Here in Southwest Washington, the need to grow our economy and create jobs is as great as any other region in the country. From the Gifford Pinchot Forest to Long Beach, our region has a reputation for our tremendous resources – but the greatest resource of all is our people.

Congress needs to maintain employment and the economy as its number one focus. 

Small business and private enterprise act as America’s engine for job creation, but right now these job creators are struggling to survive. 

Here are samples of job-creating efforts I’ve led since serving as your representative in Congress:

• I’ve held 11 annual “Jobs Fairs” in Southwest Washington, where we’ve matched thousands of individuals with hiring employers – often leading to higher-paying jobs with better benefits.
• Hydroelectric dams provide the lowest-cost, most reliable, cleanest energy available. I have and will continue to champion bipartisan efforts to protect hydropower, and the affordable energy that has attracted manufacturing jobs to Southwest Washington.
• My bipartisan Small Business Opportunities Act was signed into law and expanded opportunities for more than 900 Southwest Washington small businesses who wish to compete for federal contracts.
• The U.S. House passed the permanent extension of the tri-state agreement that is imperative for the future success of the West Coast Dungeness crab fishery. Washington state’s Dungeness crab industry brings $61 million into the state’s economy annually. Crab fishermen in the state harvest an average of 9.5 million pounds of crab per year, supporting more than 60,000 maritime jobs.
• I have worked tirelessly to make sure resources are going toward protecting our local salmon habitats and hatcheries. Recreational fishing alone helps support more than 5,100 jobs and $247 million in income for Washington residents.  This industry has been a key piece of our state’s economy for over 100 years and I am committed to ensuring the same opportunities for future generations to enjoy.

Community Project Funding Requests
Below are the community project funding requests for 2022.

Recipient: Lewis County

Address: 351 NW. North St. Chehalis, WA 98532

Requested Amount: $2,500,000

Project Description: Funding for the Lewis County Public Safety Radio Communications project will improve countywide mobile and portable radio coverage, as well as ensure radio system reliability to improve public safety. Replacement of Lewis County Public Safety radio system infrastructure is essential to provide for reliable communications for all Lewis County law enforcement and first responders, 911-related communications, and all state agencies operating within the region

Member Certification Form

Recipient: Cowlitz Indian Tribe

Address: 1055 9th Avenue Suite B Longview, WA 98632

Requested Amount: $762,000

Project Description: The Cowlitz Indian Tribe (the Tribe) is requesting funding to provide renovations and improvements necessary to carry out and expand substance abuse treatment programs and services in the community. Cowlitz County is experiencing climbing overdose death rates, and the opioid epidemic has been exacerbated by the isolation imposed by the COVID epidemic and the influx of fentanyl. The Cowlitz Tribe recently secured a permanent facility for expansion of their substance use disorder and medication-assisted treatment (MAT) program. The facility requires limited renovation to make it accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and to increase energy efficiency, allowing the Tribe to provide and expand their behavioral health services for more individuals.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: Washougal Police Department

Address: 1320 A Street Washougal, WA 98671

Requested Amount: $131,135

Project Description: Federal funding will support the Washougal Police Department to establish a Police Body Worn Camera program to ensure high-quality service of its officers, increase transparency and openness, and strengthen trust in the community. Body worn cameras will enable the agency to document all encounters in the field and develop clearer understandings of events, which may assist in the criminal justice process.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: City of Battle Ground

Address: 109 SW 1st Street Battle Ground, WA 98604

Requested Amount: $413,000

Project Description: Strategic funding will help improve the city of Battle Ground’s safety and emergency response capabilities, which are currently constrained by out-of-date police technology, an inadequate number of outdoor cameras, and limited video storage capacity. Currently, all regional first responders are unable to communicate with each other or the 911 center inside the larger Battle Ground Public School District school locations. In addition, the Battle Ground Police Department relies on video surveillance to expand the department’s reach and capacity with constrained resources. Adequate video surveillance is critical to its ability to protect citizens and property for both immediate intervention of criminal activity and investigating criminal conduct after the fact. Also, installing radio repeaters inside schools ensures reliable communication capabilities in an emergency which increases student safety. Federal funding will help bolster overall community safety with comprehensive technology improvements intended to protect students and residents, as well as public and private property.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: City of Vancouver

Address: 415 West 6th Street Vancouver, WA 98860

Requested Amount: $500,000

Project Description: Federal funding will enable the Vancouver Police Department to make quick, accurate identifications that will drastically improve public safety. Rapid DNA machines have been effective in reducing property crime, which is a growing issue in the Vancouver community. Property crime reports show exponential increases in auto theft at 176%, vehicle prowls at 75%, theft at 51%, burglary at 48%, and robbery at 25% in just two years. Recent advances in Rapid DNA technology have produced a new generation of equipment designed specifically for 24/7 on-site use by local police, which is a cost-effective and time-saving solution for improving community safety.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: Cowlitz 911 Public Authority

Address: 312 SW 1st Ave Kelso, WA 98626

Requested Amount: $2,179,000

Project Description: Funding would be used to replace the obsolete and failing public safety radio equipment. Cowlitz 911 provides emergency communication and dispatch services to six law enforcement and six Fire/EMS agencies serving more than 100,000 residents. The safety of both community members and the emergency responders who serve them is reliant on this mission-critical radio equipment. Without updates and maintenance to this equipment, responders will be unable to talk to each other or 911 dispatchers, leaving no way for dispatchers to effectively deploy and manage critical resources to emergency situations.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: Wahkiakum County Sheriff’s Office

Address: 64 Main Street Cathlamet, WA 98612

Requested Amount: $1,800,000

Project Description: Funding for this project will upgrade the entire county radio system. Unfortunately, the current system is obsolete and inadequate for the population it serves. This system provides the communications for Law Enforcement, Fire, Ems, P.U.D, school district, public works, and the Town of Cathlamet. An upgrade to the emergency communication system will allow all emergency responders to provide better service to the residents of Wahkiakum County. An improved system will also benefit those who travel through the county, as the main route that connects the Long Beach Peninsula to communities inland passes through Wahkiakum County. The safety of both community members and the emergency responders who serve them is reliant on this mission critical radio equipment, and an upgrade will benefit their well-being.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: City of Long Beach      

Address: 115 Bolstad Ave W. Long Beach, WA 98631

Requested Amount: $95,000

Project Description: Funding for body cameras for the Long Beach Police Department will help keep citizens and officers safe. These devices help keep all parties accountable, provide documentation for public records requests and help protect police officers and citizens against false claims of misconduct or abuse. Body cameras have already been implemented at the request of both police officers and communities across the U.S. and have shown measurable benefits to public safety and accountability.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: City of Longview

Address: 1525 Broadway Street, Longview, WA 98632

Requested Amount: $215,000

Project Description: Southwest Washington communities continue to experience an increase in violent incidents often involving people with co-occurring substance use disorders and mental health conditions. Federal funds will support the acquisition of a simulator for Longview and Kelso officers to gain experience in a safe training environment that will reinforce good tactics and decision-making. Using an interactive training simulator is a cost-effective way to implement on-going training for officers, in turn allowing them to support the community more effectively and increase public safety.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: Northwest Division USACE

Address: 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd Ste 400 Portland, OR 97232-1257

Requested Amount: $856,000

Project Description: Cowlitz County communities have had to live with the aftermath of the 1980 Mt. St. Helens eruption for over 40 years. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is mandated by Congress to manage flood risk associated with the continued flow of sediment monitoring through the Cowlitz and Toutle Rivers from Mt. St. Helens, and to establish safe flood protection levels for the cities of Castle Rock, Lexington, Kelso, and Longview. A key element of the Corps protection efforts is to collect data on an annual basis through bathymetric surveys, a LIDAR survey and USGS water level gauges and sediment transport monitoring.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: Northwest Division USACE

Address: 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd Ste 400 Portland, OR 97232-1257

Requested Amount: $900,000

Project Description: The Columbia River Pilots have identified several channel-depth turning basins that are needed to continue to efficiently move and maneuver deep-draft vessels while maintaining a margin of safety, and that are logistically the most favorable and most cost-effective areas for the Corps to maintain. When water levels are low in the late summer to early fall, multiple deep draft vessels are awaiting a “window” to depart, and locations on the river system to anchor while they do so are difficult to find. Establishing turning basins are critical to meet this logistical challenge as they provide the second to last place on a vessel’s outbound transit where there is room to turn and wait before they commit to exiting the Columbia River.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: City of Longview

Address: 1525 Broadway Street, Longview, WA 98632.

Requested Amount: $5,500,000

Project Description: The funding is designated for improving an approximate one-mile section of Columbia Heights Road between Cascade Drive and Fishers Lane. The current roadway is narrow, has no pedestrian access and routinely requires repairs due to poor drainage. The road is serviced by Longview and Kelso School District buses multiple times per school day and the poor conditions create an unsafe climate with little or no room for pedestrians, disabled vehicles, or passing room for emergency vehicles.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: City of Washougal

Address: 1701 C Street, Washougal WA 98671.

Requested Amount: $1,000,000

Project Description: This effort will seek to support the installation of a new, required Anoxic Selector at the Washougal Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). Funding will bring support for needed water upgrades throughout the city, which in return, will contribute to stable rates for consumers into the future. In addition, added improvements will encourage economic development opportunities.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: City of Chehalis

Address: 1321 S Market Blvd. Chehalis, WA 98532

Requested Amount: $570,000

Project Description: Funding would address a major safety concern for families attending events. Due to a lack of parking, people are choosing to park in unsafe locations surrounding the park that do not have proper surfacing, sidewalks, or designated crossings. Another concern is children running across and darting into traffic of a busy roadway that sits parallel to the park. The addition of the parking lot will improve the safety of thousands of park visitors each year. The neighboring businesses and homes that surround the park would also benefit from the added parking, as park visitors regularly park in their business parking lots and private parking spaces.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: Public Utility District No. 1 of Skamania County

Address: 1492 Wind River Highway Carson, WA 98610

Requested Amount: $3,000,000

Project Description: The project is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars because funding would allow construction of a new one-million-gallon per day water treatment plant. This project would allow the plant to provide reliable drinking water year-round for current and future needs and reduce staffing times required to safely operate. Without a federal investment the Skamania PUD will be unable to advance this project given its small size and limited ratepayer base to support these types of investments.

Member Certification Form

Community Project Funding Requests
Below are the community project funding requests for 2021.

Recipient: Battle Ground Healthcare

Address: 11117 NE 189th Street, Suite 216, Battle Ground WA 98604

Requested Amount: $320,000

Project Description: Battle Ground Healthcare’s free clinic expansion project is a valuable use of taxpayer funding because it will allow Battle Ground Healthcare to expand its services to its clients who are uninsured, underinsured, have chronic conditions, and are at or below three-hundred percent of the federal poverty level. Federal funding will support renovations and upgrades to equipment to support much needed expansion of services. BGHC is experiencing increased demands for the free medical, dental, physical rehabilitation services we offer, driven by the pandemic and high unemployment with the loss of health insurance by many families. BGHC will be expanding its facility by fifty-eight percent to meet the CDC guidelines for social distancing while providing free services.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: Northwest Division United States Army Corps

Address:1 201 NE Lloyd Blvd Ste 400 Portland, OR 97232

Requested Amount: $148,000

Project Description: Lake River is recognized as navigable waters of the Columbia River system. A survey of the Lake River between Ridgefield and the Columbia River was conducted in 2014. The survey indicated the channel depth mouth of Lake River needs immediate attention. It has been 35 years since the river was last dredged. Dredging is not an annual project or need, but one that does require periodic maintenance. The mouth of Lake River, where it enters the Columbia approximately two (2) miles northwest of Ridgefield Washington, is unsafe. Sand moving along the Columbia is narrowing and shallowing the navigation channel of Lake River. Flood control measures on the Columbia no longer allow spring run-off to regularly flush the channel at the mouth of Lake River. As a result, access from the Columbia into Lake River by commercial and recreational boating is becoming increasingly difficult and will eventually be lost. Water quality, fish and wildlife habitat are also negatively impacted. Funding would be used for dredging to ensure all season access would be preserved for marine traffic entering or exiting Lake River from the Columbia River.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: Camp Mariposa

Address: 1601 East Fourth Plain Blvd, Building 17, Ste. A212 Vancouver, WA 98661

Requested Amount: $49,870

Project Description: Camp Mariposa-Southwest Washington (CM-SW) is a year-round camping and mentoring experience for children impacted by the substance use disorder of a loved one. The project would be a valuable use of taxpayer funding because it benefits the community by preventing substance use disorders in children exposed to them in their home environments. Community Project Funding will help 40 kids ages 9-12 attend this innovative program proven to break the intergenerational cycle of addiction. CM-SW is a research-based national model developed by Eluna Network and staffed by trained mentors and behavioral health professionals. Funding for this project will assist children by preventing substance use disorder, responding to adverse childhood experiences, and breaking intergenerational cycles of addiction.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: Northwest Division United States Army Corps

Address: 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd Ste 400 Portland, OR 97232

Requested Amount: $410,000

Project Description: Cowlitz County communities have had to live with the aftermath of the 1980 Mt. St. Helens eruption for over 40 years. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is mandated by Congress to manage flood risk associated with the continued flow of sediment through the Cowlitz and Toutle Rivers from Mt. St. Helens, and to establish safe flood protection levels for the cities of Castle Rock, Lexington, Kelso and Longview. A key element of the Corps’ protection efforts is to collect data on an annual basis through bathymetric surveys, a LIDAR survey and USGS water level gauges and sediment transport monitoring. Funding for these critical data points has been inconsistent and in recent years have required aggressive advocacy by stakeholders and officials at all levels of government on an annual basis. The data is used to ensure that the Corps is meeting federally mandated flood protection levels when dredging may be required and when the crest of the Sediment Retention Structure needs to be raised. Leaving years between these vital monitoring activities creates glaring omissions in the data and increases the risk of a devastating flood. Fiscal year 2022 funding would be used for managing the flood risk to downstream communities.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: Northwest Division United States Army Corps

Address: 1201 NE Lloyd Blvd Ste 400 Portland, OR 97232

Requested Amount: $1,100,000

Project Description: The Columbia River Pilots have identified several channel-depth turning basins that are needed to continue to efficiently move and maneuver deep-draft vessels while maintaining a margin of safety, and that are logistically the most favorable and most cost-effective areas for the Corps to maintain. When water levels are low in the late summer to early fall, multiple deep draft vessels are awaiting a “window” to depart, and locations on the river system to anchor while they do so are difficult to find. Establishing turning basins are critical to meet this logistical challenge as they provide the second to last place on a vessel’s outbound transit where there is room to turn and wait before they commit to exiting the Columbia River. This funding would be used to study the Columbia River Turning Basin in the Corps’ Investigations account. This study would also benefit the Port of Kalama that is seeking authorization to construct a new turning basin, where the Port of Longview is seeking to have its basin deepened and widened. The study will put them both on the path to having these projects authorized.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: City of Vancouver

Address: 415 West 6th Street Vancouver, WA 98660

Requested Amount: $1,500,000

Project Description: The City of Vancouver plans to equip the Vancouver Police Department with cameras to enhance safety and transparency. Funding will be used to purchase 250 body-worn cameras for police officer use and equip 100 police patrol vehicles with in-car cameras.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife

Address: Natural Resources Building, 1111 Washington Street SE, Olympia, WA

Amount Requested: $892,000

Project Description: Requesting funding equipment and capital needs to implement the Marine Mammal Protection Act Section 120(f) permit authorizing the intentional taking on the waters of the Columbia River and its tributaries of California Sea Lions and Steller Sea Lions.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: City of Ilwaco

Address: 120 1st Ave N Ilwaco, WA 98624

Amount Requested: $816,000

Project Description: City of Ilwaco, Washington intends to acquire the land and timber rights within the Indian Creek watershed for the purpose of protecting the drinking water source. In accordance with the established Forest Stewardship Plan, the city plans to manage the forest with the goal of supporting water quality.

Member Certification Form

Recipient: Washington Gorge Action Program

Address:115 West Steuben Bigen, WA 98605

Requested Amount: $460,000

Project Description: Washington Gorge Action Program (WAGAP), the only Community Action Program serving Klickitat County, is seeking funds to renovate or construct a facility in rural Goldendale, Washington to serve as a childcare and early learning center. Currently there are no licensed childcare providers operating in the region with the exception of a Head Start building that is at capacity.  A detailed feasibility study is underway. It is showing far more young children are in need of services and care then Head Start can provide, and the Goldendale School District does not offer any pre-school programs. There may be an opportunity to renovate an existing facility or construct a new one in Klickitat County owned facility for a childcare and early learning center, or purchase a parcel of land in the Goldendale city limits to use with a modular facility. Both options are being considered.  The intent is to either renovate an existing county owned building or construct a new facility to serve as a childcare and early learning facility that will serve approximately 70 low to middle-income families with children ages infant to 8.