Pierce County Legislators Honor Washington National Guard

Newly elected Seaquist and Kelley pass first bills through the House

OLYMPIA—With members of the Washington State National Guard watching from the wings, two of Pierce County’s newest legislators honored our state’s citizen soldiers at the state capitol on Friday.

Rep. Larry Seaquist (D-Gig Harbor) and Rep. Troy Kelley (D-Lakewood) came to the State House this past November with two very impressive military backgrounds.

Seaquist, who represents the 26th legislative district, was elected to the Legislature following a distinguished 30-year Navy career, where he served as the Captain of several warships including the USS Iowa. Kelley, who hails from the 28th district, is a US army reservist and teacher at the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) School.

Both of the freshman legislators passed their first bill out of the House on Friday.

“The men and women of our armed services perform an invaluable duty to their country,” said Kelley, whose district includes both the McChord and Fort Lewis military bases. “Whatever the state can do to help soldiers and their families as they return from overseas is vitally important.”

Kelley’s bill clarifies the rules regarding the hiring practices of state contracted companies. Currently, honorably discharged veterans in Washington receive preference when seeking employment with the state. House Bill 1065 would require private companies that the state contracts with to administer applicant tests to share in the practice.

The other piece of legislation (HB 1064), which was sponsored by Seaquist, is a technical fix to the State’s definition of a veteran, specifically eliminating a reference to almshouses. In his speech he referenced the need for communities to be open to the changing needs of our veterans, especially in times of war.

“It is vital that the state stay vigilant to the ever changing needs of our soldiers returning home from conflicts abroad,” Seaquist said. “The legislation passed here today is just the tip of the iceberg. With the help of my colleagues it is my hope that we will pass many measures that will help support our military families when they need us most.”

“The passion and fresh ideas that Larry Seaquist and Troy Kelley bring to veterans’ issues is inspiring our commitment to veterans and military families,” said Rep. Dawn Morrell (D-Puyallup), who co-chairs the Joint Committee on Veteran Affairs. “You’ll see their influence when we tally up legislative victories at the end of the 2007 session.”

Other veteran measures being considered by the legislature this session include:

Currently there are over 8,300 members of the Washington National Guard, with a little over 300 of those members serving overseas in support of the Global War on Terror.

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Derek Baker (360) 786-7697; baker.derek@leg.wa.gov

House Bill 1064: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?bill=1064&year=2007

House Bill 1065: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/Summary.aspx?bill=1065&year=2007

Washington National Guard website: http://www.washingtonguard.com/

Radio and TV News Directors: To obtain broadcast-quality audio on this issue, or to arrange for TV or radio interviews, please contact Caucus Broadcast Coordinator Dan Frizzell at frizzell_da@leg.wa.gov or (360) 786-7208.