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Greetings Friends and Neighbors,
The 2019 Oregon Legislative Session has concluded, with a number of important successes, as well as some key unfinished business, including policy solutions to address much needed climate mitigation.
Still, this session saw major investments in the lives of Oregon families including lowering income taxes and increasing funding for education by over $1 billion per year through the Student Success Act, among many others.
My personal priorities included The Drug Take Back Bill, which will ensure that every community in Oregon has access to safe drug disposal sites, here is a short video summary of the bill. (Click the photo)
A special thanks goes out to my incredible staff (Derek, Carl, Kyle, and Medha) and our very talented advocates that were in the building working to help persuade legislators to pass this bill. Specifically, I would like to thank Scott Winkles of the League of Oregon Cities, Rob Bovett of the Association of Oregon Counties, the Washington County Board of Commissioners, and a huge thank you to Abby Boudouris for her assistance. She works for the Department of Environmental Quality and she was my go-to person to help explain how his program would be implemented in Oregon. This bill would not have been possible without a great team all working towards our goal.
I was able to secure a $5 million investment in low-cost childcare by supporting the Beaverton YMCA HOOP and Child Development Center project. The YMCA has been leasing and operating the Beaverton Hoop YMCA since 2008. The Beaverton Hoop YMCA serves over 9,000 youth through its various programs that operate inside the facility. A new Child Development Center; serving infants, toddlers and preschoolers will be housed in a repurposed building next door.
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The YMCA is purchasing this property to continue to provide important programs to the community of Beaverton by owning the property. The current lease expires in mid-2020 and Beaverton Hoop YMCA ownership will allow us to continue to serve generations to come in Washington County, Oregon. Even before I was a member of the Oregon legislature, I served on the Washington County Commission for Children. It was serving on that board that gave me important insights to understand that our children need more after school services provided. The YMCA Hoops and the Child Development Center are critical components to providing our children access to more after school activities.
The drama of the Senate Republican walkout over the Clean Energy Jobs bill (HB 2020) put Oregon squarely in the international spotlight. Like many of you, I remain frustrated by the Senate walk out, and while the Senate President did eventually negotiate their return to Salem, it was not without a great cost. HB 2020 was sacrificed by Senate leadership so that more than a hundred other pieces of legislation could be adopted.
Still, more costly than the loss of any legislative priority was that of trust and relationships, and I join legislative leadership in denouncing statements made by Senator Boquist that threatened both the Senate President and members of Oregon State Police – this violent rhetoric has no place in our politics.
Education
HB 3427: The Student Success Act is a once in a generation investment in our children. For 30 years Oregon’s K-12 schools have been underfunded, leading to growing class sizes, low graduation rates, and shorter school years. The Student Success Act will invest $400 million in Early Childhood Education, $1 billion for school improvement services, including more learning team, before and after school programs, and behavioral health support, and $600 million in statewide investments every biennium to ensure that every Oregon students has the opportunity to reach their potential.
Support for Oregon Families
HB 2005: The passage of Paid-Family Medical Leave is a huge victory for working families across Oregon. HB 2005 creates an insurance program that provides 12 weeks of paid leave so that workers in Oregon can care for family members that are experiencing a child birth, illness of a family member or even caring for an elderly parent. No Oregonian should have to choose between taking care of a loved one and keeping a job.
HB 2164: In a time of unprecedented wealth, no Oregonian should lack the basic necessities in life. This year, the Oregon Legislature continued invested in working families by continuing and expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit by 12.5%.
SB 608: As a member of the Housing and Human Services committee, I was excited to help pass several protections for renters this session. One of those bills is SB 608, which prohibits landlord from terminating month-to-month tenancy without cause after 12 months of occupancy. It also limits increases in rent to 7% of the consumer price index per year. If wages are not going to increase to help working families survive in our economy, we must help control costs for working families. The more stable a home life for a child, the healthier that child will be and those are the outcomes that lead to healthier communities.
Standing with Oregon’s Immigrant Communities
HB 2508: This year, the Oregon Legislature continued its commitment to standing with our immigrant communities by supporting services to help settle refugees that are fleeing violence and oppression.
HB 2015: This year Oregon followed the example of thirteen states by implementing the Safe Access to Roads Act. This concept will allow Oregon residents who pass written driving tests, pay the necessary fees, and provide proof of identity and residency to receive a standard driver’s license, which has shown to increased insured driver rates and decrease traffic accidents and hit-and-run incidents.
Good Governance Reforms
SJR 18: The influence of money in our politics is clear, and must be addressed if our government is to truly be representative of the will of the people, rather than wealthy donors and corporation. In November of 2020, Oregonians will be able to weigh in and decide whether our Constitution should empower the Legislature, as well as our cities and counties, to make laws that limit campaign contributions.
SB 861: Oregon has long been a leader in expanding voting rights. We were the first state to adopt Vote by Mail for all elections. Now, we have passed legislation this session for pre-paid postage of our ballot envelopes. No longer do you have to worry about finding a stamp to return your ballot. This legislation will help many young, low-income and rural voters. For rural voters, driving to a drop box might be very inconvenient. Removing this small barrier was the right thing to do.
Healthcare Reforms
HB 2010: Oregon continued investing in the Oregon Health Plan as part of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, which provides coverage to over 300,000 Oregonians.
HB 2658: Prescription drug prices have continued to rise at a rate that far exceeds inflation, often with little or no explanation or notice – not anymore. Now, prescription drug manufacturers will be required to give at least 60 days’ notice to the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services before increasing their prices.
SB 770: My office has long supported universal single-payer health care for all Oregonians. This year, Oregon has taken the first step by establishing the Task Force on Universal Health Care, which is charged with making recommendations to the Oregon Legislature to provide equitable, affordable, high quality health care to all Oregon residents.
HB 2220: A substantial and growing portion of Oregonians do not receive the recommended slate of vaccinations, including their annual flu shot. Dentists are an integral part of Oregon’s primary health care delivery system. This bill allows dentists to screen for basic health conditions and provide preventive services such as immunizations makes increasingly more sense. I was proud to carry this bill and see it passed.
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HB 2230: Nurses working in Department of Corrections (DOC) institutions reported being forced to work mandatory overtime shifts due to a shortage of nurses. Working conditions and mandatory overtime are two factors often cited for high employee turnover. DOC Nurse Working Protection bill will provide protections to reduce mandatory overtime hours and provide resting periods between shifts to allow nursing staff to recuperate between workdays. This will help ensure that DOC’s nurses can provide safe care that meets the patient’s needs. Passing this bill was an important goal for nurses in DOC and will lead to better outcomes for nurses and their patients.
SB 526: This bill requires the Oregon Health Authority to establish a voluntary universal nurse home visiting program to support child development and strengthen families. Home visiting services would be available to all families in Oregon with newborns and offer at least one visit during the newborn’s first three months. It would also require health benefit plans to reimburse the cost of these services without cost-sharing for families who choose to receive them. I spent most of my 30 year-plus career as a home visiting nurse working with expecting mothers, new parents, and their babies in Multnomah County doing exactly what this.
This bill passed both the House and Senate with bipartisan support and will be signed by the Governor of Oregon. I am ecstatic that we were able to achieve this on behalf of all newborn’s and their families in the state of Oregon.
HB 2563: The Northwest Regional Newborn Bloodspot Screening Program screens newborns for a long list of metabolic conditions and identifies those who need immediate treatment. If a baby tests positive for one of these conditions, staff follow up to ensure the child receives appropriate medical care. These screening tests can prevent developmental problems or even premature death in newborns.
The bill will create an advisory panel to help the Northwest Regional Newborn Bloodspot Screening update their list of mandatory screenings as our research methods progress, and we are better able to treat children with rare genetic conditions. Being able to attend the signing of this bill was one of the highlights of our legislative session.
A Healthy Environment
HB 2829: The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has increasingly come to depend on license fees to fund their operations, which has led to tension between hunters, anglers, and other outdoor enthusiasts. To help address this issue, I was proud to support the Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund, which will invest in activities that serve to protect, maintain, and enhance fish and wildlife resources in Oregon, with programs to educate, conserve, and research habitat improvement, enforcement, and outdoor recreation.
HB 2509: Our natural environment has long been the subject to an excess of plastic pollution. To help address this issue, Oregon joins other states that have moved to ban single-use plastic check-out bags to help encourage the use of reusable alternatives and reduce plastic waste.
SB 90: In attempting to keep raising public awareness of the environmental aspects of our plastic addiction, I supported SB 90, which requires consumers to ASK for a single use plastic straw. Most establishments just assume you want a plastic straw and they give you one. Not everyone uses them. This bill is a modest step to help us kick our plastic habit. We are finding plastic in birds, fish, and even ourselves. It’s why I pushed so strongly for a ban on single-use polytene. We were able pass it through the Oregon House, but came up one vote short in the Oregon Senate. We will try again in 2021.
HB 2007: As a public health nurse, I know that pollutants in exhaust from our vehicles are contributing to increased cases of respiratory diseases in our communities. Children that live around congestion are more likely to develop asthma. HB 2007 increases regulation of diesel emissions, one of our worst air quality problems. I was glad to see Oregon finally take it up in a meaningful way. Before I served in the legislature, I was a member of the diesel workgroup that proposed similar legislation in 2017. I am glad we have come this far, but we still have more work to do at regulating diesel emissions and particulates.
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Please Join us on July 17, 2019 at 6:00pm for a Constituent Night (think Constituent Coffee) at Cascade Brewing 7424 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy, Portland, Oregon 97225. I will provide some appetizers and share with you information about the end of the legislative session and where we go from here. I hope you can attend. There will be soda and water provided and if you would like to buy other food or beer you are welcome to buy those at the bar and join us.
Please RSVP at rep.sherischouten@oregonlegislature.gov so we can get an estimate of how many platters to provide.
I have had a wonderful staff this session. I wanted to report to you that Kyle Linhares will be staying on with me through the interim, taking over for Derek Olson. Derek is going back to school. I wish him the greatest academic success. My intern Medha has graduated from college and she will be an asset wherever her employment plans or future education plans take her. I wanted to offer them a chance to offer a reflection on the 80th Legislative Session.
"Problems and opportunities abound in the Capitol and knowing a good opportunity to solve a problem and getting the opportunity to solve it don't always line up at the times we expect them to. Working with constituents and policymakers to connect their problems with policies that will make a difference to them has been very rewarding." -Carl
"My proudest moment this session was seeing HB 3273, the drug take back bill, move forward and become law. This concept was the most substantive policy that our office put forward during the 2017 Legislative Session and to see it pass before returning to school made my time with Representative Schouten’s office feel like it had come full circle and to a natural conclusion" -Derek
"My favorite experience this session was working with our great staff to pass bills like Drug Take Back and Nurse Home Visiting that make Oregon a healthier, fairer, more prosperous place to live. Many thanks to Rep. Schouten, Derek, Carl, and Medha for letting me be part of the team. Good luck in Law School, Derek!" - Kyle
 I want to take this moment to thank you all for joining me this journey over the last six months. It has been the most interesting session I have ever been apart of since being elected in 2016. This is a photo of my husband and I on the last day of session. You all have been here with me on whether you realize it our not. I couldn't do any of this work without your outreach throughout session. Thank you for speaking up when you did and providing me important input into the conversation that is governing. We will be gearing up for the short session in 2020. Expect to hear from me again soon.
All the best,
 Capitol Phone: 503-986-1427
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, HS-280, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.SheriSchouten@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/schouten
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