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To contact me, please click here: Rep.HaiPham@oregonlegislature.gov
Dear Neighbors and Friends,
I hope this message finds you well as we’re inching towards summer and sunny weather. With the May Elections and blackout period over, I will be messaging again from now until September. There’s a lot to catch up on, here’s what I’ve been up to in the community and where we’re headed next.
I want to honor our military, veterans, and their family for their service and sacrifice for our country. Memorial Day is an opportunity for us to remember those who gave their lives in service so that we can live with the freedoms we have today. There are several events happening in the community that we can honor and mourn our soldiers.
Beaverton is hosting their annual Veterans Memorial Park Ceremony from 11 am - 12:30 pm on May 27th at the Veterans Memorial Park. The event includes the American Legion Post 185 Band, St. Andrew’s Society of Oregon Pipes and Drums, a flyover, and guest speakers.
Hillsboro has two planned events to honor Memorial Day. The American Legion Post 6 will be hosting a Memorial Day Ceremony at the Pioneer Cemetery, located at 150 SW Baseline St starting at 11 am on Monday, May 27th.
The Fir Lawn Memorial Park & Funeral Home is also hosting a ceremony beginning at 1 pm on Monday. Attendees are invited to call 503-640-2277 to add the names of any loved ones to an honor roll that will be read at service.
Judge Thanh Tran’s Investiture Ceremony
In late March, I was honored to attend Judge Thanh Tran’s Investiture ceremony. Judge Tran is a graduate of University of Washington School of Law and was the first Vietnamese-American judge in the state and in the Clackamas County Circuit Court. It’s an incredible moment to celebrate with a few of my Vietnamese-American colleagues in the House and see the Vietnamese community break bamboo ceilings.
Tri-County Public Health Discussion at APANO
My staff attended the Tri-County Public Health discussion at the APANO building in Portland to learn about the heat map of the greater Portland area and the potential risk of an excessive heat wave. We know that with climate change extreme weather events are going to be more frequent and with nearly 100 people who died during the June 2020 heat dome event, we need to be prepared.
 Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas County public health departments came together to study the impact of the disparities and gaps that heat has in certain neighborhoods and to make sure that our most vulnerable communities are prepared. We need to work with our local governments to make sure we prioritize long-term strategies that can improve our built environments - from things like cooling spaces, shade structures, and tree canopies.
You can read more about the results of the study here and access the interactive map here. Further down this newsletter are resources and tools that are available to best prepare for the summer heat.
Washington County Public Safety and Justice Forum
A huge thank you to the Washington County Commissioners and team for hosting the Washington County delegation for this important conversation. I know that with our county growing at a rapid pace, we have outgrown our current courthouse and do not have adequate staff - from law enforcement officers, judges, and more - to meet the needs of our community.
I look forward to partnering with Washington County to work toward meaningful and equitable solutions to ensure we have a just system. We need to address the root causes and ensure we can have a strong and sustainable program.
Oregon Rises Above Hate
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and I want to thank our AANPHI leaders for their contributions and work in making a better community. Oregon came together as a community at the Lan Su Chinese Garden earlier this month to reflect on our shared history and recognize diversity, beauty, and strength of our community.
Vietnamese Representatives with Governor Kotek
And thank you to Governor Kotek for signing the proclamation declaring May as AANHPI Heritage Month, celebrating the diverse contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders to American society.
PCC Quickstart Tour
With the work that my office was able to achieve with HB 4154, I had the opportunity to see and learn about the impact that the $10 million investments will have in our state. HB 4154 leverages and expands existing partnerships and programs through our community colleges, universities and K-12 STEM organizations to bolster training throughout the state, ensuring that a highly-talented workforce is trained in Oregon.
The Quick Start Semiconductor Technician Training program represents strong partnership with our government, community college, and industry coming together to respond to our future workforce needs. Programs like these have the opportunity to encourage a strong workforce while prioritizing historically marginalized populations to join the industry.
Oregon Beverage and Recycling Cooperative (OBRC) Tour
I had the chance to tour the OBRC center in Clackamas County and learn about the responsible recycling services they provide. OBRC serves as a not-for-profit statewide operations that manages the flow of deposits and refunds, collecting empty beverage containers, and processing materials for recycling. In 2023 alone, 2.09 billion containers were returned and recycled and raised $5.5 million through the BottleDrop Give nonprofits.
For a little history, Oregon’s Bottle Bill was first introduced in 1971 as the very first bottle bill in the US to address a growing litter problem along Oregon’s beaches, highways, and other public areas. It’s since evolved during its 40-year history but the current Bottle Bill law is an incredible symbol of Oregon’s love of natural beauty and its commitment to conservation and responsibility.
Saint Mary’s Home for Boys Tour
I had a great opportunity to get a tour of the St. Mary’s Home for Boys in Beaverton and hear about the services that they offer for youth and their families. They have residential, day treatment services, and enrichment programs for at-risk youth to help them transition back to the community.
Oregon Talent Summit
The Oregon Talent Summit, hosted by the Workforce Talent Development Board (WTDB) and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC), to bring together education, industry, and government together to better understand workforce, talent, and skill needs in Oregon. There’s great opportunity for economic development for the state, and we need to open equitable opportunities for prosperity to a diverse workforce.
As a new member of the Workforce Talent Development Board, I look forward to opening training and education opportunities for the workforce and supporting our business and industry to advance Oregon’s competitiveness.
I’ll be back down in Salem for May Legislative Days where committees will convene to discuss some of the top issues facing our state and to get an early peek into what the 2025 session might look like. Additionally, we’ll be expecting a revenue forecast on the 29th which will give us a better view on the health of our economy.
One of the biggest issues that we’ll expect to take on will be the 2025 Transportation Package. We need to ensure we have safe, sustainable, and efficient transportation systems that actually work for communities. Oregon’s transportation and infrastructure system is critical for public services like school buses, mail carriers, emergency vehicles, for our jobs and economy, and residential roads that are safe connections between our multimodal network.
The Joint Transportation committee will be holding transportation hearings across 12 cities in the state in addition to a virtual option during September Legislative Days. You can tune in to all of the meetings virtually by visiting the committee page.
If you want to tune in to any of the committee meetings during Legislative Days, you can watch live or recordings of the meetings on the Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS).
Update for taxpayers who experienced a TurboTax error
The Department of Revenue has reported that approximately 12,000 Oregon taxpayers who used Turbotax to prepare their 2023 federal and state tax returns may be able to reduce their tax owed or increase their refund by amending their state return.
Intuit, the makers of TurboTax, said the software program might not have selected the best deduction option (standard vs itemized) for some taxpayers, resulting in a possible overpayment to the state.
Taxpayers will need to complete the amended return in TurboTax, print it out, and then choose one of the three options below to file their return.
- Mail their return to the Oregon Department of Revenue at P.O. Box 14700, Salem, OR, 97309-0930.
- Bring their printed amended return to one of the Department of Revenue offices. (Drop boxes are available to accept documents after regular business hours in Salem, Bend, Eugene, Medford, and Portland.)
- Enter the information from the printed return into Direct File Oregon to electronically file their amended return free of charge.
Directions for using Direct File Oregon to file an amended state return are available on the Department of Revenue website.
Wildfire Resource Guide
May is also Wildfire Resource Month and with the warming weather, our communities need to know about wildfire prevention, preparation, and evacuation.
And in case of emergencies, be prepared and Make an Emergency Plan
Phew, that was a lot to run through but I hope you found this newsletter informative and helpful. Whether you need assistance with accessing resources or want to share your thoughts on policy and community issues, please reach out to my office at Rep.HaiPham@oregonlegislature.gov.
Cheers,
 Representative Hai Pham
House District 36
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1436
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-282, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.HaiPham@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/phamh
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