 * “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
—Helen Keller
Let me add a quick p.s. to yesterday’s newsletter. Is there a service or program you want to see funded in the state budget for 2021-2023? This Saturday is the best time to tell us about it.
Every two years the budget-writing Joint Ways and Means Committee—currently eleven of my senate colleagues and me, along with eleven members of the House of Representatives—undertakes a “road show” to hear what citizens think should (or shouldn’t) be funded for the next two years. These town hall-style meetings usually take place in libraries, school gyms, city halls and fairgrounds buildings across the state. This year they are online.
The public budget hearing for Congressional District Two, which includes Jackson and some of Josephine Counties, takes place this Saturday, April 17, from 1:00 to 3:00pm. You can sign up to participate here.
Because of the number of people who want to speak, comments will probably be limited to two minutes per person. Testimony is most effective when a citizen can clearly (and, obviously, briefly) describe what needs fixing and how the proposed expenditure will fix it.
This meeting matters. I expect almost all committee members to be there, and most of us take notes to inform our decisions later. So if you feel strongly about an unmet need that state government could address, do what you can do by joining us Saturday afternoon.
 Senator Jeff Golden, Oregon Senate District 3
| 
