[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6387439,"mediaKeyId","2116572-2cfda15fbaaf59d9d3e482ec7dc232d1","parentId",2116572,"title","Committee hears bill to expand veteran service officers and outreach to recently separated veterans","audioSeconds",1378,"startMs",3992000,"endMs",5370000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2116572-2cfda15fbaaf59d9d3e482ec7dc232d1&start=3992&end=5370","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2116572-2cfda15fbaaf59d9d3e482ec7dc232d1/thumbnail_3992000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6387439/Washington/Committee-hears-bill-to-expand-veteran-service-officers-and-outreach-to-recently-separated-veterans","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6387439-bd2b2bb181f680dee40043f0399bae8a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150177&Signature=Ncw5jzuVKfryJTZSNKhsWSKnHnV1WDvnI~uaOSxlHv9KnH~mjMwp5StKKcu8EDeC6MDWbwY495bk1pONR30SnKYFkBDqEe7~dmsAIDr5GhVX9vMh8cV-KBpycWdelhMKjC~Yu2IufSTfKWfzLxCtS6urUR7IiM-sYHBRUfgk2k-l4jEs2NZ0MlvvN4~aNxGY6ABHLo9vSo06D5AfORWt6Jtk7lX63lSu1GTc0nlKXx6J2RIaL8T0OYxnncthlNM~G~moW5xqwIP78u-aAjOd~bFULAiDg-a39UIY8qxu5HfpU1JtRP7FTwKro6MHXZU0rGuh-j~SsBMN3uEWTLPBGA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","House Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans","date","2025-01-15T00:00:00Z","article","The Technology, Economic Development and Veterans Committee held a hearing on House Bill 1102, which would expand access to veteran service officers (VSOs), require the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs to contact recently separated veterans, and require biennial reporting on veteran-service outcomes.

Martha Whaling, committee staff, briefed members that the bill would change the eligibility criteria for counties to receive VSO funding from a fixed population threshold to a priority system based on counties where the percentage of veterans receiving federal disability or pension compensation is below the national average. The change would expand eligible counties from 25 to 36 and would require WDVA to prioritize counties most below the national average.

Representative Clyde Shavers, prime sponsor, said the bill “represents a promise to our veterans” and argued federal and state benefits are difficult to navigate without trained VSOs. He cited WDVA data that 10 counties have no VSO and that only eight counties meet or exceed the national average for veterans receiving federal disability compensation.

David Fuente, director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs, testified the agency partners with counties, tribes and nonprofit VSOs and currently funds six county VSO positions. He said about 162,000 Washington veterans receive VA disability compensation monthly, with an average payment of roughly $1,800 per month; WDVA estimated those payments return roughly $3.6 billion annually to the state economy. Fuente said the federal VA publishes national figures each year and that WDVA receives transition data that helps contact servicemembers moving into Washington.

Witnesses including Jerry Fudrick, chairman of the Veterans Legislative Coalition, and other veterans’ organizations voiced unanimous support for HB 1102. Committee members asked about fiscal impacts, how WDVA would find veterans who move to the state and the data source for the national average; WDVA said federal VA publishes the national figures and the agency currently receives transition location data.

The bill would also require WDVA to report every two years beginning December 2026 on veteran population, services available and successful claims, and to report counties below the national average or lacking a VSO. Testimony concluded with WDVA describing existing VSO capacity (23 counties served by current partners, 6 funded officers) and with requests for continued legislative support to expand coverage.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Technology, Economic Development, & Veterans - 1/15/2025 8:00 AM","oneSentenceSummary","House Bill 1102 would expand and reprioritize funding for county veteran service officers (VSOs), require WDVA outreach to recently discharged veterans and mandate biennial reporting on veteran services; department and veteran groups testified in favor.","taxTitle","Innovation, Community & Economic Development, & Veterans, House of Representatives, Legislative Sessions, Washington","taxId",20265,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6387442,"Committee hears bill to establish state-administered retention program for Washington National Guard",713,3259000,3972000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2116572-2cfda15fbaaf59d9d3e482ec7dc232d1&start=3259&end=3972","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2116572-2cfda15fbaaf59d9d3e482ec7dc232d1/thumbnail_3259000.jpg","/articles/6387442/Washington/Committee-hears-bill-to-establish-state-administered-retention-program-for-Washington-National-Guard","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6387442-0619ad50a4b369eaef62acaa116f6e90/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150177&Signature=b7XQzbVXh8sHbASQpKJEHt38h0wpnZU-XqUJFfT6hvpja6iyn5RMyj~fuxNowP4pnjYhCxlxT~OiEi0XqModHWO67meeHsXvHl-gKzYvCfp9kJDx1T2Wk3MQbKgGu0ByrU69PixVHSgodY-lilXVnaNApvLcjkUW5Kw3ZfrCTkO~ui~FwKv57L9OD7Z9L0kKOtDSYZyzd0kyvO1x2zdzYIh5flTkJak1LELz2Kpr5a-pysqsgEdV1IhHx9QrEVQJdwcBupNsq0ztadR7ZBzpk8d972uWTKRtL8VqwiufcwEewPD55wXBSO-XuCvzEZP-pn1ztkANTpZcACY9lfad3w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Technology, Economic Development and Veterans Committee held a hearing on House Bill 1073, which would authorize a state-administered retention program for the Washington National Guard and require the adjutant general to study retention needs and recommend reenlistment bonuses.

Martha Whaling, committee staff, briefed members that the bill would require the adjutant general to determine reenlistment bonus amounts and eligibility criteria, consider factors such as length of service and shortage of critical skills, publish criteria at least once every three years beginning in November 2027, and report recommendations to the governor and legislature.

Representative Marie Levitt, prime sponsor, said retention matters because the National Guard’s roughly 8,000 members are citizen-soldiers who respond to state and federal missions. “Once we get them in the door, we want them to remain so we don't have to recruit as many on the front end,” Levitt said, and she asked the committee to support retention measures that keep trained members available for state response and federal missions.

Jim (James) Baumgart, intergovernmental affairs and policy director for the Washington Military Department, testified in support and said the program would offer flexibility to address shortages in critical specialties such as IT, cyber, aviation maintenance, vehicle maintenance and logistics. Baumgart said some first-line leaders are ineligible for federal retention bonuses because of years of service and that a state program could target those gaps.

Baumgart also described federal pay as a national base pay schedule set by rank and adjusted in some cases for housing or skill pay; National Guard pay is prorated based on days of service. He told members the department can provide the federal pay schedule and prorated examples at the committee’s request.

The Veterans Legislative Coalition and several veteran stakeholders including former First Special Forces Group commander Rick Thomas voiced support for HB 1073. Testimony closed with committee members asking technical questions about pay schedules and how a state program would interact with federal retention incentives. The committee closed the hearing without taking a vote.","House Bill 1073 would authorize a state-administered retention program to set reenlistment bonuses and require a triannual report on retention needs; presenters told the committee the program would target skill shortages not covered by federal bonuses.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6387447,"State committee hears risks from unreinforced masonry; presenters urge database completion and tax-incentive study",2890,320000,3210000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2116572-2cfda15fbaaf59d9d3e482ec7dc232d1&start=320&end=3210","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2116572-2cfda15fbaaf59d9d3e482ec7dc232d1/thumbnail_320000.jpg","/articles/6387447/Washington/State-committee-hears-risks-from-unreinforced-masonry-presenters-urge-database-completion-and-tax-incentive-study","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6387447-a128ca0026109dc2b7e00aa937f2a127/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150177&Signature=hULFCo77xdDEtAswbfEWxpiRnqaUcDmvO4ScKru42DS2DoYl3-MDh8u2LlYIkhlSltfROg~sDlytvbaAwc5P2XMNEEdefhDVRxa2oKIYyzuD67X5LwRRKwxa2~R-ByJGe4CTTj1xtSQK~kc1BxlQXkDqpHebvPHzjjpUSFdoiljpipa65HEp06rKP89UrD32XLgHhtpZCrkFjnRK9tsG4vjOah55QJotyE6T6mASK04gBbiNLdZMEhUOrvupUa1iYZCiK6~x9JUwhp7S7A9gfZgo77B2J6qRbYCYKF5WMDXmDVWT1WaPbVbxCwsiq9tYtgULwsV~-JtGGJGHK~ab-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Technology, Economic Development and Veterans Committee heard a work session on earthquake hazards and the vulnerability of unreinforced masonry buildings, with state and local officials urging faster surveying, an accessible statewide database and a tax-incentive study to help owners pay for retrofits.

Maximilian Dixon, hazards and outreach supervisor for Washington Emergency Management Division, told the committee “we have the 2nd highest earthquake risk in the United States behind California” and that Washington faces multiple fault types, including Cascadia and near-surface crustal faults such as the Seattle and Tacoma faults. “So it is a matter of when, not if,” Dixon said.

The Department of Commerce and Washington Emergency Management Division presented results of an initial inventory that identified close to 4,500 buildings as either suspected or confirmed URMs: 1,176 identified and 3,317 suspected. Alice Zeila, who manages the research and development services unit at the Department of Commerce, described the 2018 proviso-funded inventory and an online dashboard that lets users search by city, county and legislative district and view building details such as year built, ownership and historic status.

Zeila told the committee the inventory excludes single-family homes (per the proviso) and that the preferred method to confirm a URM remains on-site inspection, which is why many entries are currently “suspected.” She said pilot on-site surveys in Port Townsend trained volunteers successfully, but completing statewide verification will require more funding.

Amanda Hertzfeld, City of Seattle unreinforced masonry program manager, described Seattle’s local work: the city has about 1,100 URMs, roughly half providing multifamily housing that supports over 22,000 households. She described a reduced seismic retrofit standard the city adopted in 2024 intended to lower retrofit costs while reducing life-safety risk.

Rod Kaufman, president of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Western Washington, said retrofit costs are a major barrier. Kaufman said current market conditions have lowered commercial property values in many cases, and that for many Class B and C buildings a full retrofit could cost more than the property’s market value. He and Hertzfeld and others urged a menu of financing tools — including tax incentives, FEMA grants, transfer-of-development-rights ideas and private capital partnerships — because no single option will be sufficient.

Presenters and committee members highlighted survey work already completed: more than 130 URMs surveyed in Everett and over 300 in Tacoma, and data showing 219 schools, 395 publicly owned buildings, 170 emergency facilities, 874 vacant or underutilized buildings and 748 listings on the National Register of Historic Places among the identified or suspected URMs.

Committee members asked whether the URM dataset will be layered with seismic hazard maps and soil/ liquefaction information; Dixon and staff said the URM layer is intended to be used together with shake maps and soil data to prioritize mitigation. Officials also said FEMA mitigation grants are difficult to win in practice because of matching requirements (presenters said a 25% match can apply and that state match has in prior years covered half of that in some cases), and that a state matching fund would materially increase jurisdictions’ ability to use federal funds.

Presenters described current funding and next steps: a 2018 Commerce proviso provided roughly $200,000 to begin the inventory; the Emergency Management Division has since obtained FEMA and other grant support to create a data dictionary and user portal so planners and owners can visualize and prioritize URMs. They said further state funding is needed to: (1) complete virtual surveys (using assessor records, Sanborn maps and imagery) to identify candidate URMs statewide; (2) follow up with targeted on-site verifications; and (3) seed retrofit financing, including paying federal grant matches for high-need communities.

The session closed with staff and presenters agreeing to share the draft reports, Seattle’s budget proviso language and grant applications with the committee. Committee chair Cindy Ryu thanked presenters and moved to the next agenda item.","State and local officials outlined the danger posed by unreinforced masonry buildings (URMs), described an inventory and user portal under development, and urged a tax-incentive study and funding to help owners retrofit or remove unsafe buildings.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee hears bill to expand veteran service officers and outreach to recently separated veterans

Committee hears bill to establish state-administered retention program for Washington National Guard

State committee hears risks from unreinforced masonry; presenters urge database completion and tax-incentive study