Tag Archives: News Releases

2019-21 capital budget funds projects in 25th Legislative District

On Sunday, the Washington State Legislature approved the 2019-21 capital budget. The $4.9 billion budget funds public works projects statewide, as well as other long-term investments.

Washington’s 25th Legislative District will receive nearly $25 million in local project funding. Some of these investments include:

  • A total of $8.8 million for Pierce College Puyallup, which will fund various projects, such as the predesign and design of a new science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) building, parking expansion, building repairs, and more;
  • $1.75 million for the Legacy in Motion project by Step by Step, a nonprofit dedicated to helping at-risk mothers and their families;
  • $258,000 to improve the play area, ADA accessibility and signage at Tacoma’s Dawson Park;
  • $258,000 to upgrade street frontages along the WSU-Puyallup Research and Extension Center campus;
  • $258,000 to restore and enhance Wapato Creek and salmon habitats, remove derelict buildings, expand Fife’s trail system, and provide safe routes to school for two neighborhoods; and
  • $52,000 to remodel the post kitchen at the Puyallup VFW.

Twenty-fifth District Reps. Kelly Chambers and Chris Gildon, both R-Puyallup, released the following statement:

“The new, two-year capital budget reflects our priorities as a community and state. We continue to make public education our top priority by making record investments of $1.1 billion in K-12 school construction. In an effort to fix the governor’s broken mental health system, we also provide $308 million to improve our state’s psychiatric hospitals and build out our mental and behavioral health safety net. Nearly $975 million is routed to our higher education institutions, while $175 million will help construct affordable housing. Unlike the operating budget, this is a strong, bipartisan budget that will have a positive, long-term impact on our district and state.

“We also worked with fellow 25th District Sen. Hans Zeiger to secure funding for a number of important projects in our communities. These investments will help our most vulnerable and veterans, make our parks more accessible, restore salmon habitat, and much more. We were glad to support this budget, and we look forward to seeing these funds make a lasting difference in our communities.”

For a full list of projects funded in the 25th Legislative District, visit
https://fiscal.wa.gov/BudgetCProjList.aspx and select “25th Legislative District.”

The 25th Legislative District includes Puyallup, South Hill, Summit, Waller, Midland, Fife, and part of Parkland.

The 2019-21 capital budget awaits the governor’s signature.

House passes Rep. Gildon bill to reduce cost of license plates for veterans

The Washington State House of Representatives unanimously approved Rep. Chris Gildon’s House Bill 1707 today, which would make license plates affordable to more veterans.

Under current law, veterans with a 100 percent disability rating may receive license plates at zero cost. Should Gildon’s bill be enacted into law, that threshold will be lowered to a 70 percent disability rating.

“At a 70 percent disability rating, these veterans have already given so much. The least we can do is give a little back,” said Gildon, R-Puyallup.

Gildon is a 23-year veteran Army Officer, having served in five overseas deployments.

House Bill 1707 now moves to the Senate for further consideration.

25th District legislators to host ‘Coffee and Conversation’ event March 16

Sen. Hans Zeiger and Reps. Kelly Chambers and Chris Gildon will be hosting an event March 16 for 25th District residents to meet their lawmakers and ask questions about the 2019 legislative session.

The 25th Legislative District includes Puyallup, South Hill, Summit, Waller, Midland, Fife, and part of Parkland.

The “Coffee and Conversation” event is an informal, drop-in gathering to allow residents an opportunity to voice their concerns and share ideas for how to better their communities while learning more about their legislators’ positions on issues.

Here are the details:

Saturday, March 16
12-1:30 p.m. 
Civil Air Patrol Building
16915 103rd Ave. E. 
Puyallup, WA 98374

Any questions regarding the event may be directed to the legislators’ offices:

Sen. Hans Zeiger: (360) 786-7648 | Hans.Zeiger@leg.wa.gov
Rep. Kelly Chambers: (360) 786-7948 | Kelly.Chambers@leg.wa.gov
Rep. Chris Gildon: (360) 786-7968 | Chris.Gildon@leg.wa.gov

Those unable to attend are encouraged to contact Sen. Zeiger and Reps. Chambers and Gildon with any questions, ideas or concerns.

Bipartisan Veterans and Military Families Caucus formed in House

NOTE: News release copied from Rep. Kristine Reeves’ website. It can be found here.

For the first time, members of the House of Representatives formed a Veterans & Military Families Caucus. The bipartisan group plans to give veterans, military service members, and their families a unified voice to advocate for the unique issues they face. All members have served in the military, are from a military family or represent a large military population.

Veterans and military families caucus, February 14th, 2019. Members from Left to Right: Rep. Gina Mosbrucker; Rep. Mike Volz; Rep. Kristine Reeves; Rep. Matt Shea; Rep. Brad Klippert; Rep. Larry Hoff; Rep. Christine Kilduff; Rep. Chris Gildon; Rep. Jenny Graham; Rep. Robert J. Sutherland; Rep. Cindy Ryu; Rep. Mari Leavitt; Rep. Matt Boehnke; Rep. Vandana Slatter; Rep. Melanie Morgan; Rep. Jeremie Dufault; Rep. Drew MacEwen; Rep. Tina Orwall; Rep. Vicki Kraft; Rep. John Lovick

“I have spent my career championing issues that impact veterans, military service members and their families. I look forward to continuing this work with a bipartisan commitment to meet the needs of those who have served and sacrificed for their country,” stated Rep. Kristine Reeves (D-Federal Way). “All of us share a lived experience that connects us to our national security in some way. It’s one issue that transcends party lines and focuses on putting people first. This is personal to all of us.”

Reeves, whose twin brother serves in the United States Air Force, currently serves as the Executive Director of Economic Development for the military and defense sector within the Washington State Department of Commerce. Formerly she served as U.S. Senator Patty Murray’s Statewide Veterans Constituency Coordinator.

“Serving in the U.S. Navy was the greatest honor of my life. I am thrilled to be joining my fellow veterans on this committee to work on behalf of all active duty, reserve, and retired military personnel across Washington state,” said Rep. Drew MacEwen (R-Union).

After graduating from the U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion Program, MacEwen served in the Navy’s submarine force for six years. He first developed his strong bond with western Washington after being stationed at Naval Base Kitsap. He went on to complete five strategic deterrent patrols on two different Ohio-class submarines, the USS Nevada and the USS Florida.

Reeves and MacEwen currently serve as the co-chairs of the Joint Select Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, which convenes in the interim to review and address issues pertinent to veterans, military service members and their families. Both will serve as co-chairs of this new caucus. Rep. Mari Leavitt and Rep. Chris Gildon, both newly elected to the state legislature, have been elected to serve as vice-chairs of this caucus.

Reeves and MacEwen will join Reps. Robert J. Sutherland (R-Granite Falls), John Lovick (D-Mill Creek), Chris Gildon (R-Puyallup), Jeremie Dufault (R-Selah), Melanie Morgan (D-Parkland), Matt Boehnke (R-Kennewick), Christine Kilduff (D-University Place), Jenny Graham (R-Mead), Mari Leavitt (D-University Place), Matt Shea (R-Spokane Valley), Cindy Ryu (D-Shoreline), Brad Klippert (R-Kennewick), Vandana Slatter (D-Bellevue), Gina Mosbrucker (R-Goldendale), Tina Orwall (D-Des Moines) and Vicki Kraft (R-Vancouver).

Rep. Gildon sponsors bills to increase availability of affordable housing

Rep. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, has introduced two bills that would help increase the supply of affordable housing in Washington state.

Both bills are based on a recent study conducted by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) to analyze development costs associated with low-income housing.

The study resulted in three key recommendations:

  1. The Washington State Housing Finance Commission (WSHFC) should identify and evaluate options for increasing the involvement of for-profit developers and report findings.
  2. The Department of Commerce (Commerce) should collect final development cost data from Housing Trust Fund recipients to improve cost controls.
  3. Both Commerce and the WSHFC should report development cost data to the Legislature annually.

Gildon’s bills would implement these recommendations.

House Bill 2010 would direct the WSHFC to research and evaluate options to increase participation of for-profit developers in the Commission’s 9 percent Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program (LIHTC), which provides tax incentives to builders of affordable multifamily housing.

In the study, JLARC found that for-profit developers could develop the same unit for 13 percent less than non-profit builders, and 22 percent less than governmental agencies. However, for-profit builders have not participated in the LIHTC since 2013.

“We have a housing shortage, and more and more of our residents need access to affordable homes,” said Gildon. “We must use all the tools at our disposal, including encouraging development by for-profit builders.”

JLARC also found Commerce has not been collecting final development costs from Housing Trust Fund recipients, which has made it more difficult to evaluate impacts on taxpayers.

Gildon’s second bill, House Bill 2011, seeks to reduce cost drivers by requiring development-cost data to be collected. It would also direct the state auditor to evaluate the performance of the WSHFC in meeting its housing finance objectives in the most cost-effective and efficient way.

“Government agencies exist to serve taxpayers. Commerce should be collecting this data to know exactly how much money is being spent, and share its findings with the public,” he said. “House Bill 2011 is a good accountability measure that will help provide more insight into housing costs and help us find ways to reduce those costs.”

Both bills have public hearings scheduled in the House Housing, Community Development and Veterans Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 8 a.m.

Gildon is the assistant ranking Republican of the House Housing, Community Development and Veterans Committee.

Join 25th District legislators for ‘Coffee and Conversation’ events on Feb. 16

Sen. Hans Zeiger and Reps. Kelly Chambers and Chris Gildon will be hosting two public events Feb. 16 for 25th District residents to meet their lawmakers and ask questions about the 2019 legislative session.

The 25th Legislative District includes Puyallup, South Hill, Summit, Waller, Midland, Fife, and part of Parkland.

The “Coffee and Conversation” events are informal, drop-in gatherings to allow citizens an opportunity to voice their concerns and share ideas for how to better their communities while learning more about their legislators’ positions on issues.

Here are the details:

Saturday, Feb. 16
Poodle Dog Restaurant 
1522 54th Ave. E., Fife
12-1:30 p.m. 

Anglea’s Restaurant 
7511 Portland Avenue E., Tacoma
2-3:30 p.m.

The lawmakers will also host another ‘Coffee and Conversation’ event Saturday, March 16 at Puyallup’s Hangar Inn (16919 Meridian E.) from 12-1:30 p.m.

Any questions regarding the events may be directed to the legislators’ offices:

Sen. Hans Zeiger: (360) 786-7648 | Hans.Zeiger@leg.wa.gov
Rep. Kelly Chambers: (360) 786-7948 | Kelly.Chambers@leg.wa.gov
Rep. Chris Gildon: (360) 786-7968 | Chris.Gildon@leg.wa.gov

Those unable to attend are encouraged to contact Sen. Zeiger and Reps. Chambers and Gildon with any questions, ideas or concerns.

Puyallup Rep. Chris Gildon to serve as lead Republican on Housing, Community Development and Veterans Committee

Rep. Chris Gildon, R-Puyallup, was recently appointed by Washington House Republican leadership to serve as the ranking Republican on the House Housing, Community Development and Veterans Committee. Gildon will temporarily replace the current ranking member, Rep. Bill Jenkin, as he recovers from surgery.

“I’m honored to accept this new challenge and will continue working on a number of issues that greatly impact the 25th Legislative District,” said Gildon. “Homelessness is one issue vexing many communities throughout our state. We must find ways to address the underlying problems instead of passing policies that only treat the symptoms. I look forward to working on this and many other policy areas in the weeks ahead.”

“I also want to wish Bill a full and speedy recovery,” he added.

The House Housing, Community Development and Veterans Committee considers issues relating to housing, including accessibility and affordability, homelessness, state assistance to low-income housing, housing authorities and the Housing Finance Commission. The committee also considers issues relating to community development, community investment programs, underrepresented communities, veterans and military affairs, parks and recreation, and emergency management preparedness and response.

More information about the committee, including a member roster and meeting agendas, can be found here.

The 2019 legislative session began Jan. 14 and is scheduled to run 105 consecutive days.

Gildon, Chambers sworn in to Washington State House of Representatives

Two Puyallup Republicans have taken the oath of office to serve as state representatives for the 25th Legislative District.

Rep. Chris Gildon, a 23-year veteran Army officer, will serve as the assistant ranking member on the House College and Workforce Development Committee.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be selected by House Republican leadership to serve as an assistant ranking member during my first year in office,” said Gildon. “The brightness of our future relies in part on the success of our children. That means ensuring students are college and career ready and promoting an array of education choices – from four-year institutions to apprenticeships and career and technical education.”

Gildon will also serve as the assistant ranking member of the House Housing, Community Development and Veterans Committee, and as a member of the House Capital Budget and Rules committees.

Rep. Kelly Chambers, a lifelong resident of Pierce County, has been appointed to serve as the assistant ranking member of the House Commerce and Gaming Committee. She will also serve on three other House committees – Rules, Transportation and Health Care and Wellness.

“I am honored and humbled by the confidence my constituents have placed in me to bring their voice and priorities to Olympia,” said Chambers. “I love our communities in the 25th, and am committed to doing everything in my power to ensure they remain great places to live, work and do business. That means fighting against unnecessary tax increases, supporting policies that create jobs and help small businesses grow, and finding ways to relieve congestion and ease the financial burden on commuters.”

The 25th Legislative District represents part of Pierce County, including Puyallup, South Hill, Midland, Fife and part of Parkland.

The 2019 legislative session began Jan. 14, and is scheduled to last 105 days.