Bob Maxwell, a pillar of our community has passed. I’ve had the privilege to meet with him several times, and if there’s one word that could be used to capture Bob, it’s humility. He’d be the last person to tell you that he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, or that he had two Silver Stars, or even two Purple Hearts; but he’d always love to share his faith in God, that he served in the army as a Technician Fifth Grade and fought for his county in WWII. No matter how many times Bob has been called a hero, he always made it a point to talk about the men who never came home.

Bob has been an advocate for veterans, and always took the time to share his story with those who wanted to hear it. Now, more than ever, we need to listen to the stories of the Greatest Generation. We have an obligation to heroes like Bob to ensure that their actions never die, and that their heroism serves as an example of selfless service to our country and humanity.

Thank you for your service Bob; we will miss you, and we will never forget you.

On Tuesday, I joined the Sawyer family, Attorney General Rosenblum, Representative Helt and Senator Prozanski in testifying in support of Kaylee's Law in front of the House Judiciary Committee. Our testimony was well-received and led to several members of the committee expressing their strong support of this bill as it heads to the House Floor for a vote.

Now there is just one hurdle left to clear before it is off to the Governor to sign into law!

As you may have seen in the news, there has been a stalemate in the Senate that seems to have come to an end. Frustrated from being denied the opportunity to discuss and fix technical issues to HB 3427, Senate republicans chose to deny a quorum so that votes could not be held. 

While I supported my colleagues in their method to ensure all voices are heard in this process, I remained in the building all week to continue my normal schedule of hearings, constituent meetings and to work on legislation that I have made commitments to see through to the end. You have all elected me to be here to represent you, so I will be here to work on your behalf.

Since there has been some confusion on this process and where I stand on the bills that have been involved in these negotiations, here is a quick summary of where I stand:

HB 3427: While I agree education funding is a top priority and that our schools, teachers, and students need more resources, I will be a no on this bill because the funding is not specifically directed to education and will likely be eaten up by our broken PERS system. That's why I have joined my Senate Republican colleagues in calling for PERS reform now, and have introduced a constitutional amendment that would prohibit education funding from being re-directed to other causes. I also believe the voters made their thoughts clear on hidden sales taxes in 2016, by voting down Measure 97 by a significant margin. I will continue to carry out their will by voting no. I will have a more detailed vote explanation on this bill coming soon.

SB 978: I will also be a strong no on 978, as I believe it is an attack on our second amendment rights. I have been a strong supporter of my constituents' right to keep and bear arms throughout my entire time as a legislator and will continue to protect them from government overreach that endangers your ability to defend yourself or your family.

HB 3063: Just like I will defend my constituents' second amendment rights, I will protect your medical freedom from government overreach as well. HB 3063 would strip parents of their right to make medical decisions for their children and puts them in the hands of pharmaceutical corporations and government bureaucrats. Luckily for us, it appears I will not have to cast a no vote on this bill, because it has been pronounced dead as a result of our negotiations to re-grant a quorum. Today is a major victory for parents and those who believe in medical freedom. Thank you to the thousands of Oregonians who made their voices heard over this issue.

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of meeting with the Students for Medical Freedom. This group of middle and high-school students was founded by Jackson Calhoun to advocate for students who would be denied of their constitutional right to an education if HB 3063 were passed. 

They came prepared and well-versed in their reasons for opposing the bill. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and trip down to the Senate Floor. Great work and thank you for coming by!