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Friday, March 4th, was "Sine Die," which is the final day of the legislative session, so we now move into the interim and begin preparations for the next session. I wanted to take a moment to be sure to send you another update on the work that was done in Salem. I believe that I brought a unique perspective to the session as the only Black man in the House and Oregon's first openly LBGTQ+ Black person to serve in the Legislature. The past month has been an absolute whirlwind of activity and there are many accomplishments to be celebrated. There are also some pieces of legislation that failed to pass this year that I will work on in the future. I will be in touch soon about some events I have coming up in the district. I look forward to meeting many of you and getting reacquainted with those I already know.
 Photo: Speaking in favor of Senate Bill 1510
This session, I requested funding for a new aquatic center in North Portland to fill the gap left by Columbia Pool closing. Along with Representative Dexter, I put out a call for community support of my budget request for a new North Portland Aquatic Center. I believe this effort played a large role in our success. This project was allocated $15 million in lottery bonds which may not have been our full ask but is a huge win for the project. Portland Parks and Recreation has committed to securing the additional $23 million to complete the project. I will continue to work with Portland Parks and Recreation to ensure community engagement and that this project is finished as soon as possible. Willamette Week covered this funding allocation here.
I will be joining Friends of Columbia Park on Monday, March 14 for a discussion about this project. You can get more information and register here.
Below are some bill highlights and status updates. This session is over but I am already preparing for the next one and considering concepts for new legislation. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any thoughts, questions, or ideas.
My Priorities That Passed This Session:
HB 4002: Farmworker Overtime Pay
HB 4003: Nursing Workforce
- For more information on this bill you can find the press release here.
HB 4045: Community Violence Prevention
HB 4052: Racism as a Public Health Crisis
HB 4067: Urban Flood Safety and Water Quality District
SB 1510: Transforming Justice
SB 1567: Fuel Storage Seismic Vulnerability
SB 1555: In-home Nurse Visits for Newborns
- Requires health insurance plans to cover the full cost of at least one in-home visit by a public health nurse. New parents may request the visit soon after delivery of their baby.
HB 4098: Expansion of Statewide Comprehensive Addiction Treatment Plan
- Adds several state agencies to the list that reports to the Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission, requires quarterly reports on these agencies' process and outcome measures
HB 4134: In-network Insurance Coverage for Birth Services
- Requires insurance plans to cover out-of-network labor and delivery services, as well as medical transport, when individuals are diverted from an in-network facility due to state or federal public health emergency
My Priorities That Did Not Pass This Session:
HB 4122: Grants for DACA Application Renewals
- Establishes grants for DACA recipients for specified purposes related to DACA application and renewal
- Passed out of its first committee on 2/8/22 but did not make it out of Ways and Means
HB 4147: Restoring the Right to Vote
- Restores the constitutional right to vote to people convicted of felonies, allows them to register and vote while incarcerated
- Did not make it out of the House Committee on Rules by the deadline
HB 4112: Ethnic Studies Training for Teachers
- Provides funding for professional development opportunities in ethnic studies for educators, allows Department of Education to use funds for training on new ethnic studies standards implemented by the department
- Passed out of its first committee on 2/14/22 but did not make it out of Ways and Means
SB 1566: Legislator Pay Equity
- Ties the annual salary of legislators to the average Oregon wage to enable more people from diverse backgrounds to serve in public office
- Passed out of its first committee on 2/24/22 but did not make it out of Ways and Means
Houselessness is the top concern for many of you and I know it can seem like solutions are coming too slowly. There are lots of moving parts at multiple levels of government, including lots of new housing from the bonds passed by voters and the Behavioral Health Resource Center in downtown Portland. Commissioner Ryan has also proposed Safe Rest Villages throughout the city. Two of the six locations are in North and Northeast Portland:
- 9827 NE Sutherland Avenue
- Two acres of safe RV parking
- This is the first location of this type and is meant to reduce the number of recreational vehicles parked along our roadways and in our neighborhoods
- 6631 N Syracuse Street
- Located next to the Peninsula Crossing Trail
Oregon has a big gap to make up in available shelter space in relation to the amount of people suffering from houselessness. This means we have a lot of unsheltered people, most of whom end up in situations of unsanctioned camping. Below you can see a map of shelters in Portland in 2015 and October 2021. We are making progress but there is still a lot of work to be done. I will continue to follow the City’s progress on the issue and see what additional steps the legislature can take to continue to address these issues.
 This session, I supported a $400 million investment to address homelessness and connect people with shelter and critical services, build on investments to increase the supply of affordable housing, and keep Oregonians in affordable homes. I also supported investments to help our youth experiencing homelessness and House Bill 4123, which creates a coordinated and regional response to homelessness across the state.
Thank you to everyone who has engaged with my office this session. My staff and I will be working in the coming months on legislative concepts for the 2023 Legislative Session. Please let us know if there are issues that you would like us to look into. My office is also available to assist if you have any issues with state agencies or need help with certain resources. Please reach out to my office if you need assistance. We will be hosting a Town Hall in the coming months. Please keep an eye out for more information on that event.
Kindly,
 Travis Nelson
State Representative
House District 44
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1444
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-275, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.TravisNelson@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/nelson
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