Press Releases

 U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) today voted with a bipartisan majority in the House to approve legislation that would help tens of thousands of Washington state students pay for college at no new cost to U.S. taxpayers.  The College Cost Reduction and Access Act (H.R. 2669) would make the single largest investment in college financial… Read more »

 U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement today on the announcement that Georgia-Pacific will be closing their Bellingham tissue mill: “Georgia-Pacific has been part of our community for 44 years. The closure of the Bellingham mill is sad news not only for the people who work there and their… Read more »

September 4, 2007  The House has passed an amendment authored by U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen that directs the Small Business Administration’s Office of International Trade to develop an annual plan to help U.S. small businesses export goods and services to the Asia-Pacific Region.  Larsen added this provision to the Small Business Administration’s Trade Programs Act of… Read more »

September 4, 2007  The House Armed Services Committee held a hearing today to hear Comptroller General David Walker’s assessment of the Iraqi Government’s record of performance. Walker is head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO). During the next week, the House Armed Services Committee will hold four hearings examining Iraq policy.  House Armed Services… Read more »

August 2, 2007  House Armed Services Committee Member U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) voted today in favor of legislation to improve military readiness and provide adequate time at home for service members and their families. Larsen cosponsored the Ensuring Military Readiness through Stability and Predictability Deployment Policy Act of 2007 (HR 3159), which would mandate… Read more »

 The U.S. House of Representatives has passed health care legislation that would more than double federal funds available to Washington state to cover uninsured children in families who live just above the poverty level, help make sure Washington seniors on Medicare get the care they need, and provide health care coverage for 11 million children… Read more »

August 1, 2007  U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02), co-chair of the U.S.-China Working Group, introduced legislation today to enhance U.S. competitiveness and help U.S. small and medium-sized businesses access the China market. The legislation is part of the bi-partisan “U.S.-China Competitiveness Agenda for 2007” -- four pieces of legislation that aim to expand… Read more »

 The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation introduced by U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) to create a competitive grant program providing $25 million to help farms in the Puget Sound watershed develop comprehensive conservation strategies to improve water quality, protect wildlife and keep farmland in production. The bill passed the House by voice vote today… Read more »

July 27, 2007  U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) joined a majority of his colleagues in the House of Representatives today to support a fiscally responsible farm bill that makes a historic investment in Washington state’s specialty crops, invests in conservation and broad-based renewable energy and strengthens nutrition programs that help feed hungry families. The farm… Read more »

U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) announced today that he has secured over $1 million to help Washington state law enforcement fight crime and combat the meth epidemic. The Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2008 includes Larsen appropriations for the Washington State Methamphetamine Initiative, the Bellingham Police Department, the Skagit County Drug… Read more »