UPDATE: Oregon Coastal Caucus Economic Summit 2018 (OCCES18); 2018 Labor Day -supporting working families;

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

As Labor Day approaches, I want to take a moment to thank workers for the many contributions they have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our state and nation.

It is worth remembering that Oregon was the first state to make Labor Day a holiday, on Feb. 21, 1887, and 131 years later we continue to lead the nation in supporting workers and their families. I was proud to join my colleagues in 2017 to pass several pieces of legislation that benefit our workforce, including the Oregon Equal Pay Act of 2017,House Bill 2017, which is the first law of its kind in the nation that prohibits pay discrimination by employers. 

During the 2016 Legislative Session, I supported Senate Bill 1532 and increased Oregon’s minimum wage.  Too many families across the state are working full-time, but cannot afford basic needs. With passage of Senate Bill 1532, we provided a meaningful increase in the minimum wage, helping all Oregonians access a secure future.  

I look forward to returning to the Capitol in 2019 to continue working on priorities that improve our economy, support working families and improve our environment. As always, if you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to email me or call the Capitol office:

email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@oregonlegislature.gov 

phone: 503-986-1705

address: 900 Court St NE, S-417, Salem, OR, 97301

website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/roblan

The Oregon Legislative Coastal Caucus and the Economic Summit 2018 (Link to OCCES18 Members and Speakers)

(Click image to watch video) 

The Oregon Coastal Caucus drew nearly 700 political, business, academic and community leaders to Lincoln City last week.  The Coastal Caucus was established in 1985 as a bicameral and bipartisan group of legislators representing the Oregon Coast.  Members gathered weekly and informally over breakfast to discuss issues of mutual interest such as ocean fisheries, salmon hatcheries and enhancement programs. 

While the Coastal Caucus continues to be active on marine and coastal issues, job growth and economic development have, in recent years, become major focus areas. To help clarify and address these focus areas, then Co-Speaker Sen. Arnie Roblan initiated the 2012 Oregon Coast Economic Summit. He convened key stakeholder groups and representatives from our local communities to discuss coastal and rural community concerns and to share their ideas on potential solutions to specific regional problems. 

Gaining a reputation for its valuable conversations, the event draws upon the knowledge and expertise of scholars, business leaders and government officials from across the state, including inland Southern Oregon and Eastern Oregon. The event – now in its seventh year – is an opportunity to create connections that can lead to solutions for economic issues facing coastal and rural communities, centering around the economy and quality of life. 

 “I was only able to attend the first day and it was fabulous. Although there were opposing opinions, there were many more voices wanting to move forward with a good plan for the coast. Bringing together climate change solutions and economics are a perfect fit for the coast, as we are always looking for the next good job for our citizens. I've attended and participated in many conferences/ symposiums/ summits before, so I can say with confidence that this was one of the most well organize yet! Thank you and your staff for the excellent work.” Diana Hinton, Lincoln City, Councilor Ward 1

“It was another great conference, I think they get better every year. Congratulations!!!” Greg Wolf, Association of Oregon Counties

“Thank you for all you did for organizing the 2018 Oregon Coastal Economic Summit.  Truly, what an amazing conference you have put together and how exciting it is to see all Oregonians working together to tackle problems. Including our Canadian partners (despite tariffs) to the north, and our California neighbors to the south, was truly a joy as well. It was great to get inspiration and ideas from others that can pave our way here in Oregon…” Kathy Bridges, Florence Constituent

“Thank you. That was a masterfully organized summit.  I’m grateful for our hard work to bring together such a terrific multidirectional conversation.” Brad Warren, Global Ocean Health

“A huge success was achieved for the Oregon Coastal Caucus, congratulations a lot of hard work and lots of organization ...   ‘YOU DID IT thank you for all You do ...   see you on the radio.” Cheryl Harle  KPPT 100.7 boss fm, Lincoln County

“It was a pleasure meeting you at the Coastal Caucus – the best legislative summit I have ever attended (in Utah or Oregon)! The discussions on carbon reduction, education and economic development were so informative and inclusive of viewpoints.” Molly Dumas, Director of Development, Oregon Coast Aquarium - A Nonprofit Organization

"Just wanted to express my thanks again for the invitation to participate in the Summit.  I was blown away by the quality of the dialogue and the level of engagement.  In the space of a few hours, I felt like I came away with a much better understanding of the shape of the climate dialogue in Oregon.  The Coastal Caucus does amazing work!" Liam Stone, Managing Director, Government of Alberta Washington Office Embassy of Canada

"It was my first Caucus. Quite impressive lineup of panels and the whole thing so well-orchestrated. Thank you for the invite. Keep me on your distribution.” Liz Olsen, OSU Lincoln County Extension

“Thank you very much for including me and NTIA in the OCCES program.  It was an impressive gathering of policy-makers and practitioners and it was great to be part of the conversation.  Thank you also for making me feel so welcome.”  Karen Archer Perry, Senior Policy Analyst, BroadbandUSA, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce

“It was definitely worth the trip from Portland at 5AM.  Having lived on the coast for 25 years I know some of the problems that "Coasties" experience.  There were many possible helpful solutions offered by the participants.  Some of these will benefit all Oregonians.  My thanks to the sponsors.  It was pleasantly surprising that most of the participants understood and seemed to want to solve these problems for the benefit of most Oregonians.”  Howard Shapiro, Portland Resident

“Congrats on an incredible turn out and very informative summit! I heard lots of compliments from fellow attendees about how rich and varied the content was and how well attended it was. I certainly learned a lot. Thank you for all the hard work and leadership to pull it off!” Meredith Connolly, Oregon Director, Climate Solutions – Accelerating Clean Energy Solutions to the Climate Crisis