On Monday, Representative Zika, Mayor Endicott, and I gave testimony on SB 564, which is a companion bill to HB 2336. Together, we advocated that Redmond should be included in consideration for an affordable housing pilot program.

The Skyline Village development plan creates nearly 500 homes; half of which are priced at market rates, and half of which are affordably priced. We are facing a housing crisis in Central Oregon, and these bills are an important step in combating it.

A problem that many students face in our education system is a lack of choice and opportunity to pursue fields that interest them. Often times the programs they seek are either unavailable or un-affordable. SB 3 would help address both of those issues by allowing qualifying community colleges to offer four-year baccalaureate degrees. You can watch my vote explanation on SB 3 by clicking the image to the right.

Rather than attending a four-year university and racking up thousands in debt to attain a degree, students who choose the community college route will be able to complete all of their coursework and training without transferring and be ready to join the workforce upon completion. 

The Senate’s passage of SB 3 was an important step in increasing educational choice for our students and I look forward to continuing to work on this issue.

It has been an honor of mine to serve as the Co-Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Student Success as we work towards improving our school system at every level. 

On Tuesday, I met with the Oregonians for Student Success, which is a group that has been following our work closely. They're also helping to share information and stories from the student perspective. It was great getting to discuss the current works of the committee and where we hope to get by the end of the legislative session! Thanks again for the visit and for making sure that students play a role in this process!

I thoroughly enjoyed a visit from Dr. Anne-Marie Ecklund and a group of her ecology students from the Cascade Academy. We discussed what they had been learning about in their ecology class as well as current policies relating to education and the environment.

These future leaders had some great questions! In addition to some great pictures in the Senate Chamber, I got to show off my collection of Oregon Blue Books and give each student a copy of our US Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Thanks for the fun visit!

The transition from military to civilian life can often be difficult for our Veterans and finding job opportunities can be one of the most difficult elements of that process. One of the ways we can ease this is by utilizing the military education and training that they have received throughout their service by applying it to similar civilian jobs. SB 66 would help do that by allowing the Oregon State Board of Nursing to recognize military training for purposes of licensing and application in Oregon. You can view my vote explanation on the bill by clicking the image to the left. 

Our military provides some of the most specialized and effective training in the world. In order to ensure work opportunities for our veterans, and meet our workforce needs, it only makes sense to utilize their great training and skills. SB 66 would be a good start to that and I hope to see it receive the same support in the House as it did in the Senate. 

Last week, members from the Oregon Educators Association turned out in great numbers for the "March for our Students" and to provide input on how the legislature could better equip our schools.

Six constituents from my district made it over and we had a good discussion on education funding and how to improve the overall performance of our public schools. Thanks again for making the trip to the Capitol and for sharing your insight!

Oregon has an alarmingly high suicide rate. In 2016 nearly 18 in 100,000 Oregonians were lost to suicide. I am a firm believer in the value of life, and that is why I was grateful to meet and discuss this tragic situation facing our State with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. We discussed mental health reform, as well as the root causes of suicide. I am eternally grateful for their work and look forward to working with them in the future.

E2 is a group of business owners and leaders who are advocating for solutions to reduce carbon emissions. We discussed current legislation, renewable energy, and how to balance emissions reduction with the needs of small businesses.

The ACLU hosted their annual lobby day last week and it was great to get to visit with members from my district and hear their concerns.

With unpredictable and sometimes treacherous weather on the pass, it always means a lot to me when constituents make it over the mountains to meet with me. Thanks again to these ACLU members for making the trip and sharing your knowledge!