Friends and neighbors,

As of March 6th we now have floor session every day. The pace has certainly picked up but it is rewarding to see all of the progress being made. March 17th is our next legislative deadline. In order for a bill to be heard in committee by the first chamber deadline (April 4), it has to be posted on an agenda for a work session by this date. This timeline does not apply to measures in Rules, Revenue, and Joint Committees​. 

We are beginning to hear more controversial bills in the coming weeks regarding abortion, homelessness, and gun laws. I do not take any of these topics lightly and as always, I do my best to seek input from constituents of House District 24. 

In the next month, lots of changes are taking place in regards to COVID-19. Executive Order 22-44, which allowed hospitals flexibility to respond to an increase in respiratory infections (COVID-19, RSV, and influenza), expired on March 6th, 2023. Oregon will also be lifting the mask mandate for health care facilities on April 3rd. For more updates from the Oregon Health Authority click here.

My newsletter and social media accounts are a great way to stay up to date with what is going on in my office and in the Capitol. To make sure that you never miss an update, click here to subscribe to my newsletter. 

McMinnville High School College and Career Readiness Day

On March 1st I had the opportunity to speak to 400 Juniors at McMinnville High School as part of their college and career readiness day. I shared my experience so far in the legislature and talked about what led me to run for office. In order to give the students a better understanding of what goes on in the Capitol I decided to form a mock committee meeting. Two students were asked to present their arguments in support or opposition to HB 2426.

This bill would allow Oregonians to have the option to pump their own gas. I was very impressed by the arguments presented by both sides and enjoyed getting to see them thinking on their feet. After the arguments, the 7 person committee took a vote. The results were 6 "ayes" and 1 "nay", so the bill was "passed" out of the committee. Such a fun experience, thank you McMinnville High School for this opportunity!

Meet & Greet with Willamina Superintendent

I had the pleasure of meeting up with Carrie Zimbrick, Willamina Superintendent, at my office in district. Coincidentally we wore matching outfits that day! I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and I look forward to working together to continue improving education for kids in our district.

Oregon Winegrowers Association Event

Quick selfie with Representative Goodwin and our shared staff member, Anna, during the Oregon Winegrowers Association Event. It was so fun to see familiar faces from some of my favorite wineries in the district!

Lutheran Community Services Northwest: A Family Place

Relief Nurseries play an integral role in our communities by maximizing family resilience and preventing the abuse and neglect of young children. I was excited to have my daughter, and future School Psychologist, Lily, join in on this meeting with me! Families are stronger together and I am thankful for the hard work being done by this group of people and many more.

Cherry Blossom Day Returns to the Capitol

Head on over to the Capitol Mall this Saturday, March 18th between 11am - 2pm. There will be face painting, Ikebana demonstrations, origami, opportunities to learn more about Martial Arts and much more!

Corporate Activity Tax "CAT tax"

HB 2433: Currently, the Corporate Activity Tax applies to taxable commercial income in excess of $1 million. I am a proud sponsor of HB 2433 which would increase the exempt amount and filing threshold from $1 million to $5 million. These changes would apply to tax years that land on or after January 1st, 2024. This is a necessary step to promoting and protecting small local businesses. 

Mental Health Crisis Remonstrance

On March 9th I spoke in front of my fellow legislators about the ongoing mental health crisis that continues to impact our communities around Oregon. This remonstrance was only the first of many actions I plan on taking to address this issue. Click here to listen to my remarks. 

Buy America Bill

As a small business owner and proud American, I firmly believe in the importance of promoting companies within the United States and making it feasible for other businesses to support them as well. I have had the pleasure of working alongside Speaker Rayfield who has joined me in my efforts. Earlier this week we introduced HB 3332 the "Buy America" bill which would require contractors to use iron, steel, coatings for iron and steel and manufactured products that are made in the U.S. This bipartisan and bicameral bill would significantly benefit Oregon companies including Cascade Steel located in McMinnville. 

Returning Boating Access to the Newberg Pool

I am a proud supporter of Senate Bill 1071 which would return boating access to the Willamette River from Roger's Landing in Newberg. If passed, this would support the favorite water sports of many local families and attract folks from out of the area to engage with our small businesses. To learn more about this bill click here for a recent article or here to read the bill in its entirety. 

Oregon Imagination Library Project

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is a program that mails a free book to children from birth until age 5 on a monthly basis. Currently, only 18% of eligible Oregonians are enrolled in this program which is why I am a proud sponsor of HB 2872. This bill would help to administer and grow the Oregon Imagination Library project. I believe that this is an important step in improving Oregon's reading literacy. 

House Republicans Send Letter to Governor on Proposed Forestry Plan

Last week, the entire House Republican Caucus sent a letter to Governor Kotek regarding the Habitat Conservation Plan proposed by the Oregon Department of Forestry. This plan would cut timber harvest in Oregon by 27%, which would negatively impact jobs and tax revenue for law enforcement, education, and infrastructure maintenance. 

Read the full letter below:

LCS Northwest Yamhill County A Family Place Ground Opening

Congratulations to Lutheran Community Services Northwest and A Family Place on their Newberg groundbreaking! The new facility will house two classrooms in addition to a Mental Health Clinic and the School-Based Mental Health Team. They had Glorie's cookies at their ceremony which were amazing as usual!

Capitol Rescue Pet Competition

HCR 8 designated rescued shelter dogs and cats as the official state pet of Oregon. In honor of this concept, Senator Sollman's office held a competition to find the top dog and cat in the Capitol family. My grandcats Aslan and Hazel ended up winning first place! On March 2nd the bill was passed by both the House and the Senate. This is a win for all of the sweet rescued pets in our lives!

Carlton Civic Center

Kudos to the City of Carlton on the official groundbreaking for the new Civic Center! The facility is set to open by the end of 2024. It will house the Carlton City Hall as well as the Carlton Public Safety Departments in addition to being a hub for local business networking, and flexible community space for public and private functions.

Stop by our office to grab a packet of wildflower seeds provided by the City of Carlton at their groundbreaking ceremony!

Grizzlies win State Championship at ProStart

Congratulations to juniors Vivo Greninger and Eva Ferrua and senior Avery Grell of McMinnville High School who won the state championship in Restaurant Management during the annual ProStart competition! Each student won $10,000 in scholarship money and will be attending the National ProStart Invitational in Washington D.C. this May. Nice work, Grizzlies!

What matters to you?

Every day I receive countless emails and phone calls from constituents about upcoming bills and legislation. My team and I enjoy getting to hear your personal testimony and I take this into careful consideration when deciding how to vote. My goal has been and will always be to represent you. Please continue to reach out via phone 503-986-1424 or email Rep.LucettaElmer@oregonlegislature.gov. If you ever have any questions about why I voted a certain way, you can look for a "vote explanation" under the respective bill on OLIS.

Seeking legal help?

The civil legal aid system in Oregon serves low-income Oregonians with free legal assistance in civil (non-criminal) cases. Oregon Law Center (OLC), Legal Aid Services of Oregon (LASO), and Center for Non-Profit Legal Services (CNPLS, Jackson County) have offices around the state that are available to help you. Resources are available for housing, family law, public benefits, court debt, employment, and consumer taxes. Click here to get access to their resources. You can also visit OregonLawHelp.org or facebook.com/OregonLawHelp/ for further assistance.

There are also several statewide hotlines for clients facing specific legal issues, including eviction, public benefits problems, and foreclosure. Tenants anywhere in Oregon whose landlord has taken them to eviction court can call the Eviction Defense Project line at 888-585-9638 or email the Project at evictiondefense@oregonlawcenter.org to seek legal help. Tenants should leave a message on the intake line or by emailing with their name, date of birth, and eviction case number.

The Oregon Public Benefits Hotline statewide hotline, available at 1-800-520-5292, provides legal advice to low-income people living in Oregon who are having problems with government benefits. Lastly, the Oregon Homeowner Legal Assistance Project is available at 1-855-503-2598, they provide free or reduced-cost legal services to low- and moderate-income Oregonians whose homeownership is at risk due to economic factors caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Emergency care for veterans

As of January 17th, veterans in acute suicidal crisis can now go to any VA or non-VA healthcare facility for emergency health care at no cost — including inpatient or crisis residential care for up to 30 days and outpatient care for up to 90 days.

Veterans do not need to be enrolled in VA health care to use this benefit. This expansion will increase access to acute suicide care for up to 9 million veterans who are not currently enrolled in the VA system. 

If you or someone you know is struggling: Don’t wait. Reach out. Visit www.va.gov/REACH for resources and information, or call 988 (then press 1) to quickly connect with caring, qualified crisis support 24/7.

I continue to enjoy meeting with members of the community when I am in the district on Fridays. In the coming months I hope to host a more informal "constituent coffee" event where anybody can stop by to catch up with me. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more details!

All my best,

Representative Lucetta Elmer
House District 24

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1424
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-374, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.LucettaElmer@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/elmer

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