House District 30 News - June '19

Rep. Sollman

Friends and Neighbors,

As we round the corner to Sine Die, our constitutional end of Legislative Session, I am pleased that many of the bills that my office has worked hard to become a reality have been successful and passed both chambers. These bills will lead to positive change for Oregonians. I understand that I will not always have the consensus of my constituents on every bill, but I am committed to continuing to be accessible and available for conversations on the issues that you care about.

I hope you all enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend. I know that for me, it was a time of reflection for those who have lost their lives in service to our country. I was honored to speak in Hillsboro at the Washington County Disability, Aging and Veteran Services Memorial Day Ceremony. As a military strong family, I will never forget the sacrifice of those we have lost and of the families that give up so much. I was proud to attend this event with my mom and husband who have both served in the U.S. Navy. Thank you.

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Education Update

The Oregon House and Senate have passed HB 3427, the Student Success Act, and it has been signed by the Governor! 

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This was a proud vote for me. As a former Hillsboro School District School Board Member, I have been coming to Salem for years asking for stable funding. This was one of the most important votes that I have had the honor to make in this building.

Since 2008, Hillsboro School District has had to cut $71,597,573 from their budget and votes like this, make it a reality that a change is coming and it is a game changer. Fully funding Measure 98 is beyond exciting. Early education investments are critical. Class size investments and mental health focus are key. I will continue my fight for higher education funding, but for now, the Student Success Act will give a great boost to early ed and K-12 education.

SB 52 A

Youth suicide is a tragedy that can impact any family, school, and community. In Oregon, the number of youth lost to suicide has been growing and with some populations at even higher risk, including LGBTQ youth. Schools need to be ready with the right knowlege, tools and resources to address the issue of youth suicide and support all Oregon students.

I was proud to sponsor and vote for SB 52 A, Adi's Act, which will require school districts to adopt a comprehensive plan on student suicide prevention. Our students today are facing increased trauma in their everyday lives, and we must do everything we can in the schools to provide a safe and nurturing environment. Suicide rates for teens in the LGBTQ community are on the rise and youth in grades 9-12 are 4 times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers. Attempts from ages 10-14 are dramatically increasing. Adi’s family deserve honor and love for taking their tragedy and creating positive change. 

Bill Update

Alter Wiener was a valued member of the Hillsboro community and an inspirational educator of truth. He spent years of his life dedicated to educating our youth on the horrors of the Holocaust, so that history may never repeat itself. I have heard countless stories from students in Hillsboro and neighboring cities that were touched and moved by hearing his personal account. Sadly, Alter passed away last December in a tragic accident, but his life made a lasting impact on so many lives, from the young to the old. He encouraged us to find tolerance, kindness and love in our hearts for each other. Alter said, “Tolerance is the healing balm for our deeply troubled world.”

I was proud to sponsor these two bills that have now passed in both the Oregon House and Senate.

  • HCR 17: In memoriam: Alter Wiener, 1926-2018. Watch the floor testimony.
  • SB 664:  Requires school districts to provide instruction about Holocaust and genocide beginning with 2020-2021 school year. Watch the floor testimony.

SB 1049

This has been a complicated issue and I have not taken my vote responsibility lightly. I have researched, met with labor members, business owners, board members and yes, talked to my kids. As a mom to two teachers, this was not an easy decision to come to, but doing nothing was not an option. We are at a point in our public education system where the tipping point has tipped. Classrooms are bulging, there are increasing numbers of students with emotional, social and differing needs and staff members are feeling the effects of these layers every day. All of this feels very overwhelming and I get that. I was so proud to vote to pass the Student Success Act, a game-changing investment, defined and targeted to early education and K-12 schools. I was proud to vote for the largest increase in state school funding, but with our current tax structure in Oregon, we are STILL recovering from the last recession. Since 2008, Hillsboro School District has cut $71,597,573 from their budget and that includes cuts in next year’s budget. Our school districts are not the only ones that have felt their budgets squeezed and pulled. The dedicated public employees who work hard every day to support and strengthen our communities across this state have felt this in their jobs as well.

Here is a link to my vote explanation.

Intern Corner

I have been very fortunate this session to have Taylor Buckingham in my office as one of my interns. Taylor is a student at Portland State University who has managed to finish her Bachelors degree in just 2 years. She is an inspiration to all of our youth with her hard work and determination to accomplish this amazing feat. Here, she explains in her own words how she has been able to do this.

My name is Taylor Buckingham and, in order to obtain required college credit, I have been acting as an intern for Representative Sollman throughout the 2019 legislative session. I am currently a student at Portland State University who is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, a minor in French, and a certificate in Global Studies, and I will be graduating this summer after just two years in college.

With constantly rising tuition rates, accomplishing this endeavor has been a focus of my college career. It has required careful planning on my part, as well as doing my best to remain motivated despite the stress of taking five four-credit courses at a time. But what has truly allowed me to graduate early is the college credit that I earned throughout high school.

I came into college with 53 credits, just over the equivalent of one full year of university, and I would have been capable of earning more had the goal of graduating early been on my mind at the time. These credits were earned via dual credit and Advanced Placement courses taken in high school and covered a majority of my general education requirements, a few of my major requirements, and nearly all of my elective courses.

Being able to earn college credit in high school at a much more affordable rate than in university is a valuable opportunity. It eases the financial burden higher education places on students and families and deserves to be strongly encouraged and widely available to students.

Pet Rescue Contest Winners

Earlier in the session my office held a contest for all those who work in the Capitol to submit pictures of their rescue pets. Congratulations to the top dog and top cat in our Rescue Pet Photo contest! Ellie the dog and Ceebs the cat were the top vote getters.

Pet winners

 

I am still hopeful that my bill, HCR 12 will cross the finish line this session and designate rescued shelter dogs and cats as official state pet. If you would like to submit testimony or a request that this bill will get heard, like 9 year old Kaypha did, use the following email address: hrules.exhibits@oregonlegislature.gov.

Kaypha letter

 

Out and About- working hard for House District 30

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In the Month of May I attended:

  • Governor's Reception for Women in Office
  • Transformative Justice Summit at Willamette University
  • Jungle Book Performance at Rosa Parks Elementary
  • Western Pathways Conference for STEM Education
  • Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce "A Star is Born" Awards
  • Visits to West Union and McKinney Elementary Schools to announce poster contest winners
  • Big Brother Big Sister Northwest Graduation Ceremony
  • Coffee Creek Correctional Facility GED Graduation Ceremony
  • Electric Avenue Opening in Hillsboro
  • Latino Cultural Festival in Hillsboro
  • Washington County Disability, Aging and Veteran Services Memorial Day Ceremony

Upcoming Events

  • It's Graduation Week for Hillsboro School District! This is always one of my favorite times of the year. Here is a link to the HSD Graduation Page where you can see the schedule of high schools' graduations and live stream the ceremonies.
  • Come and see me at the Hillsboro Tuesday Night Market on June 25th. I'll be volunteering at the Master Recyclers' Booth from 5-8pm.
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I hope you all have a wonderful start to your summer and I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming listening session or out and about in the community.

Onward and Upward,

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Capitol Phone: 503-986-1430
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-487, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.JaneenSollman@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/sollman