Senate OKs $144 million for work on Fort Lewis - negotiations next

BY LES BLUMENTHAL | The Olympian • Published November 18, 2009

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WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate passed a military construction bill Tuesday that includes nearly $399 million for bases in Washington state, with about one-third of the funding targeted for Fort Lewis.

The measure also includes $109 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, most of which will go to health care services in an effort to reduce wait times for medical care and increase access to medical centers.

The bill urges the VA to expedite construction of a communitybased outpatient clinic to serve veterans in Lewis and Thurston counties.

�Our state�s military bases are the backbone of our country�s defense, our communities� well-being and our service members� training,� said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. �This bill doesn�t just make physical improvements to our state�s bases, it invests in improving the quality of life for our service members and their families.�

The Senate approved the bill 100-0. The House passed its version of the bill in July. It included about $17 million more for Washington state bases. House and Senate negotiators will have to resolve differences in the two bills before final passage.

The Senate bill provides almost $144 million in funding for projects at Fort Lewis. It includes $102 million for a new Stryker brigade complex, $15.6 million for a health and dental clinic, plus funding for a new facility for military dog training and fire range and control facilities. It also would spend $2 million on planning and design of a new women and children�s health facility at Madigan Army Medical Center.

The state�s Navy bases will receive nearly as much as Fort Lewis, a little more than $136 million.

The funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs was $150 million more than the president had requested and includes $183 million to bolster programs for women veterans and $3.2 billion for health care and support services for homeless veterans.

The bill noted the effort by the Walla Walla VA Medical Center and the Washington state Department of Veterans Affairs to build a long-term care facility on the grounds of the medical center. It would be for veterans from southeast Washington and northeastern Oregon.

The bill encouraged the VA to quickly review the application for the facility and place it on a priority list for funding.