On Monday I testified in support of HB 2588, which would require groups and people that service student loans in Oregon to maintain a license. This will protect students from predatory lending practices as well as help to better inform students as they apply for student loans. As of 2018, there is $1.5 trillion of student loan debt in the United States. These loans slow the ability for people to purchase vehicles, homes, save for retirement, or start a family. This bill is an important step we can take to empower students to make more informed decisions on their financial futures.

Senator Sara Gelser and I have been working on an incredibly important bill that we had the chance to testify on today. SB 758 would expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, which would be a huge help to 8,095 working households in my district and over 900,000 people statewide. I know how hard it can be for working families to get by, so I'm proud to support legislation that would get more of their hard earned money back to them. You can watch my testimony on this bill by clicking the image to the right. 

Protecting small businesses is and has always been a priority of mine in the legislature. That's why I opposed the Senate's passage of HB 2010 this week. This bill extends and increases the health insurance premiums tax from 1.5% to 2%.

This tax will make it even harder for small businesses to stay afloat or be able to offer health insurance plans to their employees. For those reasons, I voted against this bill that the majority party decided to push through.

Last week I testified in support of SB 584, which would direct the Oregon Department of Education to establish and maintain the Statewide School Safety and Prevention System to better identify and respond to threats to student safety - including bullying, harassment, physical violence, and suicide.

Having proven processes in place is an important step of being able to identify and respond to school emergencies. This legislation will help make up for what our state is currently lacking in prevention and response planning and will make our children safer.You can watch my testimony by clicking the link to the left.

Wendy Niskanen, the President of the Oregon School Nurses Association, swung by my office last week. It was great to learn more about the important role school nurses play and what we can do in the legislature to help them. Thank you, Wendy, for all that you do to keep our kids healthy!

On Tuesday at around 9:00 PM Secretary of State Dennis Richardson sadly passed away. Sec. Richardson and I served together in Oregon’s House of Representatives; and his integrity, insight, and character were apparent immediately.

As the Secretary of State, Richardson fought for voter integrity and important audits that brought issues with with Oregon’s foster care program to light. It is a hard time for all Oregonians, but our state is better off because of his dedicated service. Richardson also served his country as an Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam, leading by example as a true patriot does. My prayers are with his family and friends. His favorite Latin phrase was: Pro Tanto Quid Retribuamus, now passes to us. It means "What shall we give in return for so much?"

Despite the weather and road conditions, Roger Olsen from the National Alliance on Mental Illness made it over from Bend to inform myself and the Senate Health Care Committee on his organization’s work and goals for the future.

Thank you, Roger, for your visit last week and I look forward to getting to meet with other members from NAMI to discuss mental health reform once the weather permits it.

On Wednesday I heard testimony during the Senate Health Care committee on SB 742, a bill that directs Health Licensing Office to issue licenses to engage in practice of athletic training to qualified applicants. These trainers serve a critical role in supporting our community, particularly with supporting our student-athletes. We need to empower and create more opportunities for these health care professionals, not fewer.

We had a unique opportunity this weekend to host the "Cap & Trade Roadshow" in Bend. It's not common for a piece of legislation to get it's own statewide tour, but HB 2020 has potential for such a large impact that we must make sure we hear public testimony from all parties involved before votes are taken.

Thank you to all who braved the weather to come share their insight on this legislation and to my colleagues for making it to Central Oregon to participate in the forum.

SB 478 would prohibit public and campaign money from being used for non-disclosure agreements relating to workplace harassment. Citizens shouldn’t have to worry about their tax dollars or political contributions being used as hush money for public officials’ misconduct. Thank you to Senator Sara Gelser for your leadership on this issue and making this a bipartisan effort.

A couple of weeks ago I let you all know how excited I was to participate in the Governor's annual food drive. This year's results are even more impressive than usual, thanks in part to several businesses in Central Oregon who contributed generously towards a basket that was raffled off to raise funds. I greatly appreciate the charity from these businesses; The Bend Store, El Rancho Grande, Bend Burger Company, The Moose Sisters, and Pine Tavern. 

Congrats to the Governor and all who participated in these incredible achievements:

• The Senate provided 64,725 meals, with over 62,353lbs of potatoes delivered!
• Legislative Counsel provided 14,595 meals, which included $3,960 in payroll deductions alone!
• Legislative Administration provided 7,639 meals with a combination of payroll deductions and food sales!
• The House provided 5,628 meals with their raffle results.

The official end of the food drive is March 15th, so make sure to get all donations in before then!