Greetings from House District 18!
 |
|
Election day is behind us. In this month’s spirit of gratitude, I want to thank the voters of House District 18 for reelecting me to serve as your State Representative.
|
It has been a great privilege to serve in this role since first being sworn into the Oregon Legislature in 2017. I am honored by your continued support and trust in me to be your voice in Salem. Thank you!
|
House District 18’s newly drawn boundaries include the cities of Silverton, Mt. Angel, Scotts Mills, Molalla, Hubbard, Aurora, Donald and St. Paul, as well as parts of rural North Marion and Southern Clackamas counties.
Over the past several months it has been a great pleasure to attend so many events and activities throughout the district. To hear your thoughts about the issues and challenges we face in our communities and in our state helps me to better represent your views in the legislative process. I look forward to the work ahead and to bringing you voice to the table in the coming session.
Sincerely,
 Rick Lewis
State Representative
House District 18
Oregon’s Christmas Tree District
View Previous Newsletter at: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/lewis/Pages/news.aspx
In this Isssue:
On November 10th, I attended ODVA’s Veterans Day Ceremony at the Capitol Mall State Park. On this beautiful fall morning we celebrated Oregon veterans of all eras. The celebration included a special tribute to Oregon’s Korean War veterans. Although, the Korean War is often referred to as the “Forgotten War,” the service and sacrifice of our veterans will always be remembered.
A replay of the ceremony can be found on ODVA’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/odvavet.
On Wednesday, the House and Senate Revenue Committees met for the release of the December 2022 Economic and Revenue Forecast.
Forecasters report that the baseline economic outlook calls for a mild recession to begin within the next year. They estimate a job loss total of 24,000 for a 1.2 percent decline in employment. Oregon, because of our boom-and-bust revenue volatility will possibly suffer more than other states. We are likely to see more job losses in industries such as construction, finance, manufacturing, transportation, and warehousing. These are the industries that face more impacts from interest rates. There are projected to be less losses in health care, leisure, and hospitality. Lottery, Corporate Activity Tax, and Marijuana taxes are projected to be slightly lower due to the recession.
The unexpected revenue growth seen this year has left us with unprecedented balances this biennium, projected at 4.1 billion, followed by a record kicker in 2023-25. The projected personal kicker is $3.7 billion, which will be credited to taxpayers when filing their returns in the Spring of 2024. The projected corporate kicker is $1.3 billion, earmarked for K-12 educational spending.
Storm clouds are on the horizon and high inflation is emptying the pocketbooks and personal savings of hard-working Oregonians at an alarming rate. In the coming session, I will support economy related budget and policy decisions that will relieve Oregonians’ tax burden, rather than add to it, should a recession become worse than predicted.
You can view the forecast materials and watch a replay of the Senate Interim Committee on Finance and Revenue meeting on the Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) here. An Executive Summary of the forecast can be found on the Office of Economic Analysis’s (OEA) webpage here. The Oregon Economic Forecast provides information to planners and policy makers in state agencies and private organizations for use in their decision making. The Oregon Revenue Forecast opens the revenue forecasting process to public review. It is the basis for much of the budgeting in state government. Forecast reports are issued four times a year: March, June, September, and December.
December 7-9, Legislators return to Salem to meet in person for interim committee days. Oregon’s legislative process is dependent on legislative committees. Committees are where the majority of the work to shape legislation and public policy is done. Committees are made up of small groups of legislators from both political parties, who deal with related issues such as transportation, revenue, education, labor and economic development.
House and Senate committee members, committee chairpersons and vice chairpersons are appointed by their respective presiding officers. The Speaker of the House and the Senate President have the power to kill measures or to assign them to a committee in each of their respective chambers. The committee chairperson then has the power to determine which measures will be on the committee’s agenda. The chair also directs the committee’s staff and presides over its deliberations. In some instances, the committee chair may also appoint subcommittees.
Committee members consider the testimony of Oregon citizens; lobbyists; and business, education, and government agency representatives during public hearings on a measure. The number of public hearings held on a measure depends on the complexity of the issue.
The fate of a measure is determined during work sessions, when the committee debates and votes on measures. The committee may choose from several options when dealing with a measure. If they decide to report a measure out of committee, they may attach a recommendation to the body of do pass, do pass with amendments, or no recommendation. A committee may also choose to table a piece of legislation, thereby postponing its consideration.
You can view committee meetings live or replay them later on the Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) here.
December 21st marks the deadline for legislators to pre-session file bills so that they are first read on opening day. You can view the 2023 Session Calendar details here.
|
On January 9th the seats in the House and Senate Chambers will be filled with many new and returning legislators who will be sworn into office during Organizational Days. Oregon’s 82nd Legislative Assembly is slated to convene the 2023 Legislative Session on January 17th and must conclude its work no later than June 25th.
As a member of the North Willamette Research and Extension Center Advisory Council (NWREC), it was a pleasure to attend the Center’s annual Harvest Dinner in late September. This event celebrates the success of various research and extension programs at the Center. NWREC faculty, staff, OSU leaders, elected officials, and stakeholders come together to appreciate and celebrate the center’s efforts in addressing stakeholders needs, contributing to thriving local economies, and promoting healthy communities and environment.
A big thank you to NWREC’s Director, Dr. Surendra Dara, faculty, and staff who made this event possible.
NWREC is Oregon State University's only agriculture field research station located in the northwestern part of the state. They serve farmers in the seven-county north valley area and focus research and education on the region's most important crop systems: nurseries and greenhouses, fresh vegetables and specialty seed crops, berries and small fruit, Christmas trees, orchard crops, field Crops, and small farms. In addition, NWREC is the location for the state's only IR-4 Pesticide Registration program working with many of the state’s agricultural crops throughout Oregon. Click here to learn more about NWREC.
On Veterans Day, I attended the Mt. Angel Towers Veterans Day ceremony. Thanks to Jim Kosel for the invitation to join this meaningful celebration to honor veterans for their service and sacrifice to our country.
Prior to attending the Mt. Angel event, I had the privilege of assisting in the posting of the military branch flags at Townsquare Park in Silverton. It is an honor to be a member and past Adjutant of the Silverton Delbert Reeves American Legion Post #7, one of the oldest Legion posts on Oregon.
|
On Tuesday, I joined the Oregon Youth Authority and the family and friends of former State Senator Jackie Winters to dedicate the Albany transition youth facility in her honor. Senator Winters was committed to the success of young people in the juvenile legal system.
The event included a short program to honor the late Senator Winters, an open house, and a tour of the Jackie Winters Transition Program.
The Jackie Winters Transition Program (JWTP) is one of four step-down transitional facilities at OYA designed to prepare youth in custody for their return to the community. Youth in these transition facilities continue with education, treatment and vocational training, while also working at jobs and attending programs and events in the community.
 Capitol Phone: 503-986-1418
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-484, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.RickLewis@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/lewis
| 
