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Dear Friends and Neighbors:
Happy April. I hope you all had an incredible week. Here's what happened in Salem:
 Photo courtesy of the Oregon State Legislature
In order for a policy bill to move forward this session, it needed to be voted out of committee no later than Tuesday, April 4th. As a result, the House Committee on Business and Labor as well as the House Committee on Higher Education were busy this week moving numerous pieces of legislation forward.
The Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development received a presentation from the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission.
The Joint Committee on Semiconductors received an update on the work of the Research and Development Tax Credit Work Group.
I am excited to report that the Oregon CHIPS bill, SB 4, passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support. This is historic legislation that will allow Oregon innovators and businesses to access billions of dollars in federal incentives to grow domestic semiconductor manufacturing. We moved SB 4 forward early in the legislative session to ensure that Oregon businesses will be able to apply for the first round of federal funds. While the bill does not include everything I was hoping for, it is an essential first step on the road to growing and sustaining the semiconductor sector in our state for many years to come.
This week, two of the insurance reform bills which I am chief sponsoring passed the House of Representatives.
HB 3242 allows consumers and small businesses to enforce their rights under the existing Unfair Claim Settlement Practices Act. The bill passed 34-25.
HB 3243 subjects the insurance claims process to the same requirements as other business transactions under the Unlawful Trade Practices Act. The bill passed 36-23 with bipartisan support.
In addition, we also passed HB 2982, which allows customers to settle for 70% of the insured value of personal property destroyed in a major disaster without completing a household inventory. The bill passed 38-21 with bipartisan support.
Following their successful passage, these bills now head to the Senate for consideration.
This week, I want to give a shout out to an outstanding educator working in the Hillsboro School District. Sherie Brownlie, a Hillsboro native, teaches Hillsboro School District's Oregon Aerospace Careers for Everyone (O-ACE) program in partnership with the Port of Portland. A pilot herself, Sherie is tasked with introducing the next generation of pilots, mechanics, and air traffic controllers to the education necessary to enter the field. Pamplin Media Group recently featured Ms. Brownlie in their newspaper, highlighting her goal of getting more women and people of color into the industry. Ms. Brownlie deserves the utmost recognition for the strides she's taken in encouraging students to consider a career in the aerospace industry,
Don't forget to contact my office with any questions or feedback. You can do so via email at Rep.NathanSosa@Oregonlegislature.gov or by phone at (503) 986-1430. Feel free to also stop by in-person at office H-280. I look forward to hearing from you!
Take care!
 Capitol Phone: 503-986-1430
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-280, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.NathanSosa@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/sosa
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/RepresentativeSosa/
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