Interim Newsletter: November
We're back! The two-month blackout period which prevented mass communication from our office concluded with Tuesday's election, and we look forward to returning to normal in the lead-up to January's Legislative Session. As a reminder, these rules are in place to ensure taxpayer dollars are not spent to promote political campaigns.
While there isn't a lot of "Legislative News" to share at the moment, Rep. Cate and I have been quietly working behind the scenes to get her bills ready for the 2025 Session, which involves a lot of back-and-forth conversation with Legislative Counsel and stakeholders. We look forward to sharing more about that work in just a couple of months!
In December, we will have our final "Legislative Days" of the interim period. As always, this will be a chance for committees to meet, and for Rep. Cate and I to have in-person meetings with constituents and members of the lobby. We also will be getting our last bill drafts returned by Legislative Counsel the week before--like an early Christmas gift!
While the blackout is over, elections are still wrapping up and you can see the unofficial results of federal, state, and local races on the Secretary of State's website with this link.
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This month, we would like to bring attention to several community members that stepped up in difficult circumstances to keep one House District 11's communities safe. Sweet Home Police Chief Jason Ogden honored several citizens at a recent city council meeting for their part in thwarting a potential shooting at the high school. Ogden cited strong relationships between students, parents, police and student administration for the successful response to the threat made on social media, and we couldn't agree more! Let this story be a stark reminder of the importance of having a tightly knit community such as Sweet Home.
 Honored for their role in stopping a potential threat to the high school are, from left: Amanda Kilmer, School Resource Officer Tyler Robinson, Sgt. Geoff Hamlin, Dispatcher Katie Lyon, Officer Daniel Gerkman, Commander Penny Leland, Officer Cody McPherson, Capt. Ryan Cummings, Det. Sean Potter, Dispatcher Rachel Warren, Eturnyti Allison and Christopher Allison. Not pictured: School District Supt. Terry Martin. Photos by Sarah Brown
Do you know of anyone in House District 11 who deserves to be acknowledged? Send us your nominations at Rep.JamiCate@oregonlegislature.gov
Stand Up Comedy in Lebanon Tonight
One event you won't want to miss is tonight's Keg of Comedy stand-up show supporting the Lebanon Chamber of Commerce! I'm not sure there is a more fun way to support your local community, so grab tickets in advance while they're still available at https://tallmanbrewing.com/events!
Sweet Home Teams' State Competition Tomorrow
The Sweet Home Cobras are at State, and girls' soccer is competing in the quarterfinals at the high school tomorrow night. The boys' & girls' cross-country teams will also be competing in the morning at Lane Community College, so let’s show our community spirit and cheer them on!
Linn County Veterans Day Parade Returns
Don't miss the largest Veterans Day parade west of the Mississippi! This spectacular event will have over 180 entries and nearly 1,000 musicians from middle school, high school, and Oregon State marching bands. What a way to honor those who've served!
Harrisburg Holiday Bazaar Next Friday & Saturday
Harrisburg will be hosting their annual Holiday Bazaar next weekend! This is an event that allows you to get into the Christmas spirt a little early, and hopefully score some unique gifts for loved ones! See the flyer below for more information.
Jefferson Holiday Craft Fair Next Saturday
The City of Jefferson is proud to once again host its annual Christmas Craft Fair! Enjoy food, raffle opportunities, and some early Christmas shopping next Saturday, November 16th in the high school gym. For more information see the flyer below.
Holiday Market in Scio November 22nd & 23rd
Scio is also getting into the Christmas spirit early this year with music, raffle opportunities, food, and shopping, and even Santa Claus! This will all be happening on Friday, November 22nd and Saturday, November 23rd, so don't miss out! For more information see the flyer below.
Sweet Home Gingerbread House Competition
The City of Sweet Home is proud to present the 6th Annual Gingerbread Competition sponsored by Julegård: The Christmas Farm! Anyone can compete, or you can just come and enjoy the beauty and creativity of the finished houses. There are prizes for different age groups!
For more details and to register, click here.
Lebanon Holidays in the Park Parade December 7th
The City of Lebanon will once again be hosting its annual Holidays in the Park on Saturday, December 7th at Ralston Park! This event has it all, including a parade beginning in the evening, which they will need sign-ups for!
For more information, contact Dala Johnson at (541) 619-0606
Update on Green Peter Dam Drawdown
One of the most important topics in Rep. Cate's district over the past 12 months has been the annual deep drawdown at Green Peter Dam, which has led to devastating consequences for our Kokanee Salmon, drinking water, and local economy. With that said, we wanted to give a brief update on this winter's drawdown.
In case you missed it, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (which manages the dams residing in the Willamette Basin) was forced by a federal judge to begin performing historically deep drawdowns of certain dams to allow for--in theory--easier passage of Chinook Salmon, which are listed under the Endangered Species Act. While the outcome for the Chinook Salmon's survival rates have yet to be determined, it is absolutely clear the tradeoffs are unacceptable to any reasonable observer. Lebanon and Sweet Home have since declared a public health emergency, and filed a tort claim against the Corps.
As a result, the Corps requested, and was granted in court, a modification to perform the drawdown over a shorter period of time this winter to hopefully reduce the timeframe of turbid waters. The cities of Lebanon and Sweet Home have gone ahead and requested that the Oregon Health Authority immediately ask the Corps to halt the drawdowns as they began to see turbidity levels rise to high levels. Unfortunately, this was swiftly declined by OHA.
Unfortunately, it is likely that Lebanon and Sweet Home would need to be unable to provide adequate water to its citizens before the drawdown is halted, which at that point, would be much too late.
We will continue to be in close contact with our impacted communities as they struggle through the drawdown period that concludes next month.
Input Wanted: State Water Investments
The Oregon Legislative Water Caucus is asking Oregonians to submit their current and future water investment needs via a statewide survey to help inform budget requests and strategic planning. In the time since the Statewide Integrated Water Resources Strategy was initially adopted in 2012, the state has been incrementally increasing its attention to critical water priorities, but the Legislature does not have a comprehensive inventory of water investment needs.
In an effort to fill that gap, the Water Caucus invites water managers, users, stewards, advocates and members of the public to submit water investment needs by December 15th via a statewide survey: https://bit.ly/2024waterinvestmentsurvey.
By doing so, Oregonians can help the Water Caucus understand investment-ready water projects. In addition to physical projects, water investment needs can include data, planning, and other needs that benefit the environment, communities, and economy. The survey is for informational and planning purposes only and does not guarantee funding or replace other legislative processes.
Corporate Transparency Act Filing Deadline January 1st
Did you know? If you are a small business owner, the deadline to file for the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is looming. Businesses must file by January 1st, 2025. There is no cost to file. Below is a summary of the requirement.
The CTA requires that registered businesses register any “beneficial owner” of the company with the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). The BOI filing requirement applies to any small business that files an incorporating document with their state business authority to conduct business in the United States, including corporations, limited partnerships or limited liability companies (LLCs). The FinCEN classification of a “small entity” is having less than 20 employees and under $5 million in cash receipts.
Where to file: https://www.fincen.gov/boi
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