Dear Friends and Neighbors,
As we get closer to the beginning of the 2024 Short Session, it's been long 12-hour days to fit in all the people who want to meet and discuss bills and budget requests. This week alone, I've met with community partners, local jurisdictions, interested community members, and many of my colleagues. I've documented just a few of my events and meetings this week in the "Outreach" section of this newsletter.
There are some great tips that my staff put together on how to participate in the upcoming Session in the "Legislative Updates" section. If you ever have trouble finding out information on a bill or want help with participating, please reach out to my office. We are here to assist you throughout the Session! Please also consider coming to one of my 2024 Session Town Halls on February 17th! This is a great opportunity to share about what you want to see happen in the Legislature and ask questions for give comments on the issues most important to you. I will also be sharing my priorities for the Session and providing more details on the bills that I am sponsoring. Below is the flyer, which you are welcome to share with your networks.
 
2024 BUDGET REQUESTS
Last week, I shared a little about the bills I'll be introducing this Session. In addition to those policy bills, I will also be working on three very important budget requests for projects and programs I believe strongly in. You can read more about my budget requests in the below informational sheet:
PREPARING FOR THE 2024 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Today marks only nine days until the 2024 Legislative Session begins! The session only lasts from February 5th to March 10th, meaning that there is a lot of work to be done in a very short amount of time. My team and I have been preparing for the sprint to begin, but I also want to take this opportunity to share how you can be involved in the Session as well.
Visit the Oregon Legislature's Citizen Engagement Page HERE
How to Track Bills and Get Committee Schedules
The Oregon Legislature Information System (OLIS) is a great place to keep up with committees, bills, and the legislative schedule. When you go to the OLIS website, it will take you immediately to the current date. From there, you can see when the House and Senate are in Floor sessions, what committees are meeting that day, what bills are being read, and more.
From the OLIS home page, you can also look up specific bills and committees. On a bill's page, you will be able to look at it's history for the session as well as upcoming events scheduled for that bill. On a committee's page, you can see the membership of that committee, past meetings from that session, upcoming meeting agendas, and measures assigned to that committee.
Video Instructions for tracking bills and votes through OLIS HERE
All upcoming meeting agendas can be found on the Oregon Legislature's "Committee Agendas Online" page, here.
Watch House and Senate Floor Sessions and Committee Hearings HERE
How to Testify
One of the most important parts of the legislative process is public hearings. Each bill will have a public hearing as it makes it's way through policy committees. These hearings are an opportunity for experts and the public to share their thoughts and experiences regarding the proposed legislation. You can submit written testimony or sign-up to testify in the hearing. There are virtual and in-person options. More information about testifying can be found on the Oregon Legislature's website here.
Instructions for how to testify on a bill:
English instructions HERE
AQUI están las instrucciones
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IMPORTANT 2024 LEGISLATIVE DATES AND DEADLINES
With only 35 days allotted for the 2024 Session, the calendar will be moving quickly! After the start of Session, there are four important deadlines that are reached before the end of Session or Sine Die. There are two "post work session" deadlines and two "work session" deadlines. A "post work session deadline" is the date that bills must have a work session (a vote) scheduled by. This means that is has to be scheduled to be voted on by the policy committee that it is in. A work session must be scheduled before the respective chamber's work session deadline. For House Bills in House policy committees, the post deadline is February 12th and the work session deadline is February 19. For Senate Bills that make their way to the House, that policy committee post deadline is February 23rd and the work session deadline is February 29th.
These work session deadlines do not apply to Joint Committees or Budget Committees.
You can also keep up to date with Legislative dates on the Oregon Legislature's website calendar.
BIDEN TOUTS $600 MILLION GRANT FOR I-5 BRIDGE PROJECT
Today, President Biden is celebrating nearly $5 billion in funding for major transportation projects across the country as part of his Investing in America agenda. His administration is making long overdue investments in infrastructure, unleashing a clean energy and manufacturing boom, and creating good-paying jobs, many of which do not require a college degree. In his list of key projects funded, he highlights replacing the I-5 Bridge.
In addition to President Biden, the Federal Department of Transportation also had this to say about the I-5 Bridge project in their announcement today:
"The project will update Interstate 5—a critically important north-south route-- with a seismically resilient replacement of the I-5 bridge over the Columbia River. This update will make the bridge more resilient and better able to handle future challenges, including correcting structural weaknesses, seismic risks, and congestion issues, which currently occur regularly and impede both commuters and freight trucks. The bridge will be designed with specialized lanes for public and commercial travel. Additionally, the new bridge will offer accessible and affordable transportation options such as bus lanes, pedestrian walkways, bike lanes, and a light rail system to promote sustainable transportation."
I appreciate the acknowledgment and efforts of the Federal government, and as a Co-Chair of the I-5 Bridge Committee, I will continue to work hard to ensure we build a safe, resilient, and multimodal bridge that considers important economic, equity, and environmental issues.
WESTSIDE ECONOMIC ALLIANCE'S LEGISLATIVE RECEPTION
I was honored to be invited to attend the Westside Economic Alliance's (WEA) Legislative Reception, which was held on Tuesday. This reception was attended by several of my colleagues as well as professionals from around the Westside. Legislators sat on a panel where we previewed the 2024 Legislative Session. The other topics of discussion were Housing, Transportation, Economic Development Tools, Workforce Development and Apprenticeship programs. I particularly enjoyed our discussion on Transportation and what our shared values and needs are for a safe and resilient multimodal system.
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From left to right: Elizabeth Mazzara Myers, Senate President Wagner, Senator Sollman, Senator Steiner, Senator Lieber, Representative Bowman, Representative McLain, Representative Neron, Representative Reynolds, Representative Sosa and Representative Grayber
TOUR OF BEAVERTON EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER
The Northwest Regional Education Service District recently hosted a tour of the Beaverton Early Childhood Center in Tigard. This tour invited Washington County Legislators to see the work they are doing. Although I was unable to attend due to other legislative duties, my office was represented by my Legislative Aide, Elisabeth Gade.
This program is important to our community. The Early Childhood Center focuses on Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education. We were able to hear from staff, providers, and parents about the impact that these services have on families. Parents told stories of how being paired with staff helped them learn to parent, as well as the joy that they felt knowing that their child would be interacting and learning alongside their peers. The Early Childhood Center helps pair children with local preschools and helps the preschools with resources to grow their Early Childhood Special Education services.
The Beaverton Early Childhood Center is also a preschool itself. They offer Early Childhood Special Education. Here, the children have an opportunity to get into the routine of going to school ahead of kindergarten. The school also has neurotypical peers that learn alongside the children. After all, one of the best ways that children learn is from other children.
If you would like to learn more about this program, you can visit the Northwest Regional Education Service District's website, here.
Photos of the group and presenters at the Beaverton Early Education Center
LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT WITH WASHCO EDUCATION LEADERS
On Wednesday evening, I had the opportunity to attend the Washington County Legislative Summit. This event brought together Legislators, students, School Board members, and school district staff. We had the opportunity for in-depth discussions on important issues in Education, like funding, support for teachers, and school safety. We also heard some great presentations from students and staff. As a Speech and Debate Coach, I must say that I was very impressed with the student presenters.
Photos of the group and student presentors at the Washington County Legislative Summit
VISIT TO NORTH PLAINS
Yesterday morning, I enjoyed visiting North Plains and taking in the fresh farm air. I lhad a great conversation on Land Use, Housing, and Transportation with my friend and Washington County Commissioner, Nafisa Fai.
Photos I took while visiting North Plains on Thursday morning.
SUPPORTING THE FOREST GROVE/CORNELIUS CHAMBER
This week, I was proud to assist our local Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce in their efforts to receive a grant from Business Oregon. The Chamber does an excellent job of supporting all of our local businesses and is working hard to expand opportunities for our Latinx businesses and entrepreneurs by creating a Business Development Center. Read more about it in my support letter below:
BELOW: Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber Leadership - they do amazing work!
 
RESOURCES FOR INDIVIDUALS IMPACTED BY THE WINTER STORM
Last week, many people across the state were impacted by the storm that brought wind, snow, and ice. The severe winter weather from 1/12-1/17 resulted in thousands of power outages, hundreds of downed trees, and considerable property damage. Washington County has been working hard to help with clean up and repairs all week.
One of the ways that that Washington County has been helping is through the gathering and posting of resources for those impacted by the storm. These resources include storm damage repair, replacement of SNAP benefits, fixing broken water pipes, reporting downed trees, help from organizations and agencies, and avoiding disaster related scams. More information and all of these resources can be found here.
Washington County also shared a Storm Recovery newsletter, which can be found here.
WATCH THE HILLSBORO STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS
Join Mayor Steve Callaway and the Hillsboro City Council for the annual State of the City.
The community update will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, January 30th. You can attend in person at the Hillsboro Civic Center or via livestream on the Hillsboro's Facebook page.
Spanish and sign language interpretation will be available.
More information about the 2024 State of the City address and recordings of past years' events can be found here.
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WASHINGTON COUNTY VISION FOR TRANSIT
The Washington County vision for transit over the next 20 years is to serve the travel needs of people who live, work, and visit Washington County and to help more people use transit. With the goal of serving the needs of Washington County citizens, Washington County is holding an online "open house." This gives people who live in Washington County the opportunity to learn about the Vision for Transit and the recommendations, and then share their thoughts on what they learned.
More information on the county's Vision for Transit and an opportunity to share your thoughts can be found here.
REDUCED RATE PROGRAM FOR GARBAGE AND RECYCLING SERVICES
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Starting January 1, 2024, eligible households in the City of Hillsboro can benefit from a reduced monthly rate for standard garbage and recycling collection. Customers who live in a single-family home, a duplex, triplex, or fourplex and pay for their garbage and recycling collection service are eligible for the reduce rate program if they have an income at or below 185% of the federal poverty level. The reduced rate program offers a 75% discount on standard garbage and recycling collection service rates.
The application for the Reduced Rate Program can be found here. More information can be found on the City of Hillsboro's website.
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My office has compiled a list of resources for our community. You can click on the images below to open a document with the relevant links. If you know of a resource that should be included here, or you need a resource and are having trouble finding the information you need, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office at rep.susanmclain@oregonlegislature.gov.
EDUCATION RESOURCES
Click here, or on the image to the right for a list of Education-related resources. This includes links to the Forest Grove and Hillsboro School Districts, the Oregon and US Departments of Education, information on how to pay for college, student lunch programs, and much more!
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WILDFIRE-RELATED RESOURCES
Click here, or on the image to the right for important resources related to wildfire prevention and recovery. This list includes links to current fire restrictions and recreation site status maps, the Oregon Department of Forestry's fire prevention tip page, and important resources for wildfire victims.
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RESOURCES FOR OUR VETERANS
Click here, or on the image to the right for a list of important resources for Veterans, including links and phone numbers to the various divisions of the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs, local Washington County assistance, supportive and community-based groups like the American Legion, and mental health resources.
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STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Click here, or on the image to the right for links to important local and state government pages, including the Hillsboro, Forest Grove, and Cornelius city government pages. You can also access the Oregon Legislature's page, and other important state agency sites, like the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Unemployment Department, and the Oregon Health Authority.
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2024 Session - Here we come!
Yours truly,
 Representative Susan McLain
House District 29
email: Rep.SusanMcLain@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1429
address: 900 Court St NE, H-493, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mclain
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