Gearing up for the Start of Session

Chuck Riley Senator Header

January, 2015

Hello Friends,

I am so honored to be the new State Senator for District 15, serving Hillsboro, Forest Grove, Cornelius, and North Plains.  Although the legislative session doesn’t start until February 2nd, I’ve already been hard at work in Salem.  I have introduced two priority bills for this session, both focused on the health and safety of Oregonians.  Once session starts I will be serving on five committees including serving as Co-Chair of the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Information Technology.  Additionally, I’ve been working to organize a Small Business Advisory Council comprised of business owners from Senate District 15.  If you would like to meet with me and discuss issues important to you and our community please plan to attend my first constituent coffee.

Constituent Coffee

My first constituent coffee will take place on January 31st  at 11 a.m. at Manaia Coffeehouse and Island Grill, located at 203 E Main St. in Hillsboro.  Please join me at this special joint constituent coffee event with Representatives Susan McLain (HD 29) and Joe Gallegos (HD 30) joining us.  I will be holding additional constituent coffees approximately once a month – stay tuned for times and locations.      

Legislation

I am pleased to say that so far I have submitted two bills for the upcoming session. The first, Senate Bill 545, is a measure that would strengthen the existing protections for children being exposed to secondhand smoke in vehicles.  In the 2013 session, Oregon lawmakers took a huge step forward by passing SB 444 (now codified as ORS 811.193), which prohibits smoking in vehicles with minors under 18 years of age in the car but only as a secondary offense.  My bill will make smoking in a vehicle with a child present a primary offense.  Under SB 545 a police officer will no longer have to wait until an additional violation has occurred to take corrective action.  Secondhand smoke is dangerous enough – we shouldn’t have to wait for an unsafe driving situation to occur before we act to protect children.

My second bill, Senate Bill 546, is a common sense regulation designed to make our roads safer.  It’s called the “Wipers on, Lights on” initiative and it takes some of the guess work out of when you need to have your headlights on.  Current Oregon law states that you need to use your headlights between sunset and sunrise, and when there is less than 1000 feet of visibility.  Unfortunately, 1000 feet is hard to estimate, and crashes during inclement weather are all too common.  My bill will make it easy – if you’re using your windshield wipers you need to use your headlights, too.  This is already the law in 19 states, and it’s time for Oregon to join this national trend.  It will improve visibility on the roads helping to keep Oregon drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians safer.

Committee Assignments

I’m proud to be serving as Co-Chair of the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Information Technology during the 78th Legislative Session.  Additionally, I will be a member of the Senate Business & Transportation Committee; the Senate Finance & Revenue Committee; the Joint Tax Credits Committee; and the Joint Audits Committee.  There are a lot of important bills coming before my committees this session, and I’m excited to get to work for Senate District 15.

Small Business Advisory Council

As you may have seen on OregonLive, I am in the process of forming a Small Business Advisory Council – the first of its kind in District 15.  Members of the Council will meet approximately once a month and discuss issues impacting businesses.  I am eager to hear from a wide cross-section of business owners about how I can best serve the Oregon small business community.

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” link at the right so that you never miss a newsletter.  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.

Thank you, again, for all of your support,

signature

Chuck Riley

Senator, 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