Clark County News

Protecting Jobs and Increasing Job Opportunities:

Bringing Defense Jobs to Southwest Washington:
From high technology to shipbuilding, defense-related industry provides thousands of jobs in Clark County, while producing weapons and equipment critical to our national security. Congressman Baird has supported those jobs by securing funding for local assembly of the Guardian Marine Fast Patrol Craft, an 85 foot, 40 knot patrol vessel that will be used for coastal security, close in delivery of SEAL units, torpedo recovery and other applications. Working closely with members of the Oregon delegation, Congressman Baird also obtained funding for a high speed semi-submersible delivery vehicle that is the state of the art for small, fast, and stealthy littoral zone combat vessels.

In addition to shipbuilding, our area is home to the most advanced laser manufacturing facilities in the world. With applications ranging from advanced, eye-safe battlefield illumination to protection of jets from surface to air missiles, these lighter, more powerful, and more portable lasers are revolutionizing defense and war fighting in countless ways. Federal funds requested by Congressman Baird have supported both the research and manufacturing for these vital and valuable systems.

The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have shown how vulnerable our Humvee and other personnel carriers are to attacks from small arms and improvised explosive devices. To help protect our troops, Congressman Baird has worked closely with a local company that manufactures specialized ceramic armor that can be installed in a matter of hours by soldiers in the field and will block even armor piercing machine gun rounds.

Hotel Reimbursement Rate:

Hotels in Portland had a substantially higher reimbursement rate for rooms used by traveling federal employees, putting hotels in Southwest Washington at a significant disadvantage. One regional hotelier estimated as many as 2,000-3,000 room-nights were lost each year because the GSA reimbursement did not cover the cost of lodging. The reimbursement rate often failed to cover the basic costs of hotel operations.

Responding to the concerns of his constituents, Congressman Baird encouraged the GSA to develop and implement the new rate schedule for Southwest Washington hotels. In response to his request, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced it has raised the per-diem reimbursement rates for Southwest Washington hotels, putting local hotels on a fair playing field and bringing millions of additional dollars to our region.

Raspberry Farmers:

When the price of raspberries dropped and local raspberry farmers faced unfair market competition from international suppliers, Congressman Baird helped secure $10.11 million for Washington state as part of a national specialty crop bailout, which provided as much as $125, 000 per farm. Many farmers and their families were facing difficult financial choices and the funding helped them keep their farms.

Increasing Public Safety and Combating Crime:

Methamphetamine:

As the founder of the Congressional Caucus to Fight and Control Methamphetamine Congressman Baird has worked diligently to provide Washington communities with funding to fight the production and use of methamphetamine. Congressman Baird's efforts led to the inclusion of Clark, Cowlitz, and Lewis Counties in the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program. Through this program, and the Congressman's leadership on the statewide Washington State Methamphetamine Initiative, more than $11 million in Federal dollars have come to our region to combat methamphetamine use and clean meth contaminated sites.

Prosecution of Federal Crimes:

Because Clark County does not have a federal court or prosecutor, law enforcement officers must frequently travel to Tacoma to prosecute federal crimes committed in Clark County. As a result of the challenges this presents to our local law enforcement community, many jurisdictions in Southwest Washington have opted to prosecute crimes under local and state laws that usually have substantially weaker penalties than federal law.

Congressman Baird brought this matter to the attention of then U.S. Attorney for Western Washington, John McKay, and together they have worked with local law enforcement to develop a solution that has created a true presence for federal law enforcement in our community. The process began with the successful reactivation of a federal magistrate in Clark County, which enables law enforcement officials to obtain federal search warrants in Vancouver rather than in Tacoma.

In 2003, Congressman Baird and U.S. Attorney John McKay celebrated the opening of the Federal Law Enforcement Center in Southwest Washington. This center incorporates federal agents from the U.S. Marshals Service; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF); Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service into the Vancouver headquarters.

The center has already generated a significant increase in the number of federal prosecutions from our area. Congressman Baird is committed to ensuring that those who commit federal crimes in our region are prosecuted to the full extent of the law whenever possible, and he will continue working with the U.S. Attorney's office toward this end.

Supporting Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS):

The Federal COPS program provides funds to local law enforcement officials to help with community policing efforts. Congressman Baird has successfully supported millions in COPS grants to help police departments in the Third District. He helped secure a $1,125,000 COPS grant for the Vancouver Police Department to hire 15 police officers. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration proposed cuts of over $700 million to the COPS program, but working with the Congressional Methamphetamine Caucus, Congressman Baird managed to help restore the bulk of the funding and helped preserve needed local programs. 

With renewed funding in 2009, Congressman Baird is actively supporting law enforcement agencies in securing COPS funding to hire new officers and help better protect the community.

Standing Up for Veterans:

The Vancouver Veterans Administration Facility:
In July 2003, the Veterans Administration (VA) announced it was considering important portions of the VA health care facilities in Vancouver. The Vancouver VA provides invaluable medical services to thousands of Washington state veterans and its closure would have dealt a severe blow to veterans throughout Southwest Washington.

Congressman Baird quickly rallied to block the closure and on August 4, 2003 joined more than four hundred local veterans on the campus of the Vancouver VA to protest the Bush Administration's proposal. The following month, Congressman Baird testified before the VA appointed Capital Asset and Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) Commission, highlighting the need for this facility. In his testimony, Baird made clear the devastating impact that closing the medical center would have on the thousands of veterans who rely on its services.

The hard work of the veterans of Southwest Washington and Congressman Baird paid off. When the CARES Commission issued its final report in February 2004, the Commission strongly recommended preserving the Vancouver VA and expanding services offered at the facility. This decision was cemented when Secretary of Veterans Affairs Principi issued his final decision: to keep the Vancouver VA facility open and potentially expand services there.

Eliminating Barriers to Federal Services:

Southwest Washington Remote Social Security Hearings and Appeals Court:
Social Security disability benefits and Supplemental Security Income help meet critical needs for some of the most vulnerable members of our community. Unfortunately, members of our community faced an undue hardship when attempting to appeal denials for these benefits. The Social Security Administration requires that appeals must be made through a hearing with an Administrative Law Judge. Because such hearings were conducted in the Portland Hearings and Appeals office, residents of Southwest Washington needed to travel to Oregon in order for their appeal to be heard. Such travel posed a significant hardship to individuals who suffer from physical or mental disabilities, and have difficulty traveling to Portland.

After learning that more 900 of the 2800 Social Security disability cases pending in Portland were brought by residents of Southwest Washington, Congressman Baird sought to establish a remote hearing site in our community. Working closely with Social Security administration officials and judges, along with local leaders, Congressman Baird helped establish Vancouver's new Remote Social Security Hearings and Appeals Court. Under the new agreement, the Vancouver court operates on Monday and Tuesday of each week under the management of the Portland Social Security office. This allows Southwest Washington residents to have their cases heard without traveling into Portland. It saves time, money, and headaches for people facing challenging physical and emotional disabilities.

Streamlining the environmental permitting process:

Protecting the environment is always a priority, but regulatory processing and permitting have become unnecessarily costly and time consuming. In recent years, Congressman Baird has organized a series of meetings throughout Southwest Washington to bring local business leaders, farmers, builders, ports and others together with federal, state and local officials to improve the permitting process. As a direct result, several federal and state agencies have made significant progress in streamlining permits, reducing application backlogs and complexity, and improving coordination to expedite the process. There is still work to be done, and much room for improvement, but Congressman Baird will continue to work with the consumers of permits and agency representatives to push for further improvements in efficiency and savings in time and money.

Expediting Fish Recovery Projects:

When Fish First, a non-profit volunteer group dedicated to restoring our fish habitat and runs, encountered persistent delays and difficulties in getting permits to conduct their stream restoration and culvert replacement projects, Congressman Baird personally visited their projects and saw the great work they do. A fisherman himself, the Congressman offered to help and brought Fish First members together with the regulatory agency to find a solution. As a result, the projects were approved and Fish First obtained a first of its kind permit allowing them to do many future projects on a much more rapid and expedited timetable. Most importantly of all, fish counts that once showed relatively few returning fish now count in the tens of thousands with returning numbers and reds growing every year.

Expanding Transportation Alternatives:

Columbia River Channel Improvement:

Each year, about 2,000 ocean-going ships transit the Columbia River, carrying $12.5 billion in imports and exports and generating thousands of jobs in our region. To preserve those jobs and keep our economy strong, during his first year in office Rep. Baird helped secure federal authorization for the $180 million dollar channel deepening of the Columbia River. Since then, he has obtained $2 million in appropriations for the Army Corps of Engineers to begin ecosystem restoration features of the project. Working together with Senator Patty Murray, he recently secured $9 million to begin the deepening work itself.

Mill Plain Boulevard at I-205:

Working with community leaders to help eliminate congestion on the east side of Vancouver, Congressman Brian helped secure $3 million for an environmental review and design of ramp improvements at the I-205 interchange at Mill Plain Boulevard and to construct a direct connection to NE 112th Avenue from the northbound off-ramp of I-205. Before construction began, the I-205 at Mill Plain interchange was one of the most congested interchanges in the region.  The project was completed in 2008.

 
Southeast First Street, Camas:

Rep. Baird was successful in obtaining $3 million to help the City of Camas fund a project expanding and improving Southeast First Street. The project itself, enables future growth in the area, will turned what was once just a two lane street into a modern roadway that will help support the region's growth.

C-Tran, Vancouver Mall Transit Center:

Rep. Baird helped secure $2.6 million for C-Tran, the public transit authority for Clark County, Washington, for the construction of a new transit center in Vancouver.  It is one of three critical hubs in the Vancouver metropolitan area serving a rapidly growing community.

Enhancing Quality of Life:

Mentoring Programs:

Rep. Baird played a key role in the efforts of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program to establish services in Southwest Washington. Through the assistance of his office, the program was awarded a $90,000 three-year program expansion grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. According to studies, children in the Big Brothers Big Sisters programs are 46 percent less likely to use illegal drugs, 53 percent less likely to skip school, 33 percent less likely to hit someone, and 27 percent less likely to start using alcohol.

Improving Education:

Personalized Learning in a Connected Community:

As a former educator, Congressman Baird is committed to helping schools fund innovative, successful, programs to improve student performance. He has secured $333,000 in funding for the Vancouver Public School District's "Personalized Learning in a Connected Community" initiative. The Vancouver School District, along with leaders in business, government and community organizations have taken a cutting-edge approach to improve student learning by connecting school, home, and community resources. Brian also secured $167,000 for Educational School District (ESD) 112 to expand the Help One Student to Succeed (HOSTS) reading and mentoring program into additional schools. HOSTS is a research-mentor based reading program that utilizes volunteers from corporations, local communities and parents to tutor children in grades K-3. The program, supervised by certified teachers, has been proven to help children achieve higher reading and math levels.

Career and Technical Education:

Congressman Baird knows the importance of career technical education (CTE) in providing a well educated and skilled workforce in America. That’s why he founded the Congressional Career and Technical Education Caucus in 2007 and continues to advocate for career and technical education programs. He’s fought for for students who are juggling work and classes and have been unable to qualify for student loans because they are part time students. He’s supported the WIRED Grant Program awarded to Lewis, Pacific and Thurston Counties to promote career technical education programs. In recognition of his efforts, the Association for Career and Technical Education honored Representative Baird as 2008 Policymaker of the Year.

Preserving Our History:

Vancouver National Historic Reserve:

Fort Vancouver, located on the banks of the Columbia River, is perhaps the most significant historic site in the Pacific Northwest. The fort served as the headquarters for the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department, which encompassed present-day British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and Idaho, and the fort's trading post was the center of the region's fur trading enterprise.

Just above, Fort Vancouver, the Vancouver Barracks was established in 1849 when the first contingent of U.S. Army troops arrived in the newly American lands. From 1849 until World War I, during which time some of the Army's most promising officers (including Generals Ulysses S. Grant and George C. Marshall) were stationed at Vancouver, the barracks was the principal military headquarters for the Pacific Northwest. Owing to its national significance, the site was designated by Congress as a National Historic Monument in 1948, and later as a National Historic Site.

Since coming to Congress, Rep. Baird has obtained millions of dollars in federal funding for infrastructure improvements and operations maintenance for the Vancouver National Historic Reserve. He has also supported funding for the National Park Service to continue its operations at the Historic Reserve. Congressman Baird secured language in the Defense authorization bill which transferred partial control of the Vancouver Barracks from the Department of the Army to the City of Vancouver and the Department of the Interior. This authorization will enable the City of Vancouver and the Reserve to renovate and reuse the barracks for education and other public purposes.

Lewis and Clark:

On May 14, 1804 Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark departed St. Louis, Missouri on an expedition to find and map a water route that would connect the eastern United States to the Pacific Ocean. The Discovery Corps, as the expedition group was called, spent twelve days in Clark County in 1805.

Congressman Baird is Co-Chair of the Congressional Lewis and Clark Caucus. In conjunction with a nationwide effort to commemorate the historic journey of Lewis and Clark, Congressman Baird is working with members of our community on numerous projects that will highlight our area's heritage and the journey of the Discovery Corps.

• At the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, Congressman Baird worked with community members to recreate an authentic Chinookan style plank house at the historic village of Cathlapotle.
• He also worked to help place several major works of art at the confluence of the Clearwater and Snake, Snake and Columbia, Columbia and Willamette and at the mouth of the Columbia River. The artwork for this project was Maya Lin, architect of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC. One of the key elements of this project is a land bridge spanning Highway 14 and re-connecting the Historic Reserve area with the waterfront along the Columbia river.

Lewis and Clark National Historical Park:

Lewis and Clark's historic journey reached the Pacific Ocean right here in our backyard. Southwest Washington and Northeastern Oregon are home to a number of historically significant sites along the Lewis and Clark trail, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, eager to learn more about the legendary trek.

Congressman Baird introduced legislation, H.R. 3819, to authorize and create the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park at the Mouth of the Columbia River, incorporating sites on both sides of the river. The bill received broad support from local communities, state and federal government representatives and the U.S. Department of the Interior. On July 19, 2004, H.R. 3819 passed the U.S. House of Representatives with unanimous support. Similar legislation passed the U.S. Senate and was signed into law on October 30, 2004. With the Bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery and preparations for the Destination Pacific Signature events already underway, the creation of a national historic park incorporating Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon's Lewis and Clark sites is timely and crucial to provide visitors with the full story of this historic journey in the Pacific Northwest.

Ensuring Equal Access to Mental Health Services

As a mental health professional, and one of only two clinical psychologists serving in Congress, Congressman Baird has firsthand knowledge of the impact and importance of mental health treatment and the inequities that often exist in funding and consideration for mental health treatments. In order to correct this imbalance Congressman Baird was a leading advocate of the bipartisan Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act which became law on October 3, 2008. The law prohibits health plans from imposing time limits and similar restrictions on the treatment of mental health disorders, if similar restrictions are not imposed on medical and surgical benefits. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports that this will lead to less than a two percent increase in premiums, and it will remove one of the barriers that keep millions of Americans from receiving the mental health care they need.