|
Hello Cornelius, Forest Grove, and Hillsboro,
Spring is here and I love that the dogwoods and lilacs are blooming. I hope you are enjoying the sunshine! This newsletter will update you on some of the major bills being considered here in Salem, as well as update you about my bills as I work to get them passed in the final months of the session.
I work hard to follow all the legislation being considered. Please do not hesitate to reach out by sending an email to rep.susanmclain@Oregonlegislature.gov or by calling my office at 503-986-1429. I highly value hearing from my constituents!
HB 3417 - Student Success Act:
Of all the bills being considered by the legislature this year, this one hits closest to home for me. This package was passed out of the Joint Student Success Committee this week, and would invest just over $2 billion in our schools, going to early learning programs and to our k-12 schools to help bring down class sizes, invest in career technical education and extracurricular programs, and more social and emotional support tools for our schools. The name of the bill speaks for itself: this bill is all about ensuring our students can succeed and thrive.
I proudly voted in favor of this bill on the 1st of May, and I am excited for the Senate to pass this bill as well!
HB 2015 - Driver’s Licenses for All:
I am a proud chief co-sponsor of this bill. HB 2015 would work by removing the requirement to prove citizenship to receive an Oregon Driver’s License. Changing this requirement only allows for folks to take the driver’s test and pay for an earned driver’s license. It would not, for example, allow them to vote in elections, receive state program benefits, or do anything beyond buying insurance and driving. I see this as a critical equity issue to make sure everyone has access to our roads, can use them legally, and is insured!
 A group of constituents who visited me in March to advocate for HB 2015!
HB 2883 / HB 2509 - Single Use Polystyrene and Plastic Bag Ban:
This is another bill I am proud to be co-sponsoring. HB 2883 would ban the use of polystyrene take out containers at restaurants, and HB 2509 would ban plastic bags from being issued in grocery stores and restaurants. I see both of these as great first steps in reducing the environmental impact from microplastics. Both have passed out of the House. I am hopeful the Senate will follow suit.
HB2618 - Solar Savings For All:
One bill I am following closely this session is HB 2618, which would subsidize the cost of installing solar power in residential and commercial locations. Oregon has long been a leader in solar energy, but currently lacks a robust tax support system for solar. It would provide up to $5,000 of a solar project’s cost, and would allocate additional funding for low income projects. I think this is a win-win for our environment, Oregonians, and business.
Kevin Keene, a solar industry advocate and I who met to talk about what our state can do to support solar!
HB 2020 - Clean Energy Jobs
HB 2020 works to cap carbon emissions in the state and invest in clean energy and jobs. We need polluters to pay their fair share in helping Oregon transition to a green energy economy. I truly think Oregon could be a leader in this field, bringing with it family wage jobs, more transportation options, rural investments, wildfire prevention and management, and local renewable energy systems. This bill is still being worked on to integrate feedback from the business community and rural Oregonians. Making sure all Oregonians benefit is the biggest goal.
SB 1008 - Youth Justice Reform
This bill is a reconsideration to Measure 11, which was passed in 1994.Measure 11 applies mandatory minimum prison sentences to certain crimes, with no possibility for any reduction in sentence, such as good behavior. Measure 11 also mandates that juveniles age 15 and older, charged with certain felonies must be tried as adults.
To quickly clear up some inconsistencies I hear on this bill: it would not force the state to instantly release some of the most violent youth offenders-- rather it gives the state more leeway in the sentencing of youth, and does not force them to implement harsh sentencing guidelines nor forces them to treat youths as adults automatically. There has been an incredibly amount of research into youth criminology, sociology, and neurology that have all informed a much more nuanced perspective on what the best practices are for sentencing youths who have committed terrible acts and crimes. Having spent 42 years in the classroom with young people, I think this is long overdue, and will help both Oregon and these young people have more success in the long run.
Did I miss a bill you are passionate about? Please reach with the bill number and subject so I can look into it further: Email rep.susanmclain@Oregonlegislature.gov or call my office at 503-986-1429
With the House session deadline earlier this month many bills did not advance, I wanted to provide an update on the progress of my bills that are still working their way through the legislature:
HB2769 - QBS Update:
This was my first bill this session to pass through both the House and Senate chambers-- and it’s now on its way to the Governor’s desk to be signed. This bill comes after almost two years of consensus building with both localities (county and city governments) and private sector engineers, and architects. This bill helps streamline parts of the public contracting process for projects, and I would consider a win-win for both sides.
HB 2563 - Newborn Screening Practices Update:
This bill has passed the House and Senate and is also headed to the Governor’s desk. This bill would update Oregon’s newborn screening practices by creating a Northwest Regional Bloodspot Screening Advisory Board to recommend additional diseases to be screened at birth in Oregon. This bill came to me through a constituent with a son who has a rare genetic disease that is treatable if caught early on. Updating our screening practices will save many young lives, and I am so proud of the the advocacy we have seen on this bill.
 This is Emmett and his family, who first brought this issue to my attention.
HB 2770 - Autonomous Vehicles Testing:
This has been a bill three years in the making! Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) are already on our roads with vehicles, like Teslas, equipped with highly autonomous functions. This bill came from input of the Autonomous Vehicle Task Force. This 31 member task force included members of industry, unions, academics, state and local agencies, and many other diverse members. This bill will allow testing of AVs on our roads, with the long term goal of pathway to deployment. AVs are expected to save thousands of lives in the future, and generate trillions of dollars for the economy-- but they also come with unique challenges. Testing is important to understand these challenges and how the state can respond to them best. This bill had its first hearing this week in the Joint Transportation Committee.
HB 3023A - Statewide Transportation Network Company Framework:
This bill would bring a statewide framework to allow transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft to operate statewide.
Currently only a few cities in Oregon have ridesharing, creating a patchwork of different regulations and inconsistent requirements. Statewide legislation is a path towards providing consumers, drivers and visitors the assurance of a consistently safe rideshare experience. The effort to create statewide rideshare legislation has been years in the making, includes multiple stakeholders and is supported by communities across the state: urban and rural and with legislators from both chambers and on both sides of the aisle.
I see this framework as a necessary component of my work on AVs as well, as the two are converging quickly. This bill has passed out of its first committee, and now is in the revenue committee as we work on final amendments to the bill.
HB 2902 & SB 963 - Room Clear Reporting:
These two bills go hand in hand with each other, and is an issue I have been working on since the beginning of the session. There has been an increasing trend of intense classroom disruptions in our schools. These disruptions caused by students are complicated to deal with, and it’s clear we need to do more to equip our schools for success by studying the issue, giving schools more resources, and improving tools administrators can use to keep students safe.
The disrupted learning crisis is complex, and I believe there are a number of factors leading to this challenge in our schools. It is going to require a variety of methods to address it.
The Student Success Act (HB 3427) will help equip schools with more resources to deal with these disruptions and develop strategies to prevent them.
 I have been talking with KGW about this issue since the start of the session! Tune in on Wednesday May 8th to see teachers, parents and legislators (including me) discuss the Crisis of Classroom Disruption.
HB2772 - Household Hazardous Waste:
While I spent more time working on this earlier this session, I am excited to see if we can finally get this bill over the finish line. This bill would create a statewide hazardous waste stewardship program that is formulated and administered by industry. If you have ever participated in a hazardous waste takeback program this bill would work similarly, but expand access throughout all of Oregon and make it easier for you as a consumer to get toxic substances out of your home when you no longer need them. The bill has passed out of its first committee, and now sits in the Ways and Means Committee.
 Representatives Keny-Guyer, Sollman, and I testifying in support of HB 2772!
State Speech and Debate Tournament:
While always bittersweet for me, the state speech and debate tournament marks the end of the speech and debate season for high schoolers across the state. I was able to get away from the Capitol for a day to help judge and coach for Glencoe High School! Congratulations to all my students who had success at the tournament!
SIEU, UFCW, AFSCME Lobby Days:
This month I was also visited by workers with SIEU, UFCW, and AFSCME to talk about how the state can better support workers. Thank you for coming to the Capitol
LatinX Townhall:
In early April I was able to attend a LatinX Townhall designed to engage with the LatinX community by breaking down language barriers. With the help of a translator Rep. Neron, Rep. Sollman, and myself were able to learn more about the issues such as school funding, driver’s licenses for all, and other issues these constituents care about. Thank you to everyone who came!
April Town Hall:
Thank you to everyone who came to my April Town Hall hosted at Forest Grove City Hall on April 27th. I had lots of good questions about school funding, infrastructure improvements, and other topics. Be on the lookout for my May Town Hall information. In the meantime Please do not hesitate to reach out by sending an email to rep.susanmclain@Oregonlegislature.gov or by calling my office at 503-986-142
Now that the weather is nice our local farmer's markets are starting up again.
Downtown Hillsboro Farmer's Market:
Saturdays until October 26th, 8AM to 1PM in Downtown Hillsboro. For more details go to: https://www.hillsboromarkets.org/downtown
Forest Grove Farmer's Market:
Wednesdays until October, 4PM to 8PM on Main Street in Forest Grove. Fore more details go to: http://www.adelantemujeres.org/forest-grove-farmers-market
I hope to see you there!
Wishing you a happy and sun filled May!
Yours Truly,
 Representative Susan McLain
email: Rep.SusanMcLain@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1429
address: 900 Court St NE, H-376, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mclain
| 
