To honor Child Abuse Prevention Month, the trees out front of the Capitol have been decorated with blue ribbons to show support for victims of child abuse and our dedication to prevention efforts.

As a member of the Senate Committee on Human Services, I have had the opportunity to learn a lot about this issue and the long-term damaging effects that it can cause. We will continue our work to strengthen prevention efforts and provide the services needed to victims so that they may recover from the trauma they’ve endured.  

Van Jackson is a student from Bend who made the trip over to the Capitol to be an Honorary Page during a Senate Floor Session.

I enjoyed getting to meet with Van and his mother and show them around the Senate Floor. He's a sharp kid with a bright future ahead of him and I'm glad I had the chance to meet him!

On Wednesday, former Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, Bev Clarno, was sworn in as Oregon's 27th Secretary of State.

Secretary Clarno has a long record of public service that makes her undoubtedly qualified and prepared for the position. She has a record of working across the aisle and I have no doubt she will continue to do so as Secretary of State. I look forward to seeing how she will use her knowledge and leadership skills in the Secretary of State's office.

Last week, SB 978 was heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee. This bill would impose "safe storage" requirements on firearm owners and require the Department of State Police to conduct a study on attempted illegal firearm transfers.

While I respect my colleagues who have put forth this bill to try to increase public safety, I will be voting no on SB 978. After looking into other states who have imposed similar safe storage laws, I am not convinced that they are effective in preventing gun violence. Massachusetts, for example, passed safe storage legislation and since then has not seen a reduction in the types of gun violence they were hoping to prevent, specifically deaths by suicide. Therefore, I will not impose new restrictions on law abiding citizens’ right to bear arms, especially when the given policy has not been proven to produce their intended result. You can watch the hearing by clicking the image to the right.

Members from the Oregon Building Trades Council came by last week to share the concerns of their job fields with me. Among those was technical education, a topic that I am passionate about. Not every student has interest in four-year college programs after high school, and trade jobs provide excellent career opportunities for those students.

Building trades jobs are often high paying and are in high demand here in Oregon. We need to make sure that we have a skilled workforce ready to fill those jobs, which means providing access to technical education programs. As a member of the Joint committee on Student Success, I will continue to work towards that goal that the OBTC and I share.

It was my pleasure to receive a visit from the Oregon Association of Care Home Providers last week. I appreciate their work to ensure there is an abundance of high quality care home facilities available in our communities.

The time comes for many of us when we require the services that care home facilities provide. We must ensure that these services are high quality and are available to all who need them. Thank you to OACHP for your work for the seniors in our communities and for taking the time to meet with me.