An emotional public hearing and a keynote address

Hello Friends,

Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter. Here is my weekly update from Salem:

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Hall Boulevard hearing

A huge thanks to everyone who responded to our call to action last week–over 70 people submitted testimony (which I demonstrated to the Transportation Committee by holding up a giant stack of envelopes–one for each letter–during my testimony). The hearing on fixing Hall Boulevard went incredibly well with overwhelming support from community members, local organizations, and elected leaders. You have read a lot about Hall in this newsletter, so I won’t dive into the policy details (though I covered those in my testimony). I did want to share with you what I thought was the most impactful part of our hearing. Ben Harkin offered testimony about the loss of his wife, Karen Kain, who was tragically killed in a hit and run incident on Hall Boulevard last year. There were tears in my eyes as I listened to him speak–his words underscored why this issue is so important. You can watch Ben Harkin’s powerful testimony here.

Karen Kain, the late wife of Ben Harkin. Dr. Harkin in the top right-hand corner below the American Sign Language interpreter.

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Secretary of State Update

Last week, former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan announced she would resign from office following a series of revelations in Willamette Week about her outside work and related decisions she made in her official role. The public’s trust was broken and I support her resignation. Investigations remain ongoing, but in the meantime, the acting Secretary of State will be Cheryl Myers; she will serve until Governor Tina Kotek appoints a replacement.

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Housing Town Hall

We had a great town hall on Saturday and I am thankful to my constituents who showed up to listen and ask questions. A special thanks to Rep. Maxine Dexter for taking the time out of her incredibly busy schedule (she is a practicing pulmonologist!) to speak about the work the legislature has been doing on housing and homelessness. We had the opportunity to talk about the housing package the legislature passed and how HB 2001 would benefit our community. We also discussed the Washington County purchase of Woodspring, Just Compassion, and several other housing bills.

Representative Dexter, myself, Representative Neron, and Senator woods at the Tigard Public Library

 

Afterwards we had the opportunity to host Rep. Dexter for a tour of Just Compassion, a homelessness resource center with locations in Tigard and Beaverton.

Representative Neron and Representative Dexter touring Just Compassion

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Access to Abortion and Gender Affirming Care

Last week we had a day-long debate on the House Floor on House Bill 2002, which protects abortion and gender affirming care in Oregon. There are many misconceptions out there about what the bill does.

To put it simply, this bill does the following: 

• Codifies in statute the right of Oregonians to access the full range of reproductive health care
• Protects the privacy rights and confidentiality of patients and providers 
• Closes gaps in insurance coverage for medically necessary gender affirming health care
• Expands access to health services in rural communities in Oregon, including through a pilot mobile health clinic program
• Increases access to health care on college campuses
• Allows physicians and other medical providers to practice without the interference of harassment or abuse

If you’re interested, you can watch my testimony on the House Floor here.

I know that these topics elicit very strong feelings and emotional responses from people on all sides of the issues. They are personal for many. I have listened to hours of testimony and debate on this bill, I have read hundreds of emails about it, and I’ve had some challenging conversations with Republican friends and colleagues about it. I have heard from people who hold many different perspectives. We may not agree on this issue, but I tried my best to uphold my values and represent my district when I voted “aye”. 

One thing I ask folks to remember: this is one bill out of thousands introduced this session. Granted, it’s an important bill. But the overwhelming majority of legislation, even the challenging bills, pass with bipartisan support.

Me speaking on HB 2002

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Recognizing a friend and role model

On Friday, one of my friends and role models in public service, Maureen Wolf, was recognized as Tigard’s “From the Heart” Volunteer of the Year by the Tigard Chamber of Commerce. Maureen is a Tigard City Councilor and previously served 12 years on the TTSD school board (we overlapped for two years). Working with and learning from Maureen over the last four years has made me a better leader. She is incredibly selfless and always shows up without ego. She listens carefully and asks thoughtful questions, unafraid to change her mind when she learns new things. And she does not care who gets the credit as long as things get done. A huge congratulations to Maureen on a well-deserved award!

City Councilor Maureen Wolf and me over the last four years

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Tigard Rotary Achievement Banquet

On Sunday, I gave the keynote address at the Tigard Rotary Scholastic Achievement Banquet where we honored Tigard High School students for their incredible work over the last year. Over 150 students and parents attended to celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2023. My message to the student centered on gratitude. As these students prepare to start a new chapter of their lives, I encouraged them to close this chapter properly by thanking (in writing!) the people who made their successes possible. A huge thank you to the Tigard Rotary for their generosity in supporting these students. Below I’m pictured with Ellerie, Izzy, Theo, and Quindlan–some of the most active and talented student leaders I’ve worked with. 

Me standing with Rotary achievement award recipients

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Thanks for reading,

 

 

Ben Bowman
Oregon State Representative

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