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There is No Place Like Home

Hello Friends,

I am grateful to be back in Beaverton post-session for the “Interim” between sessions of the Legislative Assembly. For the past six months I’ve commuted to Salem and balanced two full-time jobs, but now I can focus back on our local community. I kicked off my return last week by attending the first annual "Friends of Dorothy Queer Cabaret" in our district at the Beaverton Reser Center for the Arts. I can truly say, “There is no place like home!”

The 2023 legislative session was a wild ride, at times dramatic, with theatrics and ups and downs aplenty. It has been quite a learning experience for me as a freshman legislator. One of the best parts of serving in this capacity as your State Representative for HD35 has been getting the chance to hear from folks like you about the real impact of policies that we’re considering, and hearing from the civil servants on the ground doing the work to keep our communities going. I want to thank everyone who has engaged in the legislative process and shown up to participate. I do this work for you all, and I have and will continue to live my values as your legislator here in HD35.

Session Ends

I am grateful that we took strides in the right direction this session to address our housing and homelessness crisis, to ensure healthcare is treated as the human right that voters declared it is, to help Oregonians thrive, to invest in future generations, and to protect our planet. I also pushed for further reforms and dialogue about how to get to the root causes of these mounting issues. Below are some highlights of bills that I supported (many of which I also sponsored*) to help us down the path to a better future for Oregonians:

Housing

• HB 2001, the bipartisan housing package that was signed into law by the Governor early on in session
• HB 3443* prohibits landlords from terminating lease or taking other actions due to a tenant being the victim of bias crime
• HB 3462* ensures temporary housing to displaced individuals in response to an emergency  is safe and in compliance with laws relating to discrimination
• HB 3309* will bolster the number of accessible units developed under the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department (OHCS) programs
• SB 611* sets the caps on annual rent increases at 10% or 7% plus inflation for units 15 years or older

Healthcare 

• HB 2002, protects abortion rights and access to life-saving, gender affirming care
• SB1089* establishes a Universal Health Plan Governance Board, which will recommend a plan for a publicly-funded single payer health care system 
• HB 2395* will save lives by reducing barriers to accessing harm reduction through increased access to overdose reversal medication, and decriminalizes fentanyl test strips
• HB 2757* expands and provides funding for the 9-8-8 suicide prevention and behavioral health crisis hotline
• SB 1041* prohibits health insurance companies from charging for coverage of supplemental and diagnostic breast cancer examinations
• SB 546* prohibits manufacturing, sale, and/or distribution of cosmetic products containing certain toxic chemicals and classes of chemicals in our state, beginning in 2025
• HB 2925* extends the work of the Oregon Advocacy Commissions to study social determinants of health and make recommendations for communities impacted most

Environment

• HB 3409* the Climate Resilience Package (Omnibus) includes critical pieces of environmental legislation such as the Climate Resilience Hubs, to create safe havens designed by and for communities on the frontlines of climate disaster, also leverages federal funding to support local economies, protecting Oregonians from extreme weather, and driving down household energy costs for working families
• HB 3213* bans testing cosmetics on animals
• HB 2904* requires the Oregon National Primate Research Center (operated by Oregon Health & Science University) to publicly report annually on the primates in their care
• SB 543* prohibits vendors from using polystyrene foam containers in sales of prepared food
• SB 545* directs the Oregon Health Authority to adopt rules allowing restaurants to allow consumers to fill consumer-owned containers with food
• HB 3403 expands the “Toxic Free Kids Act” to regulate classes of harmful chemicals in products marketed to kids

Education

• HB 5014 and HB 5015 are investments in education services, and a record $10.2 billion budget for K-12 State School Fund
• HB 3198 invests in early literacy programs
• HB 3383* will increase membership of State Board of Education to include a member engaged as a classified staff member or education service district
• SB 819 protects access to full school days for students with disabilities 

Economic Justice and Strengthening Communities

• HB 3235, the Child Tax Credit, which gives a $1000 tax credit per child between the ages of 0 and 5 to families earning $30,000 or less
• SB 609* is known as “SNAP for Students”, it considers graduate assistant work as hours worked for the purpose of meeting work requirements in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
• HB 2573* will reduce obstacles and barriers for working folks to organize by allowing for electronic signatures in unionizing efforts
• HB 2697* is known as the “Safe Staffing bill”, it’s first in the nation legislation that requires hospitals to establish staff committees to develop safe staffing plans with appropriate nurse-to-patient ratios
• HB 3471* protects workers who suffer an injury or illness because of their employment
• SB 907* allows workers to refuse dangerous tasks and prohibits employers from retaliating or discriminating against people who refuse to work in hazardous conditions
• HB 2763* creates the State Bank Task Force to take the next step to improve our banking system with an infrastructure-focused, state public bank
• HB 3173* clarifies requirements for state agencies to consult tribes, creating a Task Force on Tribal Consultation
• HB 2793* known as the “Orphan Highways bill” establishes the Jurisdictional Advisory Committee within Oregon Department of Transportation to oversee plans for safety and traffic improvements
• SB 91 helps parents of minor children with disabilities afford to care for their kids

Dollars for the District

I joined together with fellow Washington county legislators to advocate to bring dollars to the district. We were able to get $12.5m dollars allocated for the following local projects 

• Family Justice Center/Family Peace Center ($4m) provides resources to people who are impacted by violence and abuse. The organization is working to finalize the purchase of a building in Washington County. The services this new location will provide will include child abuse services for the first time 
• Center for Addictions Triage and Treatment (CATT) ($5m) Washington County's Behavioral Health Division developed the CATT, a project designed to add critical infrastructure for substance use disorder treatment. The center will add 86 treatment beds and expand outpatient supports, including adding new culturally specific outpatient services, peer recovery services, and health services.
• Purple Pipe ($2.5m) The South Cooper Mountain “Purple Pipe Project” will include the construction of a storm water reuse treatment plant, a first of its kind in Oregon, Sterling Park pump station, and purple pipe distribution system. 
• Children’s Cancer Therapy Development Institute ($1m). Since 2015, the Children’s Cancer Therapy Development Institute has already developed two drugs in three clinical trials to treat childhood cancer. With additional funding, the Institute can expand its research and development capacity to help cure childhood cancer.

Beat the Heat

With hot temperatures in the forecast, it’s important to stay cool, stay hydrated, and stay informed! Sign up for emergency alerts to receive heat advisories and warnings at oralert.gov.  Watch for signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Please check on your neighbors, especially older adults and anyone who might have a health condition that could put them at higher risk for heat-related illness. If you are worried about a friend, family member or neighbor you can't get in touch with, you can call local non-emergency dispatch in our district at 503-629-0111 to request a welfare check.

Stay In Touch

Please stay in touch with my office in the Interim. The best way to get a quick response is to email. My staff and I will also be out and about throughout the district, so stay tuned for opportunities to meet us in Beaverton and Aloha. Lastly, we are co-hosting a post-session Joint Town Hall with Representative H. Pham and Senator Campos on August 1st. There will be options to attend in-person or virtually and translation will be available. I hope to continue to hear from you as we move forward towards a better world, which is absolutely necessary and possible.

Yours truly,

Representative Farrah Chaichi
House District 35

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1435
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-478, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.Farrah.Chaichi@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/chaichi 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RepresentativeFarrahChaichi/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FarrahChaichi