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Friends and Neighbors,
Legislative Updates
Oregon's Semiconductor SB 4A is on the move! The bill passed Joint Policy Committee on March 20, passed the Subcommittee Joint Ways & Means on the 22nd, and today passed the Full Ways & Means....next stop...Senate floor!
 SB 549: Directs Oregon Health Authority to modify amounts of grants for school-based health centers for inflation.
The pandemic increased the decline in the mental health of children and teens. The number of young people experiencing sadness, hopelessness and thoughts of suicide has increased dramatically, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the past years. In response, states, cities and school districts are using COVID-19 relief dollars and their own money to launch programs to help students and teachers recognize the symptoms of mental illness and suicide risk and build support services to help students who are struggling.
Thanks to federal relief programs, some schools also creating programs they hope will foster emotional well-being for students and increase their sense of connection to their schools and communities, said Sharon Hoover, co-director of the National Center for School Mental Health. Mental health advocates have long rued the lack of federal and state funding to support school mental health programs. Federal relief dollars to combat the learning loss and emotional distress caused by the pandemic, they say, present an unprecedented opportunity for states to bolster school mental health resources that have been vastly underfunded for decades.
SB 551: Requires school districts to provide specified information related to secure storage of medications and firearms.
Secure storage of firearms protects children and adults by preventing unintentional shootings and gun suicides. According to Everytown.org on safe storage, every year, nearly 350 children under the age of 18 unintentionally/accidently shoot themselves or someone else. In incidents of gunfire on school grounds, up to 80 percent of shooters under the age of 18 got the gun from their home or the homes of friends or relatives. Many schools already have active shooter drills, so giving information on securing these weapons can help reduce the risks and put us in a preventative space than reactionary.
Additionally, the CDC says that about 50,000 young children end up in emergency rooms each year because they got into medicines while an adult wasn’t looking. They recommend putting medicines up and away and out of children’s reach and sight, putting them away every time you use them, and to make sure the safety cap is locked.
HB 2001 & HB 5019: Affordable Housing and Emergency Homelessness Response Package
Every county in the state is grappling with a rise in homelessness due to out-of-control housing costs, lack of housing and limited shelter options. Oregonians called for action on housing and homelessness, and we delivered.
The Affordable Housing and Emergency Homelessness Response is a major, bipartisan initiative to deliver bold and effective relief in the homelessness and housing crisis. This bill invests:
- $130 million in the Governor's Homelessness State of Emergency, allowing for a
coordinated response to address homelessness.
- $27 million in the Rural Oregon Continuum of Care to provide customized support for rural and coastal communities.
- $25 million in critical support for homeless youth and families, connecting them with rental assistance, shelter facilities, culturally-specific services, and more
This comprehensive plan is financially sustainable and aims to prevent homelessness by providing support to those in need. It is also working towards Governor Kotek's goal of building 36,000 affordable housing units annually, breaking through barriers, and financing the development of affordable homes, creating jobs within the state. This critical legislation is a significant step towards ensuring that all Oregonians have safe, affordable, and stable housing. Thank you for your continued support as we work towards making Oregon a better place for everyone.
This Week's Testimony
Week 10 Committee Snaps
Joint Committee on Semiconductors
Business Oregon has now published the Statement of Interest Form on the following website: https://www.oregon.gov/biz/programs/semiconductor_CHIPS/Pages/default.aspx. Here you'll find information on the new federal CHIPS Act and updates on strategies the state of Oregon is using to drive semiconductor growth in the state. Combined with a developed supply chain and low energy costs, Oregon is a globally competitive location for semiconductors and electronics.
Wyden Statement on Treasury Guidance on CHIPS Act Tax Incentives
Washington, D.C. — Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., issued the following statement on March 21:
“When the supply chains for semiconductors broke down early on in the pandemic, it became alarmingly clear that the U.S. needed to launch a revival of chip manufacturing here at home. That’s what I designed the tax incentives in the CHIPS Act to help accomplish, and today’s announcement is a major step forward in the process of rebuilding our domestic production and economic security. Now that the Commerce Department and Treasury are laying out the rules of the road, there’s going to be a race to lock in the huge investments that come with chip manufacturing. It’s essential that the Oregon Legislature act with urgency and boldness to take full advantage of this opportunity and protect our state’s leadership in semiconductors and tech.”
Oregon CHIPS Bill Advances to Senate Floor on Bipartisan Vote - Press Release
  Senate Committee on Energy and Environment
Public hearings and work sessions were heard on the following bills:
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SB 1015: Allows taxpayer to fully depreciate, over two tax years, property that shows demonstrable reduction in carbon emissions.
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SB 525: Directs Environmental Quality Commission to adopt standards prohibiting engine exhaust and evaporative emissions from new small nonroad engines beginning January 1, 2026, unless a later date is required by federal Clean Air Act.
A work session was held on:
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SB 145: Creates sunset of tax exemption for property of certain cooperatives used to heat water by combustion of biomass.
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SB 444: Directs Department of Environmental Quality to establish Recycling Innovators Grant Program.
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SB 630: Authorizes issuance of lottery bonds and transfer of net proceeds to Oregon Business Development Department
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SB 522: Changes name of "Oregon Global Warming Commission" to "Oregon Climate Action Commission." Modifies membership and duties of commission.
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SB 543: Prohibits food vendor from using polystyrene foam container in sales of prepared food.
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SB 546: Requires Oregon Health Authority to adopt and maintain list of designated high priority chemicals of concern used in cosmetic products and to periodically review and revise list.
Senate Committee on Housing and Development
Public Hearings were heard on the following bills:
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SB 892: Amends statutes relating to housing laws and to authority of Housing and Community Services Department and Oregon Housing Stability Council, including changes to department's procurement authority and ability to provide down payment assistance.
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SB 893: Directs Housing and Community Services Department to study issues related to homelessness and to report to appropriate committee or interim committee of Legislative Assembly on or before September 15, 2025.
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SB 406: Requires certain cities in Tillamook County to allow middle housing on residentially zoned lands, to adopt housing production strategies and to accommodate estimated housing needs upon lands inventoried as buildable lands.
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SB 1051: Requires Department of Land Conservation and Development to study urban reserves.
A Work Session was held on:
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SB 225: Provides that unused portion of amount of pass-through revenue bonds authorized for issuance in preceding biennium carries forward until legislation authorizing amount of pass-through revenue bonds for current biennium is enacted.
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SB 1013: Requires counties to allow certain rural homeowners to site one recreational vehicle on their property.
Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Public Safety
Informational Meetings were held on the following:
Week 10 - Oregon State Capitol Visits to #S207 (Your Senate District 15 Capitol Office)
This week I had the opportunity to meet Major General Mike Stencel (Oregon Military Departments Adjutant General), State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple, and Luda Isakharov (former member of the Hillsboro Youth Advisory Council).
Community Outreach
Amazing Kids
Help us recognize amazing young people whose stories engage and inspire! If you know a young person who goes above and beyond in service to their community, we want to know about it. Help us tell their stories. Community is important to Pamplin Media Group and that’s why we choose to honor Amazing Kids in our local areas each year. We are looking for those special youth who rise above the crowd in all manner of ways. They might be academic champs, sports stars or entrepreneurs but most of all they are the helpers. They show through their actions the hope and promise of the next generation.
Our news team will review all nominations and select an Amazing Kid to represent each community served by Pamplin Media Group newspapers. Amazing Kids will be honored in a special edition that will be distributed in our printed newspapers, on our websites and in email newsletters during the month of May. Their inspirational stories will reach more than 425,000 readers. Nominate a kid at the link here.
Deadline for nominations is Friday, March 24.
Small Business Spotlight
In the mood for a sweet treat? Decadent Creations is a women-owned business that makes delicious pastries since 2017. Mindy Simmons' life-long passion for baking allowed for fresh quality foods that she'd sell in the farmer's market which eventually pushed her into opening her own bakery in downtown Hillsboro. She not only has her own kitchen, but opened the Collective Kitchen which is a cooking classroom to support her fellow food business owner's. Decadent Creations specializes in weddings, cakes, pastries and pies which are all hand-made from scratch. So if you're in the neighborhood, drop by for a cookie or a pie, it's a piece of cake!
Willamette Valley named one of the World's Greatest Places of 2023
By Jamie Hale - The Oregonian/OregonLive
TIME magazine named the Willamette Valley in its list of “The World’s Greatest Places of 2023,” calling the wine region “the next Napa” noting its buzzy vineyards and hailing some progressive elements in the local community.
The Willamette Valley was one of only a few destinations in the American West that made the cut. Vancouver, B.C., Yosemite National Park and Bozeman, Montana were also on the list.
To make the list, “TIME solicited nominations of places from our international network of correspondents and contributors, with an eye toward those offering new and exciting experiences.”
Additional Resources
What’s happening around town in Senate District 15? – Event Calendars
Federal Delegation Links
Education Links
Food and Housing Assistance
Be good to yourself and each other. ❤
Onward & Upward,
Senate District 15 lies on Kalapuya land. The Atfalati were the northernmost band of the Kalapuya that lived along the Tualatin River in present day Washington County. Many of the Atfalati descendants are members of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon today. The Indigenous Peoples of this land experienced a painful history of colonial violence, sickness and removal from their land. The Atfalati are the foundation of Oregon’s past and we must honor them well into our future.
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1715
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-207, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Sen.JaneenSollman@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/sollman
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