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Hello Senate District 19 and beyond,
We're done! The 2024 session is in the books and I could not be prouder of how our senators and representatives came together over the past 32 days and delivered solutions for the people of Oregon.
By the numbers, we passed 133 pieces of legislation. Better still, more than 90% of the legislation that passed the Senate did so with bipartisan support.
This was the most productive and bipartisan short session in Oregon history.
A big reason why we had such a successful session is that legislators came into this year laser-focused on two priorities: affordable housing and homelessness, and the drug crisis. We were committed to crafting the best policies and making the smartest investments we could to make immediate impact and set Oregon on a path toward long-term success.
Many legislators took time during the interim last year to meet with our colleagues across the aisle. Too often in the Legislature, politics gets in the way of good policy. It cannot be overstated how important personal relationships are to the lawmaking process and breaking through those political walls. I had the honor of traveling to Senate districts across the state to spend time with Republican and Democratic senators in their communities. I heard directly from Oregonians about the issues most important to them, and it reaffirmed for me that we agree on so much more than we disagree. We all want good schools for our kids, we all want safe streets, we all want to be able to afford a home, we all want to have a strong economy and we all want to have a vibrant community. We took real steps this legislative session to respond to those most universal needs.
We know our work is not done. The interim is a time to get back into our communities and hear from our constituents about what you want us to work on and see the impacts of legislation we just passed. We are going to closely monitor the rollout of the Oregon Drug Intervention Plan to ensure Oregonians have access to treatment for substance abuse and police are utilizing the tools we gave them appropriately. We are going to continue looking for new ways to expand production of affordable housing and provide support to people struggling with homelessness. And we are going to start a conversation around how we fund our state's transportation infrastructure needs in the years to come.
I also want to thank everyone who emailed or called my office this session. Your advocacy is the most important feedback we receive, and I look forward to continuing to serve as Senate President and your state senator for Senate District 19.
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Finally, we wouldn't be able to do our work without the many dedicated nonpartisan staff in the offices of Legislative Counsel, Legislative Fiscal, Legislative Administration, Legislative Policy and Research, and Legislative Revenue. A huge thank you to all the professionals who keep the Capitol running. I'd also like to shout out the staff in the Senate President's Office, including my session intern April Sells (pictured here), who were critical to ensuring the Senate got its work done and done right. |
As Senate President, I'm focused on the overall policy priorities of session and keeping the Senate running smoothly and in a bipartisan fashion, so I don't pursue a large personal agenda. That being said, I did introduce two bills that passed the Legislature with bipartisan support.
The first was Senate Bill 1502, which requires that education boards of public school districts, community colleges, and universities record their meetings and upload those recordings for the public to view online. This will improve the transparency of our education boards, grant greater access to busy parents and community members, and promote equity by ensuring everyone can stay engaged in important conversations.
I worked with my Republican colleagues on several tweaks to this legislation to ensure it wouldn't unintentionally overburden small school districts that lack administrative staff or reliable broadband connectivity.
Here is the floor speech I gave in support of SB 1502, which passed 29-1.
Senate Bill 1503 was my second piece of legislation, which establishes the Community Safety and Firearm Suicide Prevention Task Force, a 17-member
panel charged with developing recommendations for ways to reduce suicides by firearm and associated community safety risks.
Oregon has the 17th-highest suicide rate in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Firearm suicides account for more than half of Oregon's suicide annually, with veterans, men, and people over 75 at particular risk.
SB 1503 identifies several topics for the task force to study, including:
- How to better support youth and rural Oregonians experiencing suicidal ideation
- Barriers to suicide prevention support
- Barriers to implementing best practices for community safety and suicide prevention
- How domestic violence is a risk factor for community safety threats and suicide
- Risks to first responders
This task force will provide the Legislature with evidenced-based, proven steps we can take to reduce firearm suicides, improve public safety, and support Oregonians in crisis.
I also carried SB 1503 on the floor, which you can watch below:
Even though we working extremely long hours during the short session, I made sure to save time to chat with members of my community about the issues they were passionate about.
 The Clackamas County Children’s Commission visited to talk about the Head Start programs in Clackamas County and how the Legislature could step in to support their important work. The branded socks were also a treat!
 Moms Demand Action stopped by to discuss how the state can better protect its youth from public health risks including firearm suicides and tabaco products.
Attention amateur photographers: The Oregon Secretary of State's Office is currently accepting entries for next year's cover of the Oregon Blue Book, the official directory and fact book for the state of Oregon.
The Oregon Blue Book has a long history of highlighting the incredible natural beauty of Oregon, from its rugged coastline to its sweeping grasslands.
The front cover of the 2023-2024 Oregon Blue Book showcases a hillside covered in balsam root and lupine flowers at Rowena Crest, captured by Micah Lundsted of Eugene. The book's back cover shows three rockfish underwater, made at the Oregon Coast Aquarium by Dale George of Grants Pass.
The contest is open to Oregon residents of any age who do not primarily make a living from photography. Images must be Oregon related and should be submitted in the portrait orientation. Two images will be selected for the cover: one for the front and one for the back. Visit the Oregon Blue Book Photo Contest guidelines for more information.
Images can be submitted through the Oregon Blue Book website portal or via U.S. mail. The deadline to submit photos for consideration is October 27, 2024.
The Oregonian: Editorial: A short session delivers long session results
In just over a month, lawmakers passed breakthrough legislation addressing housing, drug addiction and campaign finance reform. Longshot bills mired in controversy ultimately won broad support, reflecting the compromise that shaped the final legislation. A five-week session typically meant for small adjustments instead delivered impressively on long-session ambitions.
Statesman Journal: Oregon governor wants tolling plan on 2 Portland-area freeways scrapped
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek wants to scrap a plan to implement tolls on large sections of two Portland-area interstates, she said Monday. Kotek sent a letter to the Oregon Transportation Commission on Monday saying the Regional Mobility Pricing Project for Interstate 5 and Interstate 205 should be halted
OPB: Oregon Legislature adjourns after drug law changes, a housing boost and limits to campaign spending
Oregon lawmakers wrapped up the 2024 short legislative session on Thursday night after muscling through a remarkable number of high-profile policies in a little more than one month, from limiting political contributions to rolling back Oregon’s decriminalization experiment and passing a housing package pushed by Gov. Tina Kotek.
Oregon Capitol Chronicle: In a departure from last year, Oregon Legislature wraps up session in high spirits
Oregon lawmakers headed home three days earlier than required on Thursday night, ending a surprisingly bipartisan session that saw them invest hundreds of millions of dollars in housing, recriminalize possession of small amounts of hard drugs and cap campaign contributions.
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
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