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Friends and neighbors,
Our community is grieveing for the families of the seven farmworkers who were killed last week in a devastating car wreck that happened on I-5 near Albany. In their honor, I recently held a moment of silence on the House floor.
Transportation is a leading cause of death in our agricultural worker community. We must ensure that there are safe housing options for these workers close to where they work. This will minimize the risk of transportation tragedies like this one to happen.
That is why I supported HB 2001 early in the session, which allocated funding to build farmworker housing closer to farms. I now have chief-sponsored House Bill 3555 with Representative Dexter (D-Portland). This legislation would dedicate $10 million to build community-based farmworker housing.
The Oregon Farm Bureau has started a GoFundMe (www.gofundme.com/f/OFB-farmworker-families), where 100% of the proceeds will go to help the families get through this difficult time. Please consider contributing if you are able.
While I continue to advocate for education funding (more on that in a moment), the recent revenue forecast was great news for taxpayers also. If projections hold, Oregon taxpayers will receive a $5.5 billion kicker, the largest kicker refund in Oregon history.
It's hard to say yet what that means exactly for you, but earlier this year, when economists estimated a $3.9 billion kicker, Oregonians with an income of $33,000-$58,000 could receive about $820 back.
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Finally, I wish you and your family a Happy Memorial Day. This weekend isn't simply about barbeques, but about remembering and honoring those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with comments, questions, or concerns at 503-986-1422 or Rep.TracyCramer@oregonlegislature.gov.
Talk soon,
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Tracy
 Watch Tracy talk to KATU News about her fight for more education funding. Watch an additional, longer segment here.
There is no more important budget item than investments in our children’s education. Teachers and administrators have been clear that they need at least $10.3 billion to maintain service to students and parents at the current level.
The Governor's budget would have shortchanged schools by $400 million. Legislative budget leader's plan will underfund them by $100 million. That is a step in the right direction, but this planned budget still doesn't cut it. Superintendents in our community have told me how anything less than $10.3 billion will result in staff and program cuts. At a time when kids are still recovering from lost learning from school shutdowns, we cannot to afford to cut programs that will help them get back on track.
I have been advocating for students by proposing amendments and bills to give them the full funding they need. After I introduced House Bill 3627 – a bipartisan bill to allocate $10.4 billion to our schools – and the latest revenue forecast revealed that tax revenues are way up, only then did Legislative budget leaders increase their plan from $10.1 to $10.2 billion. Despite being a bipartisan bill, House Democrats unfortunately voted the bill down on the floor.
I won't settle for these incremental steps. We need bold action, especially when the state has plenty of money to prioritize our students. We shouldn't have to wait until we receive an unexpected revenue forecast to prioritize education. We should always plan to fully fund our schools, not give them the leftovers.
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Last week, the House voted on four bills that would have made our communities safer. Unfortunately, none of the bills moved forward.
It's no secret that Oregon has a serious drug problem. Measure 110 has left thousands of Oregonians behind by increasing access to dangerous drugs, while failing to get those struggling with addiction into treatment. A recent analysis from Willamette Week showed that the system has helped only five people in Multnomah County get into drug treatment and only 37 statewide.
According to a recent statewide poll, 63% of Oregonians support reforming Measure 110 to reinstate criminal penalties for drug possession while still funding services. HB 2310 would have done exactly that. I was proud to support the bill, but unfortunately, it failed on a vote of 30-30.
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Take a look at just a few of the headlines from last week in the media:
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Last week was National Police Week. I want to thank all those who have served and continue to put their lives on the line to make our communities safe.
I have had the pleasure of meeting with nearly all of our local leaders of law enforcement over the last six months, and I admire them and their officer's dedication to our communitites.
From top left to bottom right: Tracy with Marion County Undersherrif Jeff Wood, Woodburn Police Chief Martin Pilcher, Gervais Police Chief Mark Chase, Salem Police Chief Trevor Womack, and representative from the Oregon Coalition of Police & Sheriffs (ORCOPS).
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Last week, in honor of National Armed Forces Day, the Oregon National Guard held ceremonies on the Capitol Mall to celebrate the sacrifice our military made for us. The events included an F-15 flyover and a firing of a 105mm M119 in a salute to all those who serve. |
The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) is seeking input on a statewide special education Individualized Education Program (IEP) system. Currently, multiple systems are in use throughout Oregon (e.g., Edupoint/Synergy, IEP Plus, ORSPED, SEAS, TieNet, ePEP, eSchool, TylerSIS). This initiative is not tied to any specific special education software system or existing project. Rather, the purpose of this survey is solely to understand the opinions of the education community about the possibility of a statewide IEP system in Oregon.
A statewide special education IEP system would be an online system that allows schools and districts across the state to manage and share special education student records electronically. It would serve as a central repository of student special education data, including IEPs, assessment results, and other important information.
The purpose of a statewide IEP system is to improve communication and coordination among schools and districts, streamline processes for tracking and updating student records, and make it easier for educators and administrators to access the information they need to support all students. The goals of this engagement are to:
- Understand the social validity of a statewide special education IEP system among Oregon’s education community;
- Identify the aspects of a statewide special education IEP system that are most appealing among Oregon’s education community; and
- Understand the barriers to moving to a statewide special education IEP system.
Your participation in this survey and engagement will help ODE gain a better understanding of the education community's views and will inform our decision-making process. We invite you to share your thoughts by participating in the virtual engagement session and/or the online survey.
The virtual engagement session information is below:
Date: June 6, 2023 Time: 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. Registration Link: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItdemspz8iG7LZe38N3V1PE833NnZes7Y
Information about the online survey is below:
Survey Link Survey Closes: June 15, 2023 The survey is anonymous and is expected to take 5 - 15 minutes to complete.
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Got to hang out with Hootie from Oregon Tech this week!
AS we get toward the end of session, bills are reaching the end of the legislative process and that means a lot of time on the floor for debate and voting. On Thursday, the House Speaker asked us to hold on our calendars to potentially be on the floor until 8 PM to work through a backlock of bills.
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Capitol Phone: 503-986-1422
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-376, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.TracyCramer@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/cramer
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