Dear Neighbors and Friends,

With Labor Day coming up, thank you to all of Oregon's workers, apprentices, and laborers who are the backbone of our local businesses and larger economy. Organized labor can change lives, support families, and transform communities.

Speaking of transforming communities, I really appreciate the good work that Coffee Creek Correctional Facility is doing in job training and skill building. Here is a picture from my recent visit to the apprenticeship program that AICs are completing through partnerships with the Ironworkers and Bricklayers unions.

Wilsonville Constituent Coffee

Thank you to everyone who came to our constituent coffee at the Wilsonville library this past Saturday, and a huge thank you to the City of Wilsonville for providing coffee and baked treats!

We had a great discussion on a range of topics including ODOT’s tolling plans, behavioral health and addressing youth addiction at schools, the new State funding I helped secure for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and what it means for early literacy in the state. 

If you missed the event but have a question or comment, please stay in touch by emailing my office at rep.courtneyneron@oregonlegislature.gov. 

Legislative Updates - Governor Bill Signing Ceremonies!

Governor Kotek has signed many of my top priority bills this summer. The policies we passed in the 2023 legislative session address the most critical issues facing our communities. 

Among the package of major wins on housing and homelessness are two bills that I chief sponsored: 

• HB 3042 - My personal priority bill which provides protections for Oregonians who rely on subsidized housing and prioritizes the preservation of affordable housing as federal protections expire. 

• SB 611 - Stabilizes rents by adding a cap at 10%, or 7% plus the Consumer Price Index (whichever is lower), keeping thousands of Oregonians housed. 

• HB 3395 - Addresses a shortage of homes in Oregon by cutting red tape for housing siting and construction and by allocating $48.5 million from the General fund to support various projects like technical assistance grants to local governments, funding affordable housing support for low-income college students, and more. 

• SB 5511 - Includes a total budget of over $2.5 billion to help the state respond to our homelessness crisis including $111.2 million for continuing shelter and rehousing services, $24.1 million for operating support to existing shelters, $136.8 million for wildfire recovery efforts, supported by a $422 million federal grant, and so much more. 

These policies and significant long-term investments will begin the work to stabilize families, seniors, and vulnerable Oregonians who are at risk of homelessness. 

I was honored to attend and speak at the signing ceremony for building stronger schools, investing in our child care infrastructure, and supporting our educators! The investments we made will support our children’s growth and development for years to come. 

You can watch or listen to my remarks in the video linked below. 

As the Chair of the House Education Committee, it was an honor to speak at the ceremony and witness Governor Kotek sign these priorities into law: 

• HB 5015 - Stabilizes our K-12 State School Fund at $10.2 billion for the 2023-25 biennium. We must continue to fight for stable calculations of current service level and fund our expectations for education. 

• SB 283 - Addresses the K-12 educator workforce shortage by improving educator salaries, ensuring job protections, funding training, and investing in apprenticeships. 

• HB 3198 - The Early Literacy Success Initiative, invests in culturally-responsive and research-aligned reading instruction, develops and expands student and family-centered early literacy supports. 

• HB 3005 - Invests $50 million to build, renovate, and expand childcare and preschool facilities across the state. This upstream investment will give providers the financial boost to make it easier to open new programs and for existing programs to expand. 

• HB 3144 - The Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Student Success Plan invests $2.1 million for targeted interventions to close the academic gap and improve educational opportunities for Oregon’s Native Hawaiin/Pacific Islander students. 

• HB 2281 - Ensures civil rights are protected in schools by designating a civil rights coordinator within each school district. Coordinators will be tasked with efforts to prevent discrimination, provide guidance on civil rights issues, and monitor compliance with state and federal regulations. 

• SB 1050 - Ensure the standards for ethnic studies and Holocaust and genocide students are implemented at the same time and provide school districts with the support to provide better curriculum for our students. 

I am committed to continuing to prioritize education and our youth in Oregon. Every child deserves a nurturing place to learn and grow, and every student deserves the support they need to achieve their career goals. 

Hundreds of bills have been signed into law this summer on priorities ranging from community safety, ensuring accessible health care, strengthening Oregon’s response to the behavioral health and addiction crisis and more. 

In the District

Presentation to Tigard City Council with Representative Bowman 

This summer, I’ve been presenting to each of our district’s city councils to share a recap of the legislative session accomplishments, complexities, and future work. Rep Bowman and I both serve the City of Tigard and it was great to share our updates with them together. 

Tour of Tigard’s Art Rutkin Elementary 

The newest school in our district is Art Rutkin Elementary! They will welcome their first class of Rutkin Rams next week. Principal Jamie Kingery and Superintendent Rieke-Smith gave me and Representative Bowman (former TTSD School Board Chair) a tour of this fantastic new facility! Many teachers had already set up their classrooms and they inspire! I was so impressed with the inclusive playground, the energy efficiency features, the beautiful library, and the gorgeous setting of this school that will serve families and grow with West Bull Mountain and Tigard’s River Terrace neighborhoods. 

Best of luck to all students and staff starting back to school at this time of year! 

End of Session Town Hall in King City

Thank you to everyone who attended the Joint End of Session Town Hall in King City! We had a fantastic discussion as we reflected on our accomplishments, community investments, and challenges from the 2023 Legislative Session.

Team in Transition

I want to thank my Legislative Director, Pablo Nieves-Valenzuela and my Legislative Assistant, Sara Kim, for their many years serving House District 26. These two have been an incredible team, supporting each other, me, constituents, and the work of our office through the 2020-2023 legislative sessions, the pandemic, constituent services, critical outreach, and complex policymaking. They are ready for their next career steps. I am so excited for Sara who will be working next door as Chief of Staff for Representative Hai Pham, and for Pablo who is pursuing government relations work on topics he is most passionate about. I wish them the very best in their next endeavors and hope that our work continues to intersect in the years to come! These two have shown up every day with compassion, integrity, and professionalism that I admire. I am so grateful for their service and for the fact that they have stayed on through the month of August to prepare Marcella Martinson to take over their work as our new HD 26 Chief of Staff! 

Marcella joins the team with a background in early childhood education, before and afterschool programming, leadership roles in community organizing, and graduated Summa Cum Laude from PSU with a major in Public Affairs and a minor in Economics. While Marcella is raising her family in West Linn, she was a rockstar Legislative Assistant for coastal Representative David Gomberg during our 2023 session. I’m looking forward to serving House District 26 with her by my side. 

Rep Courtney Neron, Marcella Martinson, Pablo Nieves-Valenzuela, Sara Kim

Thanks for reading my August newsletter! Please stay connected through Facebook, Instagram, and Rep.CourtneyNeron@oregonlegislature.gov. 

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