December Newsletter

Hello Friends,

First, I want to thank everyone that has communicated with me, one way or the other, over the last several months. Many of you have provided encouragement and support, opinions and concerns, and always with respect and a deep desire to make Oregon the finest place to live, work, and play.  It is truly an honor to serve.

Some themes are shaping up for the 2020 Short Session which opens Monday, February 3, 2020.  At the top of the list are cap and trade and the Corporate Activity Tax – commonly referred to as the CAT tax. We are anticipating new legislation around cap and trade as well as “fixes” to the CAT tax.  The fixes are needed as a result of the unanticipated difficulties of implementing such a large, complicated bill in a short time period.

One such fix is Legislative Concept (LC) 165, which I will introduce. This LC is a fix to an issue created by the CAT tax that was passed involving pharmacies. Pharmacies will be unable to raise the price of prescription drugs sold at retail, due to contracts with Pharmacy Benefit Managers that administer drug benefits and services for 95% of customers in Oregon. Pharmacies will be forced to absorb the cost of this tax increase, which will significantly impact their ability to stay in business in Oregon. Access to affordable prescriptions affects all Oregonians, which is why this LC will aim to exempt pharmacies from the CAT tax. 

The other piece of legislation that I will introduce is LC 104 honoring the centennial of Oregon’s ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment placing women’s voting rights in the United States Constitution. The centennial will occur on January 14, 2020.  This legislation helps us to remember the unique privilege we have in this county to vote.  As well as to remind us that a determined group of woman and men can make a lasting impact on history.

In addition to the various meetings, conferences, and summits that I have attended I have spent a great deal of time touring programs, businesses, and institutions.  Here again gaining insights from those who are “on the ground” delivering mental health services, bringing permanent shelter to the homeless, operating businesses that employ working family wage jobs, patrolling and protecting our communities, and supplying  services to businesses that help them to contain the cost of doing business.   For me to be an effective legislator I believe I must not only understand the needs and solutions from a conceptual policy level, but I need to see – literally - how it is played out on the ground, in agencies, municipalities, businesses, and non-profits. 

With the short legislative session nearly here, these are the issues I continue to monitor:  community corrections, regional solutions, healthcare delivery, child welfare, taxes, housing, climate change, and services to the elderly and victims of domestic violence.   My expectation is there will be many other items and time will tell how this short session, originally intended for budget adjustments and emergencies expenditures, will unfold.  Please know my door is always open and my staff, Pam McClain, and I welcome your participation.

Once again, thank you for engaging with your state government.  I wish you and your families a blessed holiday season and best wishes for a healthy and Happy New Year.

Yours truly,

Representative Raquel Moore-Green
House District 19

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1419
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-385, Salem, OR 97301
Email: Rep.RaquelMooreGreen@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/moore-green

p.s. here is one of my favorite reminders, from my childhood, of the season -