Hello and Welcome to House District 48!

Xin chào và Chào mừng đến với House District 48!

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Save the Date for Constituent Coffee!

Mark your calendars because Representative Hoa Nguyen wants to speak with you!

Team Rep. Nguyen will be meeting at Bow and Arrow Coffee House in Damascus on Saturday, October 7th at 3pm - 4pm. You can RSVP Here so we know you’re coming, or if this Saturday doesn’t work for you, please feel free to reach out to our office for a time to connect by filling out this form.

September Legislative Days

LISTENING TO OREGONIANS: How We’re Preparing for 2024

Last week, I went back to Salem for September Legislative Days (September 27-29). While we don’t vote on bills during Legislative Days, it’s an important  opportunity for elected leaders to work on issues that matter most to Oregonians and lay the foundation for the highly-important 2024 legislative session. 

Some of the issues that will be discussed are housing and homelessness and how we’re responding; access to addiction treatments and services to tackle the drug addiction crisis by connecting Oregonians with the services and treatment they need; steps we’re taking to improve public safety; and how our investments in the semiconductor industry are attracting good paying jobs across every corner of the state. 

Child Care Alliance

Something that Representative Nguyen is excited to get started on is the newly formed Child Care Alliance that her office has created with Family Forward Oregon.

Our entire economy is dependent on equitable access to child care. Like roads and bridges, affordable, high quality child care is necessary infrastructure. Parents need affordable child care that meets the needs of their families and peace of mind that their children are learning and loved. Employers need their employees to have access to reliable affordable child care so they can return to work. 

Unfortunately, every Oregon county qualifies as a “child care desert” for at least one age group, wherein families must face long waitlists, limited availability, and are often turned away completely from accessing child care.

Without continued attention and investment in child care infrastructure, this crisis will continue to have a profound economic impact on those who are already financially vulnerable: the disproportionately Black, Indigenous, and women of color who make up the child care workforce, rural communities, and low-income and families of color who struggle to access the quality care they need.

For these reasons, I am pleased to invite you all to the first meeting of the Child Care Alliance. The Child Care Alliance will be a dedicated space for lawmakers to build, strategize, and execute a child care legislative strategy, with support from community organizations and child care advocates. 

I envision an Oregon where every family has access to affordable, high-quality, culturally appropriate child care. 

Committees During Legislative Days

This legislative session, we had a lot of informational hearings. Here is the agenda to get an idea of what we went over as we committee!

Education Committee

Medicaid funding for Special Education and other Medicaid Billable Areas That No Longer Have Limitations

Invited Speakers

Tenneal Wetherell, Chief of Staff, Oregon Department of Education (ODE)

Jennifer Dundon, Operations & Policy Analyst, ODE

Stacy Michaelson, Government Affairs Administrator, Multnomah Education Service District

James Loveland, Senior Director, Student Success and Health, Portland Public Schools

Rusha Grinstead, Health Policy & Program Manager, Health Systems Division, Oregon

Health Authority (OHA)

Susan Allen, Oregon School Employees Association (OSEA)

Lisa Ledson, parent

Shasta Kearns Moore, Medical Motherhood

Wendy Niskanen, Oregon School Nurses Association

Measure 98 implementation/CTE

Invited Speakers

Scott Nine, Assistant Superintendent, Oregon Department of Education (ODE)

Mark Redmond, Superintendent, Malheur Education Service District (ESD)

Joe Morelock, Superintendent, Willamette ESD

Sarah Pope, Executive Director, Stand for Children

Summer Learning

Invited Speakers

Jennifer Patterson, Assistant Superintendent, Office of Teaching, Learning & Assessment,

Oregon Department of Education (ODE)

Michael Elliott, School Facilities Coordinator, ODE

Parasa Chanramy, Legislative Director, Coalition of Oregon School Administrators (COSA)

Beth Unverzagt, Executive Director, OregonASK

Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative

Invited Speakers

Rep. David Gomberg, House District 10

Duncan Berry, Co-Director, Cascade Head Biosphere Collaborative

Early Childhood and Human Services Committee

Launch Update for Department of Early Learning and Care and Employment Related Day Care Case Loads

Alyssa Chatterjee, Early Learning System Director, Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC)

Cooper Brown, Chief Operating Officer, DELC

Dorothy Spence, Child Care Assistance Manager, DELC

Temporary Lodging of Children in Child Welfare System

Aprille Flint-Gerner, Director, Child Welfare Division, Department of Human Services

Chelsea Holcomb, Child and Family Behavioral Health Director, Health Systems Division, Oregon Health Authority

Anna Williams, Executive Director, System of Care Advisory Council

Youth Experiencing Homelessness Program

Claire Seguin, Director, Self-Sufficiency Programs, Department of Human Services

Kevin Lamson, Chief Executive Officer, Hearts with a Mission

Challenges and Solutions for Businesses and Child Care

Katy Brooks, Chief Executive Officer, Bend Chamber of Commerce

Mike McNally, Foundation Secretary, Willamette Valley Wine Foundation

Julie Fadling, HR Director, Siemens

Gillian Brune, Early Childhood Program Director, Siemens

Co-Location of Affordable Housing and Child Care

Mitch Hannoosh, Senior Planning and Policy Analyst, Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS)

Tanisha Rosas, Legislative and Government Relations Coordinator, OHCS

Abisha Stone, Economic Development Manager for Yamhill County, SEDCOR

Joint Subcommittee on Education

Consent Grants

Higher Education Coordinating Commission - Dislocated Worker Training

Department of Education - Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Department of Public Safety Standards and Training - State Fire Training Systems

Individual Items

Department of Education - School Infrastructure

Department of Education - Food Service Equipment

17. Department of Emergency Management - Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security

Maui Benefit Event at Portland State University

Representative Hoa Nguyen was invited to speak at Portland State University to share the important work that our office does with the Pacific Islander Community. It was a great event with a lot of music, entertainment, food and vendors! 

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MCAT Picnic

Representative Nguyen was invited to the Annual MCAT (Metro Climate Action Team) Picnic! There, she was able to meet a lot of constituents and hear about climate issues that matter to them and how Rep. Nguyen can help. The Metro Climate Action Team (MCAT) is a community of experienced volunteers sponsored by  OLCV to steward significant greenhouse gas reduction policy into law in Oregon. We were joined by Representatives in the Legislature like Representative Zach Hudson and Representative Dacia Grayber!

MCAT participates with the broad and inclusive climate and equity coalitions in Oregon and partners with others on coordinated action, particularly in regard to state legislation and policy.  MCAT actively organizes to elect and support legislators who will work for strong climate legislation. To learn more about MCAT and what they do, click here to learn more!

 

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Supporting Local Businesses and Leaders

Team Nguyen turned out to support Wonderfolk and their fundraiser to get more kids in Portland to study abroad! Representative Nguyen has worked with Wonderfolk for years and appreciates the hard work they do for children and our communities. 

Wonderfolk was founded and developed by big-hearted humans who believe deeply in the transformative power of service-based travel and know that mentoring can take an opportunity to the next level of impact.

Founded by Polly Moriarty in 2011, with Mark Bennett at the helm since 2015, the roots of Wonderfolk begin even earlier.

When Executive Director, Mark Bennett, first participated in education-based travel he was only 16 years old.  He spent a summer with a family in rural Costa Rica - deeply immersed in the culture and absorbing everything he could. He fell in love with Spanish and the life changing experience of seeing yourself and reimagining your possibilities in a new context. Dedicated to immersion and collaboration, this experience set a foundation to explore other international educational experiences, shaping his worldview, and eventually bringing it back home. Years later, Mark was living in South America and working with youth during the summer before moving to Portland, Oregon to continue his work with youth and families in the social work sector.

Wonderfolk is an accelerated opportunity for leadership development from promising young adults who most need the boost of self confidence that comes from the challenge to thrive. The goal is to expand opportunities and individual horizon lines through  local community engagement, a network of strong mentors, and service-based travel programs that are financially inaccessible otherwise. 

In order to meet this objective, Wonderfolk provides scholarships to cover the financial obligation so high school students have the opportunity to participate in international and local travel programs focused on sustainable service while discovering their own strengths and making personal connections. Plucking youth from their environment and throwing them into the field, however, isn’t doing enough. Wonderfolk has a three month mentoring component to prepare students to know how to show up in a new community with humility, ready to listen, and prepared to thrive. Upon return home, we partner with local organizations to continue to develop young leaders in the areas of Unity Through Arts, Community Health, and Our Naturehood.

Through targeted funding and targeted action, Wonderfolk partners with reputable youth-serving organizations to find ideal candidates for our Student Fellowship, learning tools for effective communication, goal management, and emotional literacy so they can thrive out of their comfort zone - at home or abroad. 

 

Thank you to all who came out to support Division Midway Alliance and their Festival of Nations! There was great food, music, activities, and vendors! Shout out to Division Midway Alliance for putting together such an incredible event for the community! It was great to see other leadership there, like Chair Jessica Vega Pederson, Commissioner Susheela Jayapal, Representative Andrea Valderrama, Senator Kayse Jama, and Portland City Commissioners Mingus Mapps and Rene Gonzalez.

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Early Childhood and Human Services Tours

September has been an especially busy month for my office as we toured a lot of facilities to see how our Child Services operates in Oregon. We started in Portland, and looked at facilities in Hillsboro, and Salem.

We would like to thank Representative Lia Reynolds and Michelle Pfeiffer at Oregon DHS for organizing the tours to share the work they do and listen to the stories of folks who have seen the benefits that ODHS does for Oregonians and how we can continue to do more for folks who are most vulnerable.

Representative Hoa Nguyen toured th Oregon Child Abuse Hotline Center and the Immigrant and Refugee Center in Portland on Septemeber 18th. Then on September 21st, she toured the Hilsboro offices of Child Welfare Prevention Teams, Parent Mentors, offices of the CPS Staff, and toured housing facilities to support struggling families. To wrap it all up, Team Rep. Nguyen went to Salem to tour the Specialty Courts and Resource Nurses facilities. We heard hours of information from all of these tours and we look forward to better service families and children by crafting future legislation inspired by these tours. We already have policy in mind, and we look forward to sharing our work with you in the future!

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Good News From the Capitol!

GOING INTO EFFECT: Laws Making Oregon More Affordable, Safer, Stronger

Here’s some good news: On Sunday, September 24, several bills we passed this year are going into effect!  These bills will make Oregon more affordable for working families; grow a strong, stable economy with good-paying jobs; and protect Oregonians’ health and safety.

So what does this mean for Oregon? To see a full list of bills going into effect, click here. Here I’m sharing some of the changes that I’m most excited about: 

MAKING OREGON MORE AFFORDABLE

 

• Oregon Kids’ Tax Credit (HB 3235): For the first time, Oregon will have its own child tax credit. This will provide low-income families with up to $1000-per-child between the ages of 0 and 5. It’s estimated this support will benefit over 55,000 children across the state. 

 

GROWING A STRONGER, STABLE ECONOMY 

 

• More Good Paying Semiconductor Jobs (HB 2009): This will create family-wage, long-term jobs in the semiconductor industry across every corner of the state. It will also keep Oregon’s economy stable and competitive in the 21st Century.

 

• A Boost for Small Businesses (SB 1048): Small businesses make up the backbone of our economy. This establishes a small business development program to aid small businesses who want to compete for Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) public improvement contracts.

 

 

PROTECTING OREGONIANS’ HEALTH AND SAFETY

 

• Funding for the 9-8-8 Suicide Prevention & Behavioral Health Line (HB 2757): Oregonians in need who are experiencing a mental health crisis aren’t alone. This law provides a stable funding source for Oregon’s two 9-8-8 call centers and helps to build out the mobile crisis response system so that services are uniformly available 24/7 across the state. 9-8-8 has resolved or de-escalated nearly 97% of calls in Oregon. 

 

Need Resources? Call 211!

Mental Health? New to the US? Utility Assistance? Housing? Shelter? Food? Call 211, use the QR code in the provided graphic, or go to 211.org

 

 

Mental Health Resources

• SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline: 1-800-985-5990 (call or text) (24/7/365) | www.samhsa.gov/find-help/disaster-distress-helplineAbout: SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters. 
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988 (24/7/365)https://988lifeline.org/ About: This lines provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones. 
• Behavioral Health Support Line: 800-923-4357 (HELP) (24/7/365)About: The Oregon Behavioral Health Support Line is a free and confidential resource for all Oregonians who are looking for emotional support. You do not need to be in a mental health crisis to call this line.
• Crisis Text Line: Text OREGON to 741741About: A free crisis text line is available to Oregonians who need immediate assistance for behavioral health support. If someone is in crisis, they can text OREGON to 741741, and they will receive a text response from a live, trained crisis counselor who can provide them with help. The line is available 24/7.
• Military Helpline: 888-457-4838 (24/7/365) | Text MIL1 to 839863 (text line only available M-F, 2-6pm)About: The Lines for Life Military Helpline offers help and hope to all military-connected community members. Our service is free, confidential, and available by phone, 24/7. This helpline is operated independently and not affiliated with the Department of Defense. 
• Youthline: 877-968-8491 or text TEEN2TEEN to 839863 (youthline only available 4-10pm daily)
• County-level crisis services contacts About: Visit this directory for county-specific resources. 

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The swearing-in ceremony marks my official representation of the new HD48 boundaries, which includes South East Portland and Damascus areas from Kelly Butte to Powell Butte, and Barton to Carver.

While most of the Capitol building is under construction, some parts of the building will be open to the public, including committee meetings and legislative offices. All committee meetings are available (as always) for virtual viewing on the Oregon Legislative Information Site (OLIS). Members of the public can make their voices heard by submitting written testimony or by signing up for virtual or in-person testimony. You can read more about opportunities for public engagement on the Oregon Legislative website. 

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Stay Connected! 

• Facebook @RepHoaNguyen
• Instagram @Rep.HoaNguyen
• Twitter @Rep_HoaNguyen
• TikTok @StateRepHoaNguyen

You can get in touch with me directly by visiting or connecting through: 

• My Legislative Website
• Email at Rep.HoaNguyen@oregonlegislature.gov
• Call our office at 503-986-1448
• Visit my office in the House Chambers on the fourth floor, H-473

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Trong cộng đồng,

In Community,

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1448

Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-281, Salem, OR 97301

Email: Rep.HoaNguyen@oregonlegislature.gov

Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/nguyen

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