Jaime Herrera Beutler RSS Articles

U.S. House Transportation Appropriations Bill Contains No Light Rail Funding for Incomplete CRC Project

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Jaime Herrera Beutler announced that the U.S. House Appropriations Committee introduced legislation today that would keep federal transit funding from going to projects like the Columbia River Crossing that had not met critical permit and funding requirements.

As a Member of the U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (T-HUD), Jaime helped craft the fiscal year 2014 T-HUD Appropriations bill. The legislation keeps in place the criteria of the New Starts grant program that provides federal transit money for transportation projects, which includes:

A project must have its operations & maintenance funding in place;
A project must have the local funding match in place;
All necessary permits must be granted.

The CRC does not meet these criteria. Meanwhile, 17 other projects around the nation are already permitted, locally funded, and stand ahead of the CRC in line for New Starts funding. Members of the T-HUD subcommittee are expected to approve the bill on Wednesday.

“The existing law is clear -- in order to obtain a transit grant, project sponsors need to have funding in place to pay for operation and maintenance of light rail. Last November, Clark County residents rejected light rail when they overwhelmingly voted not to pay for it, and I pledged to act in accordance with their wishes,” said Jaime. “Clark County voters know that ultimately they will pay more of the cost of this project than any other group of taxpayers, and we should respect their wishes when it comes to light rail.

“Project advocates continue to state that the main priority for the CRC is safety,” Jaime continued. “If that's really what they believe, then they should have no problem taking the divisive, controversial, and local light rail portion off the table. Let’s concentrate on building a bridge that can safely and efficiently move people, goods and services and can actually earn the support of the taxpayers and commuters who will pay for it.”

Jaime Herrera Beutler Raises Questions, Concerns over CRC’s Low Bridge Height during Coast Guard Permit Comment Period

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Today, Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler submitted comment to the U.S. Coast Guard voicing concern with the current Columbia River Crossing (CRC) design and its impact on upriver commerce. The Coast Guard’s public comment period for the CRC permitting process ends on June 20. In her letter, Jaime refers to previous correspondence with the Coast Guard asking that any final outcome from the permitting process protect free navigation of the river and the regional economy.

The text of the letter follows, and a PDF of the original letter is available here:

Rear Admiral Keith A. Taylor
District Commander
Thirteenth Coast Guard District
915 2^nd Avenue, Room 3590
Seattle, WA 98174-1067

Dear Admiral Taylor:

I am writing to provide comment for the Application for the Proposal to Replace the Existing Movable I-5 Bridge across the Columbia River, Docket ID: USCG-20136-0286.

As you are aware, I and other Members of the Pacific Northwest Congressional Delegation whose districts are upriver of the Columbia River Interstate Bridge have previously written to your office to voice our concerns with the serious limitations of the current design for the Columbia River Crossing (CRC). The height restrictions of this design have the potential to negatively impact not just current upriver businesses whose cargo must pass under the bridge to reach their intended markets, but could also provide a chilling impact to future business development due to the permanent, impassable nature of the design for larger vessels and cargoes.

In addition to the grave concerns with the height restrictions of the current design, other important questions and concerns have been raised that deserve your attention:

The CRC Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) analyzes a bridge that has a height of 95 feet, but no analysis has been provided for the re-working of the design to accommodate 116 ft. of clearance. Given that the DEIS fails to analyze a bridge clearance that is 21 feet higher than the LPA’s design, how does this affect the permit application under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)? Is a Supplemental EIS going to be required before a permit can be issued?
When the Glenn Jackson Bridge was permitted, the analysis determined that a clearance of 144 ft. would be required in order to ensure that navigation wouldn’t be impeded on the Columbia River. Have the standards for river navigation changed? If not, can you explain how a clearance of 116 ft. complies with the findings for the Glenn Jackson Bridge?
A great deal of focus has been given to providing mitigation for the three metal fabricators that are located upriver of the Interstate Bridge. I am concerned that no alternatives have been considered which would eliminate the need for taxpayer-funded mitigation, and would ensure their continued ability to freely operate from their current sites of operation and support hundreds of local jobs. Doesn’t the need for such substantial mitigation point to serious design flaws that limit navigation? I would offer that building a bridge without adequate clearance is an unfortunate choice that could be remedied through the redesign of this project.

The Columbia River, the 3^rd largest river in the nation, is a vital navigation link that provides for tens of thousands of jobs, and more than $20 billion in annual cargo revenues. The importance of protecting our river commerce, both now and in the future, cannot be understated. I urge you to do all you can to ensure that the final outcome of the permitting process protects the free navigation of the river and our regional economy.

Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. For your reference, copies of my previous correspondence have been attached. In addition, I have included a letter from Congressman Duncan Hunter, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation to Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr., noting his strong concerns with the Columbia River Crossing project.

Previous Correspondence

Click here for the January 30, 2013 Letter to the Coast Guard from Northwest Members of Congress

Click here for the May 7, 2013 Letter to the Coast Guard from Chairman Duncan Hunter

Jaime Herrera Beutler Announces 60 Employers Already Signed Up for Jobs Fair

Fri, 31 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Jaime Herrera Beutler announced today that 60 employers have already signed up for her Southwest Washington jobs fair to be held on June 10 in Vancouver. More employers are expected to participate.

To see a list of employers please click here.

The event is free to all Southwest Washington residents and will include employers from a variety of industries seeking qualified candidates. Employers who are interested in participating are encouraged to contact Pam Peiper in Jaime’s Vancouver office at (360) 695-6292.

Job Hunting Workshop Details Confirmed

In the run-up to the jobs fair, Jaime’s office has organized a job hunting workshop on June 6 at the Vancouver Community Library. The free event will include representatives from Worksource, local human resources departments and headhunting agencies. Though employer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from previous jobs fairs, many responded that they wished job seekers were better prepared.

Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion as well as individual 1-on-1 counseling. The panel will discuss resume building, interviewing skills, networking, and other important aspects of the job-seeking process.

Job Hunting Workshop
Date and Time: Thursday, June 6 • 10:00am – Noon
Location:          Vancouver Community Library, Columbia Room
                        901 C Street, Vancouver, WA 98660

Southwest Washington Jobs Fair
Date and Time: Monday, June 10 • 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Location:          Red Lion Hotel at the Quay
                        100 Columbia Street, Vancouver, WA 98660

Jaime Herrera Beutler Urges EPA to Consider Southwest Washington Fishing Community in Environmental Assessment of Bristol Bay

Thu, 30 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Jaime Herrera Beutler urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday to consider the livelihoods of Southwest Washington residents when finalizing their Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment. In a letter sent to Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe, Jaime points out concerns raised by the fishing community in her region who may be impacted by a proposed pebble mine in Bristol Bay. The EPA is currently accepting public comment on its revised draft of the project.

In the letter, Jaime points out that last year, residents of her district held 91 commercial fishing permits for Bristol Bay. The bay is home to large sockeye, coho, chum, and king salmon runs that support both commercial and recreational fishing.

The text of the letter follows:

Bob Perciasepe, Acting Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20460

Dear Acting Administrator Perciasepe,

It is my understanding that your agency has released a revised assessment of the Bristol Bay watershed. On behalf of residents and small business owners in Southwest Washington, I ask that you take the livelihoods of the fishermen from my region into account when you finalize your Watershed Assessment.

Bristol Bay is home to one of the world's greatest salmon fisheries and supports many sustainable jobs that benefit my region’s economy. In fact, residents of my districts held 91 commercial fishing permits for Bristol Bay in 2012 – permits that help support hundreds of jobs in Southwest Washington. However, recent EPA findings outlined in the updated risk assessment have raised serious concerns within this fishing community over the sustainability of the fishery and the potential impact of a large scale mining operations.

I ask that a thorough, science-based approach be used so that an accurate assessment can inform this critical decision.

I will continue following this issue and would appreciate any updates your staff can provide as this process moves forward. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance.

Jaime Herrera Beutler Demands Better Care for Rural Veterans

Thu, 23 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Earlier this week, the House Appropriations Committee advanced a Herrera Beutler-authored provision to investigate why some mobile medical units that provide primary health care to rural veterans are sitting largely unused. Jaime’s provision seeks a full review and report within 90 days from the Office of the Inspector General on why these mobile units are falling short of their intended use.

Jaime’s provision was included in the Committee Report of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs funding bill for 2014, and was approved unanimously by Members of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee.

With more than 40% of the nation’s veterans living in rural areas, many have difficulties accessing health care at Department of Veteran Affairs (VA)-medical facilities located in larger cities, and even the smaller Community Based Outpatient Clinics. Currently, many veterans are forced to drive 50 miles or more to fill a prescription, get a flu shot, or have a blood sample drawn. In response, the VA purchased and operates eight mobile medical units across the country with the intention of providing more convenient primary care, mental health counseling and social work services in those remote communities.

However, in 2011 Jaime began learning that rural Southwest Washington communities were expecting visits from the American-Lake based mobile medical unit, but that those visits weren’t taking place. Inquiries by Jaime’s office revealed that the mobile medical unit was sitting unused for months at a time. She and her staff have worked with both regional and national VA offices to understand the challenges that exist and find solutions, but even now the unit is only being deployed about four days each month. The VA has admitted that other mobile medical units are also sitting greatly underutilized.

“For veterans living in rural areas of Southwest Washington, traveling to the American Lake VA in Tacoma, Vancouver, or even Chehalis for health care services is a time-consuming, costly and often physically exhausting undertaking,” said Nick Nikkila, Adjutant- American Legion Post 111 in Wahkiakum County. “This is especially true for disabled and elderly veterans. It’s unfortunate that a mobile medical unit has been sitting nearby, largely unused, when there is a clear need for care in rural areas. I would love to have the Mobile Medical Unit serve our community. I want to thank Jaime for caring about our veterans and bringing this issue before Congress.”

“Some veterans in Washington prefer to live in rural areas, where there are more trees than people,” said Hugh Fleet, a Navy Veteran living in South Bend. “I know of veterans with chronic conditions, mental health conditions like PTSD, who have to go a long way to get regular treatment. The farther they have to travel, the less likely they are to follow through with their care. My community could really benefit from a visit by the mobile medical unit and I am grateful Jaime is looking out for us.”

“Mobile medical units could be an incredible resource for our rural veterans, but only if they’re being used – and right now, they’re not,” said Jaime. “We owe it to the taxpayers who funded these units, and to our veterans who served and sacrificed for our country, to start utilizing these mobile medical units and bringing health care to our rural communities. Our federal government made a promise to help take care of the men and women who served in our military, and fixing this problem will help us keep that promise.”

U.S. House Appropriations Committee Demands an I-5 Bridge Project that Protects River Commerce, Southwest Washington Jobs

Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Today the full U.S. House Appropriations Committee approved legislation expressing concern with the CRC’s proposed height, and directing U.S. Coast Guard to ensure that the CRC does not block river commerce.

In its proposed fiscal year 2014 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations bill, the Appropriations Committee included report language submitted by Jaime Herrera Beutler that cites the “significant obstruction” the CRC poses to Columbia River navigation. In addition to directing the Coast Guard to protect the region’s economic interests, the bill outlines the severe impact the CRC’s current bridge height would have on area employers – including the livelihoods of local men and women. Members of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee approved the bill unanimously.

“Right now, the CRC’s design will -- at a minimum -- disrupt local jobs, and could potentially cost men and women of Southwest Washington and Oregon their livelihoods,” said Jaime. “I understand that the CRC is pursuing mitigation deals with companies that employ hundreds of Southwest Washington and Oregon residents, but we deserve to know what will happen to those jobs once the deals are signed. The CRC should provide assurances that jobs won’t be moved out of state or out of country as a result of building this bridge that’s too low, either now or 18 months down the road. If the CRC can’t do that, then the Coast Guard should not permit this project.”

The bill report language is below, and also located on page 68 of the bill report:

Columbia River Crossing Bridge Permitting

The Coast Guard is currently in the process of reviewing the permit request for a new Columbia River Crossing bridge between Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. While there are many advantages to building a new bridge, the Committee is concerned with the proposed clearance height of the planned bridge, which would significantly limit navigation of the river by numerous users up river. This inability to navigate may lead to devastating economic losses for the impacted users and could also negatively affect the surrounding communities. Over $500,000,000 in economic activity each year could be lost in addition to terminating 500 jobs in the surrounding area. This significant obstruction to the free flow of navigation on the Columbia River is very troubling. Furthermore, mitigation is limited for affected river users because the existing infrastructure cannot be replicated. To address these concerns, the Committee directs the Coast Guard to consider the economic impacts of the planned bridge including impacts due to lost use of the waterway and to therefore, ensure that, within reason, the river commerce is not blocked. The Coast Guard shall provide a report to the Committee on those economic impacts and any proposed mitigation activities to address lost access to the waterway. The Coast Guard shall provide this report prior to issuing a permit for the bridge.

Jaime Herrera Beutler to Host 3rd Annual Jobs Fair on June 10

Tue, 21 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Jaime Herrera Beutler will be hosting her third annual Southwest Washington jobs fair on Monday, June 10.

Like Jaime’s job fairs in 2011 and 2012, this free event will be open to all Southwest Washington residents and will include employers from a variety of industries seeking qualified candidates. To date, 20 hiring employers have already signed up to participate. Previous jobs fairs have drawn between 55-70 hiring employers.

“I continue to make jobs my number one priority in Congress, and I’m pleased to host this jobs fair that puts employers and job seekers in the same room,” said Jaime. “I continue to hear positive feedback from folks who found employment through previous jobs fairs and from employers who hired them. In addition, my office is currently organizing resume clinics, entrepreneurship classes and other events surrounding the fair to connect future employers and employees with resources that will help them succeed.”

Date and Time: Monday, June 10 • 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Location:          Red Lion Hotel at the Quay
                          100 Columbia Street, Vancouver WA 98660

Employers who are interested in participating should contact Pam Peiper in Jaime’s Vancouver office at (360) 695-6292.

Daily News Guest Column: Health Care Law's three-year checkup not good

Sun, 19 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

It’s now been three years since the President and Congress passed a massive overhaul of our health care system. While I didn’t support this specific bill, I embrace the idea that folks in Southwest Washington should be able to afford quality care for themselves and their families. Unfortunately, the health care bill’s three year checkup reveals that we’ve drifted farther from this goal.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was ushered through Congress under pledges of lower health care premiums for hardworking people, reduced health care costs, and coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. Instead, folks are facing higher costs, more taxes, and some with pre-existing conditions are still being turned away.

Consider the alarming comments about the health care law by the ACA’s co-author, U.S. Senator Max Baucus, D-Mont., during an April 17 hearing: “I just see a huge train wreck coming down.”

During the debate over health care in 2008, President Obama consistently promised that “If you like your health insurance, you can keep it.” However, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reported in March that up to 20 million employees could lose their employer-sponsored health care due to new provisions. Folks who have been happy with their health care will now need to scramble to find another plan. People I talk to throughout Southwest Washington fear they will no longer be able to see their family doctor once the new provisions take effect. Quality of care will suffer and hard-working families will be left with less choice.

Also troubling is that health care is going to cost families more. Since 2008 -- a year before the bill was passed -- the average family’s health insurance premium has grown by over $3,000 and the costs to families will only keep growing. A recent study found that insurers could pay an average of 32 percent more for medical claims -- higher costs that will be passed on to individuals.

On top of rising premiums, the CBO has projected that the legislation’s price tag will be nearly twice the original cost to taxpayers.

The deadline for small business owners to comply with the law is supposed to be late 2013 – but small businesses are almost totally in the dark. One explained he and his business have spent hundreds of hours working to comply with the law, but the only thing experts and federal officials agree on is this: “It will cost more for everyone.”

A recent Wall Street Journal poll found 77 percent of small businesses say the health care law will make employee coverage more expensive. This leaves struggling business owners wringing their hands over whether they can afford to hire -- or keep the employees they have.

This means a bill intended to improve health care will end up costing us jobs. Businesses with 50 or more employees must pay a fine if they do not provide health care. Small business owners are confessing they either won’t hire will actually lay off workers order to stay below this threshold. We should be putting more moms and dads back to work -- but this bill takes us in the opposite direction.

It’s difficult to offer a quick prescription to address these serious problems with this health care law. The first step is to simply provide answers. My office and I are working to collect information to try and help people understand what this law will mean to them.

Second, we can’t stop pushing for a better health care solution. Had Congress implemented commonsense, patient-centered solutions back in 2009, we’d be in a far better place. For instance, expanded health savings accounts would give individuals and families more control over their health care choices. Small businesses could be allowed to join together and pool their risk to keep costs low like big corporations and labor unions are able to do. We could also increase competition among insurers, resulting in lower premiums for families and individuals. The individual mandate in the ACA actually decreases competition. By forcing citizens to pay a tax if they don’t have an insurance plan, the government removes the incentive for insurance companies to provide affordable, effective health care. Those insurance companies now get guaranteed business.

This is not just a matter of personal health -- it’s a matter of economic health, too. We cannot realistically solve our economic issues without a serious plan that addresses providing affordable and accessible care. I refuse to abandon our need to fix the cost and confusion issues that will impact the residents of Southwest Washington, because they deserve better.

Read this article online at the Daily News by clicking here.

Jaime Herrera Beutler, Bipartisan Group of House and Senate Lawmakers Introduce Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act

Thu, 16 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT

A bipartisan group of senators and U.S. House members today introduced bills to provide certainty to forestry companies and workers, by reaffirming the Environmental Protection Agency’s 37-year-old policy toward regulation of runoff from forest roads.

Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Senator Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and Representatives Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., and Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., introduced the Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act today.

The bill would aid efforts to increase timber harvests and forestry jobs by preventing unnecessary litigation on a question that the U.S. Supreme Court settled in the EPA’s favor earlier this year. The bill, like the Supreme Court decision, upholds the EPA’s existing policy, which does not require water discharge permits for forest roads.

Despite the EPA and Supreme Court decisions, however, some groups have promised to continue litigation, which will needlessly delay needed forest restoration work without action by Congress.

Senators Max Baucus, D-Mont., and James Risch, R-Idaho, and Representatives John Barrow, D-Georgia, Dan Benishek, R-Mich., Sanford Bishop, D-Georgia, Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., Doc Hastings, R-Wash., Walter B. Jones, R-N.C., Jack Kingston, R-Georgia., Rick Larsen, D-Wash., Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., Michael Michaud, D-Maine, Collin Peterson, D-Minn., Nick Rahall, D-W.V., Reid Ribble, R-Wisc., Terri Sewell, D-Ala., Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, and Glenn “GT” Thompson, R-Penn. are original cosponsors of the measure.

WYDEN: “We need a healthy timber industry to provide timber jobs and to do the restoration work that ensures healthy forests. The way to do that is to stop litigating questions that have already been answered, and start working together to improve forest management practices. This bill will reaffirm the determination by both EPA and the Supreme Court that forest roads and other silviculture activities are not open to more litigation over water discharge permits under the Clean Water Act.”

CRAPO: “The jobs and economic activities relating to the forest products industry are critical to Idaho and the Pacific Northwest. The decision to change a 37-year-old program that deferred the regulation of logging road runoff to individual states has brought increased hardships causing job losses and jeopardizing our rural communities. This bipartisan legislation will clarify that the Clean Water Act was not intended to regulate stormwater runoff on forest roads and allow the focus of private, state and federal land managers to return to improving forest management.”

HERRERA BEUTLER: “At the heart of our efforts are the moms and dads employed by healthy, working forests – and passing this law will help make sure they have jobs, and will help make our forests healthy. I’m proud to keep working with my colleagues in both parties to solidify a law based on sound science that takes people and their livelihoods into account.”

SCHRADER: “The ability to independently manage our forests in a sustainable and responsible way is crucial to the vitality of Oregon’s rural economies and helps to keep our forests healthy and thriving. The timber industry and EPA have worked together for over three decades to reduce forest roads runoff with much success. The Silviculture Regulatory Consistency Act restores the certainty our state and local governments and private forest landowners need to continue managing forestlands using best management practices that have been successful in the past.”

Jaime Herrera Beutler Supports “Flex Time” Bill for Working Families

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 04:00:00 GMT

Jaime Herrera Beutler announced today that she had put her support behind the “Working Families Flexibility Act” – a legislative solution that gives workers in the private sector more choices when they need time off to spend with their families. Jaime cosponsored this legislation last Thursday.

Currently employees working in the public sector who exceed a 40 hour work week are able to make a choice between paid time off or overtime pay. However, private sector employees are prohibited by federal law from making this same choice -- as of now, private sector employees must choose overtime. Parents working in the private sector who want to attend a child’s soccer game or music recital, and would prefer flex time to overtime, currently don’t have that option.

This bill would expand choices for families struggling to balance demanding schedules. The flex time option would be completely voluntary for employers to offer, and for employees to use.

“My goal here is to give working moms and dads more choices. This family-centered bill would allow employees to decide how to manage more of their time, whether that’s being with their child or an aging relative, or tending to personal responsibilities outside of work,” said Jaime. “It’s important to me that this bill protects workers’ rights to choose what’s best for them. We should update an outdated law to meet employees where they’re at today, and in doing so we’ll encourage a more productive workforce and a better work-life balance.”

The “Working Families Flexibility Act” received a hearing in the House Education and Workforce Committee’s Workforce Protection Subcommittee last week, and is expected to receive full committee approval in the coming weeks.

What this bill does:

The bill allows employers to offer employees a choice between cash wages and comp time for overtime hours worked. Employees who want to receive cash wages would continue to do so. It updates the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 which prohibits private sector employers from offering their employees the choice of accruing time off for working overtime hours.

Workers are free to ‘cash out’ their accrued comp time whenever they choose to do so. The comp time option is completely voluntary.

The legislation retains all existing employee protections in current law, and adds additional safeguards to ensure workers remain in control of their overtime compensation.

It requires a written agreement between the employer and employee, voluntarily and knowingly entered into by the employee. An employer is forbidden by law from making the comp time agreement a condition of employment.

Employees represented by union would need the comp time agreement to be settled on through collective bargaining between a union and employer.

Neither the method for calculating overtime, nor the employees right to receive cash wages for overtime work, are altered.

Compensatory time off accrues at the same rate as overtime, 1.5 hours for each hour of overtime worked.

Employees could accrue up to 160 hours of compensatory time each year. An employer would be required to pay cash wages for any unused, accrued time at the end of the year.