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This week, the Oregon Senate passed House Bill 2168, which will make Juneteenth an official state holiday every June 19, starting next year. This holiday will serve to honor the freedom of enslaved people in the United States, acknowledge Oregon’s racist roots, and celebrate the contributions of Black Americans in the face of inequity and systemic oppression.
Senator Lew Frederick carried the bill and I highly encourage you to watch his floor and closing speech, during which he shared his family’s story, and highlighted our proximity to history that only seems far away. His words are a call to action to listen to our marginalized neighbors, and to hear both hope and skepticism with an open heart. In doing so, we take the first steps to creating a more equitable and just world for one another.
HB 2168 heads to the Governor’s desk for her signature. Click on the image below to read the Senate Democrats’ press release on the bill’s passage.
 Please join me, Representative Salinas, and Representative Prusak for a zoom town hall on Saturday, June 12. Registration at this link is required to attend. I look forward to seeing you at the town hall.
Round three of the Landlord Compensation Fund (LCF) program opened this week, and will include at least $60 million in assistance covering rent-owed by eligible tenants that was accrued from April 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. Find eligibility and application details here.
This program provides relief to residential landlords who have been unable to collect rent due to tenant hardships. Participating landlords can receive up to 80% of rent owed from April 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 for qualifying residents when they agree to forgive the remaining 20% of the tenant’s debt. For the first time, landlords can apply for LCF funds to cover former renters.
Oregon Housing and Community Services’ website includes an updated Declaration of Financial Hardship for former tenants. To be eligible for assistance for rent owed by a former tenant, the landlord must provide the Declaration of Financial Hardship and the current address of their former tenant.
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and this round will close on June 18. Program directors urge landlords to apply as quickly as possible for funds.
This Friday, June 4, people across the country will #WearOrange for National Gun Violence Awareness Day. This year marks the seventh annual National Gun Violence Awareness day, which began as a tribute to Hadiya Pendleton, who was killed by gun violence in 2013 shortly after performing at President Obama’s inauguration.
In Oregon, we have taken decisive action to keep our kids and communities safe by passing Senate Bill 554, signed by Governor Brown this week. We must continue to honor victims and survivors of gun violence and to call attention to this crisis that takes more than 100 lives every single day. Learn more at wearorange.org.
June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate and recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally and internationally. It is generally marked by local Pride marches and other events around the country—a legacy of the first Pride march in New York City which was held on June 28, 1970 on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.
As we uplift the voices of our LGBTQ community members, it is important to honor the contributions of especially Black and brown trans women (like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera). These trailblazers made celebration of Pride possible, and yet Black and brown trans women also continue to suffer disproportionate risks from living authentically in our society.
Our LGBTQ neighbors deserve to feel safe and respected. Oregon has been a leader in improving and expanding legal freedoms and protections for these community members, and the work is far from over. I remain committed to ensuring a better future for LGBTQ Oregonians, especially our youth.
Read this year’s Presidential Proclamation on Pride Month here. You can also learn about Stonewall on PBS’s website, or discover more American LGBTQ history using resources from the National Archives.
Many families in our community are celebrating high school graduations, and I want to add my own congratulations to the Class of 2021. The seniors in our community (including two graduates in my household) have shown incredible spirit and resolve in reaching this milestone amid serious global challenges. I am so proud of their achievements and thankful for the loved ones and educators who helped them get to this momentous accomplishment. Find links with graduation dates, locations, and more for our local high schools below:
As always, please let me know if you need any assistance. My office and I will work to connect you with resources and get your questions answered as quickly as possible.
Sincerely,
 Senate Majority Leader Rob Wagner
Senate District 19
email: Sen.RobWagner@OregonLegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1719
address: 900 Court St NE, S-223, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/wagner
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