Dear Friends and Neighbors,
This is a replacement entry. We sent out a draft earlier which was not edited. Apologies for any confusion this may have caused.
The 82nd Oregon Legislative Assembly has reached its mid-session. Read below to see what I have been working on. If you have any specific questions, please reach out to me or my team via email or phone. Read to the end of this newsletter to see how!
In 2021, Oregon DHS confirmed 10,766 victims of child abuse across our state—1,094 in Marion County and 293 in Polk County. Of all victims, 42% were children 5 years old and younger. This is unthinkable and heartbreaking to know it happens in our neighborhood.
The good news? Child abuse is preventable.
This April, you can join community-wide efforts for Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Month by supporting organizations focused on strengthening families, building safe relationships with children, and educating yourself to recognize signs and react responsibly to child abuse. This information has been directly sourced from Liberty House: click here to read more.
A great way to prevent child abuse is by educating yourself and others on what it looks like therefore, helping prevent it! Sign up to get training straight from our local child advocacy center: Trainings and Community Education
Most Oregon voters, are, understandably, not very interested in the ins and outs of the legislative process. This is a kind of “inside baseball.” At times, however, such inside baseball can reveal differences in political philosophy.
Recent action on school safety is a good example.
Under Oregon’s legislative system, the party with the most seats in the House and the most seats in the Senate controls the committees and the handling of bills. The majority party can refuse to let bills be heard in committee, and sent to the floor of the House and Senate, preventing the bills from being considered by the full legislative body.
There are times when the minority party can demand a vote on a bill. This is done through a motion, on the floor of the House or Senate, to pull a given bill out of the committee and bring it to the floor for action by the House or Senate.
There are school safety bills which should be enacted into law to help enhance safety in our public schools. With some Democrats’ support, Republicans recently forced a floor vote in the House on these bills. The votes were unsuccessful but came very close. I was proud to provide a procedural “Yes” on each of these bills, because I believe they deserve to be passed in both the House and Senate and signed by the Governor. Here are the bills:
- HB 2223 required the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to transfer funds to school districts to pay for school resource officers (a type of law enforcement presence in the schools).
- HB 2704 required certain school districts to install metal detectors at the entrances of their buildings.
- HB 3354 directed ODE to conduct a study of the feasibility of hiring retired police officers as public-school security.
- HB 3261 directed ODE to study and identify sources of funding to pay for the cost of establishing a secure single point-of-entry for each public school.
- HB 3350 directed ODE to study and identify costs and possible funding services to improve school safety.
- HB 3584 directed school districts to adopt policies to provide electronic communication to staff, parents, and guardians of students attending school, when there is a safety threat.
We needed 31 votes to withdraw each of these bills from their committees and bring them to the House floor for debate. Four of these received 27 votes, one received 28, and one received 30 votes. I voted yes on all of these.
Of course, much more should be done, but these bills provided the chance to move in the right direction.
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 OSFM EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR ANNUAL SPARKY AWARDS NOMINATIONS (PHOTO)
Do you know somebody who has exceptionally improved fire prevention and safety within their community? Let’s recognize them for their outstanding work!
The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal has extended the 2023 Golden and Silver Sparky Awards nominations timeframe.
These awards honor and recognize people for their outstanding fire prevention and safety education achievements. The Golden Sparky acknowledges a member of the Oregon fire service, and the Silver Sparky recognizes a member of the public.
The nomination deadline is April 21. Include an explanation and examples of your nominee’s contributions to preventing fires and fire losses in Oregon. Anyone can submit a nomination; you do not have to be a fire service member to nominate someone. Nomination forms can be found on the OSFM’s website.
Please email nominations to OSFM.PublicAffairs@osp.oregon.gov or mail them to OSFM Public Affairs, 3565 Trelstad Ave. SE, Salem, OR, 97317.
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72nd Annual Salem First Citizen Awards Banquet
On April 8th, these amazing community members were honored! Click their names below to learn more about them.
Distinguished Service – Jim Vu and Oni Marchbanks
Outstanding Young Professional – Josh Kay and Collin Box
Legacy of Leadership – Peter Courtney
Salem First Citizen – Chane Griggs
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Saturday, April 29, 2023 @ 8:30 am-5 pm
Sunday, April 30, 2023 @10 am-5 pm
at the Oregon State Fairgrounds
2330 17th St NE, Salem, OR 97301
Free parking available in
Orange (Sunnyview Rd) and Gravel Lots (17th St)
Free admission for children 12 & under
$9 entry fee for ages 13 & up
Avoid lines by purchasing advanced tickets here,
or go to your local Wilco to buy discounted tickets.
Credit Card, Cash and personal checks accepted.
Sorry, no pets allowed. Service animals only.
Capital Chatter: Halfway through legislative session, and we have questions
Both Senators and Representatives, Democrats and Republicans, worked together to speed two high-priority packages through the tedious process of lawmaking. On Thursday, the House completed work on legislation to bolster Oregon’s semiconductor industry, sending SB 4 to Gov. Tina Kotek for her blessing. Kotek already has signed the homelessness and housing package. To read more, click here.”
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Oregon Senate passes street racing bill amid deaths from illegal races.
Senate Bill 615 passed the Senate with a 19-7 bipartisan vote and now goes to the House. The bill increases penalties for people convicted of street racing with up to 364 days in jail, a $6,250 fine, or both on the first offense. To read more, click here.
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Oregon hospitals close the books on 2022 in the red
Oregon hospitals lost money in 2022, ending the year in the worst overall financial position in 30 years, according to the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems annual report. To read more, click here.
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Oregon lawmakers pass semiconductor incentives
The Oregon Senate passed a $210 million package of support to enhance production of electronic chips in Oregon. The Oregon House also passed the bill with bipartisan support. To read more, click here.
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 VA now allows veterans in suicidal crisis to go to any VA or non-VA healthcare facility for free emergency healthcare
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. To find out more, click here.
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Chief of Staff: Michelle Mhoon.
Michelle is assisting Representative Mannix move the 93 bills he has sponsored or co-sponsored through the legislative process.
If you have questions about legislation that Representative Mannix is working on for Keizer, Salem, and Oregon or other policy related questions,
Contact: Michelle.Mhoon@oregonlegislature.gov
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Legislative Assistant: Hayley Guptill
Hayley is a great resource for all your general questions as she manages the Representative’s schedule and is involved in all aspects of the day-to day-operations of HD 21!
If you have general questions, or want to schedule a meeting with Representative Mannix,
Contact: Hayley.Guptill@oregonlegislature.gov
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Community Outreach Coordinator: Kimberly Castro
Kimberly is spending much of her time out in the field listening to the needs and concerns of the citizens in Keizer and Salem. She loves helping constituents! Kimberly is fluent in Spanish to help reach our Spanish speaking friends.
If you have questions or concerns that Representative Mannix and the HD 21 team can help with,
Contact: Kimberly@mannixlawfirm.com
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Would you like to make me aware of your position on an issue? Do you have an idea to improve our state?
I want to hear from you. Contact my team as noted above. You can reach me via email, below.
I look forward to connecting with you.
Thank you,
Representative Kevin L. Mannix
House District 21
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1421
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-384, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.KevinMannix@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mannix
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