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E-Newsletter Number 3, Volume 1
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Working Hard For You
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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
With the end of the 2013 Legislative Session less than a month away, I am happy to share some exciting achievements and future opportunities I've been hard at work on.
Education Budget
I am proud to be a lifelong educator and understand the desperate need for education funding. I sit as the Co-Chair of the Education Sub Committee of Ways and Means, which does the funding for all education including important entities such as early Head Start and higher education. The committee and I are excited to see that the recommended K-12 education budget has increased by nearly one billion dollars from the last biennium. While this budget is still not as high as I would like to see, it is a step in the right direction and allows the committee to consider a great deal of educational opportunities we were forced to underfund in the last biennium.
My Efforts to Fund Community Colleges
Community colleges hold the key to providing work force development and economic recovery. These colleges work closely with unions to provide apprenticeship training to workers for family-wage jobs. Careers in health care, construction, truck driving, along with many other opportunities, are sought by eager students at these schools all over Oregon. Such jobs are paramount to help decrease unemployment and bolster our struggling economy. Despite the absolute necessity of these careers and the training community colleges provide to obtain them, the community college budget has been unfairly slashed in recent years. State funding has gone from nearly $500 million in 2007 to a low of $395 million in the 2011-2013 biennium, contributing to a doubling of tuition charges in the last ten years. I am currently on the Mount Hood Community College Board and am aware of the struggles community colleges have been going through. With this understanding in mind, I have been working diligently to increase the budget for the next biennium. Because of my efforts, I expect the state will support a significant increase that will move us closer to the funding level we saw in 2007.
Key Opportunity for Community Colleges
Recently, I was ecstatic to see the Senate vote to repeal the ‘adverse impact’ law. This law forced community colleges and Oregonians to miss out on affordable classes by allowing private for-profit colleges to prohibit local community colleges from offering courses they deemed too similar to their own. Passed on a 21-7 vote with two excused, House Bill 3341B eliminates this ridiculous law, leaving community colleges free to provide affordable courses to Oregonians. Along with the increased budget, this is another exciting step toward allowing community colleges to help guide us into a productive, stimulating economy. Inspired by my passion for community colleges and the Oregonians who take advantage their wonderful opportunities, I gave a Senate floor speech highlighting the absurdity of the law and the advantages we will have once we repeal it. Click below to watch!
Upcoming Town Hall
Save the date for an upcoming East Portland Economic Development Town Hall on Saturday, June 8th from 11:30 to 1:30! Located at the American Legion Post #1 - 1830 S.E. 122nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97233, this town hall promises to be an informative chance to share concerns, opinions, and opportunities. I will be joined with Senators Jackie Dingfelder, Laurie Monnes Anderson, and Chuck Thomsen along with Representatives Michael Dembrow, Shemia Fagan, Chris Gorsek, Alissa Keny-Guyer, and Jessica Vega Pederson to discuss the economic development of East Portland. We will be accompanied by an informational panel comprised of: State Treasurer Ted Wheeler, Multnomah County Commissioner Dianne McKeel, Executive Director of the Portland Development Commission (PDC) Patrick Quinton, and Metro Councilors Shirley Craddick, Bob Stacey, and Carlotta Collette. Please join us! Click here for directions.
Please feel free to send me any questions, comments, and concerns. Also, find me here on Facebook to follow my activities in the Capitol!
Sincerely,
Senator Rod Monroe
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900 Court St. NE, S-306 Salem Oregon 97301