Halftime at the Capitol

Senator Rob Wagnerclimate capitol

Over 1,000 advocates from across Oregon came out on February 11th to support Senate Bill 1530 - this session's cap and invest bill to cut climate pollution and support the green energy economy of the future. Photo credit: Mamadou Fall.

In the Capitol

Special guest on the Senate floor:

When I worked as a legislative aide in the late 1990s, I donated blood for the American Red Cross and signed up for the Be The Match Registry. This registry connects those with healthy bone marrow to those in need of a bone marrow transplant.

Chrissy was seven years old at the time and in critical condition with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Out of incredible good fortune, my bone marrow was a match. Non-familial matches are extremely rare, so I chose to move forward through the donation process. 

Chrissy reached out over the years by sending a birthday card, and eventually connecting over Facebook. She traveled to Oregon this week and we had the opportunity to meet for the first time.

Here is my speech on the Senate floor welcoming Chrissy to Oregon. 

Please consider donating to one of the great blood and/or marrow centers listed below.

The Red Cross: https://www.redcrossblood.org/

Be The Match: https://bethematch.org/

Donate Life Northwest: https://www.donatelifenw.org/

Bloodworks Northwest: https://www.bloodworksnw.org/

More Marrow Donors: http://moremarrowdonors.org/donate/.

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Chrissy and I outside of Governor Kate Brown's office.

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Chrissy was able to share her story with Governor Kate Brown.

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Me and Chrissy on the Senate floor.


Climate bills take center stage:

The Oregon Greenhouse Gas Initiative (Senate Bill 1530) continues to move forward through the legislative process. On Wednesday night, the Ways and Means Natural Resources Subcommittee passed SB 1530 and recommended that the Full Ways and Means Committee pass the bill. The full committee, which I have the honor to serve on, is scheduled to consider the bill on Monday, February 24 at 9:00 am.

By the end of this week, climate legislation will have received more than 35 hours of public hearings during this Legislative Assembly. We have been working on a cap and invest bill since 2018.

The urgency of the climate crisis remains. We are on the verge of passing climate action in Oregon to curb emissions, improving human health, protecting Oregon’s coastal and rural economies, and joining the governments who have already taken bold action to address our climate emergency. 

Senate Democrats will show up and do the hard work we were elected to do. We have conducted an open and responsive process to make our climate bill the right plan for Oregon, and we are ready to move it forward to a vote on the Senate floor next week.

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At the Climate Emergency rally with Senators Taylor, Gelser, and Golden.


Updates on other legislative priorities:

My personal priority bill - Senate Bill 1568 (vulnerable youth guardianship) - has a public hearing and work session in the House Judiciary Committee next Monday. It passed the Senate unanimously last week. Watch my short floor speech to learn more. 


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Before Senate floor session with my legislative assistant Aleesha Kazi.

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I was honored to speak to American Federation of Teachers - Oregon members during their lobby day in support of part time faculty health care (House Bill 4146).

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Through the PAX academic exchange program, foreign exchange students from Malaysia, Israel, Indonesia, Somaliland, and Spain visited my office.

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Stand for Children discussed the need for robust credit transfer legislation and equity issues in our schools.

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One of my interns from Portland Community College - Mamadou Fall - sitting with me on the Senate floor.

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I was honored to speak on the legislative panel at Oregon Business and Industry’s annual meeting. The panel had a lively conversation about Oregon’s cap and invest legislation. I look forward to passing a strong bill to combat our climate emergency and doing our part to protect the future for all Oregonians, especially our kids.

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It was great to hear about credit union contributions to communities across the state during their lobby day.

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College Possible helped these two students on the pathway to educational and career success. Emily is an intern in my office and was thrilled that the Senate Education committee held an informational hearing for the program last week.

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Senator Manning and I spoke to the Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Council about the importance of advocating for union jobs.

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Visiting with Executive Secretary Robert Camarillo and members of the Oregon State Building and Construction Trades Council.


Thank you for reading my newsletter. Please don’t hesitate to contact my office if you have any questions or comments.

Sincerely,

Senator Rob Wagner

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email: Sen.RobWagner@OregonLegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1719
address: 900 Court St NE, S-215, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/wagner