Legislative Session Begins at the Capitol!
On Monday January 9th, I was sworn in as State Representative for Oregon's House District 11 in the 82nd Legislative Assembly. Our Legislative Session officially kicked off last Tuesday. I am proud and humbled to serve my friends and neighbors in District 11,and thank them for once again placing their confidence in me with their vote.
My oath was to serve you with the best of my ability—so help me God—and my request of you is to help me do just that. As we move through session, always remember my office is here as a resource to you (if you're having issues with a government agency, or if you want to know how best to engage in the legislative process to make your voice heard), but also just letting me know how you feel about bills and what your priorities are is exactly what shapes my views on how best to represent our district.
Please never hesitate to reach out if my office can ever be of any assistance. I hope to hear from you!
Committees:
This session, I am proud to serve on five committees. They are as follows:
- Joint Committee on Legislative Audits
- Joint Committee on Legislative Policy and Research
- Joint Committee on Ways and Means
- Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development
- House Committee on Housing and Homelessness.
Legislative Highlight:
There will likely be over 3,000 bills introduced this session, but here are 5 that I am working on that I would like to highlight this week:
This is an important wildfire recovery bill that continues the allowance that recreational vehicles may remain on a lot with a single-family dwelling that was damaged by natural disaster. It extends this allowance until December 30, 2030 for dwellings destroyed in 2020 wildfires.
At the moment, building on wetlands is cost prohibitive. This bill removes certain lands from definitions of buildable lands for purposes of urbanization, including floodways, wetlands, and special flood hazard areas. This ensures that the state has a more accurate calculation of buildable lands.
This legislation extends safe surrender period for anonymously leaving an infant at an authorized facility to 60 days from infant's date of birth, and directs the Department of Human Services to post and maintain signs informing public of authorized facilities and safe surrender provisions.
Oregon is the only State without an impeachment process for executive officials. This legislation seeks to change that, by adding a constitutional amendment that grants impeachment power to the Oregon Legislative Assembly.
This bill is a reintroduction of HB 4097 from last year, where we had 30 sponsors in the House alone, and bipartisan-bicameral support. It would create a $1,000 tax credit for volunteer firefighters, which our rural communities rely on for emergency services. It has a hearing this Thursday!
THE 2023 OREGON HOUSE REPUBLICANS
The 2022 election saw gains in the House and Senate Republican caucuses—enough to break the super-majorities in both Chambers! We are optimistic of being able to better protect Oregonians from more tax burdens during this costly period of inflation.
As you may know, Oregon's paid family leave program (Paid Leave Oregon) began at the beginning of this year. If you are seeing a new deduction from your paycheck, this is why. On Sept. 3, 2023, you will be able to apply for benefits if you have a qualifying life event. For more information, visit Paid Leave Oregon : Employees : Employees : State of Oregon
 Throughout Legislative Session, be sure to reach out to me and my staff if you have any questions, concerns, or comments relating to what's going on in Salem.
A great resource for staying in the loop with what's going on here at the Capitol is by using OLIS. Below is a brief primer for what it's used for. It's a public resource, so use it to your advantage!
Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS)
The first place to go when you want to engage in the Legislature is the Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS). It is constantly updated with the latest on what's happening in the Capitol, and allows you to:
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Search for bills in the current (or past Sessions) by: bill number, bill sponsor, or key words and phrases that appear in the bill.
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Watch committee hearings and floor sessions (live or previously recorded). Because information is constantly being updated on OLIS during Session, you may want to use the "e-subscribe" feature.
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Get updates with “e-subscribe". You will notice the option to e-subscribe at the top right-hand side of any bill or committee pages you'd like to receive email notices with any changes or updates.
For more in-depth information, please visit the Get Engaged tab on my legislative website.
Lastly, I want to thank you once again for sending me to represent our communities of House District 11 in Salem. I will always represent Linn and Marion counties to the absolute best of my ability, and you are a vital part of making that representation possible. Let's stay in touch!
 Capitol Phone: 503-986-1417
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-381, Salem, OR 97301
Email: Rep.JamiCate@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/cate
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