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Hello Friends,
We are rapidly moving through the short session and the momentum is building. Already dozens of measures have met their end as deadlines continue to fly by in this 5 week session. It is easy to get caught up in the title wave of votes, meetings, and deadlines. I have made it one of my priorities in this short session to open the Capitol doors to my constituents to visit and share in the energy of the short session.
On February 17, I was honored to recognize the Cascade High School
Football Team and coaching staff on the House floor for their state championship title that they earned during
the 2015 season. Cascade won
the state championship with a victory over Scappoose High School 37 to 28 on
November 28, 2015. The last football
championship for the high school was in 1980! I am so honored to have these hard-working and talented young people in my district, and the wonderful coaching staff that are molding them into men.
I was also fortunate enough to meet with the Salem Chamber of Commerce 2015 Leadership Class at the Capitol this week. These talented and ambitious men and women inspired me to continue to be a voice on behalf of Oregon families and they encouraged me to continue fighting for small businesses. I am proud that this group of leaders is doing great work in improving the quality of businesses in our district and throughout Oregon.
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The majority has seen fit to burden employers, senior citizens, and the working families of Oregon by proposing an outrageous three tiered minimum wage increase. The proposed measure (SB 1532) would increase the working wage progressively over the course of 6 years in differing quantities - depending on location in the state. I am supportive of all Oregonians being paid fair wages, but this is not the answer. Oregon does not have a wage issues it has a jobs issue. SB 1532 states that by the 2022 the minimum wage in Oregon will be $14.75 inside Portland's Urban Growth Boundary, $13.50 in a middle tier that includes cities such as Bend and Eugene, and $12.50 in the low population, rural areas that are mostly in eastern Oregon. If this measure is passed, Oregon will have a working wage system in place that will result in the highest minimum wage in the nation. This would make Oregon's minimum wage twice as large as the federal minimum wage of $7.25.
Sadly, SB 1532 passed on a party-line vote on February 18th in the House Chamber. It is currently awaiting enrollment by Legislative Counsel. My colleagues and I in the minority fought hard against this bill because it will cost Oregonians their jobs, and it would put working families at even more risk of financial instability. These are not hypothetical risks. They are fact.
One of the issues that we were not able to fully vet (among many) was the impact on schools throughout our state. I took the opportunity to raise these issues on the floor the day of the debate (click the image below to watch the video).
The session is progressing rapidly and will be over in the blink of an eye, but I will continue to work hard on your behalf till Sine Die.
Yours truly,
 Representative Jodi L. Hack
House District 19
Oregon House of Representatives
email: Rep.JodiHack@state.or.us I phone: 503-986-1419
address: 900 Court St NE, H-385, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/hack
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