 Volunteer Firefighter Austin Smith's Memorial Service
One of my two bills introduced for Short Session this year is HB 4097—a tax credit for volunteer firefighters to not only alleviate some of the recruitment and retention challenges our volunteer-dependent fire stations face, but also serve as a small way of saying “thank you” for the effort and sacrifice of our volunteers.
I never dreamed tragedy would strike our volunteer firefighter community, making the timing of this bill all the more poignant. Austin Smith, a volunteer firefighter and 6th generation farmer from St. Paul, was killed in the line of duty on February 3rd.
It was an honor to attend his memorial with fellow Representatives, Rick Lewis (R, Silverton) and Jessica George (R, St. Paul), and about 5,000 citizens paying our respects to the ultimate sacrifice of someone willing to risk it all to protect others.
The burden of Austin’s sacrifice is no lighter because he was a volunteer rather than a paid, professional firefighter, and it is beyond time for our State to honor the efforts of Oregon’s over 8,000 volunteer firefighters.
Please consider sending an email to the members of the House Committee on Revenue, supporting HB 4097 and asking for a work session to send this important bipartisan piece of legislation to the floor for a vote.
 Left to right: Anna Sovereign (House Republican Policy Analyst) and Representatives Jami Cate (R, Lebanon), Rick Lewis (R, Silverton), and
Jessica George (R, St. Paul)
If you are a constituent of House District 17, please email my office to let me know how you would like me to vote on HB 4151! Please include your address so my staff and I know you live in our district. If you don’t know which district you live in, you can use this link to enter your address and find out.
 Two weeks ago I shared in a newsletter that a bill mandating Ag overtime was reintroduced this session. That bill, HB 4002, had a public hearing where legislators heard from many Oregonians, including many farmers who would be seriously impacted by this policy. Thank you to all those who testified or submitted written testimony!
Unfortunately, HB 4002 moved out of the House Committee on Business and Labor on a party line vote and is now in the House Committee on Revenue. Keep up the fight and be ready to keep engaging on this bill!
Oregonians’ opposition to a new sales tax (HB 4079) was overwhelming! So overwhelming that this bill will not be moving forward this session! Keep up the great work engaging in the Legislative process this session!
If you received unemployment insurance benefits in the 2021 tax year, your 1099G tax forms went out in the mail last month. Your 1099G will be sent to the address the Oregon Employment Department has on file. If you have moved but not updated your contact information, you can download the 1099G from the Online Claims System.
If you received a 1099G tax form but didn't file for benefits in 2021, this could be fraud! Please report any fraud or suspicion of fraud to the department right away through their ID Theft form. For any additional questions, you can reach out to the Oregon Employment Department through their online Contact Us form.
To view previous newsletters, please visit my website.
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1417
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-378, Salem, OR 97301
Email: Rep.JamiCate@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/cate
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