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To contact me, please click here: Rep.TravisNelson@oregonlegislature.gov

Reflecting on PRIDE Month 

June was PRIDE Month and an important time for the community to come together to celebrate and reflect on how far we have come. I would like to take this moment to share some of what I did in June and share a few important resources.  As Oregon's first LGBTQ+ man of color to be elected to the Legislature, I believe that representation matters. I will continue to be a strong advocate for my communities. It is important that we take time to celebrate all of our accomplishments as a community but continue to work to make a more equal society. 

Proud Member of the Oregon Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus

The Oregon Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus was established in 2022. I am currently joined by Senator Kate Lieber, Representative Ben Bowman, Representative Farrah Chaichi, Representative Dacia Grayber, and Representative Rob Nosse. We are looking forward participating in Portland PRIDE on Sunday, July 21!

Resources from OHA for LGBTQ+ Youth

I would like to give a shout out to the Oregon Health Authority for the work they are doing to reaffirm their commitment to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, two-spirit, questioning and (+) (LGBTQIA2S+) youth. They recently sent out their news release, OHA supporting LGBTQIA2S+ youth with list of summer resources. 

• The following are the links that OHA has compiled:
• Oregon Youth Resource Map
• TransActive Gender Project
• PFLAG’s quick tips to parents and caregivers for supporting their LGBTQIA2S+ children during the coming-out process.
  • PFLAG also has eight chapters in Oregon.
• Family Acceptance Project
  • An Oregon page also is available.
• The Trevor Project
  • Public education materials are available on its website, as well as the results of its 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People.
• Outside In
  • Call 503-535-3828.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers a number of professional development resources to help teachers and school staff create safe schools for LGBTQIA2S+ youth.
• Center of Excellence on LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity
  • The center published a short video last year on basic terminology that is important for people to know when working with those of diverse sexual orientations or gender identities.
• New Avenues for Youth’s Sexual & Gender Minority Youth Center
• The Next Door
• Eastern Oregon Center for Independent Living(EOCIL)
• Rogue Action Center

For more details about these resources, visit the OHA news release HERE.

Calling on the Public Utility Commission to Reject PGE's Proposed Rate Hikes

Portland General Electric (PGE) increased their rates by 18% in January 2024. They currently have a proposal for another rate increase of over 7%. I joined other members of the legislature in submitting this letter as official public comment on the proposed rate increase from PGE.

I have been informed that you can still submit public comment:

"Any comments submitted through August 27, 2024, will be included in Staffs rebuttal testimony due on September 10, 2024. Interested persons may still submit comments after August 27, 2024, but these comments will not be included in the record through Staffs testimony." -Memorandum Regarding Public Comments, Public Utility Commission (Memo here).

For more information about submitting testimony to the PUC, visit the Oregon Citizens' Utility Board. You can use this form to submit public comment to the Public Utility Board. Make sure to select UE 435 as the Docket Number.

If you are struggling to pay your PGE bill, please visit their Income Qualified Bill Discount page to see if you qualify for a 15% to 60% monthly discount.

PRIDE at the White House

I went to Washington D.C. for the 2024 National Meeting of State Health & Human Services Chairs through the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) as the Vice Chair of the House Committee on Behavioral Health and Healthcare. This was an opportunity to learn more about what is happening in other states and federally when it comes to healthcare and human services.

I was also invited to attend the White House's Pride Month Celebration that happened to be going on while I was there. We heard from First Lady Jill Biden who spoke about the history of the LGBTQIA+ community and recognized how far we have to go.

Honored to join other LGBTQ+ folks at the White House to celebrate our community.

I got to meet Da Brat at this event! She is also a proud member of the community.

I met Brita Filter from RuPaul's Drag Race Season 12. She is the National Co-Chair for Drag Out the Vote.

Arbor Lodge Shelter GRAND OPENING

Joint Office of Homeless Services held the GRAND OPENING event for the Arbor Lodge Shelter on Wednesday, June 26^th. My staff member attended the event while I was out of town. I want to give a shout out to the Arbor Lodge Neighborhood Association and Kenton Neighborhood Association for their work collaborating with Do Good Multnomah and JOHS on this site.

Once open, this facility will serve up to 106 people who need shelter. I was pleased to hear that they have focused on trauma informed design for the space. I think it is important that they have given each bunk their own outlet and reading light. I am hopeful that this will be a safe space for our neighbors experiencing homelessness to seek help on their pathway to permanent housing.

You can learn more about this event here. The media attended the event and has good coverage if you were not able to attend. KOIN covered this event this article. KGW’s coverage is here and you can see the  story from KATU here. Lastly, this coverage  from Fox 12 Oregon.  

I am looking forward to the Portland Pride Parade in July and hope to see you there!

Travis Nelson
State Representative
House District 44

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1444
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-275, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.TravisNelson@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/nelson​