Dear Friends and Neighbors, 

I hope you are enjoying summer activities and this beautiful weather. 

Please be sure to join me, Rep Bowman, and Senator Woods for our End of Session Town Hall at the King City Civics Association. I shared a lot of my accomplishments from the session in my previous newsletter, but this will be a great opportunity to answer any questions and have a discussion in our community. 

If you have any questions about the event or need any accommodations, please reach out to my office at rep.courtneyneron@legislature.gov. 

Legislative Announcements

Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact In Effect

Oregon is officially one of the first 10 states that have signed onto the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact which means that the compact may take effect and a licensed teacher will be able to teach in other participating states! 

SB 279 was signed into law by Governor Kotek as soon as possible after passage to help us remove a barrier for qualified teachers who want to stay in their profession after moving to Oregon. This Education Week article highlights what it means for schools now that the compact is in effect. We have been working on solutions to address the teacher workforce crisis in Oregon and this Capitol Chronicle article highlights some of our education workforce efforts in recent sessions. 

Woodspring Apartments Will Remain Affordable!

On July 6th, the Woodspring Apartments in Tigard was purchased by Washington County! The Woodspring Apartments is a 172-unit complex that was built in 1991. It was originally built with Low Income Housing Tax Credits and was regulated as affordable housing with a 30-year period of affordability, which ended in 2020.

The Woodsprings Tenants Association has been fighting to keep their homes affordable after a San Francisco based real estate firm, Hamilton Zanze, purchased the property with plans to raise the cost of rent to market rates. The tenants’ well-organized advocacy at the local and state levels paid off tremendously in convincing key decision makers to take action. I have been advocating for Woodsprings solutions and working to preserve affordability for similar apartments. The state made $25 million dollars available to finally purchase the property and the Housing Authority of Washington County has committed to keeping Woodsprings Affordable. 

The expiration of affordability requirements at Woodsprings in Tigard, and a similar apartment complex called Orchard Park in Salem, was the inspiration behind my Affordable Housing Preservation bill, HB 3042, which passed last month. That bill will provide additional protections for Oregonians who rely on subsidized housing and incentivize the preservation of existing affordable housing.

*Correction: $30 million for the Clackamas County Courthouse 

In my previous newsletter, I wrote the amount for the Clackamas County Courthouse allocation as $60 million, when, in fact, the amount that we allocated this session was $30 million. These dollars will help us finish the courthouse project and respond to the needs of our growing county. 

In the District 

With the summer well underway, I have been spending a lot of time attending events, tours and meetings throughout our district.

I joined Mayor Fender in the annual King City 4th of July Parade! We had a blast celebrating with the community.

The City of Tigard fireworks at Tigard High school were impressive as always and the community showed up for it! It’s always good to see City Council President Yi-Kang Hu!

My kids and I highly recommend a summer trip to the Historic Butteville Store for their delicious ice cream this summer. They open early for coffee now, too!

I toured two programs aimed at building skills for adults in custody at Coffee Creek Correctional facility. Thanks to the passage of Future Ready Oregon in 2022, Coffee Creek now has an apprenticeship program for women in the trades and their cosmetology program. These programs ensure that people leaving prison have the skills that can translate to living wage jobs. These Oregonians are gaining valuable skills that will lead to stable futures when they transition back into their communities after serving their sentences. We must continue to invest in educational opportunities that build our workforce and end the revolving door effect that has persisted for far too long in the prison system.

The Clackamas Free Clinic just opened their doors for their new clinic on the Clackamas Community College Campus. This allows county residents (including CCC students) to access care even if they don’t have insurance and it gives CCC students opportunities to learn clinical skills on site. In 2020, I helped direct federal ARPA dollars for the new building in Clackamas Community College Campus to provide critical healthcare services for thousands of vulnerable community members free of charge. Now, there are bilingual medical interpreters and nurses ready to serve and the clinic hopes to add optometry and pharmacy services soon. I congratulate them for the beautiful facility that they are finishing moving into and I look forward to their grand opening on October 5th! 

In the News 

Celebrating Sherwood Alum Adley Rutschman! 

When I was in high school, two of our kindest, most inspirational teachers (Rutsch and Mojo) started their family. We all knew they would be incredible parents. I remember Mojo telling us that their baby would be named after his grandfathers (Ad and Stanley). Along came Adley Stan Rutchman! Flash forward to this week and Adley just hit 27 home runs in his first All Star Home Run Derby with his dad Rutch pitching to him and his mom and sister in the stands!

Adley has grown up with the support of an amazing family. I love how this interview of their family highlights their bond, enthusiastic work ethic, and deep connection to their community. 

Upcoming Events in the District 

Sherwood Robin Hood Festival

The Sherwood Robin Hood Festival is this weekend. Hope to see you at the Parade scheduled for Saturday, July 15th at 10 am! This is a fantastic community event with booths, food, music, a castle building contest, international archery competition and knighting ceremony. You can view the full event page here and read more about the parade here. 

Tigard Music Festival

If you’re in the Tigard or King City area, be sure to check out the Tigard Music Festival this weekend starting today, Friday, July 14th at 5 pm. Admission is free for everyone and there will be music, dancing, and food! You can learn more about the event or see the lineup linked here. 

Wilsonville Movies in the Park 

The Wilsonville Parks and Recreation is hosting Movies in the Park scheduled for four Fridays this summer! Families are welcome to bring lawn chairs, blankets, snacks and join to watch a free movie. The first one this summer is a showing of Lightyear set for this Friday at the Town Center Park. 

Hope you are having fun and safe summer adventures. Please mark your calendars for the end of session town hall and stay in touch. 

Cheers! 

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1426
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-281, Salem, OR 97301
Email: Rep.CourtneyNeron@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/neron