Staying Warm and Safe

Hello Senate District 19 and beyond,

I hope you all have been able to stay warm and safe from the ice and snow battering communities across the state. Here in our community, there are neighbors who are dealing with significant damage to their homes or have been displaced due to power outages. Lake Oswego Mayor Joe Buck has declared a state of emergency. At the state level, Governor Tina Kotek has directed several agencies to use additional resources to aid in the state's response to the storm. We are going to keep doing everything we can as a state to help our neighbors impacted by this storm.

As the winter months continue, there are many resources online you can utilize to help keep you and your families safe. The Oregon Health Authority has an extensive fact sheet of best practices on avoiding hypothermia, frostbite, and more during extreme winter weather, while the City of Portland has tips on how to safely travel on snow and ice. Most cities have local safety guidance posted on their official websites and social media pages, including Lake Oswego.

Town Hall Meeting

With the 2024 legislative session nearly upon us, I'm excited to be able to join my friends Rep. Daniel Nguyen and Rep. Jules Walters for a pre-session town hall this Saturday, Jan. 20 at 10 a.m. at OHSU on the South Waterfront. There are a lot of big issues ahead of us for the 2024 legislative session and I'm excited to talk to you about what lies ahead. I'm looking forward to having a good conversation and answering as many questions as we can fit into an hour.

The legislative session starts Feb. 5, so this is the last best opportunity to meet with me before session begins.

Out in the Community

Between meetings during January legislative days, Rep. Ben Bowman, Rep. Jules Walters and myself had the pleasure of spending time with some incredible students from Tualatin High School. They shared their experiences with the Leadership, Integrity, for the Future, Today, and Tomorrow (LIFTT) program, a school- and district-based program that helps boost academic success by getting students out into the community, building relationships and focusing on personal growth.

We all know that school is more than a place where you go to learn writing, reading and arithmetic — it's a place where students begin to grow into adults who will shape their communities. It was heartening to hear that despite the education challenges caused by the pandemic, these students, with their teachers' help, have put themselves in a position to be successful now and in the future.

Headlines from your Capitol

KGW: With more storm warnings, Gov. Kotek orders more resources to help

Gov. Tina Kotek on Tuesday evening directed multiple state agencies to employ additional resources to aid in the extreme winter storm conditions spreading across Oregon. 

Statesman Journal: Oregon lawmakers hope to pass nation's strongest right-to-repair law

A group of Oregon lawmakers hopes to pass the nation’s strongest “right-to-repair” bill during next month’s legislative session.

Oregon Public Broadcasting: Gov. Tina Kotek’s first year in office was not what her critics expected

Once considered one of the most progressive legislative leaders in the country, Kotek has spent the last year preaching pragmatism over ideology.

Oregon Capitol Chronicle: Oregon Department of Revenue will start to process electronic income tax returns Jan. 29

If you would like to contact the Senate President's Office, send an email or call and either myself or a staff member will assist you. If you are a constituent coming to Salem and want to arrange a meeting, I'm always happy to meet, so please let us know well in advance as my schedule fills up quickly.

email: Sen.RobWagner@OregonLegislature.gov 
phone: 503-986-1600
address: 900 Court St NE, S-201, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/wagner