Riley Report: June, 2015 Edition

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June, 2015

May was a very busy month here in Salem, and June is shaping up to be even busier. As we approach the end of the legislative session, there are several key legislative deadlines that determine which bills will move forward and which ones will “die.” May 22nd was the “post-work session” deadline.  That means all bills need to have been scheduled for a work session by that date or they will not be moving forward.  And, June 5th is the “2nd chamber” deadline, which means that bills need to have moved through both chambers by Friday.  There are a few committees - Joint Ways & Means, Finance & Revenue, etc. - that are not subject to these deadlines, but bills in those committees are still subject to sine die and have limited time remaining to go through the legislative process.

Legislative Highlights

The May Budget Forecast came out last month and showed that the Oregon economy is continuing to grow and recover.  As a result of that forecast and the K-12 budget bill that we passed in March, an additional $105 million was automatically added to the education budget. It’s also important to keep in mind that the Legislative Fiscal Office is currently predicting a kicker rebate for Oregon taxpayers. The next economic forecast is due to be released in late August.

I was proud to join my colleagues from both sides of the aisle in passing HB 2307, which protects Oregon children from conversion therapy.  This is a great step forward to protect LGBTQ youth from this outdated and harmful practice.  On May 18th Governor Brown officially signed the bill into law.

With nearly unanimous support in both chambers, the Oregon Legislature has now passed HB 3433 which requires that insurers cover the cost of 12-months of hormonal birth control at a time.  Oregon will be the first state in the country to ensure that women have reliable and steady access to a full year of oral contraceptives.  Passing this bill will help countless women by making it easier for them to get their dosage on time and, thus, help reduce unintended pregnancies.  I was proud to support this victory for reproductive health!

Snapshots

picture of Sen. Riley, Rep. Greenlick, Katie Riley, and Harriet Greenlick embracing at Project Access celebration

I was happy to attend Project Access Now’s celebration honoring Representative Mitch Greenlick for his lifetime commitment to increasing healthcare access for all Oregonians.                                                                

Sen. Riley and colleagues gathered around Gov. Brown as she signs SB 941

SB 941 is a good bill that will help prevent people who are not supposed to have guns from getting access to firearms. I was proud to join my colleagues in watching Governor Brown sign this important piece of legislation into law. 

Senator Riley seated next to Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords in the Oregon Senate Majority Caucus Room

It was an honor to meet with former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords during her visit to Oregon to promote gun safety. Thank you Gabby, Mark, and the whole Americans for Responsible Solutions team for visiting the Oregon state capitol!                    








I had a great time at the TEAM UP for students 5K walk/run at Echo Shaw Elementary School. Representative Gallegos participated in the 5K, and Representative McLain, my wife Katie, and I helped cheer on finishers.

Sen. Riley & Rep. McLain had a student runner a trophey at the finish line
female runner in green jacket, Rep. Gallegos, Jeff Matsomoto, Sen. Riley, and Katie Riley pose outside
Sen. Riley & his grandson Foxx sit at the senator's desk on the senate floor

On May 14th we had representatives from all 9 of Oregon’s federally recognized tribes here in the capitol to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Legislative Commission on Indian Services and to kick off American Indian Week in Oregon (May 16-23). I was proud to have my grandson, Foxx, who is an enrolled member of the Siletz tribe, join me as my guest on the Senate floor. 

Community Announcements

Washington County is the place for job growth, and I am excited about these local business announcements from the past month:

Chaucer - the international freeze dried food company - officially opened its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Forest Grove!  This facility has created 73 new, family-wage jobs in Forest Grove so far, and they have tentative plans to expand in the area soon.

Microsoft has begun construction on a new undersea cable that will connect Hillsboro to Japan, South Korea, China, and Taiwan.  The project, called the New Cross Pacific Cable Network, will speed up data connections and help Microsoft manage cloud costs.  This is a great opportunity to bring even more high-tech jobs to Hillsboro!

Speaking of high-tech, Intel recently announced that it was purchasing the chip making company Altera for nearly $17 billion.  This acquisition will allow Intel to compete better in the growing data center arena by adding Altera’s FPGA technology to Intel chips, which will allow for more customizable products.  Congratulations to Intel on their biggest acquisition ever!

And, if you’re looking for something fun to do, you’ll have a new option starting next spring: Top Golf is coming to Hillsboro.  Top Golf is a golf game that uses microchipped golf balls and a range of targets in the outfield that players try to hit.  They have locations around the country and in the UK, but this will be Top Golf’s first location in the Pacific Northwest.

Upcoming Events

Washington County libraries have lots of upcoming summer activities for youth, teens, and adults.  Check out this master calendar, pick your local branch, and see what they are offering this summer.

Saturday, June 13th is Compartir Cornelius, a Community Resource Fair and Swap Meet.  It will take place at Centro Cultural from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Also on June 13th is the 49th Annual Gales Creek Strawberry Festival in Forest Grove.  There will be homemade strawberry shortcake, live music, vendors, and alpacas!

On June 21st you can go to the “Pig Roast & Pinot” celebration at Plum Hill Vineyards - $15 gets you your portion of pig roast with all the trimmings and wine tasting.

The Hillsboro Main Library will be hosting Border Collie International on June 24th at 10:15 a.m.  Come out to watch rescued border collies play football, basketball, baseball, soccer, perform skits and show off their world class Frisbee skills!

On June 27th Love Rocks Run is having a 5K run/walk and Kids 1K in Forest Grove in memory of Abby and Anna.  You can read more about Abby, Anna, and the Love Rocks story on their website Love Drenched Life.

If you have a fun community event you’d like highlighted in a future newsletter, please email my office with your suggestions. 

Stay in Touch!

We want to stay in contact with you!  If you are not already subscribed, please visit my legislative website and enter your email address into the “e-Subscribe” box at the right so that you never miss a newsletter.  If you are having difficulty with the gov delivery system you can always email me directly and I can add or remove you from my mailing list.  You will also find me on Facebook, or you can follow me on Twitter to stay up to date with what my office is up to.  Or, you can always check the events calendar on my legislative website!

As always, I am here to serve you.  If there is something I can do to assist you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office.

Sincerely,

Sen. Riley signature

Senator Chuck Riley

Senate District 15

email: Sen.ChuckRiley@state.or.us I phone: 503-986-1715
address: 900 Court St NE, S-303, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/riley

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