Dear Friends and Neighbors,
We are officially nine days away from Constitutional Sine Die, or the day by which the 2024 Legislative Session must end! Everyone is working hard to get their bills moved to either Ways and Means subcommittees for funding or to the Floor for a vote. This week most non-budgetary committees finished their business and met for the last time. I have finished work in all of my Committees except for Ways and Means, where bills that require a budget allocation go after passing a policy committee. I am very pleased to say that my two priority bills, H.B 4082 to fund Summer Learning and H.B. 4084 to provide educational support to foster youth, both passed out of Ways and Means today and now head to the House Floor for a vote! I provide more details about these bills in the "Legislative Updates" section of this newsletter. Also in the "Legislative Updates" section is a review of H.B. 4002, which passed the House yesterday and makes several changes to Measure 110.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER:
- Upcoming Town Hall
- Legislative Bill Updates on Education, Measure 110, and Housing
- Events Happening in Western Washington County
- Important Resources
Please join Senator Sollman, Representative Sosa, and Representative McLain for a Joint Town Hall on March 21st! They'll provide a debrief from the 2024 Short Session and take questions.
The Capitol was hopping this week! The week was full of meetings, afternoons on the Floor, and working on amendments to bills. I've had great support from our intern, J.D. Alonso, a student at Willamette!
 
SUMMER LEARNING FUNDED IN WAYS AND MEANS
This Session, I worked with the Governor's Office to ensure that there is funding for Summer Learning this Summer, and that we are laying the groundwork for long term Summer Learning programming as a permanent part of Oregon's Education system. We had an amazing coalition of advocacy groups and community-based programs that coalesced around H.B. 4082 and the need for Summer Learning funding. Together, we have worked tirelessly to make the case that Oregon's students will benefit tremendously from opportunities to learn and grow during the summer months. I am so proud of the work we did and couldn't be more pleased to say that the bill passed unanimously out of Ways and Means today with an allocation of $30 million for this Summer. I will be carrying the bill on the House Floor next week and look forward to reporting back to you when the bill is officially passed! A special thank you to Governor Tina Kotek and her staff for their unwavering commitment to Oregon's students and for their leadership on this issue.
Watch this KGW story on the importance of Summer Learning!
EDUCATION SUPPORT FOR FOSTER YOUTH FUNDED
I am happy to report that my other priority bill, H.B. 4084 also passed out of Ways and Means unanimously today and now goes to the House Floor. The bill creates a pilot program to support Foster Youth in educational spaces and provide needed wrap-around services. Foster youth face incredible challenges in their young lives, and this often translates to struggles in the classroom as well. For example, the graduation rate for foster youth in Oregon over the last 7 years ranges between 35-46%. Only 5% nationally graduate from a 4-year college, and 81% of foster youth nationally who age out experience food insecurity. H.B. 4084 proposes a 2-year pilot program designed to improve educational outcomes for foster youth and produce data to help develop best practices for a future Statewide Education Plan for foster children. Thank you to Representative Ruiz who will be carrying the bill on the House Floor, potentially as soon as Monday. Thank you to the advocates, Anthony's Circle and Self Enhancement, Inc., and the School Districts that will administer the pilot programs. This is an incredible first step to ensure that foster youth get the support they need to succeed.
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$376M INVESTMENT FOR HOUSING NEEDS
On Wednesday night I was proud to vote in Ways and Means to approve $376 million in investments for the Emergency Housing Stability and Production Package (Senate Bill 1537, Senate Bill 1530 and House Bill 4134). It passed on a bipartisan vote and then moved to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means for further consideration. S.B. 1537 and S.B. 1530 also passed the Senate on Thursday and now head to the House where I look forward to voting for them again.
HOUSE PASSES DRUG INTERVENTION PLAN
Yesterday, legislators passed House 4002, the Oregon Drug Intervention Plan (ODIP). This is a key session priority and it passed with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 51-7. ODIP gives law enforcement the tools they need to confiscate hard drugs and connect people to treatment. The bill is based on the work of the Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response, formed by Speaker Dan Rayfield and Senate President Rob Wagner in September 2023 and co-chaired by Representative Jason Kropf and Senator Kate Lieber.
House Bill 5204, the budget companion bill to House Bill 4002 and a key component of ODIP,
also moves on to the Senate floor today after passing the House with a similarly overwhelming bipartisan vote of 54-2. House Bill 5204 invests $211 million in shovel-ready projects and programs to expand behavioral health treatment capacity, apprenticeships and training for behavioral health workers, Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) in jails, addiction prevention programs and education, deflection-to-treatment programs, drug courts, and criminal justice system capacity. Read more about House Bill 5204 here.
IN-HOME SERVICE PROVIDERS BILL MOVES FORWARD
Agency with choice (AWC) is a service model for in-home care and support services in which support workers are employed by an agency but individuals who receive services are empowered to select, dismiss, and direct the support workers according to their needs and preferences. It is an alternative to the traditional agency model, in which agencies employ home care workers who care for individuals, and the personal employment model, in which individuals employ home care workers directly and are responsible for the administrative functions of managing the employer-employee relationship. AWC utilizes a co-employment model in which agencies are responsible for the administrative functions of the employer-employee relationship, such as hiring, training, regulatory compliance, and compensation, while individuals retain the ability to have personal control and decision-making over the care and support services they receive
HB 4129 requires the Department of Human Services and Oregon Health Authority to
contract with up to two entities to provide choice for in-home services to older adults, individuals with physical disabilities, and individuals with behavioral health needs. Agency with choice providers will receive reimbursement from DHS and OHA for the cost of providing in-home services, including reimbursement for direct support worker wages and benefits, and administrative costs.
I was pleased to vote for HB 4129 and it passed out of Ways and Means today.
IMPORTANT DATES AS SESSION COMES TO A CLOSE
Sine Die: "Without fixing a day for a future meeting"--the last day of a Legislative Session.
The Legislature must wrap up business for the 2024 Legislative Session by March 10, 2024. This is the Constitutional adjournment date and any bill that has not passed out of Committee and both the House and Senate Chambers is officially "dead". Here are some other important dates to keep in mind as we head towards Sine Die.
Blackout Periods: The blackout period is a time 60 days before the primary and general elections when the use of state resources for mass communications with constituents is
restricted. We will not be sending official newsletters out during this time but as we get closer to the March blackout periods, I will provide other ways that we can still keep in touch!
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HILLSBORO SUMMER CAMPS
Hillsboro Parks and Recreation are gearing up to release their summer camp schedule! Summer Camp activities will be posted on their website today and registration for Summer Camps opens on March 6th. From traditional day camps to sports, arts, nature, STEM, and more, Hillsboro Parks and Recreation have a variety of affordable activities that spark creativity. The Summer Camp season runs June 1 to August 31.
You can learn more on the Hillsboro Parks and Recreation registration page here.
FG HIGH SCHOOL'S FIRST BILINGUAL PLAY
Students at Forest Grove High School are rehearsing for their school's very first bilingual play, had its opening night on Feb. 23.
With around 5,772 students, the Forest Grove School District's student body is 68% Latino.
The play is "La Gringa"— a play she did back in high school. The play is about a young woman visiting family in Puerto Rico for the first time, a side of her heritage she's excited to explore. But her family overseas doesn't see her as Puerto Rican because she lives in America.
KGW did an amazing article on the play, which can be found here.
This play is a great way to spread inclusivity throughout our community. I want to extend my congratulations to all of the students involved in the play as they go into their opening weekend.
FG SCHOOL DISTRICT "WE CARE DEEPLY" SERIES
The Forest Grove School District We Care Deeply series consists of free community engagement and education opportunities throughout the school year. Events focus on student resilience and caregiver empowerment in supporting their students on issues surrounding behavioral health and wellness.
The next session of the "We Care Deeply" series will be on Collaborative Problem Solving® (CPS) on March 14th. Collaborative Problem Solving® (CPS) is an evidence-based method to managing challenging behavior that promotes the understanding that challenging kids lack the skill-not the will-to meet expectations; specifically, skills related to problem-solving, flexibility and frustration tolerance. CPS strategies support student attendance, achievement, and development of social and emotional skills.
The event will be from 4:30 to 7:00pm, there will be English and Spanish translations as well as available child care.
More information can be found on FGSD's website, here.
 
AGRISTRESS HELPLINE: 833-897-2474
Crisis support is now available for agricultural communities. The AgriStress Helpline is a free and confidential crisis and support line that you can call or text 24/7. Phone calls have interpretation available in 160 languages, and text message services are available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Both the AgriStress Helpline and 988 offer the same quality of suicide crisis services – but AgriStress crisis specialists have extra training to know the culture, values, stressors, and lived experiences of agriculture, forestry, and fishing workers. In addition, crisis specialists have access to a state specific curated database of agricultural and health resources.
The AgriStress Helpline is here for the agricultural community, dedicated to serving farming, ranching, fisheries and forestry communities.
- All calls are answered within 30 seconds.
- All callers are screened, and intervention occurs for people at imminent risk. Others are offered relevant resources.
- All callers are offered 24-hour follow-up calls, also through the Helpline.
More information about the helpline can be found at OSU's Extension Service website, here.
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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Sometimes we are lucky enough to have beautiful musical performances for our opening ceremonies on Floor.
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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