Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) commended the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for voting to permanently increase the funding cap of the federal E-rate program by $1.5 billion per year. To ensure that sufficient funding is available for schools and libraries to deploy higher Internet speeds and Wi-Fi in every classroom over the next five years, the FCC voted today to raise the program’s funding cap from $2.4 billion to $3.9 billion per year. “Fulfilling the promise of a world-...
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Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) today praised the passage of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Additions and Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers Protection Act (H.R. 361) as well as legislation to designate a segment of Illabot Creek in Skagit County as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System (H.R. 829) in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY15 (H.R. 3979). The bipartisan bills were a part of a large package of public lands bills that were included in the NDA...
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Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) announced that the Washington Sustainable Food & Farming Network has been awarded $88,444 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support its efforts to connect school cafeterias with local farmers and growers. The grant is part of USDA’s Farm to School Program. “As schools do more to provide healthy, nutritious food for students, we should do everything possible to help them take advantage of the amazing fresh fruits and vegetables grown by our local...
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Congresswoman Suzan DelBene released the following statement reacting to executive actions announced by President Obama to improve our immigration system: “Everyone agrees that our immigration system is broken, but after more than a year of refusing to act on immigration reform legislation, House Republicans have shown themselves to be unwilling to make progress on this important issue. Time and again, they have refused to bring meaningful legislation to a vote on the House floor. If Republican...
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Congresswoman Suzan DelBene released the following statement on today’s draft order from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler to permanently increase the funding cap of the federal E-rate program, which has provided vital assistance to schools and libraries with the cost of telecommunications and Internet services since 1997: “Today’s announcement brings us one step closer to the goal of connecting every school and library to high-speed broadband over the next five years...
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Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene led a group of more than 100 House colleagues in urging Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to fully restore funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to its pre-sequester level, adjusted for inflation, when the current continuing resolution expires on December 11, 2014. The letter was co-led by Congressman Chris Van Hollen, Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, and is supported by a broad array of research advocacy organiza...
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Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene issued the following statement following a school shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. "I’m heartbroken and deeply saddened by the news of today’s tragedy at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, students, their families, school faculty, staff and all those affected by today’s shooting. "No one should have to go through the horrific violence that occurred today, especially our children. As the Marysville-Pilchuck...
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Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene welcomed the announcement from a Whatcom County hearing examiner that they have rejected a controversial BBC Broadcasting Inc. proposal to erect 150-foot radio transmission towers in Point Roberts. “Point Roberts citizens’ voices were heard, and this is the right decision by the hearing examiner,” said Congresswoman DelBene. “The proposed towers could negatively impact the quality of life for residents in this community, and I will continue working to make sure...
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Led by Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI), Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) and Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO), 43 New Democrat Coalition Members sent a letter to Dr. Ralph Cicerone, President of the National Academy of Sciences, requesting a report on the state of digital literacy in America’s education system. The Coalition argued that “in a more connected and technologically-advanced economy, digital literacy is fundamental.” In a similar letter, Coalition leaders received the bipartisan suppor...
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Congresswoman Suzan DelBene praised an announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that $4.2 million in grants were awarded to Washington state through the USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) Program. These grants will support Washington producers of fresh fruits and vegetables by funding research to improve growing practices and help farmers gain access to new international markets. Specifically, the announcement includes a $250,000 grant to support raspberry producers in Wha...
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