KILMER: New Zealand Embassy hosts Regional D.C. Fly-In delegation

As part of the 2017 Regional D.C. Fly-In we were honored to be hosted at the New Zealand Embassy for an international trade policy reception. Attendees heard from New Zealand Ambassador Timothy Groser and Congressman Derek Kilmer on the importance of trade, good trade policy, and diplomacy.
http://kilmer.house.gov/news/in-the-news/new-zealand-embassy-hosts-regional-dc-fly-in-delegation

Deploying service members could end TV, internet contracts without fees under Costello bill
Deploying active-duty service members could terminate television and internet service contracts without penalty under bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S Rep. Ryan Costello (R-PA) last week.
The measure, which Costello introduced with U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA), would expand protections under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) to ensure active-duty troops aren’t penalized with termination fees when they’re given orders to move or deploy.
http://kilmer.house.gov/news/in-the-news/deploying-service-members-could-end-tv-internet-contracts-without-fees-under-costello-bill

Congressman Kilmer: Trump won't deal with voter suppression
U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer slammed President Trump for making “spurious claims” of voter fraud following the announcement of a new executive order Thursday calling for a new commission to examine voting irregularities.
The president has claimed — without a hint of evidence — that millions of people illegally cast votes in the November 2016 election. Trump lost the popular vote by approximately 3 million votes, but gained the presidency through a win in the Electoral College.
http://kilmer.house.gov/news/in-the-news/congressman-kilmer-trump-wont-deal-with-voter-suppression

 GAO Requested to Study Restoring FAA Commercial Space Office to Secretary's Level
Three members of the House have sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting a study on the feasibility of elevating the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA/AST) to the Secretary of Transportation's office. Advocates believe that would facilitate getting needed financial and personnel resources to allow the office to fulfill its duties as the commercial space launch business expands.
http://kilmer.house.gov/news/in-the-news/gao-requested-to-study-restoring-faa-commercial-space-office-to-secretarys-level

Murphy, Kilmer Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Declaring May as “Mental Health Month”
WASHINGTON, DC - Today Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) and Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) introduced H.R. 320, a bipartisan resolution declaring May as "Mental Health Month," to bring awareness for the need to address our nation's mental health and addiction crisis. While over 43 million Americans suffer from mental illness, and nearly 10 million suffer from severe mental illness such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, too many go without evidence-based treatment. Every day, 950 lives are lost, directly or indirectly, to mental illness.
http://kilmer.house.gov/news/press-releases/murphy-kilmer-introduce-bipartisan-resolution-declaring-may-as-mental-health-month

For more news from our congressional delegation to Washington DC, and our Advocacy Notebook see page 2