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Friends & Neighbors,
The short session is here and I’ve spent most of January
meeting with constituents, advocates, and businesses to determine what policies
we should be focusing on to better the citizens of House District 30. I’m personally
working very closely on three bills: a land use bill relating to Hillsboro,
Dual Credit and Accelerated Learning Data Collection, and an unclaimed
properties bill that will provide a boost to our common school fund.
 On Jan. 17th, Rep. McLain & myself held the inaugural Student Speak Event. This provided a platform for high schools to speak out to their representatives about what they are experiencing in the classrom and in the community.
HB 4074. Currently there are $2,000,000 in US Savings
Bonds in the Unclaimed Property Account of the Department of State Lands. Over
$900,000 of these bonds are fully matured and sitting in a drawer, collecting only
dust. My bill, co-chief sponsored by Senator Mark Hass with an additional 35
bipartisan sponsors, will escheat the matured bonds into the unclaimed property
fund which would then allow the bonds to gather interest in the common school
fund. The interest will be collected and will be a win-win for K-12 schools,
the state, and Oregonians. This will also bring about a more transparent
process to claim the money that you might not know exists! Check to see if you have unclaimed property
to claim here!
 Last week, I visited the second grade classrooms at Rosedale Elementary. They had questions ready (good ones), and even created some artwork for my office! I always enjoy these visits because you get to hear a perspective that is not often heard and students are excited to have the opportunity to share.
HB 4075. This is a bill that I have introduced on
behalf of constituents. A land use bill
passed in 2014 (HB 4078) that made permanent changes to the land area that is
addressed in this bill, leaving some land owners to feel that their voices were
void in the process. This bill allows for those land owners to share their
story and seek a change in the 2014 land use designation.
HB 4053 is a Dual Credit & Accelerated Learning bill that I am co-chief sponsoring with Representative Jeff Reardon. This would require the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) and the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to develop a report that clearly shows which credits (AP, IB, and dual credits) are being transferred to colleges and which ones are not. The report would also detail which higher education institutions are accepting these credits towards a degree, as electives, or not at all. We have a real opportunity to address college debt issues for thousands of Oregon high school students by ensuring that when they sign up for the rigorous classes in high school and meet the requirements, they will be rewarded for those credits in college.
 I joined Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward to take a tour of Genentech. They create pharmaceuticals that save lives across the world, with just around 600 employees, Genentech continues to grow and be a strong partner in the community. I enjoyed my time there and look forward to coming back as the expansion gets completed!
In the community
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Hillsboro
Chamber of Commerce Legislative Briefing - I
had a great time meeting with my fellow Washington County colleagues and the
Hillsboro Chamber members to discuss their priorities and what we will be
working on in the 2018 Short Session.
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SB
802 Bill Signing - I
was extremely proud of the work we did on SB 802. This bill allows for 16-year
old’s to be put in a pool that will automatically register you to vote when you
turn 18. Motor Voter was milestone in voter accessibility and I can’t wait to
continue that work with similar efforts.
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MLK
Celebration - On
Saturday, January 13th, I joined fellow Washington County residents
in celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr. He is an inspiration to all,
and a reminder for me that our work on civil justice is never done. We must
continue to educate, create awareness, and help those that have been historically
disenfranchised.
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Sen. Jeff Merkley Washington County Town Hall - It
is always a pleasure to hear our Senator, Jeff Merkley speak. I was honored to join
him for an elected official meet & greet that allowed us to speak about the
work we are doing in Oregon and learn how to best advocate for the issues we care
about at the federal level.
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Washington County School Summit - This
was a great opportunity to meet at NW Regional ESD with Washington County
school board members and fellow legislators to discuss education issues and
their legislative priorities.
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Hillsboro State of the City - Mayor
Callaway and the Hillsboro City Council members shared the highlights from
2017.
 This month we boasted one of the highest turnouts for our listening sessions. All of the chairs were filled and every person came prepared with topics they would like to discuss. I always enjoy these times each month and I look forward to getting together after session to recap!
Get Involved
Upcoming Events
Thank you for your continued support and willingness to
discuss the issues. If you find yourself
with some time off in February, I would love for you to come see me and the
work we are doing at the Capitol. My door is always open, and my favorite
meetings are impromptu ones with constituents!
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
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