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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The 77th Legislative Session got off to a fast start on Monday the 4th of February! Since then over 600 bills were introduced in the Senate and 1000 in the House. Nearly 4,000 bills are introduced in an odd-year session and approximately 1,000 become law.
Oregonians on all sides of important issues attended various meetings and demonstrations at the Capitol. Last week saw a wave of red tee-shirts as citizens advocating for a single-payer health system descended on the Capitol. On Wednesday, advocates for early childhood education programs made their case to protect important programs such as Head Start, in response to the Governor’s reorganization of our education system. Oregon chiropractors also held meetings to voice their concerns and ensure that injured workers would not be excluded from insurance coverage.
I will serve as chair of the Senate Committee on Business and Transportation this session, and serve as a member of both the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee and Senate Rules Committee. The Senate Business and Transportation Committee got right to work this week with hearings and work sessions on 13 bills. Eleven of those bills moved to the Senate Floor with “do pass” recommendations, and four passed the Senate floor on Thursday.
I look forward to working hard on the priorities I’ve heard from so many of you, including increasing opportunities for businesses to grow and create jobs for Oregonians, and investing in education so we can stop teacher layoffs and prepare our children to be successful.
Stay Informed
To keep you informed of the latest from the State Capitol throughout 2013, and especially during the 77th Legislative Session, I plan to frequently send updates via electronic newsletters, as well as hold a number of town halls with the two state representatives that share my senate district. In the meantime, I encourage you to stay connected with the issues that are most important to you by using Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS), a new bill-tracking system available online. OLIS provides up-to-date information on every bill and legislative committee, even testimony presented by citizens. To access OLIS, go to www.leg.state.or.us or simply type “Oregon Legislature” into your online search engine.
Keep in Touch!
Your feedback is incredibly important, and I want to hear your priorities for Oregon. To weigh in, just email sen.leebeyer@state.or.us or call us at the State Capitol (503) 986-1706.
You can also follow along during the Legislative Session by liking my Facebook page!
Finally, here’s my contact information at the State Capitol - please be in touch:
State Senator Lee Beyer
900 Court Street NE S-419
Salem, OR 97301
sen.leebeyer@state.or.us
503.986.1706
Please keep in touch with my office as session progresses. I’m always eager to hear from my constituents about their ideas and suggestions for what the Legislature should be focusing on during our short time in Salem.
Best,
~Senator Lee Beyer
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900 Court St. NE, S-419, Salem Oregon 97301