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The 2024 legislative short session is now over. I am very proud of the work my colleagues and I did over the past several weeks. I have included some of the highlights below.
Addressing Our Housing Needs
We passed the $376 million Emergency Housing Stabilization and Production Package which does numerous things – including
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$94.3 million to cities for 44 infrastructure projects across the state to support shovel-ready housing production.
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$65 million for to fund emergency shelters, Project Turnkey sites, and navigation centers.
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$34 million for homelessness prevention services, through Oregon Eviction Diversion and Prevention and Eviction Prevention Rapid Response Programs with 30% set aside for culturally responsive organizations.
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$18 million to maintain and expand capacity for 27 recovery housing projects.
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$10.6 million for a Housing Accountability and Production Office to support local governments as they work to achieve their housing production goals.
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$7.1 million to cities for shovel-ready projects related to housing.
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$3 million to the Housing Infrastructure Support Fund to provide technical assistance to small and rural cities for grant writing and other purposes.
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$5 million into individual development accounts that can be used by first-time homebuyers.
 Addressing Our Addiction Crisis
We also addressed the addiction crisis in our state with House Bill 4002 and House Bill 5204. Among other things, these measures do the following:
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Crackdown on drug dealers through enhanced penalties.
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Prohibit the public use of drugs.
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Permit police officers to confiscate drugs.
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Create misdemeanor penalties for drug possession while also giving people the option of seeking treatment rather than going through the criminal justice system.
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$211 million to expand our drug treatment and mental health capacity.
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Invest $16.75 million in youth prevention and education.
Washington County will receive $8.9 million to support the development of its Center for Addictions Triage and Treatment Project (CATT) in Beaverton and Hillsboro.
Hillsboro’s New Baseball Stadium
 Photo courtesy of Hillsboro Hops
The legislature allocated $15,196,461 to the City of Hillsboro to help construct a new baseball stadium. The Hillsboro Hops, city, and county have already committed $110 million to the project. Now that the state has provided the remaining funds, the Hillsboro Hops will remain an integral part of our community for decades to come. This will have significant recreational and financial benefits for the region. To learn more, please read the op-ed I co-authored with Senator Janeen Sollman here.
Other Key Investments
$8 Million - Economic Equity Investment Fund: helps disadvantaged individuals buy a home, start a business, or expand an existing business.
$5 Million - Oregon Individual Development Account: provides matching funds to qualifying individuals who are saving up to buy a house, start a business, obtain job training, and more.
$2 Million - Newcomer Investment: a pilot program to provide comprehensive wraparound services to Newcomers - including shelter, food, healthcare, and employment assistance.
This week, I was honored to deliver the opening remarks at the WEA Policy Conference in Hillsboro. I highlighted some of the economic development legislation we have passed in recent years – including the Oregon CHIPS Act which is projected to generate over $40 billion in economic activity in our state. The panelists, including my friend and colleague Rep. Susan McLain, discussed topics ranging from transportation and land use to infrastructure and economic incentives. It was a great discussion!
You can view my speech here.
Don't Forget! MAX Blue Line Service Disruption begins Saturday March 16th until Sunday March 24th
Heads up TriMet MAX Blue line riders! Beginning TOMORROW, Saturday 3/16 until Sunday 3/24 there will be a service disruption between Hatfield Government Center and Orenco Station due to Trimet's Better Red Service improvement project that will make it easier for Washington County riders to travel to PDX Airport and around the Metro region.
Shuttle busses will be provided to connecting stations but please plan additional time for travel and check out trimet.org/betterred to read more about this project.
Older Adults Now Able to Receive Additional Dose of Updated COVID-19 Vaccine
Last Month, CDC Director Mandy Cohen endorsed the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation for adults ages 65 years and older to receive an additional updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine dose. The recommendation acknowledges the increased risk of severe disease from COVID-19 in older adults, along with the currently available data on vaccine effectiveness.
Previous CDC recommendations ensured that people who are immunocompromised are already eligible for additional doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Data continues to show the importance of vaccination to protect those most at risk for severe outcomes of COVID-19. An additional dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine may restore protection that has waned since a fall vaccine dose, providing increased protection to adults ages 65 years and older.
Adults 65 years and older are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, with more than half of COVID-19 hospitalizations during October 2023 to December 2023 occurring in this age group.
CDC and ACIP will continue to monitor COVID-19 vaccine safety and effectiveness. CDC continues to recommend that everyone stay up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines, especially people with weakened immune systems.
Black Out Period Begins Next Friday
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Tuesday, 04/02 - Hillsboro Art Walk: First Tuesday (5:00pm – 8:00pm @ Cultural Arts District)
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Friday, 04/05- Portland Opera Presents Play On: Shakespeare in Music (7:30 pm – 9:00 pm @ East Main Street)
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Tuesday, 04/16- Hillsboro City Council Meeting (6pm @ Civic Center or Zoom)
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Thursday, 04/18- Hillsboro Public Library Board Meeting (6:00pm – 8:00pm @ Brookwood Library)
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Friday, 04/19- Andee Joyce Presents Rhythm and Autism (7:30 pm – 9:30 pm @ East Main Street)
Joint Town Hall is Next Thursday
I hope you will join me next Thursday March 21st from 6:00 pm - 7:30pm for my upcoming joint legislative town hall with Senator Sollman and Rep. McLain. We will discuss the 2024 legislation short session and discuss what’s on the horizon for the 2025 long session.
Spanish translation will be available and please kindly RSVP here.
Thank you to my incredible HD30 team - Lexie, Alexa, Suzan and Sofia! Their dedication and hard work throughout the legislative session were invaluable. I am so grateful for their support.
Please don’t forget that the “blackout period” begins on March 22. Legislators running for office are prohibited from using state resources for mass communications with their constituents 60 days prior to an election. So, you will not be receiving any updates from me until after the election in May.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Take care!
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1430
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-280, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.NathanSosa@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/sosa
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