Last week, we remembered a historic leader that we will all dearly miss. My dear friend and colleague, Senator Jackie Winters leaves behind her a legacy of public service, courage, and compassion.

At her State memorial service, Senator Winters' family, friends, and fellow legislators had the chance to share their favorite memories of the Senator from the Capitol City. I shared my memories of her faith, her love for her family, and commitment to her community. While we all will miss her dearly, she has left us a lot to remember her by. The legislation she helped pass, the wisdom she shared, and her memory will live on in Oregon forever.

Last week, the Senate passed HB 3310, known as the Oregon Voting Rights Act. I have been working on this bill alongside Representative Diego Hernandez, and Senator James Manning all session in the hopes of creating more representative local election processes.

With the passage of HB 3310, Oregon will now be aligned with the National Voting Rights Act of 1965 and will have systems in place to rectify any violations of the policy. This will ensure communities that have been historically excluded or marginalized by our election processes have fair elections and representative local government. 

On Wednesday, Habitat for Humanity was at the Capitol advocating for affordable housing and put Senator Fagan and I to work! We each had six nails to drive into a board, first one done wins.

Senator Fagan jumped out to an early lead, but Comeback Knopp pulled off a victory in the final seconds. Thank you to Habitat for Humanity for putting on such a fun way to share information on such an important issue. Chair Fagan and I look forward to continuing to work with you on the Senate Housing Committee!  

After an exciting week in the Capitol, I was happy to get home to Central Oregon to celebrate Father's Day with family. Being in Salem so much for session makes days like these even more special.

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Holiday weekend and had the chance to celebrate the fathers in your life! Being a parent, and now a grandparent, has been the most rewarding journey of my life!