DAVE PAUL: Happy Fourth of July
State Representative Dave Paul (D-Oak Harbor) sent out the following email from his campaign account on Mon., Jul. 4, 2022.
Friends,
On this Independence Day, I’d like to thank all of those who have served—and are still serving—our country and protecting our freedoms.
Veterans, active duty servicemembers, reservists, and their families sacrifice a great deal in their service to our nation. Throughout my time in the legislature and at Skagit Valley College, I’ve focused on ways to support these important community members.
At Skagit Valley College, I’m proud to have led the expansion of services for veterans, including the creation of the Veteran Student Center, the hiring of Vet Corps staffers, and formation of a student Veterans Club.
In Olympia, I’ve worked to support veterans, active duty servicemembers, reservists, and their families by increasing access to education opportunities, affordable housing, and healthcare.
After meeting with veterans and hearing their concerns, I sponsored bipartisan legislation to help remove hurdles for military families, including:
- Granting veterans and their children in-state tuition as they transition from military service to civilian life (House Bill 2543 passed unanimously in 2020)
- Ensuring veterans who earned a campaign badge or campaign medal receive full retirement benefits from the state of Washington (House Bill 2544 passed unanimously in 2020)
It’s clear that we must do more to support the mental health and wellbeing of veterans. It’s a tragic fact that more veterans die by suicide than in their military service and combat. One important step is the passage of HB 1181 in 2022. This bill will help prevent suicide among Washington’s veterans and military members by providing better resources to community organizations and health care providers to develop suicide prevention grant programs.
I’m also collaborating with lawmakers and educators to create stronger educational pathways for reservists and veterans. I’m especially pleased to have helped expand the Washington National Guard Post-Secondary Grant to make college and professional training more affordable.
Looking ahead to the next legislative session, I will continue to work to ensure expeditionary medal recipients receive the public employee retirement benefits they have earned at the national level. In 2022, I sponsored HB 1804, which passed the House unanimously but died in the Senate. I’m already working with Democratic and Republican leaders to reintroduce the bill in 2023—and get our veterans the support they deserve.
As always, it’s an honor to serve as your representative.
Sincerely,
Dave
[Ed. Note: donation link omitted.]
[Editorial Policy: The Voter Interests Project is a non-partisan organization. Part of our mission is to keep voters informed about the activities of elected officials and candidates for public office. We do not endorse or support any particular candidates; therefore, we omit all email links and donation links from candidate communications to supporters. If you are interested in supporting a candidate, we recommend you contact the candidate or their campaign directly.]
