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To contact me, please click here: Rep.MarkGamba@oregonlegislature.gov
Hi folks,
Now that the primary election has passed we are able to resume our regular newsletter, as well as our Constituent Conversations events for in-person discussions. More on that below. I hope you are able to make it to one of them.
Legislative Days are later this week, from Wednesday through Friday. This means that most committees will hold public meetings and may preview what's to come next year. You can watch all of these online. Three of the committees I sit on will be holding meetings:
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House Climate, Energy, and Environment, Wednesday, 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
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House Housing, Thursday, 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM
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House Ag, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water, Thursday, 2:30 PM - 5:30 PM
The dominating topic for the 2025 legislative session is going to be transportation. From trying to fix our broken funding structures, to creating more opportunities for multimodal, to investing in new and up-and-coming things like e-bikes, there are so many challenges for us to tackle. The legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation is kicking off its statewide roadshow next month to gather input on what folks want the 2025 legislation to look like and I think it would help a great deal to have a large number of interested constituents at each event. The first one is coming up soon at PCC’s Cascade Campus, on the evening of Tuesday, June 4th. I will be attending the one in Happy Valley on Thursday, September 26th (specific time TBD). I hope to see many of you there.
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I have a list of more than 40 legislative concepts in various states of readiness for 2025. Over the next several months I plan to highlight a handful of them in each newsletter. I always welcome your thoughts and feedback if any pique your interest.
- Transmission - We have been running a sprawling workgroup on the topic of electrical transmission. With the dire need to dramatically ramp up our clean energy production there is an equally dire need to build the transmission lines and other infrastructure it will take to get that power everywhere it needs to go. This is a gigantic need for combating climate change. The workgroup is likely going to result in a full package of bills for 2025.
- E-bike Rebate - E-bikes are a promising technology that can help reduce the need for single-occupancy vehicles and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Last year, under the leadership of Rep. Grayber we made a run at creating a new state rebate program to increase the uptake of e-bikes and to enable folks to buy them who might not otherwise be able to. There is a good chance something similar will be brought up during the larger transportation conversation but I am re-drafting a version of last year’s bill, just in case.
- SDC Deferral - System Development Charges (SDCs) are imposed by cities on new construction. They are an absolutely critical mechanism if we hope to have funds for needed infrastructure like sidewalks and stormwater systems, parks, and more. These charges are usually imposed at the beginning of a construction project and developers have to pay them with very high interest rate loans. I championed a bill last year to help smooth this dynamic out and save thousands to over a million dollars on the cost to build each new housing development, all while ensuring that cities are still able to receive the dollars they absolutely need. My bill had tremendous support but still was not funded by Ways and Means. I will be taking another run at it.
It is my goal to hold these small gatherings at least once a month while the legislature is not in session. I also try to rotate them all around the district. These are valuable chances for me to hear your input, hash out new ideas together, and to give updates to you on the goings-on in Salem. If you know of a great meeting place and you don't see your neighborhood on our list, just let me know and my staff can work with you to get a new one on our calendar.
As always, let me know if you have thoughts, questions, or need help dealing with a state agency. I am here to serve.
 Mark Gamba
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1441
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-477, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.MarkGamba@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/gamba
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