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To contact me, please click here: Rep.RickLewis@oregonlegislature.gov
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1418
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-385, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.RickLewis@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/lewis
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Happy Holidays from the Christmas Tree District!
The year is swiftly coming to a close. Last week legislators met for Interim Committee Days to hold informational hearings, receive agency updates, and prepare for the 2025 Session.
A one-day Special Session was also convened to address wildfire funding issues. The week ended with our pre-session filing deadline for those bills to be first read on opening day.
As part of gearing up for the coming session, earlier this month the Governor released her recommended budget for the 2025-27 biennium. Legislators are waiting to receive our 2025 committee assignments and preparing our offices for the work ahead. We meet again the week of January 13th for Organizational Days. During that time, legislators will be sworn in, and they and their staff will engage in training sessions in preparation to kick off the 2025 Regular Session on January 21st.
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Once again, Happy Holidays! I wish you a season filled with joy, warmth, and cherished moments with family and loved ones. Thank you for your ongoing engagement and for reading along to see what’s happening in Salem and beyond. I look forward to hearing from you in the new year.
Sincerely,
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 Rick Lewis
State Representative
House District 18
Oregon’s Christmas Tree District
In this Issue:
View Previous Newsletter at: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/lewis/Pages/news.aspx
The December Revenue and Economic Forecast offered an optimistic outlook, projecting increased revenue for the state. The forecast anticipates $945 million more in tax revenue for the 2023-25 biennium than previously estimated, bringing a total surplus for the period to $2.79 billion. This additional funding will contribute to Oregon’s unique “kicker” tax rebate, which returns excess revenue to taxpayers. The personal income kicker is now projected at $1.8 billion, to be distributed as credits in 2026, while more than $1 billion in corporate kicker revenue will be allocated to K-12 education. This forecast reflects adjustments to the state’s revenue prediction model, which incorporates a more optimistic view of the economic trends and a potential “soft landing for inflation.
Oregon’s new state economist, Carl Riccadonna, emphasized the improved accuracy of the revised forecasting model, which adjusts for previous underestimations of income tax revenue. Lawmakers are expected to have additional funds in the 2025-27 budget cycle, including $1.3 billion in new revenue. Despite this positive outlook, some concerns were raised about the potential impact of more accurate predictions on future kicker rebates. Overall, the forecast highlights Oregon’s economic stability, near-full employment, and slow population growth as the state plans for key investments in areas like education, infrastructure, and wildfire prevention.
With an ending balance over $2.7 billion in reserve the forecast shows we don’t need more taxes. As we move through the budget process in the 2025 session, I will prioritize a balanced budget that holds agencies accountable for taxpayer funds and protects Oregonian’s family budgets.
You can watch a replay of the forecast and access the meeting materials on OLIS.
A summary of the forecast can be found here.
The House Interim Committee On Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans received a wildfire season report from state and local fire officials, held an informational hearings related to Non-Governmental Organizations in Disaster Recovery and Winter Weather Preparation.
We also received a critical energy infrastructure update and held a work session for introduction of the following committee legislative concepts to be worked in the 2025 Session.
Watch a replay of the committee and access meeting materials here.
The House and Senate Interim Committees On Judiciary met jointly for informational hearings on the Status of SAFE Kits Testing by the Oregon State Police. We also received an update and final report from the Oregon Public Defense Commission, and a report and recommendations from the Task Force on Specialty Courts. The Oregon Supreme Court and the Oregon State Bar provided information on programs to expand legal access, and the Criminal Justice Commission gave a crime statistic update.
The committees then met separately to hold a work session for introduction of committee legislative concepts to be worked in the 2025 Session. A list of those concepts is posted on OLIS here.
Watch a replay of the committee and access meeting materials here.
The Oregon Legislature convened a special session on December 12th to address the state’s financial responsibility to pay our brave firefighters for their work to keep our homes, communities, and wildlands safe during this year’s record-breaking wildfire season.
Over 1.9 million acres burned, marking the largest wildfire season in Oregon’s history. The Oregon Department of Forestry faced a severe financial crisis; $335.1 million in compensation not yet received, with fire costs surging from $69 million to $318 million annually. The session focused on providing $218 million in funding to the Oregon Department of Forestry and the State Fire Marshal to cover firefighting expenses and contractor payments. While federal aid is expected to reimburse a significant portion of these costs, the immediate funding is crucial to avoid insolvency in stated agencies tasked with wildfire management.
Oregon’s wildfire crisis demands real solutions. We need dependable emergency funding to ensure reliable firefighter compensation and strategic forest management.
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 On November 22, I spoke at the dedication ceremony for the Vietnam War Memorial on the State Capitol grounds in Salem, marking the completion of phase 1 of the project.
It is hard to believe it has been more than 60 years since the United States became involved in direct military action in Vietnam. For nearly ten years prior to that, American military advisors were in-country assisting the South Vietnamese military. More than 58,000 American servicemen lost their lives, most from combat actions while more than 300,000 were wounded in action. Between 1955 and the mid-70’s 2.7 million Americans served in Vietnam. Nearly 800 Oregonians lost their lives.
Today marks another milestone in our history. Many of us will remember where we were 61 years ago today when we received the news that President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Like December 7, 1941, September 11th, 2001, and other memorable dates, November 22, 1963, stands out as a day that changed the course of history. Not long after, in August 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution with only two dissenting votes in the Senate. The Resolution authorized President Lyndon Johnson to use conventional military force in Southeast Asia without a formal declaration of war by Congress.
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I enlisted for three years in the Army three days after my 18th birthday in 1968. At that time, the draft was still in place, and most were drafted into military service. In fact, all but three of my basic training unit at Fort Lewis, Washington, were two-year draftees and most were sent to Vietnam as 11 Bravos following their infantry training at Fort Lewis. Many of my friends from Basic never came home. My best friend through my childhood years was killed in action just two weeks after arriving in-country. He had married his high school sweetheart, a classmate of mine, while home on leave just three weeks before his death.
What I remember most about my years in the military in the 60’s were the men I had the honor of serving with. Sadly, many of those friends are no longer living. Vietnam claimed many. Old age has taken others. Some were casualties of war in a different way long after returning from Vietnam – whether due to Agent Orange exposure, suicide, or PTSD-related injury.
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 The late 60’s and early 70’s was a turbulent time to have served in our nation’s armed forces. I remember my dad in tears watching the news reports showing the terrible treatment of our men in uniform and comparing it to the heroes’ welcome he received on his return from World War II and the Korean War. While in transit, we were required to wear Class A uniforms. I remember well the treatment we received from civilians in airports and train stations. Most of us sought out fellow service members in uniform so as not to interact with civilians. Many received treatment far worse as they returned from combat only to be ridiculed and spit on. Thankfully that sentiment toward service members no longer exists for those serving today. It can be emotional for Vietnam Era veterans to see today’s service members thanked by complete strangers for their military service and compare that to the treatment they received when they came home. I am so thankful that the reception is so much different for those serving today. Many of our Vietnam veterans have never received the thanks and appreciation for their military service that they so rightfully deserve – even 60 years after the fact. To them it is difficult to describe the emotions associated with the treatment they received – having served their country in harm’s way, witnessing the unspeakable acts of war and combat, seeing their friends and comrades in arms seriously wounded or killed and then to return home to receive no thanks for their honorable military service other than from fellow service members and family. Many have not forgotten what that felt like.
This long overdue memorial is an attempt many years after the fact to honor and thank those who served. It is intended to be a place of remembrance and reflection and yes, for healing. It is meant to be a place for those of later generations to learn and not forget the sacrifices of those who have gone before them. Much still needs to be done before this memorial is finished. It is the end of the beginning of this project that so many have worked so hard for in order to bring the memorial to completion.
To those who served in Vietnam, thank you for your service. This memorial is for you as a small way to acknowledge your service and to say at long last, welcome home.
A photo gallery and detailed coverage of the event can be found in the Statesman Journal article here.
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I am pleased to report that the work of the House Committee On Veterans and Emergency Preparedness that brought forth HB 2100 in 2017 designating a portion of U.S. Highway 20 to be known as Oregon Medal of Honor Highway continued its momentum at the federal level. The project which began in Oregon by Lt. Col. Dick Tobiason (Ret.), founder of the Bend Heroes Foundation resulted in a bipartisan initiative, led by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) in S.1478, which passed Congress last week and is headed to the President for his signature.
The highway honors all recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award for valor. The highway stretches 3,365 miles from Newport, Oregon, to Boston, Massachusetts, and traverses 12 states that collectively account for over 60% of all medal of honor recipients since the Civil War.
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On December 7th, 1941, the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor claimed thousands of lives, plunging the United States into World War II. Today, we honor the bravery of those who faced unimaginable adversity and remember the sacrifices that shaped the course of history.
In our pause to remember this day, please share with your children and grandchildren the valor and legacy of those who perished and those who fought throughout the war so that they too -- will remember and understand of the price that was paid for their freedoms.
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