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What a year!

Dear Friend,

It has been a honor to serve the 8th district for just over a year now. I am proud of the work we did in 2019, and I am hopeful that 2020 will be even better.

I wanted to update you on how my office and I were working for you in 2019:

  • Responded to over 80,320 calls, emails and mail
  • Returned $101,065 back to constituents
  • Traveled 7,403 miles driving to events and meeting constituents
  • Held 26 town halls, including 2 telephone town halls, making me the 4th most accessible Freshman, and the 16th most accessible out of 535 in the House and Senate

As a pediatrician new to elected office and Congress, I made it a point to meet people with jobs that were new to me to make sure that I could learn their priorities and best serve them. Along those lines, I visited:

  • 17 farms and aquaculture facilities
  • 17 schools
  • 21 health care facilities
  • 45 local businesses

When I was in DC, I was working hard on legislative priorities that would bring down the cost of prescription drugs and improve Medicare, protect people with pre-existing conditions, expand background checks for gun sales, crack down on big money and special interests in politics, combat climate change, and approve the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). To stay up to date with what I am working on, sign up for my newsletter here.

Among my bills that passed the House this year, I am especially proud of:

  • Medicare Vision Act of 2019 would expand Medicare Part B to cover routine eye exams and glasses and contacts prescriptions for people on Medicare  
  • Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment (CAPTA) Act to help protect children amid the rising rates of child abuse and neglect, in part from the opioid crisis
  • Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) fix. Without my advocacy to have language put into the 2020 funding bill, this grant program would have been out of reach to Washington farmers.
  • Yakima River Basin Water Enhancement Project Phase III Act is my bill with Rep. Dan Newhouse (WA-04) that passed the House and the Senate, and was signed into law by the President in March. The Lands Package also elevated the Mountains to Sound Greenway to a National Heritage Area.

This year the House also passed the Lower Drugs Costs Now Act (HR 3) and Farmworker Modernization Act. The Lower Drugs Costs Now Act would bring down the cost of prescription drugs by giving Medicare the power to negotiate and cap out of pocket costs for seniors. These lower prices would then be available to all Americans. The Farmworker Modernization Act overhauls our guest worker program so farmers have a dependable workforce.

Of course, there is more work to be done on all of the pressing issues facing our country. I will keep fighting for families in the 8th district and Washington State. Whether you need help navigating a federal agency or just want to share your thoughts on a topic, my door is always open. We are here to serve YOU.

More soon.

Sincerely,
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Kim Schrier, M.D.
Member of Congress

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