Looking Forward to the Year Ahead!
Happy New Year, and welcome to our first newsletter of 2025! As we kick off yet another year - and soon, the 83rd Legislative Assembly - I’m deeply honored to still be here, serving as your voice in Salem. Our office is busy preparing to hit the ground running when session starts in just over a week on the 13th - and for the challenges and opportunities this session will bring. We’ve been fine-tuning legislative proposals, reviewing ways we can improve constituent outreach, getting up to speed with the recent announcement of committee assignments, and making plans for how we can best serve the great people of House District 11!
Looking back on 2024, I’m proud of what we accomplished. From securing vital tax exemptions on wildfire settlements through SB 1520, to staying connected with you through personal notes and updates, we’ve made progress in both the legislative arena and in strengthening our community ties—but the work is far from done, and we got a bit of a jump start on one of the key pieces of legislation we'll be introducing in 2025.
Just over a week ago, I joined two of my colleagues in publicly announcing a bill that would ban a utility company from raising rates if they have unresolved wildfire lawsuits for three or more years (you can find the story here). We've long heard from wildfire victims that Pacific Power is dragging out legal proceedings to avoid paying victims damages for the 2020 wildfires, all while continuing to raise rates on consumers by nearly 50% since 2021. Even the Federal Government has taken action to hold Pacific Power accountable for their negligence, and I believe it's far time that the state steps in to do likewise and protect Oregonians. You can read the press release that Rep. Osborne (R-Roseburg), Rep. Diehl (R-Stayton), and I sent out below.
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Stay tuned for weekly updates from now until the conclusion of session, and be sure to share your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you and your families, because I will do a better job representing you in turn. Here's to a productive, impactful 2025!
This week we're congratulating Battalion Chief Randy Whitfield on his retirement from the Sweet Home Fire Department! Whitfield served the community of Sweet Home as a volunteer firefighter for 28 years before accepting the professional position of Battalion Chief for the final 7 years of his career. He also served the Lebanon Fire Department at one point!
Please join us in extending gratitude to Randy for his decades of service. We wish him the best in his next chapter!
 Do you know of anyone in House District 11 who deserves to be acknowledged? Send us your nominations at Rep.JamiCate@oregonlegislature.gov
Adult Book Club Wednesdays at Lebanon Library
Is one of your New Year's Resolutions to read more books? If so, the Lebanon Public Library's adult book club might be right up your alley!
Their next meeting is Wednesday, January 8th at 4:30pm for adults 18 and older. The Book Club normally meets the first Wednesday of the month, but due to the New Year holiday, the library was closed the first Wednesday of January.
January's book selection is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Simon Armitage.
Adoption & Fundraiser at Sweet Home Library Friday
Join Faith's Furry Rescue for an adoption event at the Sweet Home Public Library next Friday from 2:00-5:00pm! You can bring your whole family to see adoptable animals and learn about the adoption process. They're also accepting donations to fundraise for veterinarian care.
Volunteers Needed at Halsey Library
The Halsey Library is in need of volunteers!
Adult and teen (age 14 and older) volunteers are needed to run the library and/or assist with events. New volunteers will work with the librarian to learn how the library works. Adults can run shifts by themselves, and teens can run shifts under supervision of the librarian.
This is a great opportunity for high school students looking for community service hours! If you are interested in volunteering, please pick up an application from the library, city hall, or online here. You can return the completed form to the library or City Hall during normal business hours.
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One of the new ideas Rep. Cate came up with going into 2025 was creating a new section in our digital newsletter. In Staffer’s Corner, I’ll do my best to take you behind the scenes of this year’s session, in order to show you some of the other work we do besides shepherding good legislation and trying to kill bad legislation. Too often, constituents don't know where to turn to get help when they're having problems, and yet that's one of the main functions of our office! We're always happy to do what we can to help constituents navigate challenges they're facing, and I hope this section helps build that awareness moving forward.
One project I've been busy working on the past couple of weeks, and am personally looking forward to, is getting our annual “District Tour” all planned out! Rep. Cate and I will be meeting with House District 11’s cities, first responders, and chambers of commerce to go over issues that are most pressing to them prior to session. Emails and phone calls are fine and dandy, but nothing beats face-to-face interaction—and getting to spend quality time in district!
I’m looking forward to sharing more once session kicks off and we’re back in the office all week, every week!
- Conner
These 7 new Oregon laws now in effect. What you need to know
Stateman Journal
Oregon lawmakers passed more than 100 bills during the 2024 Legislature. Many of the new laws, including the rollback of drug decriminalization and new campaign finance limits, have been implemented while others will go into effect this year or later.
Kotek won’t designate rural land for chip industry after all as Oregon’s hopes for research hub fade
The Oregonian
Gov. Tina Kotek dropped plans to designate rural land near Hillsboro for industrial development on Friday as Oregon’s odds of winning a federally backed semiconductor research hub before a looming statutory deadline all but vanished.
Community response provides real hope for The New Era’s future
The New Era
One of the common reasons why newspapers die is because their communities didn’t know, or didn’t wake up, until it was too late. Those who have responded have demonstrated very clearly that you don’t want that to be the case.
Interim Newsletter: December
Interim Newsletter: November
Signing Off for the Fall!
Interim Newsletter: August
Interim Newsletter: July
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