Dear friends and neighbors,

As you know, I have been a member of the Joint Committee on Veterans’ & Military Affairs since 2011, and in 2016 was appointed as co-chair of the NCSL Task Force on Military and Veterans Affairs. These are priority issues for me and I am committed to working on measures that serve and support those who are currently, or have in the past, served and supported our nation.

I want to take this opportunity, as we honor and commemorate our veterans tomorrow, to express my deepest gratitude to the many veterans and their families who have made Washington their home. One of the ways we can support veterans at the state level is to provide outreach and services to help prevent suicide among veterans and military members. Veteran suicide rates have been increasing and, in Washington state, we average more than 200 veteran suicides each year. I have sponsored many bills addressing behavioral health and suicide prevention over the last decade. This year, I authored a measure establishing programs to prevent suicide among veteran and military members. While the bill did advance out of the House Committee on Housing, Human Services & Veterans, it unfortunately stalled in Appropriations. This legislation would have extended and modified the Suicide-Safer Homes Task Force, and established a suicide prevention community-based services grant program to provide peer support and other assistance to at-risk and transitioning military members and their families. Since 2022 is the second year of the biennium, all the bills that didn’t move forward are re-introduced. I am hoping it will get to the governor’s desk this time around.

988 Lifeline

Another important bill I sponsored this year that was enacted into law was House Bill 1477, which will implement the national 988 system to enhance and expand behavioral health crisis response and suicide prevention services. This measure will revolutionize the way we get the right help to those who need it, when they need it.

You can read about it in this bill signing press release, this opinion piece in the Seattle Times, these news stories in My Northwest and Crosscut, or watch my latest Tina Talk video (click on the image to play):

UW Behavioral Health Facility Groundbreaking

Preventing suicide and supporting those experiencing a behavioral health crisis requires a robust infrastructure of trained providers in our state’s communities. And there’s great news on that front, with the recent groundbreaking of the new UW Medicine Behavioral Health Teaching Facility. It will increase access to behavioral health services with 150 new behavioral health treatment beds focusing on inpatient and outpatient care, and it will also train the behavioral health workforce to meet our state’s growing needs.

Other bills we have passed in recent years to support veterans and their families include:

• Created the position of Military Spouse Liaison within the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs, which provides assistance and information to military spouses seeking professional licenses, credentials or other employment, and helps military spouses access high-quality child care, among other services. Federal and state governments often overlook military spouses when supporting active duty or retired service members. We owe it to military spouses to provide these supports in recognition of the great sacrifices they make, including the loss of opportunities due to frequent relocations and deployments.
• Established an LGBTQ Coordinator within the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs. Our LGBTQ veterans face isolation, stigma, and disproportionate suicide rates. By helping connect these veterans with the services they need, our state makes sure all veterans feel welcome and supported.
• Ensured access to in-state tuition for disabled veterans. By passing this measure, our state was able to continue participation in the federal Choice Act, which enables public institutions of higher education to receive payments under the Montgomery GI Bill, Post-9/11 GI Bill, and other veteran education benefits.
• Expanded access to in-state tuition for veterans and their families. Prior to this legislation, veterans and their families did not qualify for in-state tuition until all discharge paperwork was completed, a process that could take significant time. Now, even if the technical transition from military to civilian life hasn’t been officially completed, veterans and their children can access in-state tuition, making college and postsecondary training more affordable.
• Provided better consumer protections for military service members. When a service member has to relocate to report to a new duty station, this can mean severing contractual ties with memberships and service providers, such as cable, phone and internet providers. Our state’s law now allows members of the military and their families to get out of these contracts without penalty or financial loss.
• Created an Office of Military and Veteran Legal Assistance within the state Attorney General’s Office to promote and facilitate civil legal assistance and pro bono programs. Our military service members, veterans, and their families shouldn’t have to go it alone when it comes to legal issues surrounding things like housing or VA benefits.
• Granted veterans and their spouses who are state employees immediate access to paid leave through the “uniformed service shared leave pool” – without the usual six-month probationary employment period. The six-month limitation meant those service members returning from deployments with injuries or other conditions often had to take unpaid leave for necessary VA medical appointments (if they didn’t have sufficient paid leave banked). Spouses often assist in providing transportation to these appointments. Now both can qualify for shared leave

NCSL Legislative Summit 2021

Last week in Tampa, FL, I was very honored, as the co-chair of the NCSL Veterans and Military Affairs Task Force, to recognize veterans serving in legislatures across the nation. Pictured below I am with Sen. Josh Revak, from Alaska, and Vernice “FlyGirl” Armour, who proudly served our country and is America’s first Black female combat pilot.

We will continue working on measures to provide more support and better opportunities for veterans in the 33^rd district and throughout the state. Again, a heartfelt THANK YOU for their service today and always.

Sincerely,

Rep. Tina Orwall