Rural Northwest Oregon Capitol Updates Vol 27

Senator Suzanne Weber

Hello Neighbors and Friends,

Much has been accomplished, and there is much to address still as we are approaching the final bell on the 82nd Legislative Session.  We have less than one week of the session remaining and you can rest assured that we will be making the most of it. 

Once the session is over, my goal is to spend as much time in the district listening to constituents and hearing about the unique needs of our diverse communities.  My staff is working on scheduling Town Hall meetings throughout the district.  As they confirm dates and locations I will be sure to add them to my summer events list that I will share in my newsletter and on my social media pages.  

As you can see I have many community events already on my calendar and hope to see as many of you as possible at each of those.  I would love to make it to as many as possible. Please email any invitations and details to Sen.SuzanneWeber@oregonlegislature.gov  and I can try and get it on my calendar. Here are a few of the scheduled events I already plan to attend over the summer.  

Summer Events
June 24th June Dairy Parade – Tillamook
July 1st Clovers Day Parade – Cloverdale
July 4th Clatskanie Parade and Warrenton Parade
July 11th Town Hall Warrenton Community Center – Warrenton
July 15th Dory Days Parade – Pacific City  
July 22nd Garibaldi Days Parade – Garibaldi
July 25th Town Hall – Tillamook Location TBD
August 1st - 5th Clatsop County Fair – Astoria
August 5th Black Tie and Blue Jeans – Columbia County
August 6th Vernonia Days Parade – Vernonia
August 9-12 Tillamook County Fair – Tillamook
August 12th Regatta Parade – Astoria
September 16th Liberty Theater Fall Gala – Astoria


Happy Fathers Day! 

Happy Fathers Day

This Sunday we celebrated Father’s Day as we normally do this late into June. It is a day to show our appreciation for everything that Dads do!


Local Matters


New Hillsboro Hops venue will bring big buck to Washington County, economists say

Baseball

Mortenson, SRG and Populous are the design team working to design the stadium. (Courtesy Hillsboro Hops)

The new Hillsboro Hops venue is being worked on and projections are beginning to materialize in terms of the amount of revenue the stadium will be able to generate for Washington County. An economic study performed by ECONorthwest, a Portland-based economic consulting firm, found that the construction of the $120 million new ballpark will result in $190 million in total economic output in Washington County. It’s expected the construction will support 982 full-time jobs with a payroll of over $82 million and $5 million in state and local taxes. You can read more about this developing project here.


National History Bowl: Rainier Jr./Sr. High School Students Capture Second Place

I am proud to say that The RJSHS History Bowl Team has returned from the National History Bowl in Arlington, VA, taking home second place from among more than 250 teams. Approximately 1,000 students from all 50 states competed, proving to be quite the competition. It is great to see students from all over the country compete, but it is especially wonderful to see our own local students do so well!

History Bowl

The RJSHS History Bowl Team Teancum Tygret, Alora Jefferson, Joseph Bach, Logan Goddard, Coach Andy Demko, Mrs. Stout, nad Mr. Tygret (not pictured).

The RJSHS JV History Bowl Team recently qualified for the International History Olympiad in Rome, Italy July, 2023 and is raising funds to assist with travel costs for the upcoming competitions. If you would like to help the team as a sponsor be sure to contact their advisor Mr. Demko via email at andrew_demko@rsd.k12.or.us or you can send sponsorships directly to: 

RJSHS Jr. Rho Kappa
28170 Old Rainier Rd. 
Rainier, OR 97048.


Rainier Rho Kappa honor students recognized at city council meeting

Rainier Mayor Jerry Cole and the city council honored more than a dozen Rainier students from Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society and the history club at the regular May city council meeting last Monday night. Cole presented each student with a certificate as he read their name aloud with family looking onward in the audience. It is wonderful to see our local students get such high praise from members of their community and is a testament to their efforts. Great job! You can read more about the meeting here.

Kappa

Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society students from Rainier Jr/Sr High School.

For those who would like to help support the Chapter of Jr. Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society you can reach out by contacting their advisor Mr. Demko via email at andrew_demko@rsd.k12.or.us or sponsorships can be sent directly to:

RJSHS Jr. Rho Kappa
28170 Old Rainier Rd. 
Rainier, OR 97048


St Helens Kiwanis Parade

It was such a joy to participate in the 2023 Kiwanis Community Parade in St. Helens this weekend. While we were in the area I was able to visit Lifempowered and hear about the good work they do. I am so impressed with the staff and their dedication to serving their community members. Please take a look at their webpage to learn more about who they serve and how they impact the community. https://lifemp.org/about-us

Parade

From the District


Don't forget to check out my most recent From the District! 

From The District with SW State Senator

 

You can listen on SoundCloud or view the episode over on YouTube.

Soundcloud

Other Matters


DMV Data Breach

If you haven't already been made aware, DMV had a sizable data breach.  I am very disappointed in this situation as I'm sure many of you are as well.  The information below is from the DMV web page.  

https://www.oregon.gov/odot/DMV/Pages/Data_Breach.aspx

There was a recent international attack which exploited a vulnerability in a private company’s software product called MOVEit. The software is used to securely send and receive data. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), other government agencies, and many other private companies use this software. Hundreds of organizations in the United States and around the world were hit by this attack, and some Oregon DMV data was stolen. As soon as ODOT learned of the MOVEit vulnerability, we promptly initiated additional security measures to safeguard our systems. 

Some publicly available information was included as well as some personal information (PI). Individuals should assume information related to their active license or ID card information is part of this breach.  

Under federal law, you have the right to receive a free copy of your credit report every 12 months from the three consumer credit reporting companies. A credit report can provide information about those who have received your credit history. You may request a free credit report online at www.annualcreditreport.com or by telephone at 1-877-322-8228.  

When you receive your credit report, check for any transactions or accounts that you do not recognize. If you see anything you do not understand, call the telephone number listed on the credit report or visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Web site on identity theft at http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/. Additionally, you may wish to ask each of the three credit monitoring agencies to freeze your credit files. 

Equifax: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services  or 1-800-685-1111

Experian: experian.com/help  or 1-888-397-3742 

TransUnion: transunion.com/credit-help or 1-888-909-8872   

ODOT is working closely with state cyber security services and a third-party security firm to ensure that our data stores remain secure. Law enforcement has been notified.

Oregon DMV issued guidance for people who think they have been affected by the Oregon DMV Hack. You can find more information here.


Fire Fighter Memorial

This last Thursday I had the honor of attending the 2023 Fallen Firefighters Memorial ceremony. Sadly, this year two new fire service member names were added to the memorial wall: Fire Fighter Austin G. Smith and Fire Fighter Logan H. Taylor. Smith and Taylor represent the 175th and 176th line-of-duty deaths approved for the memorial wall from as far back as 1881. Many other names were called during the Roll Call of Honor, amongst them was Robert. A. Hales who served in Columbia County as part of the Scappoose Rural Fire Protection District. 

Since September 9, 2006 the Oregon Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial has stood as a reminder of the sacrifices made by the brave firefighters who died in the line-of-duty serving and protecting our communities as well as protecting our vital natural resources around the state. You can find more information about the memorial here.

Memorial

Oregon Legislative Info​rmation System


Both committee hearings and floor proceedings are available to watch online. You can track bills and be notified when a hearing is scheduled. I recommend spending some time learning about it by visiting Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS). Links to the instructional videos for each of the "How To" lines below are included in the attachments.


Stay Connected

Don’t forget to follow me on my social media pages! That is one of the best ways to keep up with what I am up to. I post regular updates and commentary about local and statewide issues. Below you will find several links. Feel free to follow me on whichever platform you prefer.


We are here for you! 


Please email or call and my staff will get you on my calendar. We are here to help! If you have a problem, question or comment, please feel free to email me at sen.suzanneweber@oregonlegislature.gov or suzanne@weberfororegon.com.


Capitol Phone: 503-986-1716  District Phone: 503-300-4493
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-405, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Sen​.SuzanneWeber@oregonlegislature.gov
Website:  ​https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/weber/​