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Hello Friends,
Well before session began, we established our priorities: making housing easier to build and more affordable, helping people struggling with addiction, and investing in communities. With our shared goals as our driving force, we delivered on the issues Oregonians care about most and then some.
At the end of session I formally resigned the office of the Speaker of the House. It was a privilege to vote for Representative Julie Fahey to replace me. I plan to complete my term as State Representative for House District 16, and look forward to representing my community throughout the remainder of the year.
During the interim, please reach out to our office about any issues or bills that are important to you. You can contact us by email at rep.danrayfield@oregonlegislature.gov or by phone at (503) 986-1200.
Take care and see you soon,
Yours truly,
Representative Dan Rayfield, House District 16
Admittedly, we sounded like a broken record in our pre-session conversations. But because we set out clear deliverables, we achieved them. Here are a few clips from our preparations for the session. Click any image to see the corresponding video or article.
Oregon short session starts Monday. It will focus on housing and drug crisis issues first and foremost, lawmakers say
5 things to know as Oregon’s legislative session begins
Rayfield said the work underway in the House will happen while “continuing to build a culture of respect.” “I feel very proud of the work that the Oregon House has done over the last two sessions to be able to govern and be responsive in a way that is respectful to each other with a common understanding that it doesn’t matter whether you’re Democrat or Republican, we all have the same goals and values when it comes to the big issues facing our communities,” Rayfield said. “And we’ve been able to do that with very difficult issues with respect in the house.”
Lawmakers in Salem narrow in on Measure 110 changes, housing as 2024 session looms
Oregon House Speaker Dan Rayfield on upcoming legislative short session
Watch my opening day speech here or by clicking the image below.
Check out some other photo highlights from opening day here.
Legislative session starts with ‘Hallelujah,’ call for bipartisanship
Our Work on Addiction and Community Safety Response
Taking on this emotional, complex issue with a multitude of root causes was hard. It would have been easy to avoid challenging conversations with people we care about. But we knew the status quo wasn’t working. That’s why Senate President Rob Wagner and I formed the Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response in September 2023 as a hub for this important conversation.
Our Oregon Drug Intervention Plan (ODIP) was based on the work of the Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response and makes significant strides in addressing Oregon's addiction crisis through House Bill 4002 and House Bill 5204–both passing the House with overwhelming bipartisan support. Read more about ODIP here. Or you can watch my friend Rep. Kropf speak about his experience crafting the bill here or by clicking the image below.
By giving law enforcement and providers the tools they need to confiscate hard drugs like meth and fentanyl and connect people with treatment, we're changing the way we address drug-related offenses, while remaining dedicated to an approach that focuses on rehabilitation, not jail.
House Bill 5204, the budget companion bill to House Bill 4002 that completes our ODIP package, invests $211 million towards comprehensive solutions that prioritize behavioral health treatment, Medication Assisted Treatment, and robust prevention programs. These strategies are designed not only to provide immediate support but also to lay the groundwork for sustainable recovery and reimagine community safety. Read more about it here.
But don't just take it from us. Check out what Pat Dooris with KGW had to say about our bill here or by clicking the image below.
Or listen to the New York Times Podcast "The Daily" for more details here or by clicking the logo below.
Specialty Courts
Another key part of our work to help people struggling with addiction is working to strengthen and expand Oregon’s Specialty Courts. I sponsored House Bill 4001 to ensure our work to support these programs leads to our intended outcome: giving communities the tools they need so they can keep helping families and individuals take charge of their lives again.
House Bill 4001 passed the House unanimously. Read more about the bill here. Or watch my speech about why they’re so important here or by clicking the image below.
Additionally, we invested $9.7 million in our specialty court system as part of House Bill 5204.
Read more about these successful programs here or by clicking the header below.
Or check out this Capital Chronicle article on our investments in root causes and proven solutions here or by clicking the link below.
“Our addiction crisis is impacting every corner of our state,” Rayfield said in his testimony. “We must continue to find ways to connect people to the services they need. For those who engage with our criminal justice system, specialty courts are critical to their recovery and for their future.”
Making Housing More Affordable and Easier to Build
Our Emergency Housing Stability and Production Package (2024) lays the groundwork for significant housing development by making it easier for cities to grow responsibly while ensuring new housing remains affordable. It builds on our nearly $2.3 billion housing package from last session, investing $376 million in expanding affordable housing and supporting community infrastructure. Read more about it here.
Our package will fund homeless shelters and recovery housing, support renters, and boost housing production and infrastructure–including community reinvestment projects like the Albina Vision Trust. Additionally, it creates an innovative State Revolving Loan Fund, providing $75 million to help develop workforce housing, a critical step towards bridging the housing gap for middle to lower-income families.
Investing in Opportunities: Oregon's Future
Campaign Finance Reform (Finally)
My first foray into campaign finance reform was gathering signatures to establish public financing for elections when I was 19. After 49 years of inaction, this year, we passed legislation aimed at limiting the influence of money in politics. And in a short session no-less!
A strong democracy and restoring faith in government is critical to any issue we take up as a body–be it housing or education or transportation. Strengthening our election system means good people running for office and engaged voters. This legislation will help. Read more about our bill, House Bill 4024, here or by clicking the article header below.
Investing in Our Kids
Accessible, affordable childcare and strong early learning programs are essential to a healthy economy and connections to opportunities like good jobs, education, and building a family. This session, we right-sized funding for Employment Related Daycare, summer learning, and K-12 funding for teachers and students.
Continuing to Support the Growth of our Semiconductor Industry
Thanks to Oregon CHIPS (2023), economists have forecasted over 6,000 new family-wage Oregon jobs in the coming years. We're already seeing results. We have to make sure that our system has the resources to withstand this influx in jobs.
That’s why this session, we passed legislation to establish the CHIPS Childcare Fund to help industry workers take care of their kids. Additionally, we passed House Bill 4154 to centralize funding for talent acquisition, training, and apprenticeships, to support the university-industry relationship.
Protecting Working Families
No one should be pushed into debt long-term by a broken arm or a flat tire. This session, we passed legislation to improve outdated and flawed consumer protection and debt statutes by strengthening economic protections for Oregonians who are working to pay back their debts and providing recourse for those subjected to unfair debt collections practices. Read more about this package in our release here or in the link below.
Legislature Approves Family Financial Protection Bill
“This bill provides needed relief and protections for Oregon’s hard-working families,” said Speaker Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis). “Making sure Oregonians have the resources they need to afford every-day expenses isn’t just consumer protection or good for our economy, it’s the right thing to do.”
Or by clicking the article header below.
Lowering Healthcare Costs
More than one third of Americans have not filled a prescription because of its cost. This session, we passed legislation to cap the cost of insulin at $35 per month for patients with insurance, allow co-pay accumulators–typically associated with the highest cost medication for serious conditions–to count towards a patient’s deductible, and rein in predatory Pharmacy Benefit Managers’ predatory practices.
Check out some of the notable coverage of our work to lower healthcare costs for Oregon families ↓
Oregon set to tighten rules for pharmacy benefit managers. Here’s what they do
Lawmakers' health care priorities for Oregon's 2024 Legislative Session
I summed up my thoughts about this session - for the most part - in my end of session speech. You can watch the speech here or by clicking the image below - captured mid-speech in the final hours of our late evening leading up to Sine die.
None of our work is possible without our families and staff - as evidenced by my team at my side during my speech as always. Here’s the House Speaker team on the last day of session after we adjourned Sine die.
Pictured below is my son Adam and I probably exchanging a joke at the dais. Adam always comes to the capitol building for the last day of session, so we heard people knew for sure the end was nigh when he showed up.
& a friend who helps keep our Capital community safe.
& here’s the Senate President and I wrapping up our last post-Sine die press conference together.
It's been a pleasure working with the Senate President as Presiding Officers at events like the Oregon Business Summit among many, many others.
In The News
Sometimes the flurry of press coverage during the last week or so can get a little overwhelming. Here's a selection of articles that sum up the highlights:
Legislature wraps up work after session focused on housing creation, drug policy, campaign finance limits
In a departure from last year, Oregon Legislature wraps up session in high spirits
‘OPB Politics Now’: What the 2024 Oregon Legislature accomplished
Before we closed out our session, we elected a new Speaker. Speaker Julie Fahey has a nice ring to it. Read our full release on the transition here or click the image below. 
Between sessions, we look into the issues we want to invest in during the upcoming session by going straight to the source. One of my favorite parts of this job is getting to go out into communities across the state to get a first-hand look at what people need to be successful and how we as the Legislature can help support existing projects and opportunities. You'll notice that all of our visits align with the priorities we were able to deliver on in our 35-day session.
Learning From Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leaders
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(Left) In early January, we got to sit down with the folks actively responding to the addiction crisis in Rep. Conrad's district. Conversations like this were invaluable as we worked towards a strong and productive February session. Read more about our conversation from our press release here or see our Instagram post here.
(Below) Later on in the month, Leader Helfrich and I got to tour the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards & Training campus and speak to the people who make sure our officers have the training and resources they need to respond to any scenario they might be faced with. The safe but fast car ride was just an added plus. See our twitter post here.
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Learning From Proven Solutions That Lead to Recovery
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In December, I was able to sit in on Multnomah County’s STEP (Strategic Treatment and Engagement Program) Court proceedings and met with the team at STEP. Along with talking to our District 16 Benton County District Attorney John Haroldson (quoted in the article from the Capital Chronicle above) about the efficacy of specialty courts, this experience reaffirmed the importance of bolstering our specialty court system here in Oregon.
I'm proud we were able to take significant steps to do so this session.
Unless you have superhuman eyesight, you'll have to read our full press release here.
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Learning From Portland Central City Movers and Shakers
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It was truly inspiring to hear about the plans our Portland innovators have and the projects already under way. In fact, I mentioned this visit in my opening day speech.
Investing in housing and behavioral health are part of investing in Oregon's future. But beyond that, we also have to make sure we're empowering local business owners adding value inside and outside of our state to be creative, collaborative, and continue giving back to their communities.
Check out our press release about our PDX stops here or our social posts here, here, and here.
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email: Rep.DanRayfield@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1416
address: 900 Court St NE, H-271, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/rayfield
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