Yesterday was the opening day of Oregon’s 79th
Legislative session. Constitutionally, we have 160 days until we must sine die – or “end the session.” This
year sine die will happen on or before July 10th.
Office Updates
During the interim I was elected by my caucus colleagues to
be part of the Senate Democrat leadership team. I’m proud to be serving as Assistant Majority Leader for Oregon Senate Democrats this session.
I’m happy to report that my Chief-of-Staff, Linda;
Legislative Aide, Melissa; and our intern from the 2016 short session, Adrian,
are all returning for another legislative session in my office. I’m also
welcoming a new intern to my office: Shane. My team is here to assist you;
please don’t hesitate to email, call, or visit us here in Salem.
My Legislative Priorities
This session I have submitted bills to address a variety of
issues from extending
the Veteran’s Park Pass to include State Forests
(SB 116) to banning
leaded aviation fuel in Oregon (SB 115) to increasing
IT oversight for the Secretary of State and State Treasurer Offices (SB 120).
Three of my bills that I want to highlight are: 1) SB 117
- my bill to ban predatory towing in Oregon; 2) SB 123
- my bill that establishes Children’s Special Districts to fund activities for
kids outside of school time; and 3) SB 126
- my bill to give juveniles convicted of Measure 11 crimes a second look after
they have served at least 50% of their sentence.
In the News
As chair of the new Senate General Government &
Accountability Committee, one of my goals for this committee is to identify and
eliminate unnecessary state boards and commissions. You can read more about our
efforts here.
I’ve been working to curtail unethical towing practices for
years. Recently, I talked with Kyle Iboshi of KGW News about my
predatory towing legislation. I just did a second interview with Kyle on
this. I’ll post the follow-up to Facebook and Twitter once it’s available.
Upcoming Events
On February 4th the Orenco Woods Nature Park will
have its Grand
Opening from noon to 2 p.m. Head out to NW 225th & Birch in
Hillsboro to enjoy refreshments and geocaching to celebrate the opening.
The Legislature will be hosting town halls around the state
to gather public input on the state budget. The closest one to Senate District
15 will be at the PCC Sylvania campus on February 11th from noon to
2 p.m. There will also be meetings in Salem, Hermiston, Madras, Ashland,
Eugene, and Tillamook if you can’t make the one in Portland. You can see the
full schedule here,
and read the Co-Chairs’ Existing Resources Budget Framework here.
Oregon is turning 158 this year, and there will be a big birthday party to
celebrate on Saturday, February 11th. Come down to the state Capitol
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the 11th to see historic displays, hear
live music, participate in fun activities, and of course enjoy a slice of
birthday cake! This event is free and open to the public. There will be more
events celebrating Oregon’s birthday throughout the week – stop by the
Capitol if you’ll be in Salem for a variety of heritage celebrations. One
special opportunity during Oregon’s birthday celebration is a chance to see the
original Oregon State Constitution on display in the Capitol Rotunda on
February 14th. Each year on the state’s birthday the Constitution is
taken from the State Archives and placed on display for one day.
Openings on My Small
Business Advisory Council
I currently have a couple of openings on my
Small Business Advisory Council. The Council meets monthly, in the district, to
discuss impediments to small business, and I attend every other month to
discuss their recommendations. I’m looking for small business owners who live
and/or work in Senate District 15 to join the Council. Be sure to contact my office if you’re interested
in learning more.
Snapshots
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In December I met with a group of high school students from
the Capitol Ambassadors Program. Here I am with Shawna Ashley Ingram from
Hillsboro High – one of my constituents in the program. |
Celebrating the Providence neighborhood health center grand
opening. |
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With my colleagues Senator Lew Frederick, Representative
Susan McLain, Representative Janeen Sollman, and former Representative Joe
Gallegos. |
With community stakeholders at a STEM conference. |
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With my colleagues touring BRIDGE housing’s preservation
project at Woodland Park. |
The Senate floor on opening day. |
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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” box 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.
Sincerely,
Senator Chuck Riley
Senate District 15
email: Sen.ChuckRiley@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1715 address: 900 Court St NE, S-303, Salem, OR, 97301 website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/riley
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