Governor Gregoire addresses the Ft. Lewis Symposium

May 1, 2008

*As Written*

Good afternoon, and thank you, David, (Graybill) for the introduction.

First, I�d like to welcome and commend the many voices who are participating in this important symposium.

I just came from speaking to the Lakewood Chamber of Commerce � and so I�m well primed for you all. Because you can�t say Lakewood without saying �Military� too.

As a matter of fact, you can�t say �Pierce County� without saying �Military.� Did you know that one of seven residents of this county is in the military, or is a military veteran, or has a relative in the military?

That�s really saying something when you consider that Pierce County is the second largest county in the state with a population approaching 800,000 people.

Military roots run very deep in this county, and it�s a big reason Pierce County is such a thriving, diverse and vibrant part of Washington. Did you know that we have the fastest growing population of veterans of any state in the country?

I�m very pleased that the purpose of this event is to help us do an even better job than we already are to accommodate a growing Fort Lewis, and make returning soldiers and their families as much a part of our communities as possible.

My reasons are many, and one, of course, is pure economics.

Every chance I get, I talk about all the things we�re doing to make sure Washington stays open for business:

�Creating a world-class, learner-focused education system, embracing the global economy, doing what we have to do to keep Washington�s special natural environment clean and green.

But at the same time, we cannot ignore the assets we already have in our great state, and there is no question that the presence of the military is a huge asset.

I have lots of numbers to quantify Fort Lewis�s impact, but I�ll give you just one that came out this week.

The federal government paid more than $1 billion to active-duty soldiers in Pierce County in 2006. That�s nearly double the $544 million paid a decade earlier, and it�s up $64 million just since 2005.

When we talk about economic development, we need to be talking about doing everything we can to keep our military bases.

We were very successful on the last BRAC go-round that regard. We were able to show that Washington military installations -- including Fort Lewis � are well accommodated in our communities.

But we can�t rest on our laurels, and we�re not. For example, we have appropriated more than $5 million in capital spending to make improvements to increase neighborliness between our military and civilian communities.

For example, we provided funds to Pierce County to buy land and create a buffer between McChord and an adjacent community, and plan to provide more for this purpose.

We�re doing a lot more for our military and veterans. In fact, there have never been more legislation and more programs to help our veterans than we have right now.

When the 81st Brigade begins its second tour in Iraq this fall, we will be here to help the families back home. When a young woman whose husband is in Iraq calls us to say her car transmission went out and she doesn�t have $1,200 to pay for it -- we�ll be able to help her.

I don�t know if some of you heard, but John Lee, my director of Veterans Affairs, recently received what�s called the �Diamond Award� from Federal Veterans Administration � only the second time this award has been given to somebody outside the federal system.

John received the award because of the remarkable array of services and help we�re giving veterans. Let me share some of it today.

We realized early that our brave troops need more help to transition back home after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. So to make that happen, we are partnering with Fort Lewis and McChord through what is called the Warrior Transition Battalion.

State employees with Veterans Affairs and Employment Security are embedded in the battalion to provide services such as coordination with other states for VA claims work, and counseling before the service member is discharged. We will expand this program to the Navy this year.

We were the first in the nation, and now are one of just five states, to offer help to returning troops and their families for post-traumatic stress disorder.

We are spending $2.5 million a year to help men and women and their families get through PTSD, and we�re not duplicating the federal VA. We�re focusing our resources in more rural areas, where the VA has little presence. Right now, we have a caseload of 1,700.

My husband, Mike, and John Lee are moving forward on our �Helmets to Hardhats� initiative. We are connecting with trade unions to make sure the door is open for returning veterans for the hundreds of skilled family wage trade jobs that are out there.

We also played a role � led by caring Washingtonians � to create a way for you and me to help veterans and their families directly by buying a certificate of deposit from 16 Washington banks and credit unions.

The Veterans Family Fund allows people to buy a CD in a participating bank, and half the interest goes to a fund handled by John Lee. There is no overhead. Every dime of that money then goes to veterans and families in need.
We are also acting as quickly as we can to fix a problem that now blocks service members from easily transferring their military skills to civilian work because of licensing issues.

A good example of that would be a battlefield medic who definitely knows how to save lives but who can�t be licensed to save lives at home because of unnecessary obstacles.

And of course, we established what we call the Veterans Innovations Program two years ago, along with $2 million to fund it.

We provide immediate cash of up to $1,000 to returning National Guard veterans who need it, as well as substantial help to find living wage employment. To date, we have helped more than 400 veterans and their families.

You know, I�ve heard it said that military families like to be stationed in Washington because of our superior schools. And I�ve also heard it said that military families with special needs kids clamor to come here because of our responsive special education programs.

Our current reputation notwithstanding, we have recently invested significantly to put more focus on individual students and to emphasize math and science in our schools. Children of military families are benefitting from our new education investments as are all Washington families.

With current and future growth at Fort Lewis, there is no question that we have some transportation challenges.

We�re working hard to accommodate traffic in the area.

Bids to build the first phase of the State Route 704 Cross-Base Highway Project were opened just yesterday (April 30) with construction to start in July.
The $11 million project adds a right turn lane from the Spanaway Loop Road to State Route 7 � which will help a lot with traffic backups.

Outside the I-5 corridor, we�re pursuing funding to add a signal at the intersection of State Route 507 and East Gate Road because of the number of left turn collisions there. Ft. Lewis has requested this signal and it�s high in our priority list.

We provide on-line cameras to see how traffic is moving before they set out. We have recently added real-time cameras showing traffic conditions in the Fort Lewis/DuPont area to help drivers in that area too.

As you know, a big part of congestion is caused by accidents, and we have roving tow trucks to clear our highways quickly. Two of those trucks rove through the Fort Lewis area daily during the morning and afternoon commutes, assisted by heavy trucks when needed for larger incidents.

And by September 2008, we will install an electronic message sign on southbound I-5 near DuPont to notify drivers of incidents or travel impacts

I also know that housing for our military families is always a problem. Rents can be high, and buying can be a challenge too.

We have made substantial investments in affordable housing for Washingtonians, most recently $70 million more into our housing trust fund.

I also know that with the help of Senator Patty Murray and Congressman Norm Dicks, the Tacoma Housing Authority is doing a lot to relieve the demand for affordable housing through the magnificent redevelopment of Salishan.

This vibrant, diverse community sprouted from its roots as military housing during World War II. I�m proud to have invested $2.9 million in developing New Salishan, which is receiving national acclaim.

More resources of low-income families should also free up more rental housing for military families.

I know that many military families are home-owners, or would like to be.

So they will benefit from legislation I just signed that will better protect home-buyers and sellers from shady mortgage lending practices, and will provide education and counseling to Washingtonians caught up in the subprime mortgage mess.

Before I close, I again want to thank the many people here today all focused on how we can better accommodate our military presence in this county.

I will expect to hear about new approaches to solving our growing pains, and stand ready to help in any way I can.

Our military families deserve no less.

Thank You