Tutorial video & information about finding bills, agendas, and votes on bills

Tutorial video & information about submitting written testimony

Tutorial videos on registering to testify and how to join a committee meeting in Microsoft Teams

Cómo Testificar for information in Spanish on how to testify

Information on requesting language services

House Bill 4113 - Protecting Firefighters

I was proud to join my colleagues in the House to pass House Bill 4113 A, which will include bladder and gynecologic cancers as occupational diseases presumed to result from employment for firefighters under Oregon’s workers’ compensation law.

Under Oregon law, reproductive cancers such as testicular or prostate cancer are already recognized as occupational hazards for firefighters and included in the workers’ compensation presumption. Gynecologic cancers such as ovarian or cervical cancer are not currently included.

Cancer is the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths for firefighters in the United States. Oregon is one of only eight states that do not designate bladder cancer as a presumptive occupational disease for firefighters.

The bill passed the House 55-3 and now moves to the Senate for consideration.

House Bill 4064 - Expanding Affordable Home Options

The House passed House Bill 4064 A, which will streamline local regulations on manufactured housing and clarify that Oregonians can place prefabricated homes in mobile home parks, breaking down a barrier to more innovative housing options. The bill will also help Oregonians in manufactured housing parks rebuild from the 2020 Labor Day wildfires. 

In 2020, the Almeda fire burned 18 mobile home parks in the Rogue Valley, destroying between 1,500 and 1,700 manufactured homes and RVs. There are approximately 140,000 manufactured homes in the state, representing an affordable homeownership option for thousands of Oregonians. Nationally, the median annual income of manufactured housing residents is about half that of households living in single family homes.

The bill also expands the use of Oregon’s manufactured dwelling replacement loan program, giving Oregonians whose manufactured homes were destroyed by wildfire the option of using the loan to rebuild outside the natural disaster area.

The bill passed the House 41-11 and now goes to the Senate for consideration.

Future Ready Oregon Budget Investment

Please read the following op-ed from Senator Sollman, Representative Sosa, and me in support of Future Ready Oregon, a $200 million investment plan being considered this Session!

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Future Ready Oregon Will Grow Oregon’s Workforce

As legislators serving within Senate District 15 in Western Washington County, we know firsthand the enormous workforce issues our state is facing. Workforce development is defined as initiatives that educate and train individuals to meet the needs of current and future business and industry. In order to maintain a sustainable competitive economic environment, workforce development needs to be a top priority in our respective committees, across all sectors, and across our state.

That’s why we are excited about the Future Ready Oregon 2022 Package, a $200 million, game-changing workforce development plan which will have an impact on education, business, and workforce. Future Ready Oregon will help fill future job needs, including right here in Western Washington County, with a special focus on healthcare and manufacturing jobs.

In our work as legislators, we listen to business and industry when they tell us that they are lacking enough skilled workers to fulfill all their positions and that, without intervention, the future looks even grimmer. We have worked to bring awareness and support to help with training and education, but there is more to be done. 

Oregon entered the decade facing a workforce crisis. Prior to the pandemic, Oregon industries faced a shortage of 300,000 workers with post-secondary credentials, such as an apprenticeship, degree, or certificate. The pandemic exacerbated this crisis, and highlighted existing, significant disparities in our workforce system. Black, Indigenous, Latino/a/x, and people of color, people with low incomes, and rural Oregonians were hardest hit. Barriers to job readiness, job training, and career advancement persist.

Future Ready Oregon would create opportunities for workers in our area and would help train, educate and fulfill the future workforce needs for employers. Our Career & College Pathways program in the Hillsboro School District has been focusing on these issues for our students in our schools for some time. The Hillsboro School District, Washington County Chamber of Commerce and many community leaders have come together to work on identifying the need that exists in our workforce and the tools it will take to get there. Washington County Chamber of Commerce’s School to Career program should be a statewide model for this work as well. What a boost Future Ready Oregon will be to have this workforce development occurring statewide and reaching all students, making Oregon the first state in the nation to create a truly comprehensive system for workforce readiness.

Future Ready Oregon makes targeted investments to advance opportunities for historically underserved communities, including adult learners, dislocated workers, and disconnected youth. Investments will prioritize two key sectors: healthcare and manufacturing, sectors that provide short-term pathways to meaningful employment, higher earning potential, and opportunities for economic mobility. These investments will leverage and expand current successful programs such as local workforce boards, community college career pathways programs and registered apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. Investments will also remove barriers to accessing those opportunities with direct benefits to individuals and benefits navigators.

As Oregon works to seize this opportunity, we must emerge from the pandemic with a stronger economy than ever before. We need to make smart, comprehensive investments to support future generations. Future Ready Oregon does just that and we are ready for it.

Senator Janeen Sollman, Senate District 15

Representative Susan McLain, House District 29

Representative Nathan Sosa, House District 30

Superintendent Parker's Message -- February 11, 2022:

Dear FGSD Families,

Oregon Health Authority Mask Update: As we shared on Monday, the Oregon Health Authority announced the indoor mask requirement for schools would be lifted at a state level on March 31, 2022 and the decision will shift to local school districts. Masks will continue to be required until then, as COVID-19 hospitalizations remain high. 

In light of this news, and decreasing infection rates, the district is optimistic that changes could be coming. However, there are many ramifications (safety, operational, medical and legal issues) that must be taken into consideration before a final decision can be made. Over the next few weeks, the district will be working closely with Washington County Health, district administration, students, parents and our labor groups to determine how best to proceed. As the decision making process unfolds, the district will continue to update students, staff and families on the progress. 

School Resource Officer: At school board meetings over the past several months, community members have shared opinions on the current situation regarding school based law enforcement and the School Resource Officer (SRO) at the high school. Since the beginning of this school year, administrators have been tracking incident data at the request of the superintendent and the school board. The district has now convened a committee of staff, students and community members to review the collected data and best practices. This committee will present its findings and recommendations to the school board upon its completion. Community members will be able to hear reports and provide their opinions during upcoming school board meetings during the designated public comment portion of the meetings. 

Both of these topics are extremely important to the district, students, staff and families. We will continue to share information and progress in this weekly communication. 

Have a wonderful weekend,

Dave Parker

Superintendent

Important Information

Youth Sports: Forest Grove Youth Sports are no longer limiting the number of attendees at practices or games. Please contact your team’s coach or group leader with any additional questions or concerns. 

HASS Plan Annual Certification: As part of the requirements for the Annual HASS Certification, the district is required to share the final certificate of completion with district staff and the community. The Forest Grove School District is current with all required testing and individuals can view the certificate on the district website. 

Second Home: Second Home connects volunteer host homes with unaccompanied high school students experiencing homelessness. By ensuring that the students have stable housing and ongoing support, they can focus on completing their secondary education and realize their full potential. Through recruiting volunteer home providers Second Home matches students on track to graduate high school with housing and support to meet their goals. Second Home is also available to provide support to people who are already housing unaccompanied homeless youth.

At any given moment there are at least 10 students in FGHS identified as unaccompanied, the reported numbers ranging from 5-13 depending on the month. We have one host home in Forest Grove that already has a young person successfully living there. To learn more about or participate in the program please visit the Second Home website. 

En español.

Interim Principal Announced for Harvey Clarke Elementary:

The Forest Grove School District is pleased to announce that Amy Harlow has been selected to serve as the Interim Principal of Harvey Clarke Elementary School for the remainder of the 2021-2022 school year. Ms. Harlow will be filling the vacancy left by Pete Moshinsky, who has accepted a new position in another school district. Mr. Moshinsky will be leaving the district on March  4, 2022. Pete has been the principal at Harvey Clarke for eight years and has done great work in leading students and staff. We wish Pete the best in his new endeavor. 

You can read more on the Forest Grove School District website, linked here.

State Revenue Forecast and PERS Rates:

The quarterly State Economic Forecast was released on Wednesday, Feb. 9, and showed another record level of income for Oregon. Net General Fund and Lottery revenues are up a combined $1.173 billion since the December forecast, a robust growth of 4 percent in just three months. Also since that previous forecast, the projected personal kicker has almost doubled to $964.2 million and the projected corporate kicker has grown by over 150 percent to $633.8 million. With the state being just a third of the way through the 2021-23 biennial budget period, those numbers are expected to grow significantly in future forecasts. 

And while the continued increase is positive for the state’s coffers, districts will not see additional revenue during the 2021-23 biennium without an appropriation change at the state level. Legislators and lobbyists alike are challenged to recognize the impact of temporary ESSER and ARP (pandemic relief) funds versus consistent and stable support for PK-12 education from the state’s general fund. 

Work has already begun to prepare for advocacy in the 2023 legislative session around “Actual Service Level” support from the state, and mitigation of the future funding cliff as these pandemic relief funds dry up after the 2022-23 school year. In addition, declining enrollment continues to be a concern for the General Fund, High School Success (Measure 98), and Student Investment Account (SIA) resources. 

Other positive news was recently received when pension rate information for the 2023-25 biennium was shared at the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) Board meeting on Monday, Jan. 31. Strong investment returns have reduced the expected employer rate increase for 2023-25 to 0.9 percentage points from early estimates of 2.9 percentage points. This would represent an increase in cost to the District of approximately $900,000, assuming all other variables remain constant. Those returns have also lowered the estimated unfunded actuarial liability from $28 billion to $20 billion. 

Presidents Day: There will be no school for all students on Monday, Feb. 21, in honor of Presidents Day. School will resume for all students on Tuesday, Feb. 22. 

Asian and Pacific Islander Family Engagement Meeting: HSD's next API Family Engagement meeting takes place on Thursday, February 17th at 6:30pm. Click here for more information.

Black Village Family Advisory Committee Meeting: The Black Village Family Advisory Committee (BVFAC) invites all families to a special Black History Month presentation on Thursday, Feb. 24, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Zoom. Guest speaker Janeen Smith will talk about the history and significance of Black hair, to give context to how it relates today. 

Kindergarten Registration Opens 3/1: Stay tuned for more information.

FEMA Youth Preparedness Council: FEMA’s Youth Preparedness Council (YPC) was created in 2012 to bring together youth leaders interested in supporting disaster preparedness and making a difference in their communities by completing disaster preparedness projects nationally and locally. Application requirements can be found here. Applications are due by Sunday, Mar. 6, with decisions announced in June 2022. There is an informational webinar for applicants on Thursday, Feb. 17.

Free Dental Care for Kids (5-18 yrs old):

Pacific University, with the support of Washington County Dental Society, is hosting an event on Saturday February 19. The goal is to provide preventative, palliative and restorative dental care for children. 

• Saturday, Feb. 19 (8 am to 3 pm)
• Pacific University Dental Hygiene Clinic, 2nd floor Creighton Hall (222 SE 8th Ave, Hillsboro)
• The Health Professions Campus is located directly on the MAX light rail line at the Tuality Hospital/SE 8th Ave. stop.
• To make an appointment please contact call 503-352-7373
• A parent or guardian must remain on site while their child receives dental services.
• No insurance or proof of identification required for this event

Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber office hosts open house:

The Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce is inviting members of the public to view improvements to the business organization's building on the north side of Highway 8. The chamber will host its first open house of the year from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, February 17th. The Chamber's offices are located at 2417 Pacific Avenue in Forest Grove.

You can read more about the event in the Forest Grove News Times article, authored by Mark Miller, linked here.

SAVE THE DATE - Ron Wyden will host Washington county Town Hall:

Senator Ron Wyden is hosting an online town hall for Washington County at 1 p.m. Saturday, February 19th.

The Town Hall will be streamed live on Facebook, linked here.

Participants who wish to ask questions can submit theirs online two days before the event and may be called on to ask their question aloud.

You can read more in the Hillsboro News Times article, authored by Anna del Savio, linked here.

Cornelius Pass Road construction in Hillsboro begins in March:

The project will widen Southeast Cornelius Pass Road to match the road to the North. A right-turn lane will be added to Southwest Tualatin Valley Highway for turning onto the newly reconfigured Cornelius Pass Road.

The construction will occur along Cornelius Pass Road between Tualatin Valley Highway (also designated as Oregon Highway 8) and Southeast Frances Street. A drinking water pipeline will also be installed.

Construction on the project is planned to last through December 2023, according to the Washington County Department of Land Use & Transportation.

You can read more about the new construction in the Hillsboro News Times article, authored by Troy Shinn, linked here.

Oregon Housing and Community Services has started accepting new applications again for the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

This will be a limited reopening for three to five weeks, depending on the availability of funds. Households with the most need will have priority in accessing resources, not a first-come, first-served basis. 

New applications will be processed after applications received before December 1st. Tenants who apply on or after January 26th may receive safe harbor protections that prevent landlords from evicting tenants until their application is processed. However, those tenants should expect a delay prior to processing and payment.

More information is linked here.