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Hello Senate District 19 and beyond,
What a busy summer it has been. Between meetings to prepare for the upcoming session and trips around the state to see first-hand the great work Oregonians are doing to uplift our state, it's hard for me to believe August is nearly finished.
While there are many important conversations happening in the Legislature right now, one of the top priorities is the work of the Joint Committee on Transportation. Members of the committee have made six stops around the state to hear directly from local leaders, community members, and transportation officials about the specific transportation needs in Oregon's various regions and how the state should pay for the systems we need.
The reality is that there are structural issues with the way ODOT is funded, and we need to figure out a sustainable and stable way to ensure the agency has the funds it needs to ensure the safety and maintenance of our roads, bridges, bike paths, and public transit.
The committee is officially at the midway point of its 12-stop tour, with the next venues in Ontario and Hermiston.
There are few subjects in Oregon that truly impact every single person, and transportation is one. It's also constantly being reviewed, revised, and maintained. For example, in the next few days TriMet is going to be updating and expanding access to public transit options in Senate District 19, connecting communities and places of public interest together. There are too many changes to go into here, but follow this link for more details.
Transportation is a key issue for the Legislature and I'm grateful to the members of the Joint Committee on Transportation — especially co-chairs Sen. Chris Gorsek and Rep. Susan McLain — for their hard work this interim tackling this complicated and important topic.
Lake Oswego Town Hall
I had the pleasure of joining Rep. Jules Walters and Rep. Daniel Nguyen for a town hall at Lake Oswego City Hall moderated by Lake Oswego Mayor Joe Buck in late July. We had a great turnout and many excellent questions from community members. We spent a lot of the time talking about K-12 education funding, climate change and public safety, all issues that I know people care deeply about.
If you weren't able to attend this town hall, I hope to have another before the 2025 session gets underway in mid-January.
 Always a fun time to sit beside my friends Rep. Walters, Rep. Nguyen and Mayor Buck and have conversations about the issues that Oregonians care most about.
New Trail Ribbon Cutting
I also was thrilled to be able to join Tualatin Mayor Frank Bubenik, Rep. Jules Walters and other community members at the ribbon cutting for a newly completed section of the Tualatin River Greenway Trail. The new trail creates a safe passage under Highway 99, running from Hazelbrook to the River Ridge Apartments. The 0.46-mile section was paid for, in part, by the state, through an ODOT Community Paths grant.
I am a huge supporter of the outdoors and outdoor access, and trails like this are a great way to make safe outdoor activity available for everyone. Congratulations to Tualatin for the continuation of this important and beautiful trail system.
 It was a perfectly warm and sunny day to open the new section of the Tualatin River Greenway with members of my community.
While on a trip to Klamath Falls, I had the opportunity to meet with Klamath Community College President Dr. Roberto Gutierrez, Board Chair Dave Jensen, and Vice Chair Raymond Holliday to discuss community colleges and education in rural areas. Community colleges are drivers of the local workforce in rural areas, offering the opportunity to learn skills that students can use to jumpstart a career.
While I was there, I had the opportunity to tour KCC’s new apprenticeship program and see their $1 million well drilling rig that was funded by the governor's office and the Oregon Water Resources Department.
According to the college, ongoing drought conditions in southern Oregon are leading to domestic wells running dry. Since 2021, there have been a total of 1,280 dry wells reported in the Klamath basin.
The need for well drilling operators is on the rise, and the college is stepping up to train that needed workforce.
I'm a community college guy, I know how important the opportunities community colleges provide are to their local regions. It was great to see KCC creating a program to train students in response to a need in their region and I'm glad the state was able to support this effort.
 It is critically important that Oregon students have access to higher education all across the state, and I'm glad to say Klamath Community College is going above and beyond to serve its community.
Oregon has nearly 200 state parks, and I am a little more than 1/4 of the way through my project to visit every single one of them. I got started this summer and have really enjoyed meeting with rangers at parks all across Oregon and learning more about these natural area. Every stop drives home for me how important it is that we work to protect the natural beauty of our state.
During a trip to Southern Oregon last week I had the opportunity to visit two more parks — Jackson F. Kimball State Recreation Site and Collier Memorial State Park. The rangers at both locations were extremely knowledgeable about these areas and generous with sharing details about these parks.
Jackson F. Kimball State Recreation Site is located at the headwaters of the Wood River, where the stream flows from pine forest into open meadowland. Established in 1955, the park offers fishing, kayaking, canoeing and several campsites, including a couple of horse campsites.
Collier Memorial State Park is home to possibly the best museum of historic logging equipment in the state, displaying equipment that dates back to the 1880s. It also has a campground, a relocated pioneer village, a horse camp and the trailhead for a 10+ mile multi-use trail.
I had an amazing time exploring and learning about these state parks and I would highly recommend spending a few hours in nature at these wonderful parks.
Statesman Journal: Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek throws support behind Owyhee Canyonlands national monument
Gov. Tina Kotek threw her support behind the latest movement to establish a national monument in southeast Oregon’s Owyhee Canyonlands.
Oregon Capital Chronicle: FDA greenlights new COVID vaccine after a summer of rising numbers of cases
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine intended to address severe symptoms of the virus ahead of the cold and flu season.
OPB: Oregon wraps up $30 million summer learning investments as students prepare for new year
Summer break is almost over, and with it comes the end of summer school. Oregon lawmakers invested $30 million in this season’s efforts, focusing on education programs with the highest needs.
Oregonian: Multnomah County reports big progress in sheltering, housing people experiencing homelessness
The number of homeless individuals in Multnomah County who accessed shelter or moved into permanent housing increased significantly last year, according to new data released by the county.
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If you would like to contact the Senate President's Office, send an email or call and either myself or a staff member will assist you. If you are a constituent coming to Salem and want to arrange a meeting, I'm always happy to meet, so please let us know well in advance as my schedule fills up quickly.
email: Sen.RobWagner@OregonLegislature.gov
phone: 503-986-1600
address: 900 Court St NE, S-201, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/wagner
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