Representative Chris Gorsek Newsletter

 Hello

The first four weeks of session have been eventful and exciting. Every day I’ve been busy talking with constituents, taking important votes during our House floor sessions, and serving on these important committees:
- Transportation and Economic Development Committee – Vice Chair
- Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee
- Education Committee

As we move through the 2013 session I will be using this newsletter to keep you informed of the work I’m doing in the legislature to strengthen East Multnomah County.

Community Events

Senator Monnes Anderson, Representative Greg Matthews and I hosted a Community Town Hall on February 12 at Mt. Hood Community College. We had a packed room and it was great to speak with so many of you.

I will be holding a Community Town Hall on Tuesday, March 19 and our discussion will focus on the issue of K-12 Education. If there’s a question that you would like to ask during the town hall, send it to us in an email at Rep.ChrisGorsek@state.or.us or post them in the comment section on the event page on Facebook.

What:    A Community Town Hall on Education
When:   Tuesday, March 19 from 7:00-8:30pm
Where: Council Chambers in Fairview City Hall
              1300 NE Village Street, Fairview, OR 97024
Who:      Representative Chris Gorsek and guests from Oregon’s education system

Share your thoughts and take our community survey

As your representative, I want to know what your priorities are and what you want to have done in your state government. To help with that, I have created a quick survey to give you an opportunity to share your thoughts with me. Click here to take our community survey.

Legislative Updates

Helping our community college students
I have introduced two bills to help community college students at Mt. Hood Community College and across Oregon. The first is House Bill 3149 which creates a task force to study the cost and funding sources to provide childcare to parents who attend our community colleges. Having a child should not be a barrier to achieving a degree. House Bill 3275 creates a task force that will establish a plan to prioritize and fund deferred maintenance projects at our community colleges. Our students should not have to attend class in buildings that are falling apart. This type of environment isn’t safe and it doesn’t create a helpful academic environment.

House Bill 2787 – On Friday, February 22 the House voted 38-18 to pass the Tuition Equity bill, and I was proud to cast my vote in support. This bipartisan bill has wide ranging support across Oregon, including major statewide business organizations and our universities and colleges. This bill will accomplish the following goals:
- Produce a more skilled workforce
- Produce higher wage workers and innovators
- Improve our high school graduation rates

House Bill 2370 – I testified in support of this bill in front of the Consumer Protection and Government Efficiency Committee. This bill requires the state to post more information to the Oregon transparency website, including data on tax expenditures, government reports and minutes of public meetings. By improving transparency and accountability in our government, we are giving legislators and all Oregonians the tools to push for an efficient, effective government.

Budget Update - On Monday, the Co-Chairs released their proposed budget. This is a framework that will guide the budget debate this session. The highlight for me is the $6.75 billion dollars for K-12 education, which is nearly $1 billion in additional resources compared to what our schools had in 2011-13.

Stay in touch

As your representative, I promise to stay in touch with you. I encourage you to come to our town halls, read the newsletters and make sure to contact my office if you have any questions. My staff and I love to hear from our constituents and if you have a question or want to let us know what you think about a bill, email me at Rep.ChrisGorsek@state.or.us or call us at 503-986-1449.

Sincerely,

Representative Chris Gorsek

P.S. Don’t forget to take our survey, click here to begin.