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We are now past the halfway mark of the legislative session,
and thus the first set of legislative deadlines have passed here in Salem. With
limited exceptions, this means that bills that have not moved out of their
chamber of origin are no longer moving forward this session. While there were
some good bills that, unfortunately, did not pass ahead of this deadline, my
colleagues and I can give the remaining bills our full attention.
If you would like to
meet with me to hear about my legislative priorities, share concerns about our
community, or just catch up – then please join me at my next Constituent Coffee
at Insomnia
Coffee Company’s Mainstreet location:
317 E Main St, Hillsboro on
May 6 at 10 AM. If you need to speak with me about an issue at length or have
concerns that are best addressed in a one-on-one meeting, please contact my Salem
office to set up a meeting.
Legislative
Update
I’d like to highlight the current status of five of my bills
that are moving forward in the legislative process:
Three of my bills have passed out of the Senate unanimously
and are now moving through the House. The first of these, SB
117, helps protect Oregonians from predatory towing practices. The
second, SB
116, expands the Veterans Park Pass to include free entry into
State Forests for eligible veterans. The third bill, SB 129, creates a comprehensive task force
to assess PTSD diagnosis and treatment practices in Oregon.
Two of my
bills are securing the hearings necessary to make it to the Senate floor. The
first SB 121, directs TriMet to perform a feasibility study
regarding expanding the MAX line westward into Cornelius and Forest Grove. SB
121 has successfully passed out of the Senate Committee on Business and
Transportation and is currently in the Joint Committee on Ways and Means where
it will be considered as part of budget discussions. Finally, SB 123, creates Children’s Special
Districts to provide activities for children outside of school time, is currently
in the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue.
Participating in the Process
I encourage
you to actively engage in the legislative process, but I understand that some
people find getting involved to be daunting or confusing. I hope that these
tips will provide clear means through which you can voice your opinions on
bills you care about:
Submitting Online Testimony
If you are not able to make it to Salem to offer in-person
testimony or have more than 3-minutes of orated content to share with
legislators on a bill, you can submit online testimony by following these
steps:
1. Open your web browser and navigate to
the Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) site
2. Click on the “Bills” button in the
upper right-hand corner of the screen
3. Enter the number of the bill you
would like to provide input on in the search bar, and open the link
4. On the bills page under “Overview,” find
the current committee that the bill is assigned to, and open the link for that
committee
5. On the “Committee’s page, under
“Staff,” there will be a link to the committee’s exhibit email
6. Open an email draft through the
exhibit link, put the bill number in the subject line; add any input you would
like the legislators to review when discussing the bill
7. NOTE: Your
testimony must be submitted via email before the start of the public hearing to
which your bill is assigned. To gauge when this deadline is, search your bill
as you did in steps 2 and 3, then scroll to “Scheduled Events.”
Offering In-Person Testimony
If you can travel to Salem to offer in-person testimony at
the public hearing for a bill of interest, you can do so through following
these steps:
1. Open your web browser and navigate to
the Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) site
2. Click on the “Bills” button in the
upper right-hand corner of the screen
3. Enter the number of the bill you
would like to provide input on in the search bar, and open the link
4. On the bill’s page under “Scheduled
Events,” you will be able to see when and where the bill will be heard for a
public hearing. Take note that assignments for these hearings might be added or
changed daily, so it is advised to check scheduled events status regularly
5. Arrive at least 10 minutes prior to
the appropriate hearing room in the Capitol to sign your name on the public
testimony clipboard. If you have trouble locating the appropriate hearing room,
refer to the information desk in the Capitol’s lobby for assistance
6. Public testimonies are limited to 3
minutes. It is wise to plan appropriately.
If you have any further questions as to how to provide
testimony, be sure to contact our office.
Community Information and Events
On Saturday,
April 29, you can choose from a wide variety of community events. The Hillsboro
Eco Fair and Tire Collection Event will be at Lincoln High School from
10 AM-1 PM. Hillsboro residents can bring up to six tires to be recycled for a
small donation. While there everyone can take in the Love Tapestry recycled art
exhibit and other family-friendly activities. When you’ve finished at the Eco
Fair, head over to enjoy Golden Valley Brewery of Beaverton’s free Birthday Bash for William Shakespeare from 1 PM-4 PM. All ages are welcome
to join in on the fun of games, insult duels, steampunk building workshops,
magic tricks, and more! Alternatively, you can head to the Jackson Bottom
Wildlife refuge from 9 AM-3 PM for the 6th Annual Native Plant Sale. Also on April 29, the Forest Grove
Police Department is hosting a prescription drug take back day from 10 AM-2 PM. Simply bring your
unwanted prescription medications to the Forest Grove Police Department for
safe, responsible disposal.
Are you
ready for fresh, local produce and a fun market experience? The Hillsboro and
Forest Grove farmers’ markets are preparing to open for the season. The Hillsboro Farmers’ Market is having its opening weekend
celebration April 29 & 30. The Forest Grove Farmers’ Market will take place on Wednesdays from 4
PM-8 PM, starting May 3.
If you live
in North Plains and need to clean out your storage space or live anywhere in
the region and want to find unique treasures, you should plan to visit North
Plains on May 6 for the City Wide Garage Sale.
The
Hillsboro Police Department will be running two important events in May. First,
the Shred It Event at the Hillsboro District Office, 3083
NE 49th Place, will allow for you to shred your confidential documents for free
between the hours of 8 AM-12 PM on Saturday, May 6. Second, the HPD will be
running a Body Worn Camera Community Forum in the Shute Park Library on Monday,
May 15 from 6:30 PM-8 PM. This event will offer the public an opportunity to
ask questions, share concerns, or voice support for a new body-worn camera
program funded by a federal grant.
On May 7,
the Oregon Humanities Project will be hosting one of their “Conversation
Project” events at the Tillamook Forestry Center. The topic for this event is “What do we want from the wild?” This is a free event and is open to
the public, but advanced registration is required. Click on the link above to
learn more and to find out how to register.
It’s time
for spring cleaning! On Saturday, May 13, the cities of North Plains and Forest Grove are hosting annual clean-up events. Cornelius is holding its annual clean-up day a
week later on May 20.
If you’re a
badminton enthusiast, check out the 2017 U.S. Masters International
Badminton Championship, This event will be held at the
Oregon Badminton Academy in Beaverton from May 18 through 21. Come watch some
competitive badminton or even compete yourself!
Two events
for the family will be taking place in Hillsboro on Saturday, May 20. A Public Works Day event will take place in the Tom
Hughes Plaza in Downtown from 8 AM-1:30 PM.
This event will give the public the opportunity to appreciate the work
done by Public Works employees through equipment demonstrations and the chance
to hop into public works vehicles. The Kids to Parks Day event, which consists of various
free activities ranging from nature crafts to animal track identification, will
be taking place from 10 AM-1 PM in Orenco Woods Nature Park.
And last, but not least, if you have the opportunity
to travel down to the Capitol in Salem on Saturday, May 20, you will have the
chance to enjoy the Asian and Pacific Islander Day at the
Capitol.
Come celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander culture by experiencing educational
exhibits, performances, display booths, and music from 10 AM-2 PM.
Snapshots
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Here I am
meeting with constituents and representatives from the Hemophilia Oregon who
came down to Salem to talk about bleeding disorders. |
I had a
chance to meet with students from W.L. Henry Elementary School here in the
Capitol – thank you for visiting, and thank you for your questions! |
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Thank you,
Causa, for coming to Salem to meet with me! |
Talking with
advocates in my Salem office. |
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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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