June 6^th marked the 75^th Anniversary of D-Day, the invasion of Europe by Allied forces from Nazi occupation. The landings saw roughly 156,000 Allied soldiers face a barrage of enemy firepower as they stormed the beaches and cliffs of Normandy. Their courage and sacrifice that day led to the defeat of fascism and the enduring freedom that we enjoy today.

Perhaps most significant this anniversary was the noticeable decline in living WWII and D-Day veterans present, punctuated further by the recent death of the oldest WWII Medal of Honor recipient Bob Maxwell. With more and more of these heroes passing every day, we must ensure that their deeds and sacrifices are never forgotten. The Greatest Generation gave us a free world through their courage, grit, and lives; we must be worthy of that monumental gift every day.

We voted on two bills last week to support and seek justice for survivors of sexual assault. HB 3293 would extend the statute of limitations for civil actions relating to sexual assault to five years.

Trauma from sexual assault manifests differently for each victim. We need to give survivors the time and resources they need to get help and seek justice. This bill makes progress towards that by allowing an additional two years for survivors to come forward. I'm proud to have supported this bill in the Senate and hope to see it signed into law.

The second bill we passed in the Senate last week was HB 3415, which requires institutions of higher education to both adopt written policies and require certain individuals to participate in annual training on sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking and outlines what must be included in the training.

An issue that commonly arises around sexual or workplace misconduct is a lack of policies and procedures for victims, witnesses, or employers to follow when an incident arises. Victims often don't know where they can turn to file their complaint and organizations sometimes do not have the personnel or processes in place to respond to complaints.

HB 3415 will require higher education institutions to have these policies in place and for individuals to be educated in them. This will help keep our campuses and institutions safer for all involved. 

Prescription drug pricing is an issue that has effected all families, and impacts seniors and working families the most. 

Drugs like insulin, pain medications, Epi-pens, etc. have seen sudden, exponential price increases in recent years resulting in people not being able to afford medications they rely on. I'm glad we're working to prevent this.

HB 2658 will require manufacturers of certain prescription drugs to give 60-day notice to the Department of Consumer & Business Services if they are increasing the price of their drug by more than 10% over a 12-month period. This will help protect patients from being blindsided by drastic price increases and create a more transparent system overall.

Congratulations to all the graduates from Bend, Mountain View, Redmond, Ridgeview and Summit High Schools. This is such an exciting time in your lives and I wish you the best as you enter your next chapter.

It was my honor this weekend to speak at the Insight School of Oregon's graduation ceremony. ISO is a unique public charter school that has had great success in providing students an education that fits their individual needs.

This school was allowed to be created due to the passage of SB 100 from 1999. A bill that Senator Winters, myself, and representative Carl Wilson championed in the House with the goal to expand educational choice in Oregon. 

The graduates I spoke to this weekend exemplify the success that can come from individualized, technical education. I spoke to them about purpose, passion, and perseverance and how far those three traits can take them in life. The chance to share that exciting day with the students and families involved was terrific and I cannot wait to hear and see more successful students come from the Insight School of Oregon. Congrats! 

My friend and colleague from the Oregon House, Representative Mike McLane was recently appointed to serve as a Circuit Court Judge for the State of Oregon. Mike is an excellent choice, a thoughtful lawyer, and a dutiful public servant. In addition to his private legal work and time as a state legislator, Mike is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Oregon Army National Guard as a Judge Advocate General (JAG). We will miss his thoughtful and pointed speeches on the House floor, but the people of Oregon will be blessed with an outstanding judge that will ensure justice is served.