Hello Friends and Neighbors,
These last
few weeks have been busy. Change is in the air with graduations taking place
across the state. That same spirit of change visited Salem with a rally on
revenue, and bills passing both the House and Senate that are aimed at creating
a safer state and more accessible avenues to register to vote. With this
momentum, we are working hard to make this legislative session a productive one
for Oregonians.
This is such an
exciting time of the year for many young adults preparing to enter the next
stage in their lives as they journey on from high school. I spent last week
attending six different graduations in the Hillsboro School District and it was
an honor. This is such a milestone moment in our seniors’ lives and I am so
grateful to be able to advocate for multiple pathways for students for their
future success. Their post-secondary plans may take them to college, to a
career, to serving in our military or discovering how a trade school can give
them skills to succeed in important roles in our communities. Each of these
different pathways are tremendously important. As these young adults in our
community move forward, we should take the time to remind them that each path
ahead is vital to our society, no matter which they choose. Congratulations
graduates and good luck wherever your path takes you.
It was my pleasure this
week to sponsor and vote on an exciting voter registration bill from the Senate
that just passed the House of Representatives. SB 802, a bill with bipartisan
support, allows a person of at least 16 years of age to pre-register to vote in
this state when they receive their driver’s license from the DMV. We need to
work to break down the barriers to voting, as 11 other states have already
done. The voice of our young adults are increasingly void in our civic process
and it is our duty to bring those who have been traditionally left out of the
process, into the conversation so that we have the best possible representation
of our community in public offices in every corner of the state. I am honored
to support a bill which encourages civic engagement in our youth. Watch my floor speech here!
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Here in Salem, our
legislators are working hard to create a budget that will allow us to make
investments that will build a future where everyone has a shot at prosperity.
It’s important that in this work we legislators are being held accountable to
what is important to our constituents. On June 6th, hundreds of concerned
Oregonians came to Salem to have a Revenue Rally on the steps of the capitol so
they could let their Representatives and Senators know what is important to
them and what they believe should be represented in the budget. So many
different groups came out to support education, healthcare, climate change
awareness, jobs, senior care, and so much more. I want to thank all of you who
could make it out to this rally. Attending this event and seeing all these
passionate folks organized to rally for a better Oregon was inspiring. I
encourage those of you who were unable to attend to write, email or call my
office to let me know what it is that is important to you. You can find all this
constituent information through my Oregon State Legislator webpage here!
You can also share this link with your friends and family from other
parts of Oregon so they can see who their legislator is and contact them about
what is important to them: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/FindYourLegislator/leg-districts.html The legislature has already begun important steps toward these goals
with the Revenue Reform and Education Stability Act. I encourage you all
to explore the Act and learn what it could do for Oregonians.
An important
piece of legislation we have passed this session ensures young sexual assault victims
on college campuses feel empowered to contact law enforcement. In instances of
sexual assault, I believe it is unacceptable for our victims to feel that they
do not have a voice to speak up or have fears of being charged with other
crimes in reporting their assault. That is why I became a sponsor of SB 762.
This bill, chief sponsored by Senators Gelser and Taylor, provides immunity
from arrest or prosecution to minors who have sought emergency assistance or
have reported sexual abuse to law enforcement, while having purchased,
possessed or consumed alcohol in connection to their case. SB 762 also provides
immunity to minors who have contacted emergency services or law enforcement on
the behalf of a sexual assault victim. This bill protects minors who are
reluctant to report sexual abuse to officials for fear of the consequences.
This is important, because sexual assault is prevalent on college campuses, but,
because of the stigma and risks around reporting sexual abuse, there is a high
rate of underreporting (roughly 90%) among college students. I am honored to
support a bill which aims to protect young sexual assault victims and their
allies.
Get
Involved
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STAY ALERT: As the first day of
summer draws near and we begin to head out to enjoy the warm weather with
our families and friends it’s important to remember to be safe. With all
the beauty that Oregon’s landscapes offer us, we should remember to stay
alert while driving out to our summer adventures and protect the fine
folks working on the maintenance of our roadways. Let’s keep Oregon safe
and our summers fun!
- Invest in our students reading skills by
volunteering with the Hillsboro Public Library’s Summer Reading program.
Learn more and sign up to volunteer by following this link here!
- Enjoy the public parks in Hillsboro? Help
keep our beautiful parks clean with the Hillsboro Parks and Recreation
program, Grassroots Hillsboro!
Learn more and sign up to volunteer here!
Upcoming
Events
-
TONIGHT: WashCo Education
Investment Town Hall with Washington County Representatives, June 16th
@ 6:30am – 8am, PCC Willow Creek, 241 SW Edgeway Dr., Beaverton, OR 97006
- Representative Sollman throwing the First
Pitch at the Hillsboro Hops game,
June 21st @ 7:05pm, Ron Tonkin Field, 4460 NE Century Blvd.,
Hillsboro, OR 97124
-
Washington County Town Hall with Rep. Sollman, Rep.
McLain, and Senator Riley, June 29th @ 7:00pm – 8:30pm, Brookwood Library
There are
only three short weeks left of the 2017 legislative session. With policy
committees closed for the rest of the session, we are focused on the workload
of voting on bills on the House Floor. I am focused on revenue reform, school
funding, cost containment, and a robust transportation package! These last few
months have been amazing and I’m excited for the interim so that I can spend
more time in district with my fellow community members reflecting on the busy
session completed. As the session ends, I want to hear from each of you! Let’s
get together, have some tea and learn more about what we can do for our
community as I prepare for the short session in 2018.
Onward
& Upward,
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1430 Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-487, Salem, Oregon 97301 Email: Rep.JaneenSollman@oregonlegislature.gov Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/sollman Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JaneenSollmanforHD30/
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