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Dear Neighbors and Friends,
It has been a busy week! I have been hard at work making sure that our north coast priorities are being represented in Salem. Through committee meetings and hearings I am becoming more attuned to the issues that we are facing as a community and I am working diligently to make sure that your concerns are being heard.
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Last week I also had the pleasure of having mayors from cities throughout our district meet with me at my office to discuss the various concerns that they have.
As a former city councilor and mayor, I have a particular interest in what happens at the local level. City Day allows us in the legislature the opportunity to get a better understanding of the issues facing our communities.
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City councilors, mayors and county commissioners are the elected officials that are the closest to voters, so they bring issues to the table that are top-of-mind to those they represent.
Now that I am over on the Senate side, I have much more wall space available! Since that’s the case, I would like to welcome every mayor to bring in a piece of their city for me to put on the wall.
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Oregon Senate Republicans recently put out a press release detailing their legislative objectives. Some of the issues that Senate republicans are focused on include, but are not limited to rising inflation, homelessness, empowering parents and students and protecting important industries such as farming, fishing and forestry. You can find more information by reading the press release below.
One of the issues that has been on my radar specifically has been the problems with the Estate Tax (often called the “Death Tax”) laws that are currently on the books in Oregon. I am not alone. 13 measures regarding the topic have been introduced so far since the legislative session began. It is clear that people are expecting change on the issue. I myself have sponsored a bill in the house to repeal the estate tax in its entirety. You can read the bill yourself here.
I also am sponsoring a bill on the senate side to exclude farming, forestry and fishing businesses from the estate tax. The Estate Tax has been a burden on our local industries and it’s time we considered giving them a break. You can read more about that bill here.
In local news, a study commissioned recently by the Oregon Coast Visitors Association(OCVA) found that nearly 90% of the seafood consumed on the coast is imported from other domestic and international sources. The OCVA in response has enacted the Ocean Cluster Initiative which seeks to promote local seafood industries and to hopefully capture more value from the local seafood economy. You can find more about this issue here.
Here is an article from last April detailing the ability for local fishermen to sell their catch to local communities and the percentage of the catch that is exported.
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My staff and I are here to help you! If you have a problem, question or comment, please feel free to email me at sen.suzanneweber@oregonlegislature.gov or suzanne@weberfororegon.com. I do ask you to PLEASE include your phone number and your address. This allows me to call you to follow up or ask any questions I might have. Your address lets me know that you’re a constituent. I get thousands of emails every week, but I always make sure that constituents get top priority. If you’d prefer, you can also call us at 503.300.4493.
If you’d like to visit me in Salem, you’re always welcome to come by! If you drop by without an appointment, I’ll do my best to meet with you, but to ensure that I don’t have any other commitments, please call or email first for an appointment. That way I can make sure to give you my undivided attention.
Thank you so much for this opportunity to be your State Senator. It truly is the honor of my life, and I look forward to being your voice in the Senate for the next four years!
Sincerely,
Senator Suzanne Weber
Senate District 16
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1716 District Phone: 503-300-4493
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-405, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Sen.SuzanneWeber@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/weber/
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