Hello and Welcome to House District 48!

Xin chào và Chào mừng đến với House District 48!

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Greetings friends and neighbors,

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the warm spring weather. Now that primary elections have passed and the “blackout period” for legislative communications has ended, I wanted to provide some updates on my work over the past few months. It’s been a busy spring: I’ve been knee-deep in election season, attending exciting in-district events, and have even begun preparing for the 2025 legislative session! Even though it feels like we just declared the end of the 2024 session, it’s never too early to start thinking ahead to next year.

I am proud to be your voice in Salem, and deeply value your input. I encourage you to reach out to my office and share your thoughts, joys, concerns, and suggestions with us. You can find our contact information at the end of this letter, as well as information on our social media, newsletter, and other ways to engage. We look forward to hearing from you!

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May Legislative Days

My work preparing for 2025 takes off in earnest next week, when I will head back to the Capitol for May Legislative Days. In between legislative sessions, the Legislature convenes periodically for Legislative Days. During this time, Committees hold informational hearings on future policy proposals, hear updates on previous policy implementations, receive reports from state agencies and Task Forces, and listen to presentations about the issues impacting Oregonians. Legislative Days also provide a chance for our office to hold important policy conversations with community organizations, state agencies, and other legislators ahead of 2025.

For May, I will be presiding over the House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services in the absence of Chair Lisa Reynolds (D-NE Washington County). The Committee will hear updates on Oregon’s early childhood investments and learn more about intergenerational child care facilities. This is a chance for committee members to ask questions and learn from child care and human service experts with decades of experience in their fields. I’m excited to join my colleagues and dive into the issues that matter most to me, like strengthening our childcare infrastructure and ensuring that every student has access to educational support.

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Chronic Absenteeism Workgroup

As soon as I joined the legislature, I knew I wanted to lead the charge to comprehensively address chronic absenteeism in our schools. I’ve lived and breathed this issue my entire life. Growing up the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants who owned a convenience store, I often had to miss school to help support my family. As a professional, I’ve worked in the field of chronic absenteeism for over 10 years in multiple school districts. I know what it’s like to be on both sides of this problem, and I’m excited to use my expertise to identify real solutions that keep kids in the classroom.

That’s why I’ve teamed up with former educator Senator Suzanne Weber (R-Tillamook) to convene a workgroup on chronic absenteeism over the interim, with the goal of developing legislation for the 2025 session. Senator Weber and I are joined by district superintendents, parents, teachers, and education professionals who serve communities experiencing the highest rates of K-12 chronic absenteeism. Together, we will be identifying ways to better support chronically absent students, including strengthening student-educator relationships and making targeted investments based on attendance data. All options are on the table; this is a multi-faceted issue without a one-size-fits-all solution. Here’s a great story that explores how the Gervais school district has taken a creative approach to reducing chronic absenteeism rates.

The workgroup has already met twice and I’m incredibly excited about the progress we’ve made so far. In April, I had the opportunity to share our work with the Oregon School Board Association’s legislative policy committee. Many thanks to OSBA’s government relations team for placing chronic absenteeism on the agenda for the student success roundtable conversations. I was thrilled to hear various school board members’ perspectives on chronic absenteeism in their districts, as well as share my own experiences with the issue. This is exactly the kind of statewide engagement that will make our workgroup successful as we continue to meet over the next several months.

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Child Care Alliance

As both parents and educators know, student success in the classroom is shaped tremendously by what’s going on at home. When families thrive, students thrive—and that rings true long before the first day of kindergarten. High-quality childcare and early education raise graduation rates, reduce the risk of poverty, and improve learning outcomes. Adequate child care also increases economic mobility for women, who experience significant income losses during motherhood.

Unfortunately, Oregon’s current childcare system is leaving hundreds of families behind, particularly low-income families and families of color. Nearly every county in Oregon is a child care desert and hundreds of families a month are on waiting lists for subsidized care. While the legislature’s recent investment of over $170 million in early childhood infrastructure will serve hundreds more families, we still have work to do.

Expanding access to quality child care is one of the reasons I ran for office, and why I re-established the Legislature’s Child Care Alliance earlier this year. I’m excited to bring together lawmakers, community organizations, labor unions, and businesses from across the state to discuss the current state and future of Oregon’s child care system. The Childcare Alliance will be meeting during May Legislative Days, with a special eye on Oregon’s Employment Related Daycare Program (ERDC), a lifeline for working families. If you or your family has child care-related questions or stories, I highly encourage you to reach out to our office and share. I believe these conversations must center working families, and I’m committed to amplifying your voice as we work to strengthen Oregon’s child care system.

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State of Education 2024

I will be helping our community explore these topics—along with many others—in greater depth at the 2024 “State of Education in Oregon” event, graciously hosted by the City Club of Portland. I will serve as moderator for this community conversation with the acting Director of the Oregon Department of Education, Dr. Charlene Williams. The “State of Education” event is part of the City Club of Portland’s “State of” Series, which provides our community with a platform to engage with government officials in more relaxed settings. The event will feature live, interactive audience Q&A sessions, as well as a free reception where you can chat with each other, Dr. Williams, or myself.

I look forward to seeing you there! You can register for the event for free at this link.

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PCC Launches Jade District Learning Center

Outside of my policy work, I’ve enjoyed attending several in-district (and district-adjacent) community events. Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of attending the Open House celebrating the launch of Portland Community College’s new Jade District Learning Center. The new STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) Maker Space at PCC’s Southeast Campus is a collaboration between PCC, Verizon, and Hacienda Community Development Corporation. I want to thank everyone whose hard work made this project possible: PCC staff, Verizon’s local representatives, the wonderful team at Hacienda CDC, and of course, education champions Representative Kanh Pham (D-Outer SE Portland) and Senator Michael Dembrow (D-SE/NE Portland). Launching this new space was truly a collaborative effort and a testament to what we can accomplish when private, public, and nonprofit entities come together with a shared vision.

           

The Jade District Learning Center offers too many fun tools and toys to count: 3D-printers, laser engraving tools, iPads for community use, and even a virtual reality machine! This incredible resource is open to everyone in our community, not just PCC students. I encourage you to go check it out—finish that project you’ve been putting off or go start a new one! 

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Forth Electric Vehicles: Climate-Friendly Carshare here in District 48

I was also honored to speak a few weeks ago at the launch of GoForth’s new Electric Vehicle Carshare Service, hosted at Cedar Commons off SE Division St. GoForth operates affordable EV carshare programs in New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington, and has helped thousands of drivers move away from expensive, environmentally harmful internal combustion cars. Their newest service offers an energy-efficient, low-cost alternative to owning a vehicle. By partnering with the nonprofit Central City Concern, Forth has built their program to serve low-income drivers who have historically faced economic and social barriers to accessing clean energy transportation. GoForth offers a truly intersectional approach to developing clean transportation infrastructure, and I am extremely proud to be a part of their presence here in HD 48.

The new program is open to everyone, and I encourage anyone needing a ride to give it a try. You can download the GoForth App on the App Store or Google Play or make bookings directly online here. I know I plan to use these climate-friendly cars for my travels around HD 48 - and maybe even my commute to Salem!

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I go to Outdoor School!

Sometimes, our jobs as legislators can be frustrating and exhausting…but sometimes they can be a lot of fun! That was certainly the case when I visited Camp Kuratli Outdoor School a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful May day, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with students, staff, and camp administrators to learn about the incredible programming they provide for kids across the Portland Metro Area. Camp Kuratli is one of approximately 60 outdoor school locations in Oregon. Each of these sites provides immersive, hands-on education about the natural world and our place in it. I was thrilled to join for an afternoon, and even participated in Critter Catch at the Camp Pond! In 2016, Oregon voters overwhelmingly passed Ballot Measure 99, which established an “Outdoor School Education Fund” sourced from our state’s   lottery proceeds. The Fund ensures that every Oregon student, regardless of background, has the opportunity to attend a week-long outdoor school program in either fifth or sixth grade. While Measure 99 has gone a long way to equalizing access to outdoor school, barriers to full participation still remain. At Kuratli, I learned about the creative ways program directors are navigating these challenges, like offering day buses for certain students and providing increased mental health support staff. Outdoor school is an invaluable educational experience, and as we navigate the post-pandemic educational landscape, I’m committed to providing and enhancing that experience for all Oregon students.

 

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Celebrating AANHPI Heritage Month

Finally, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. May is a time for our diverse community to reflect upon and celebrate the contributions we have made to our shared history as both a nation and a state. Earlier this month, I was proud to attend a celebration hosted by the Oregon Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs (OCAPIA) and Oregon Rises Above Hate (ORAH) at the Lan Su Chinese Gardens. We were joined by Governor Tina Kotek, who signed a proclamation celebrating May as AANHPI Heritage Month. It was an honor to be joined by so many courageous AANHPI leaders who embody diverse experiences, wisdom, and resilience of our community.

I was also proud to speak in recognition of AANHPI Heritage month at API Forward’s 7th Annual Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration, which marked the organization’s tenth year anniversary. API forward works to inspire, develop, and advocate for Asian American and Pacific Islanders to become civically engaged and socially responsible leaders in Oregon and Washington. It was amazing to see so many passionate young people from our community there, preparing to become the leading thinkers (and elected officials!) of the future.

While public celebrations like these mark the progress we’ve made toward racial equity, our work is far from over. Our community continues to face xenophobia and harmful tropes like the “model minority” stereotype. I’m committed to continuing to fight for AANHPI advancement in the legislature and in our community more broadly. I’m heartened by the legislative wins AANHPI folks have won in Oregon over the past several years, particularly the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Student Success Plan. Established by HB 3144 (2023), this statewide initiative has already begun gathering input from Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students, families, and community organizations. We know that NHPI students face severe educational disparities compared to other student groups, including unacceptably high rates of chronic absenteeism. By disaggregating Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Student data from the larger AANHPI category, the NHPI Student Success Plan will help local school districts and community organizations to better identify targeted strategies to reduce these disparities. I recently sat down with KGW for an interview about this legislation and was joined by some incredible advocates from the NHPI community. You can read that story in full here.

 

I will end by sharing a message I shared in my remarks at API Forward: a message of hope. As we celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month, I have hope that we will continue to rise above systemic obstacles, and that we will do so together. My hope is strengthened by the brilliant members of our community that I meet every day—from the legislative and community leaders I meet in the policy space, to innovators in the private and nonprofit sector, to everyone in our community who lifts each other up with love and mutual support.

That’s all for May! Please stay tuned for future updates and check out the links below to get more involved with our work. 

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Stay Connected! 

• Facebook @RepHoaNguyen
• Instagram @Rep.HoaNguyen
• Twitter @Rep_HoaNguyen
• TikTok @StateRepHoaNguyen

You can get in touch with me directly by visiting or connecting through: 

• My Legislative Website
• Email at Rep.HoaNguyen@oregonlegislature.gov
• Call our office at 503-986-1448
• Visit my office in the House Chambers on the fourth floor, H-473

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Trong cộng đồng,

In Community,

 

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1448

Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-281, Salem, OR 97301

Email: Rep.HoaNguyen@oregonlegislature.gov

Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/nguyen

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