As a small business advocate, I thoroughly enjoyed the visit from the Bend Chamber of Commerce this week. We discussed concerns regarding the Corporate Activities Tax, support for the OSU-Cascades Student Center, support for increasing access for small business loans to more diverse businesses, and many other subjects. Despite the hard journey over the pass, the members of the delegation were excited and attentive throughout the day. Small businesses are a cornerstone in our community, and these business owners are leaders in building a better community in Central Oregon. Thank you for your hard work and I look forward to working with you further in the future.

The dedicated advocacy of the Alzheimer’s Association is both moving and important. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with them through my time on the Senate Health Care Committee to work to address this terrible disease. Every year this group visits my office to work on behalf of those struggling with this disease, their hope that a cure will be found is inspiring and a hope that I too share with them.

I am thankful when small businesses reach out and share how legislation will impact them, it helps me to better represent them and the community that depends on them at large. Trucks and tractors serve a critical role in our economy, and I am proud to support the small business owners who help move products about our state and the tractors that help provide the raw materials we consume within it. As the old saying goes; if you bought something, a truck brought it!

Did you know that Oregon has some of the lowest numbers when it comes to the amount of State Troopers we have compared to other states? There are roughly only eight patrol troopers for every 100,000 Oregonians, putting Oregon’s ratio as the second-to-last in the country. We have a responsibility to protect Oregonians across the state and investing in our State Troopers will have a direct and positive correlation with lowering traffic fatality rates and driving while impaired or distracted.  I am proud to stand with our troopers and support their efforts to pass Senate Bill 1545 which will help to address their funding needs.

Oregon has 21 Child Abuse Intervention Centers, and they all take up the critical role in protecting the most vulnerable and dependent members of our society. Protecting children is a critical goal of mine and has always been a top legislative priority to me. I am thankful for the tireless efforts of Gil Levy, the new Executive Director of the KIDS Child Abuse Intervention Center in Central Oregon and look forward to working with them more in the future. Thank you to you and all the hard workers throughout the Child Abuse Intervention Centers throughout Oregon.

The Family Preservation Project program partners with the Portland Community College and the Oregon Department of Corrections as a part of the YWCA of Greater Portland. The program works to help address the impact of incarcerated mothers and their families by helping them maintain relationships. Families that stay connected often have better rehabilitation rates and lower recidivism rates as well.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 1800-273-8255. Share it often, because it just might save a life. I am very grateful to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention; suicide affects all demographics but more importantly, it is preventable. We have the power through listening, reducing mental health stigmas, and asking for help, to reduce this all too prevalent plague on our community. From veterans to our students in school, we can all work to reduce suicide rates and support mental health for all.

This non-profit works to responsibly and sustainably produce enough food while protecting human health and property. I was grateful for their thoughtful discussion and advocacy as they visited our state capitol. Our farmers need all the resources they can get to reliably and responsibly produce the food we need to keep food costs low and accessible to all Oregonians. Thank you for your hard work!