in Washington D.C.) Congressman Denny Heck. This caucus is the only Congressional working group whose sole focus is to promote Puget Sound cleanup efforts. The caucus has been focusing on promoting the three region-wide Puget Sound recovery priorities: preventing pollution from urban stormwater runoff, protecting and restoring habitat, and restoring and re-opening shellfish beds.
In August, we were able to host Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy to see the challenges facing the Sound first-hand.
I’m proud of the progress we’ve made so far this Congress to put the Puget Sound on a level field with other treasures like the Chesapeake Bay and Great Lakes. We need to continue pursuing policies to protect the environmental and economic vitality of the Puget Sound region.
Fighting for small businesses
As many of you may remember, before representing you in Congress, I spent my previous decade working in economic development professionally. In that capacity, I met with about two-hundred businesses a year to help them grow, succeed and stay in our region. As your representative, helping small businesses succeed is one of my top priorities. Our local employers are the backbone of our economy.
With that in mind, in my first term in office, I visited over 100 businesses throughout the district I represent. I’ve gotten to see and hear a lot during those visits. I’ve visited a lot of small businesses. For example, I visited an Ocean Spray Bog in Grayland.
I visited the Sucher and Sons Star Wars Store in Aberdeen (which is my daughter’s favorite .. OK – who am I fooling .. it’s my favorite too!).
I also had an opportunity to visit with some of our region’s largest employers. For example, I spent a day on the road with a UPS driver in Bremerton (which was a lot of fun, though brown isn’t totally my color).
I also participated in an employee town hall in Davita’s Tacoma headquarters for my 100th Kilmer at Your Company.
During these visits, I get to hear from local employers about how the federal government impacts their business (for good and for bad). What’s more, in my view it’s important to let local employers and their workers know that they’re appreciated. If there’s a company you’d like me to visit, don’t hesitate to reach out to my office and we’ll try to schedule a visit.
Speaking of small businesses….. Another success in supporting small businesses in our region came with avoiding the closure of Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) at Grays Harbor College and the one that serves Clallam and Jefferson counties. SBDCs provide valuable counselling services to entrepreneurs to help them start or grow a business. Though the centers were set to close in January due to funding issues, I was able to work with Washington State University to ensure the Small Business Development Centers would remain open and accessible to assist local employers. On the Olympic Peninsula, we don’t have large corporations – we have small business. It was crucial that we keep these SBDCs open to support our small businesses.
Celebrating the diversity of our region
Over the past couple of years, I’ve had a chance to witness our region’s extraordinary diversity. Let’s just take food, for example. Over these two years, I’ve eaten bear stew in McCleary, lutefisk in Poulsbo, oysters at the Oysterfest in Shelton (where I was a timer in the shucking contest), and salmon at Makah Days in Neah Bay (pictured here).
I’ve visited all sorts of festivals – a bluegrass festival in Olalla, a shorebird festival in Grays Harbor, a Rhododendron Festival in Port Townsend, Art festivals in Gig Harbor and Port Angeles, and many more.
One of the highlights was participating in the New Year Celebration of the Asia Pacific Cultural Center in Tacoma (where my daughter Tess completely one-upped my speech by commandeering the microphone and singing “This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land”).
Not only are these events a useful way for me to visit with the folks I represent, they are awesome reminders of what a special place this region is. I’m lucky to represent such a spectacular place, and we’re all lucky to live here.
Working for you
Finally, among the most important work my office does are the efforts we undertake to make government work for you. Over these last few years, we’ve helped seniors get access to Social Security benefits they’ve earned; we’ve helped veterans who were grappling with the VA; we’ve helped small business owners who were struggling with the IRS; and we’ve helped folks who needed help with other federal agencies.
One of the highlights (pictured here) was last summer when I had the opportunity to present Gordon “Alex” Graham with his long overdue service awards for his service during the Vietnam War. You can read more about our work on behalf of Alex here.
If you or someone you know needs a hand in dealing with a federal agency, please contact my office. Remember, we work for you and will do all we can to help.
I hope this gave you a glimpse at why this job is so important to me. Despite the “do-nothing” nature of Congress these days, I won’t stop working to do right by the people of Washington state. It’s an honor to represent you.
Thanks for reading. Happy holidays and Happy New Year to you and your family!
Sincerely,
Derek
Successes and highlights of the past two years
Friend,
I hope you had a terrific holiday! It was a wonderful time for my family (though I probably ate more Christmas cookies and roast-beast than I should’ve).
As the 113th Congress draws to a close, I reflect back on my first two years representing you in Washington D.C. Despite it being a challenging couple of years, I’m really proud of the things that we’ve accomplished. As we head toward the New Year, I want to take a few minutes to share with you some of my favorite memories from the past couple years.
Hearing from you
In my view, democracy works best when our elected officials are available, accessible and accountable to the folks they represent. Getting a chance to hear your concerns and ideas makes me a better representative for you. I’ve been able to hear from you a lot -- at nearly 20 town hall meetings around the district, at Rotary, Kiwanis and other service clubs, at farmers markets, at a “Derek at Your Dock” event (when I visit the ferry docks), and during the 6 telephone town halls we held. If you haven’t had a chance to attend a town hall yet – keep an eye out for more information on several upcoming town halls in your neighborhood next year.
Getting two bills signed by the President into law
Even within a shockingly unproductive Congress, I was able to advance some of our legislative priorities. In addition to getting some of our region’s needs included in the Fiscal Year 2015 bill to fund the government just a couple weeks ago, I became one of only three Democratic freshman lawmakers who had two bills signed into law this session.
The most recent good news came after the Senate passed the American Savings Promotion Act a few weeks back - and then the President signed it into law. This bipartisan bill allows more financial institutions to offer prize-linked savings accounts, a way to encourage more folks to save money.
As some of you may recall, in August I visited Bainbridge Island and met with survivors of the Japanese Internment.
Earlier this year, I had the honor of working with the local Japanese American community to pass a bill to properly recognize the memorial on Bainbridge Island as the Japanese American Exclusion Memorial. It was just recently the 70th anniversary of the court case Korematsu v. the United States, which authorized the Japanese-American internment program through Executive Order 9066. Working on this bill was a reminder that we must always be vigilant in fighting prejudice and discrimination.
Speaking up for budgetary sanity
The unnecessary government shutdown last year hurt families and workers in our region. It hurt our economy when shipyard workers and park rangers alike went without pay. According to the private ratings firm Standard and Poor’s, the shutdown in October 2013 cost the economy $24 billion. I spoke out against the shutdown because it was an irresponsible and unnecessary move. I also visited the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard – the largest employer in the district I represent – to hear from the folks directly impacted by these shenanigans.
I didn’t think it was right to collect a paycheck while workers in our area didn’t. That’s why I returned my salary during the shutdown and why I’m fighting to pass a law that says if Congress doesn’t pass a budget members of Congress shouldn’t get paid – the No Budget, No Pay Act. Congress needs to get back in the habit of passing budgets to provide the stability and predictability that federal agencies and private industry needs. I’m hoping to see silly partisan games like the shutdown become a thing of the past. It’s time to get Congress – and this economy – back on track.
Getting our region’s priorities included in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2015
Before Congress wrapped everything up we also got an essential defense bill to President Obama’s desk. The National Defense Authorization Act is important to all our servicemembers because it sets and authorizes funding levels for the Department of Defense. It helps ensure our fighting force is the best trained and equipped in the world. It also aids our ongoing pivot to Asia and makes critical investments in America’s Navy.
That’s important for us because we have so many critical Naval assets in our region. I helped secure more than $120 million in construction for local military projects like updating the water treatment systems at Naval Base Kitsap and continuing the building of the explosives handling wharf at Naval Base Kitsap. Closer to home, I worked hard to ensure that the bill included a one-year extension of overtime pay for shipyard workers who get sent overseas. It’s only right that when we ask workers to leave their families for four to six months to help us maintain our naval edge we compensate them fairly.
While this was a short-term success, it is not the end of the road. Next year I’ll continue to work with my colleagues to get a permanent fix to overtime authorization so we can do right by our shipyard workers. Check out this article in the Kitsap Sun on the overtime issue. Here’s a video of a floor speech I gave on the defense bill too.
Puget Sound Caucus
Back in 2013, I co-founded the Puget Sound Recovery Caucus with my colleague (and my roommate when I’m in Washington D.C.) Congressman Denny Heck. This caucus is the only Congressional working group whose sole focus is to promote Puget Sound cleanup efforts. The caucus has been focusing on promoting the three region-wide Puget Sound recovery priorities: preventing pollution from urban stormwater runoff, protecting and restoring habitat, and restoring and re-opening shellfish beds.
In August, we were able to host Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy to see the challenges facing the Sound first-hand.
I’m proud of the progress we’ve made so far this Congress to put the Puget Sound on a level field with other treasures like the Chesapeake Bay and Great Lakes. We need to continue pursuing policies to protect the environmental and economic vitality of the Puget Sound region.
Fighting for small businesses
As many of you may remember, before representing you in Congress, I spent my previous decade working in economic development professionally. In that capacity, I met with about two-hundred businesses a year to help them grow, succeed and stay in our region. As your representative, helping small businesses succeed is one of my top priorities. Our local employers are the backbone of our economy.
With that in mind, in my first term in office, I visited over 100 businesses throughout the district I represent. I’ve gotten to see and hear a lot during those visits. I’ve visited a lot of small businesses. For example, I visited an Ocean Spray Bog in Grayland.
I visited the Sucher and Sons Star Wars Store in Aberdeen (which is my daughter’s favorite .. OK – who am I fooling .. it’s my favorite too!).
I also had an opportunity to visit with some of our region’s largest employers. For example, I spent a day on the road with a UPS driver in Bremerton (which was a lot of fun, though brown isn’t totally my color).
I also participated in an employee town hall in Davita’s Tacoma headquarters for my 100th Kilmer at Your Company.
During these visits, I get to hear from local employers about how the federal government impacts their business (for good and for bad). What’s more, in my view it’s important to let local employers and their workers know that they’re appreciated. If there’s a company you’d like me to visit, don’t hesitate to reach out to my office and we’ll try to schedule a visit.
Speaking of small businesses….. Another success in supporting small businesses in our region came with avoiding the closure of Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) at Grays Harbor College and the one that serves Clallam and Jefferson counties. SBDCs provide valuable counselling services to entrepreneurs to help them start or grow a business. Though the centers were set to close in January due to funding issues, I was able to work with Washington State University to ensure the Small Business Development Centers would remain open and accessible to assist local employers. On the Olympic Peninsula, we don’t have large corporations – we have small business. It was crucial that we keep these SBDCs open to support our small businesses.
Celebrating the diversity of our region
Over the past couple of years, I’ve had a chance to witness our region’s extraordinary diversity. Let’s just take food, for example. Over these two years, I’ve eaten bear stew in McCleary, lutefisk in Poulsbo, oysters at the Oysterfest in Shelton (where I was a timer in the shucking contest), and salmon at Makah Days in Neah Bay (pictured here).
I’ve visited all sorts of festivals – a bluegrass festival in Olalla, a shorebird festival in Grays Harbor, a Rhododendron Festival in Port Townsend, Art festivals in Gig Harbor and Port Angeles, and many more.
One of the highlights was participating in the New Year Celebration of the Asia Pacific Cultural Center in Tacoma (where my daughter Tess completely one-upped my speech by commandeering the microphone and singing “This Land is Your Land, This Land is My Land”).
Not only are these events a useful way for me to visit with the folks I represent, they are awesome reminders of what a special place this region is. I’m lucky to represent such a spectacular place, and we’re all lucky to live here.
Working for you
Finally, among the most important work my office does are the efforts we undertake to make government work for you. Over these last few years, we’ve helped seniors get access to Social Security benefits they’ve earned; we’ve helped veterans who were grappling with the VA; we’ve helped small business owners who were struggling with the IRS; and we’ve helped folks who needed help with other federal agencies.
One of the highlights (pictured here) was last summer when I had the opportunity to present Gordon “Alex” Graham with his long overdue service awards for his service during the Vietnam War. You can read more about our work on behalf of Alex here.
If you or someone you know needs a hand in dealing with a federal agency, please contact my office. Remember, we work for you and will do all we can to help.
I hope this gave you a glimpse at why this job is so important to me. Despite the “do-nothing” nature of Congress these days, I won’t stop working to do right by the people of Washington state. It’s an honor to represent you.
Thanks for reading. Happy holidays and Happy New Year to you and your family!
Sincerely,
Derek