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To contact me, please click here: Sen.DebPatterson@oregonlegislature.gov

This Week

One of the greatest privileges of working in this office is the opportunity to be out and learn more about the community. This week I had several opportunities to do just that, and I am so grateful.

For many years, as a member of the downtown Salem Rotary, I had the opportunity to visit with Judge Richard Barber, who during his time leading the Marion County Justice Court, had officiated at over 5000 weddings. I know that many of you also remember him well. Here is an article from the Statesman Journal about his work.

This Justice Court is now run by Judge Justin Kidd, and I had a chance to visit with him earlier this week. Judge Kidd adjudicates small claims (under $10,000), evictions, traffic violations, and more. He also provides over many civil unions each year.  You can learn more at https://www.co.marion.or.us/JC. 

This week, I also had the chance to visit the cottages built for adults 55+ in Salem by the United Way, with CEO Rhonda Wolf. They are planning to build 15 more cottages in the near future, and I will be advocating for support for those, to be situated on land already provided by the City of Salem. 

In West Salem, I had the opportunity to tour Willamette Vital Health (formerly Willamette Valley Hospice), which serves people in our district and beyond with a committed staff of a full-time medical director, nurses, social workers, counselors, music therapists, and other caring professionals and support teams. WVH is the only non-profit hospice in our region, and every dollar that they bring in goes directly to care of the patients and families. Learn more at www.wvh.org.

The Joint Task Force on Hospital Discharge Planning Challenges has only two meetings left to complete its work, and its draft recommendations are being finalized. They will be available for public comment before the next meeting in mid-November. You can learn more about the work of the Task Force by clicking here.

I’m also serving on the Oregon Commission for Women, and we had the chance this week to meet with Commissioners from the other three advocacy commissions at Mahonia Hall as the guests of Governor Kotek and First Lady Aimee Wilson. Top priorities for the OCFW include access to affordable childcare, pay equity, and addressing domestic violence as a public health issue.  Click here to find out more.

I also had a chance to stop by the Marion County Elections office, as I am not running during this mid-term election, to thank the County Clerk and the workers there for their tireless efforts on behalf of keeping our elections safe and fair.  Thank you to everyone who has stepped up to be a part of this important process in our democracy. 

These were just some of the meetings happening in our office this week, as we look towards preparing for the long session. Next week, I’ll be back over in Monmouth and Independence, and if you haven’t had the chance to ride their trolley yet, I hope you do soon. It’s free and runs every 20 minutes from downtown Independence to the Western Oregon University campus in Monmouth and back. 

Moving forward, my priorities continue to be affordability of food, healthcare, housing, childcare, and education. Please stay tuned and stay in touch. We look forward to hearing from you!

All the best,

Deb

Oregon sees growth in new businesses

According to a new study, Oregon experienced the largest increase among US states of new businesses between 2022 and 2023. Business growth in our state is higher now than it was before the pandemic, and the growth in 2024 is on track to outpace last year's growth.

Small local businesses are critical for our economy, and I am excited to see entrepreneurs starting and growing their businesses here. Moving forward, I look forward to building on this progress to support Oregon's small businesses, which contribute so much to our local communities.

Opening of Sunset Meadows Park

The City of Independence will mark the Grand Opening of Sunset Meadows Park at 4:00pm on Tuesday, October 29. Please join the ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate this new park in our community.

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1710
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-411, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: Sen.DebPatterson@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/patterson