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Last week, the Oregon Legislature came together to successfully pass a number of measures that will address key issues across the state in our second special session of 2021. Find below a summary of the action taken:
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Housing (Senate Bill 891): Thanks to the leadership of Senator Kayse Jama and Representative Julie Fahey, we will invest $215 million to prevent winter evictions. Oregon families across the state—whether they live in a rural, suburban or urban community—will all benefit from these important housing protections.
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Drought relief (Senate Bill 892 and Senate Bill 5561): $100 million will go to helping Oregonians impacted by last summer’s extreme heat and drought conditions. This will bring rural communities the resources they need to respond to severe drought and wildfire impacts. I strongly support Oregon’s agricultural community, farmworkers and Tribes and I look forward to working toward more solutions as we prepare for the 2022 Legislative Session.
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Illegal cannabis suppression (Senate Bill 893 and Senate Bill 5561): We provided $25 million for a comprehensive, statewide plan to address the proliferation of illegal cannabis and ease the humanitarian and environmental impacts of the cartel industry.
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Afghan refugee resettlement (Senate Bill 5561): We allocated $18 million to support the resettlement of Afghan refugees in Oregon.
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Gun violence prevention (Senate Bill 5561): We focused $2 million for outreach, prevention and intervention programs in East Multnomah County.
Achieving what we did in this special session took weeks of careful negotiating. I am deeply grateful to my colleagues, the presiding officers, local partners, advocates and community members for the work they did to get these issues across the finish line. Thanks to their work, we were able to find solutions that will bring much-needed resources and relief to Oregonians and Oregon communities around the state.
Here I rose in support of SB 892, providing drought relief. While most immediately felt by our rural neighbors, water issues cross the urban-rural divide and have grave implications for us all. I was proud to support my colleague Senator Findley in his carry of this important bill. Click the photo to see my comments beginning around 1:08:38.
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