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After the 2019 long session ended on June 30, we had a chance to return to our districts and attend tours, events, parades, and more in our hometowns. It has been lovely to spend so much time in Medford after a six-month stint in the Capitol! The following are a few updates from session, the interim, and this week's Legislative Days.
Legislative Days are a series of informal meetings of legislative committees. While we are convened back in the Capitol building, we are not holding any floor sessions or voting on any bills. For one week each in September, November, and January, we get up-to-date with the latest information relevant to each of our committees. I was assigned to the House Education, Economic Development, and Veterans & Emergency Preparedness Committees. I was also appointed to the Joint Transparency Oregon Advisory Committee, which meets this week. I'm particularly looking forward to working on the Transparency task force in light of the abrupt resignation of Public Records Advocate Ginger McCall last week. I'm dedicated to bringing openness and transparency to our state's public offices and processes.
 During the long session, we faced a series of bills that would have threatened the southern Oregon wine industry. We worked closely with several winegrowers in the Rogue Valley, as well as Representatives, Senators, advocates, and Willamette Valley winemakers in order to stop these bills from progressing. Our beautifully diverse AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) across the state have an opportunity to move forward in a unified, collaborative way, and I'm excited to help facilitate more positive relationships between northern and southern Oregon winegrowers and makers. If you want to learn more, or get involved, the Oregon Wine Board, Rogue Valley Vintners, Rogue Valley Winegrowers Association, and Oregon Winegrowers Association are all excellent resources and are always looking for more input from southern Oregon vintners. And we can continue supporting the southern Oregon wine industry by visiting the many wineries and vineyards our area has to offer!
During the 2019, I was honored to sponsor bills that help reduce the cost of prescription drugs for Oregonians across the state. I am committed to continuing the trend of lower medication costs and increased price transparency during the interim and short session.
In 2018, the Legislature established Oregon's Drug Price Transparency program. This new law requires prescription drug manufacturers and health insurance companies to report specific drug price information to the department's Division of Financial Regulation. One of the major components of this program is consumer reporting of prescription medication price increases.
All Oregonians are encouraged to report any increase in the cost of there prescription drugs. You can report price hikes three different ways:
Visit: https://dfr.oregon.gov/drugtransparency/Pages/index.aspx
Email: Rxprices@oregon.gov
Call: (503) 947-7200
Join me in ensuring that all Oregonians can afford the medications they need.
Did you know?
Oregon's Legislature is made up of 90 members: 30 Senators and 60 Representatives. Each Senator's district encompasses two neighboring House districts. The Legislature meets for a maximum of 160 days in odd-numbered years
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1406
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-376, Salem, OR 97301
Email: Rep.KimWallan@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/wallan
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