 My colleagues and I took a moment to celebrate our legislative victores after Sine Die.
The end of the 2017 legislative session has arrived after five busy months in the Oregon State Capitol. In that time we were able to accomplish many of our objectives. Many of the priorities we put forth passed! Below is a list of a few of my bills that successfully passed into law.
 Foster Youth Authority shared their stores in support of HB 2216.
Foster Youth Sibling BIll of Rights (HB 2216): This bill defines rights for foster siblings, including the right of foster youth to live in homes where foster parents are trained on the importance of sibling relationships, require more privacy for sibling communication, be notified in a timely manner if a sibling experiences a catastrophic event, and develop a contact plan if siblings are not placed in foster care together. I believe that maintaining contact with siblings is critical to the stability and positive development for our foster youth. This bill works to maintain sibling connections for our most vulnerable children.
Veteran Volunteer Coordinator (HB 2908): This bill establishes the Veteran Volunteer Coordinator position within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The position will be responsible for developing and establishing a statewide veterans volunteer program, including training, recruiting, screening, and coordinating volunteers. The Veteran Volunteer Coordinator will help the Department expand outreach so that more veteran have knowledge and access they need to receive services.
 Advocates for the Family Preservation Project visited my office to voice their support for HB 3078.
Safety and Saving (HB 3078): This bill maintains and improves the Family Sentencing Alternative Pilot Program, increases the limit for short-term transitional leave from prison from 90 to 120 days with stricter supervisions and modifies two non-violent crimes. This bill also directs the Criminal Justice Commission to study the impact of these changes on prison use, recidivism, and public safety, and report back to the Legislature annually. Safety and Savings will hold perpetrators accountable and address the root causes of non-violent crimes by investing in victim services and providing drug and alcohol treatment funding to reduce the likelihood of future crime and future victims.
Juvenile Recording (HB 3242): This bill requires peace officers to electronically record interviews with youth when investigating a crime, or an allegation that youth committed an act that if committed by an adult would constitute a crime. Recording interviews is a reasonable measure that is necessary to protect the rights of our youth and the integrity of our criminal justice system.
Sergeant Adam Plumondore (HCR 25 A): This concurrent resolution is in honor of the late Sgt. Adam Plumondore of Gresham, who sacrificed his life in service to his country in February 2004.
These are just a few of the bills that I worked on during the 2017 Legislative session. It was a great honor to be able to publicly acknowledge the sacrifice that Adam Plumondore made to our country and to get to know his family. It has also been a great privilege to push forth many progressive policies that will positively impact the lives of the people of Gresham and throughout the state of Oregon.
Over the last few months I had the opportunity to work with my colleagues to pass critical legislation. We touched on a wide range of topics, from equal pay to healthcare. I’ve listed a few accomplishments that I’m the most proud of below:
Equal Pay (HB 2005): This bill works to ensure pay equity for every Oregonian regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identity, marital status or disability. A worker’s pay should not be set by their gender or any other predetermined characteristic.
Fair Work Week (SB 828): This bill requires retail, food service and hospitality employers who have 500 or
more employees world wide to provide employees with written work schedules in advance, including regular and on-call shifts, provide new employees with a good faith estimate of hours upon hiring and give workers a rest period of ten hours between the two shifts. Additionally, if the following schedule changes are made close to or on the day of the workers’ shift employees must be paid for half of hours not worked when they were scheduled but then cancelled and employees must be paid one additional hour of pay when hours are added by an employer without notice. SB 828 will provide many of Oregon’s workers with more certainty over their work schedules. This bill passed with bipartisan support.
Reproductive Health Equity (HB 3991):This bill increases access to reproductive health care for all Oregonians. Covered services include birth control, sexually transmitted infection screenings, certain cancer screenings, vasectomies, abortion and post-partum care. Additionally, it requires that contraceptive and preventive services are to be offered at no out-of-pocket cost to the patient. Services will be available regardless of income, citizenship status, gender identity or type of insurance. All Oregonians should have access to the health care services they need.
Ethnic Studies Curriculum (HB 2845): This bill creates the first set of comprehensive ethnic studies standards for K-12 schools and directs the Department of Education to convene a group of thirteen individuals from diverse backgrounds who will advise the state on where “it fails to recognize the histories, contributions and perspectives of ethnic minorities and social minorities” by June 15, 2019. Ethnic Studies fosters critical thinking, cultural competency, and curiosity among students. Studies have shown that Ethnic Studies is incredibly effective in increasing student engagement, attendance and GPA.
Cultural Competency (HB 2864): The bill requires each community college and public university in Oregon to establish a cultural competency oversight committee and requires a process for recommending and overseeing implementation of cultural competency standards for schools and their employees. This bill will create campuses and learning experiences that are more inclusive and more reflective of all communities in Oregon.
Transportation Package (HB 2017): This bill will raise $5.3 billion for infrastructure over the next ten years. It will modernize and improve Oregon’s transportation infrastructure by addressing five of the priorities heard most consistently around the state: reducing congestion, increasing alternate transportation options, investing in maintenance and preservation, improving safety of existing infrastructure and ensuring accountability in how taxpayer dollars are spent. This bill will generate funding to make improvements to our transportation system and increase the safety of pathways for bicycle and pedestrian traffic, a major priority for many Gresham residents.
Cover All Kids (SB 558): This bill expands eligibility for the Health Care for All Children program to include all children residing in Oregon below 300% of the federal poverty level. Thousands of children in Oregon remain uninsured even after implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Cover All Kids remedies this, expanding health coverage so that all of children in Oregon can receive the medical treatment they require.
Immigrant Privacy Protections (HB 3464): This bill strengthens—in line with state and federal laws—Oregon’s protections by changing the ways that public bodies are authorized to collect and share data with the federal government. It also requires the Attorney General to provide guidance to all public bodies as to how to interact with immigration enforcement activities, and encourages all public bodies to implement the guidance and or update their confidentiality policies. This bill is designed to promote statewide consistency and clarity regarding immigration policies to ease fears and protect immigrant families in Oregon.
I’m proud of what we accomplished this session, but there is more to do. I will continue to advocate for a fair, comprehensive revenue package that will fund our schools and give our students the education they deserve, while also funding critical services for our seniors and most vulnerable Oregonians.
Though we passed HB 2004 in the House, we didn’t have the votes in the Senate to protect our tenants and stabilize our volatile rental market. I am committed to continuing our work to create stronger tenant protections for Oregonians in the future. I’m thankful for the many advocates who worked tirelessly on this bill. Thank you also to the hundreds of constituents who called, wrote, and testified with their own personal stories. Affordable housing is a priority and will remain at the top of my list.
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Please Welcome Jessica Flood to my office. Jessica was an intern in my office during session and recently graduated from Portland State University in Community Development. She sits on the board for Community Action in Washington County and the Head Start Policy Council. Jessica is an advocate for women and families in her own right, and I am excited to have her on my team. |
As always, thanks for reading my updates. I hope you’ll continue to keep in touch. You can always contact me at rep.carlapiluso@oregonlegislature.gov or (503) 986-1450, or my district office at housedistrict50gresham@gmail.com; phone number (503) 489-7291. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
 Representative Carla Piluso
email: Rep.CarlaPiluso@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1450
address: 900 Court St NE, H-491, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/piluso
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