Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The 2024 Legislative Session officially ended 13 days ago. As I mentioned in last week's newsletter, this was the best Legislative Short Session I have experienced since I was elected to the Legislature in 2015. This week, I take one more look back at the accomplishments of the 2024 Session and also share other important topics in the news, such as the future of ODOT funding and some Oregon projects that have recently received federal grant dollars. Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Westside Economic Alliance's Policy Conference, and I provide some reflections from the event in the "Community Outreach" section of this newsletter.
This will also be my final newsletter before the blackout period begins this Friday, March 22nd. Keep reading to find out more about the blackout period and how to keep in touch while it is in effect.
In this Newsletter you will also find:
- A reminder for tomorrow's Joint Town Hall
- An explanation of the Legislative Blackout Period
- Final reflections on the 2024 Legislative Session
- News of Note on Transportation and Education topics
- Upcoming Events and Opportunities in HD 29
- Important information on DACA renewal
JOIN US FOR TOMORROW'S JOINT TOWN HALL
Please join me, Senator Sollman, and Rep. Sosa for a Town Hall on March 21st. We will be debriefing the 2024 Legislative Session and answering questions from attendees. There will be Spanish interpretation available at the event and I have also included a Spanish version of the Town Hall flyer.
Register for the Town Hall here, or by clicking on the image below:
 
Starting March 22nd, the “blackout period” begins, meaning Legislators running for office are prohibited from using state resources or official social media accounts for mass communications with their constituents 60 days prior to an election. This will be my final newsletter from this account before the beginning of the blackout period. I will also not be on Facebook or Instagram during the blackout period, but I will send newsletters periodically via another listserv as I am allowed to use my own resources to communicate with you. And you can always reach out to my office via email or phone. Email is the quickest way to reach us as we are not currently working from the Capitol and are unable to answer our phone directly.
 
CONTINUED REFLECTIONS ON THE 2024 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The goal of creating good public policies that address the significant challenges we face is a daunting task. To do so in a "Short Session," which is constitutionally mandated to last no more than 35 days, can sometimes seem almost impossible. Yet, despite the challenging timeline and the sheer complexity of the issues we sought to address this Session, we collectively rose to the challenge and passed incredibly significant policies. Building on the summaries I provided in last week's newsletter, I am taking this opportunity to reflect further on the outcomes of the 2024 Session.
House Democratic Caucus members in good spirits on the Floor!
⇒The 2024 Legislative Session By the Numbers:
Thank you to the Legislative Policy and Research Office (LPRO) for creating the graphic below which captures just how much time and energy staff and Legislators put into this Session. In short, we fit an awful lot into just 35 days, including passing 115 bills!
*You can click on the image below to open a larger version.
As I mentioned in last week's newsletter, this was the best Legislative Short Session I have experienced since I was elected to the Legislature in 2015. Every legislator showed up willing to work hard, collaborate whenever possible, and focus keenly on the issues we needed to address. In a true show of bipartisanship, we passed policies on Housing, Measure 110, Education, Infrastructure, and the Environment, and we did so with in-depth deliberations and collegiality. Out of 115 bills passed this Session, an incredible 111 of them had bipartisan support.
⇒My Highlight from the 2024 Session
My personal bills were House Bill 4082, to fund Summer Learning, and House Bill 4084, to provide educational support to foster youth. I am proud to say that both of these bills passed and that HB 4082 has now been signed into law by Governor Kotek. I anticipate that HB 4084 will be signed by the Governor any day now.
Through passage of HB 4082, we are investing $30 million in school districts this Summer to provide high-quality and culturally relevant summer learning programs in partnership with community-based organizations and tribal nations. These funds will immediately expand Oregon students’ access to school and community-based programs that boost youth engagement; accelerate academic success; nurture social and emotional learning; promote mental, physical, and behavioral health; and support college and career readiness.
The Oregon Department of Education met last week to work through the implementation process for Summer Learning. They estimate that an incredible 48,000 students will benefit from Summer Learning programs this Summer due to the passage of HB 4082. There were a lot of great policies to come out of this Session, but knowing that 48,000 students now have access to opportunities previously unavailable to them is my personal highlight from the 2024 Session.
⇒Addressing the Homelessness Crisis
Homelessness has reached crisis levels across the country, particularly on the West Coast, as the costs of housing and other critical needs have outpaced income growth. With significant investments from the Legislature, including a more than $2 billion investment in the housing and homelessness budget in 2023, communities around Oregon are crafting innovative solutions to help move individuals and families from sidewalks into stable housing. Recent legislative investments are preventing homelessness and are getting people into transitional housing, shelter beds, and treatment programs across the state. This Session, we built upon our work in 2023 and passed the Emergency Housing and Stability Package, which included a trio of bills (SB 1530, SB 1537, and HB 4134) to build more housing, bring down housing costs, and house more Oregonians. The package included direct allocations to rehouse Oregonians, prevent homelessness, and continue investing in ongoing support and shelter services.
⇒Increasing Housing Production and Infrastructure
Oregon needs to build more homes to meet the needs of our residents, which will stabilize the cost of housing and address our homelessness crisis. We aim to ensure that everyone can afford to live in their own communities. Solving this problem requires action, investment, and partnerships. Collaboration with local leaders, housing experts, the Governor, and land-use advocates will help remove barriers to building critically needed housing and local infrastructure. In addition to passing the Emergency Housing and Stability Package mention above, the Legislature also invested in shovel-ready infrastructure projects. For cities to meet their housing production goals and respond to community needs, their local infrastructure – roads, water/sewer systems – need to be upgraded to meet future demands. Portions of SB 1530 made direct allocations to cities for 44 infrastructure projects across the state to support shovel-ready housing production ($94.3 million) and HB 4134 awards $7.1 million in funds to Business Oregon to modernize water, sewer, stormwater and road infrastructure in four cities. These infrastructure projects unlock places already in cities’ UGBs for development of thousands of new homes for Oregon families.
⇒Improving Community Safety
While Oregon’s rate of violent crime continues to be below the national average, rates of certain crimes - especially car thefts and other property crimes -- have risen over the last few years. Much of this increase is directly related to drug and alcohol addiction, so the ongoing work of the Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response, established in 2023, is critical to turning these trends around. We are ensuring that our law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to prevent and respond to serious crimes in our neighborhoods. We also know that thriving communities, both large and small, need policies that protect vulnerable communities, fortify and build a robust emergency management system, streamline processes that keep people safe from harm, and protect children and families going to and from school or work.
We passed the Oregon Drug Intervention Plan, two bills (HB 4002 and HB 5204) that address the root causes of addiction in Oregon and fill gaps in the public safety system. HB 4002 expands the ability of law enforcement to confiscate drugs and arrest people attempting to sell drugs. Law enforcement can arrest people attempting to sell drugs within 30 feet of parks, or within 500 feet of shelters or treatment facilities. The legislation makes changes to our existing system -- without going backwards -- by creating multiple pathways to treatment rather than jail. The tools given to law enforcement reimagine our justice system to take a rehabilitative approach to getting people from crisis to stability at the local level. Twenty three Oregon counties have signed onto participate in reimagined diversion programing to connect people to treatment.
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This week, I'm sharing some of the important news stories related to my policy work on Transportation and Education. As an Educator for over 42 years and a Legislator for almost a decade, I recognize that the news media's role in informing the public about government is essential to the functioning of our democracy. In the most basic of terms, democracy depends on an informed and engaged citizenry. I've chosen the articles below because they provide consequential information about the work I do in the Legislature, but this is by no means a comprehensive collection. If you come across any "news of note" that you would like to share with me, please don't hesitate to contact me via email at rep.susanmclain@oregonlegislature.gov.
On Tolling:
Last week's newsletter addressed Governor Kotek's request to the Oregon Transportation Commission to halt work on creating a tolling system in the Metro area to fund future committed projects. The Legislature is currently in the process of determining the best way to fund present and future transportation projects and programs needed to support our multimodal system. Any funding tools we consider must be stable, sufficient, diversified, and able to create a fair and equitable user system. Governor Kotek's announcement also made clear that her decision would not affect plans to toll the replacement Interstate Bridge. State transportation officials will continue to work with Washington officials to implement tolls on the new bridge. You can read more about the Governor's decision and what it means for longterm transportation planning in these articles:
On the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project:
Recently, the federal government announced a $450 million federal award from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) for the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project. The project includes a highway cover over sections of Interstate 5 that will reconnect local streets and create new community spaces for future development and economic opportunities. This new cover will also include seismic upgrades, making the structure over I-5 more resilient in the event of the Cascadia earthquake. You can read more about what this award will mean to the Albina neighborhood in this article from Oregon Public Broadcasting:
On EV Rebates:
In the 2023 Session, I chief-sponsored House Bill 2613 which would have deposited $30 million into Oregon's Zero-Emission Incentive Fund to continue the popular "EV Rebate" program. The rebate program was so popular that the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) had to temporarily stop accepting rebate applications due to lack of funds. Unfortunately, House Bill 2613 did not receive funding through the Ways and Means process and the program has remained on pause. In good news though, DEQ has recently announced that it will begin accepting applications again, albeit temporarily. The rebate program will open from April 3 – June 3, 2024. Vehicles must be purchased or leased during that time; the program will be closed again as of June 4, 2024. Applicants will have six months from the date of purchase or lease to apply for rebates. It is important to note that once funds are depleted, eligible applicants are put on a waitlist for 2025. Low and moderate-income households can prequalify for the $5,000 Charge Ahead rebate by completing the application. Read more about EV rebates and the temporary resumption of the program in this OPB article:
On Electric School Buses:
As we work to reach Oregon's climate goals, an exciting area of progress is the expansion of electric school buses across the state. This growth is due, in part, to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent allocation of $51 million for Oregon and Washington school districts to buy new electric school buses. You can read more about this transition in the following Oregonian article:
On Summer Learning:
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 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 the Legislature with an allocation of $30 million for this Summer and has now been signed by Governor Kotek. This means an estimated 48,000 students will have the opportunity for tremendous growth this Summer. For more information on Summer Learning, you can read this Oregon Capital Chronicle article:
On Education Bills this Session:
In addition to passing H.B. 4082 on Summer Learning, the Legislature also tackled a variety of other Education-related bills this Session. Representative Courtney Neron championed a bill to make our kids safer on school buses, and we worked to address the childcare crisis in Oregon by passing $171 million for subsidized Employment Related Day Care. This OPB article highlights nine bills related to education during the 2024 Session:
And finally, you can read more about our work to expand access to child care in the below Oregon Capital Chronicle article:
WEA POLICY CONFERENCE
Last Thursday, I had the privilege of attending and participating in the Westside Economic Alliance's (WEA) Policy Conference. Representative Nathan Sosa gave the opening remarks, which were followed by three policy panels. I enjoyed being a panel member for the section of the conference focused on Transportation Investments, alongside Metro Councilor Juan Carlos Gonzalez and Rian Windsheimer from the Oregon Department of Transportation. The afternoon was full of productive conversations surrounding Economic Development and the future of Western Washington County and Western Oregon as a whole. The event brought together professionals from all over the region, including Metro, Business Oregon, Greater Portland Inc, Beaverton Mayor Lacey Beaty, and more!
Thank you to Westside Economic Alliance for hosting and inviting me to this wonderful event!
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Photos from the WEA Policy Conference
 
FOREST GROVE AND CORNELIUS CHAMBER GALA
The Forest Grove and Cornelius Chamber are hosting their Chamber Stars Gala this Saturday! More information about the Gala and ticket purchasing options can be found here.
WASHCO, BEAVERTON, AND HILLSBORO COMMUNITY SURVEY
Washington County and the cities of Beaverton and Hillsboro are conducting a survey to better understand the housing and service needs of their residents. Responses are anonymous and will help the county and cities set goals to work toward over the next five years using federal resources.
More information and the survey can be found here.
FOREST GROVE CITY CHARTER REVIEW
The Charter Review Committee is hosting Community Listening Sessions at the Community Auditorium. The second and final listening session will be this upcoming Wednesday, March 20th at 6pm. If you can't make the listening session, you can also fill out a public comment form!
There are five total changes to the city charter that are being reviewed. For more information about the changes, the Charter Review Committee, listening sessions, and how to submit public comment, click here.
FOREST GROVE LIBRARY TECH HELP
Need help with basic computer skills, such as using a mouse and keyboard, opening and closing programs, or creating and saving documents? Would you like to be able to download e-books and e-audio titles to your smartphone or tablet? Or are you interested in learning more about Gmail and Google Drive? Forest Grove City Library is offering free one-on-one tech help in the library Mondays and Wednesday afternoons between 2:30 and 4:00.
These sessions typically last around 30 minutes and are available by appointment only. Reserve your spot today at https://fgcl.skedda.com/booking
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HISPANIC METROPOLITAN CHAMBER WEBSITE DESIGN PROGRAM
The Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber is hosting a 2024 E-Commerce Website Design program. The program is limited to 10 Hispanic Businesses and will help the businesses cream e-commerce website to allow them to sell products over the internet. Qualifications are listed in the graphics below. To sign up, either scan the QR code in the below graphics, or click here.
DACA RENEWAL
Don't miss out on renewing your DACA before fees increase on April 1st, 2024. Centro Cultural helps cover the $495 renewal fee. To qualify, you must have a DACA renewal date before June 30th, send in a physical renewal application alongside the funds we will provide you, and ensure it is postmarked by March 30th. Remember to plan ahead to secure your renewal and call (503) 359-0446 for more info.
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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Spring has finally arrived!
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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