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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
October is beautiful in House District 18. In my travels throughout the district and around the state I have enjoyed seeing the colorful autumn leaves and the fields ripe with pumpkins for the fall harvest.
As a veteran and career law enforcement official, public safety is always on my mind. The first days of frost and fog made their way into the Willamette Valley this month. As the shorter days of fall draw us closer to winter, the rain and the falling leaves serve as a good safety reminder to be aware of visibility and road conditions as we travel about our day and as our children make their way to and from school, and participate in the fall harvest activities throughout our communities.
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The changing season is also a good reminder to test and replace the batteries in smoke detectors, verify that fire extinguishers are fully charged, and carbon monoxide detectors are in working order. For more fall season safety tips click here. |
MCRI is a collaborative effort involving community corrections, education, law enforcement, health and non-profit agencies. I am grateful for our community’s investment in changing lives and improving public safety.
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On October 9th, I attended the SEDCOR Business Forum Luncheon. This month’s topic focused on agriculture and explored Oregon's booming hemp industry, the trends, challenges, and solutions. I always appreciate the opportunity to attend SEDCOR events to network and learn about what’s happening in our region. Strategic Economic Development Corporation or SEDCOR is the lead economic development entity for Oregon’s Mid-Willamette Valley. The 450-plus member nonprofit organization leverages strong public and private partnerships to successfully retain, grow and attract high value traded sector jobs and capital investment to Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties.
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October 12, I attended the 5th annual Judy’s Party at the Mt. Angel Festhalle. This is always a good community fundraising event with a great purpose. The event is sponsored by the Silverton Chamber of Commerce and is named in honor of Judy Schmidt, a life-long Silvertonian and a dear friend who gave so much to our community.
The evening featured “A Bite of Silverton” local foods, music by the Syco Billy's and an auction. Proceeds from the event are awarded as grants to local non-profits and organizations in the Silverton & Mt. Angel areas. Thank you to all who made this event a success!
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 (L-R) Silverton Police Chief, Jeff Fossholm and wife Teri, Pat Lewis, and Representative Rick Lewis at Mt. Angel Festhalle
On October 17th, the weather cooperated long enough for a group of us to complete a three-hour outdoor tour of the Port Blakely property near Colton. This 30,000 acre site is a commitment to sustainable, renewable scientific forest management practices and conservation measures to ensure preservation of a healthy wildlife and fish habitat. Thank you to the staff at Port Blakely for your hospitality and for providing this onsite experience.
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October 19, Pat and I enjoyed attending the North Willamette Valley (NWV) Habitat for Humanity "Framing the Future" Dinner and Auction at the Mt. Angel Festhalle.
In the last 32 years, 45 homes have been constructed by volunteers and purchased by local Habitat families serving the communities of Scotts Mills, Woodburn, Mt. Angel, Silverton, Oregon City, Gervais, Canby, Molalla, Aurora, and Hubbard. Construction on the 46th home began this summer. In addition, NWV Habitat has completed one home rehab, 22 ReHabitat repair projects and has built 65 homes overseas and for a total of 123 families served through construction projects alone!
It was an honor to spend the evening with such a great community of supporters and volunteers that give so much to help local families access affordable housing.
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October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
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Please join me in expressing appreciation to House District 18’s District Attorneys, their deputies, advocates, and staff for their service to our communities.Thank you, Marion County District Attorney, Paige Clarkson, who always steps up to walk the extra mile to support survivors and to Clackamas County District Attorney, John Foote, who has been a leader in the Clackamas County Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team. Your collective voices provide survivors hope and healing.
Image: DA Clarkson participates in Oct. 5th walk/run Steps to Safety 2019 to support the Center for Hope & Safety and to put an end to domestic violence.
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If you, a friend, or family member are experiencing domestic violence help is available.
The Marion County District Attorney's Victim Assistance Division is located at 555 Court St. NE, Salem, OR 97301. Additional Marion County community-based shelters and advocacy programs can be found here.
The Clackamas County District Attorney's Victim Assistance Program is located at 707 Main St., Suite 201 in Oregon City, OR 97045 map. A 24-hour crisis line can be reached at 503-655-8616, or email at victimsassistance@clackamas.us. Additional Clackamas County community-based shelters and advocacy programs can be found here.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), also has advocates available 24/7 to provide support, resources, and hope.
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On October 8th, I participated in a very informative all-day tour of the Hanford cleanup project. The site encompasses 586 square miles and is the largest and most expensive environmental cleanup project in the world at more than $2 billion a year. The Hanford site produced plutonium for America’s weapons program for several decades starting shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941.
 
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The process created massive amounts of radioactive and chemical hazardous waste. It will be decades before the waste treatment will be completed.
Photos were not allowed on most of the site, with the exception of the decommissioned B Reactor, which is now a part of the Manhattan Project National Historic Park.This reactor was the world’s first full-scale nuclear reactor and produced the weapons grade plutonium used in the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan in August of 1945 to help bring an end to the second World War. Much remains to be done, but substantial progress has been made.
You can read more about the Hanford Story here.
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Late last month, I attended the mobilization ceremony in Portland for a portion of the 41st Brigade as they prepared to deploy to Qatar in the Middle East. These 456 soldiers are one of several 41st unit deployments coming in the next several months. This group heads to Texas for a month of training before they ship out. I wished them Godspeed and a safe deployment as they leave their families and loved ones behind. I was joined by fellow State Representatives and the Director of Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs.
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On October 13th, Pat and I attended the mobilization ceremony for Bravo 741 Brigade Engineer Battalion in St. Helens. The unit is deploying to the Middle East (UAE). We look forward to seeing them all return safely.
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October 15th, it was an honor to serve as a Legislative panelist at the statewide Veteran Services Officer (VSO) Conference in Welches. I sat on the panel with State Representative Paul Evans and State Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson. Representative Evans and I serve as Chair and Vice Chair respectively on the House Veterans and Emergency Preparedness Committee. The Conference brings VSO’s together from all over the state to share ideas and discuss matters related to care for our military veterans. As a Legislative Committee, we rely on their expertise to identify the gaps in services and particularly as they relate to the urban vs. rural parts of Oregon.
Representatives Lewis and Moore-Green Urge Emergency
Board to Allocate Funds to Community Corrections
Community Corrections is an absolute integral key element of Oregon’s Criminal Justice System, particularly as it relates to justice reinvestment. About 25 years ago, the State made a decision to transfer this responsibility to the counties and committed to providing the funding. The result has been some excellent work by counties, including significantly reducing recidivism rates. A recent “Actual Cost Study” recommended a baseline increase of nearly $50 million to counties to meet the actual costs of providing these services to the state. Instead, the Department of Corrections budget bill (HB 5504) passed in the 2019 session, underfunded this critical area. Counties all over the state are looking at closing facilities and laying off employees critical to the success of these programs. Some may actually move to turn their programs back over to the state where the track record for controlling recidivism is not so good.
The financial impact to counties and in House District 18 alone, totals nearly $3 million. Costs cuts impact programs such as; transitional housing, treatment and monitoring of sex offenders, client-based needs services, a reduction in the numbers of probation and parole officers and counselors, and the list goes on. I voted against the corrections budget bill last session, specifically because this critical funding was excluded. This needs an immediate fix. The State needs to honor its commitment to the counties in Oregon.
I appreciate Representative Raquel Moore-Green for joining me in calling for the Emergency Board to provide this essential funding now. A full version of the October 3rd Press Release can be found on my legislative news and information webpage here.
Vaping and Your Health
On October 4th, following the nationwide outbreak of respiratory illnesses and deaths associated with the use of vaping devices, Governor Brown issued Executive Order No. 19-09, calling for a temporary ban on flavored vaping products for up to 6 months.
On October 17th, the Oregon Court of Appeals granted a temporary stay of Oregon Health Authority’s temporary rules banning flavored vaping products. The stay does not affect flavored cannabis vaping products sold at Oregon Medical Marijuana Program dispensaries.The emergency disease reporting rule remains in effect.
In the meantime, the Oregon Health Authority has launched a statewide public education effort to warn Oregonians about the risks e-cigarette use or vaping products pose to youth and adults.
A great deal more research needs to be done to identify where the problem lies. While most of the deaths have been linked to vaping THC products according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), they acknowledge that no single product or substance has been linked to all lung injury cases. Exclusive use of nicotine containing products has been reported by some patients with lung injury cases, and many patients with lung injury report combined use of THC- and nicotine-containing products. Therefore, the possibility that nicotine-containing products play a role in this outbreak cannot be excluded at this time.
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What You Need to Know Before October 1, 2020
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Mark your calendars! November 18-21, Legislators will return to the Capitol for a second round of Interim Committee and Task Force meetings. Additionally, November 22nd marks the deadline for bill requests to be submitted to Legislative Counsel to be drafted for the 2020 session.
During Legislative Days, Committees may hold informational hearings on topics that could lead to legislation in upcoming sessions, hear updates on implementations of past legislation, hear reports from state agencies and Task Forces, and keep current on the subject areas which affect Oregonians. During this time, the Senate may also convene for the purpose of making executive appointments. Join us in person at the Capitol or tune in live online through OLIS here.
I continue to serve on the following task force, council and committees:
As always, it is an honor to serve as your State Representative. Please feel free to reach out to my office if I can be of assistance.
Sincerely,
 Rick Lewis
State Representative
House District 18
Oregon's Christmas Tree District
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1418
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-484, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.RickLewis@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/lewis
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