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 community-based outpatient clinic to serve veterans in Lewis and Thurston counties.
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.
Les Blumenthal, The News Tribune
