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Join me, Representative Salinas, and Representative Prusak this Saturday, June 12, from 9:00-10:30 am for a virtual town hall to talk about local investments from the American Rescue Plan Act and redistricting. Bring your coffee and questions!
Registration ahead of the event is required. Please register at this Zoom link.
I hope to see you there!
 Click on the image above to register for the town hall.
This April, legislative leadership announced that legislators would each be able to use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) assistance for qualifying projects in our districts. Representatives were given a budget of $2 million each, and senators $4 million. After intense discussion with one another and collaboration with community partners, I am pleased to share the programs in Senate District 19 that Representative Salinas, Representative Prusak and I have requested to receive ARPA funding:
- $1 million to support racial justice and equity in the south metro region through grant programs administered by Seeding Justice.
- $900,000 to support SW Trails, the City of Portland’s Bureau of Transportation, and the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department in completing the Hillsdale to Lake Oswego Regional Pedestrian Trail.
- $3 million to help Habitat for Humanity Portland/Metro East to purchase two properties for affordable housing units in Lake Oswego and SW Portland.
- $800,000 of grant program funds to the Oregon Sexual Assault Task Force (SATF) and the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (OCADSV) to build infrastructure and capacity for a variety of organizations to implement violence prevention education in K-12 and other community settings.
- $300,000 to Clackamas Volunteers in Medicine (CVIM) - a free clinic providing primary and vision care to low-income, uninsured people living in Clackamas County.
- $500,000 to Washington County, including a $410,000 grant for the Tualatin/Durham/River Grove Business Resiliency Center and a $90,000 grant to help extend the Tualatin Shuttle and make improvements to transit services along the I-205 corridor.
- $500,000 to the West Linn Small Business Recovery Center for direct business recovery grants and support.
- $500,000 to The Foundation for Tigard Tualatin Schools to support Packed with Pride, which delivers food boxes to thousands of students and families each week, and for afterschool support for high schoolers.
- $500,000 to the nonprofit organizations Tualatin Together and the Borland Clinic, which will work in coordination to provide mental health and addiction prevention resources for families.
Many of the challenges of the past year continue to adversely impact Oregonians, but in funding these projects, we bring hope, joy and opportunity to build a stronger and more resilient future.
This week, the Oregon Senate passed House Bill 3041, which separates the legal definitions of “gender identity” and “sexual orientation” in recognition of the fact that these are discrete aspects of an individual’s personhood. This change brings greater respect for the lived experiences of our community members of diverse genders and sexualities, and reinforces protection under the law for all Oregonians, inclusive of these identities.
House Bill 3041 passed 21-8 in the Oregon Senate. It now goes to the House of Representatives for concurrence and then to Governor Kate Brown for her signature. For further details and context, find the Oregon Senate Democrats’ statement on the bill’s passage below.
On Monday, the Senate approved House Concurrent Resolution 11 to replace racist language in our state song – Oregon, My Oregon – with more inclusive lyrics that can be enjoyed by all Oregonians. The language we use matters, and when choosing to elevate cultural touchstones like a state song, we must be kind and thoughtful to ensure that they are representative of all Oregonians.
I’m thankful for the constituents who wrote in to share their support for updating the state song, and I look forward to enjoying future renditions of it with my fellow Oregonians. You can read more and find videos of the updated song in this article.
As vaccinations have become more widely available, many of us have begun to be able to return to a lifestyle that more closely resembles the pre-pandemic norm. As of this week, there are nearly two million people in Oregon who have completed a COVID-19 vaccine series, and more than 2.28 million who have received at least one dose.
This is great news, and it gets even better. We are closer every day to reaching the 70% vaccination threshold that will allow us to open Oregon even more fully, and do away with many of the risk mitigation protocols that we have needed to keep our communities safe since March 2020. A daily countdown can be found on the OHA vaccinations page.
I know I’m looking forward to more gatherings with loved ones, more activities with my family at our favorite public spaces and local businesses, and more confidence that my friends and neighbors are safe while going about their daily lives.
 Count as of June 8, 2021.
As we head into the summer, it’s more important than ever to be prepared for emergencies, especially wildfires given the severe drought conditions we face this year. After last year’s historic fires showed us how wildfire touches Oregonians across the state, it’s worth taking the time to have a plan in place to take care of yourselves and your loved ones in an emergency event.
If you must evacuate for any reason, be sure to bring an emergency food and water supply and an emergency medicine supply. Have a plan for keeping medications that need refrigeration cold, and know about your emergency power sources for medical devices and flashlights, such as extra batteries. You can also plan a safe route using www.tripcheck.com. For a full checklist of items, take a look at the graphic below.
When we think about preparing for fires, we naturally talk about physical health and safety first, but remember to take care of your mental health in stressful situations like these. This can look like making a self-care plan, getting support in your community or talking with people who care about you. For more mental health resources, visit the Safe+Strong website.
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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