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To contact me, please click here: Rep.HaiPham@oregonlegislature.gov
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Happy 2025! I hope this message finds you well and have been able to spend some holiday time with friends, family, and loved ones. This is my first newsletter of the new year and I have so much to share with you as we quickly approach the legislative session.
But before we get into the details, I am hosting a Joint Town Hall in the Hillsboro Senior Center with Hillsboro Mayor Pace, Washington County Commissioner Snider, and Metro Councilor Gonzalez. Please RSVP and bring your thoughts, questions, and ideas.
Joint Hillsboro Town Hall on Saturday, January 25th from 10-11:30 am at the Hillsboro Senior Center
RSVP Today!
New Committees!
This year, I will be serving on the House Behavioral Health and Healthcare Committee, Joint Ways and Means Human Services Subcommittee, as the new Vice-Chair of the House Rules Committee.
There are so many issues impacting our state, and with my personal experiences as a healthcare provider and pediatric dentist, I am eager to get to work on fostering healthy communities. It’ll be a busy session as we consider bills around prescription drugs, insurance requirements, workforce recruitment and retention, and behavioral healthcare supports. Here’s coverage from the Lund Report that shares a high level overview of some of the healthcare issues that we’ll likely see.
I am also honored to serve as Vice-Chair to the House Rules committee! It’s a unique committee that doesn’t adhere to many of the same timelines as other committees do and often discuss consequential issues that our communities face. I look forward to working with all of my colleagues, in the House and Senate, to deliver for Oregonians as we look to tackle Oregon’s toughest challenges.
Opening Day Ceremonies
We had a busy Monday down at the Capitol as legislators were sworn into office. It’s truly an honor and privilege to be sworn in for my second term in the Oregon Legislature. I am eager to represent and serve our communities.
It was an honor to have my family in Salem as we celebrated the day!
Opening days are always a day of joy and anticipation as we prepare to rise up to the challenge and address some of the most pressing issues that our state faces. We’re ready to get to work.
The 2025 Session and My Legislative Priorities
This year, the Legislature will be convening on Tuesday, Jan 21st and will run for six months to end on Sunday, June 29th. In all, there have been over 2,000 bills that have been filed in both chambers with a couple hundred more on the way in the next few weeks. That’s a lot! Of course, the pathway to passage of a bill is a long process, one that we’ll have six months to accomplish.
As a pediatric dentist and a father who has been serving medically fragile children in the Washington County community for years, it’s no surprise that my legislative priorities focus on youth health and well-being.
One of my top priorities this session will be expanding and ensuring stabilizing funding for School Based Health Centers (SBHCs). Oregon’s SBHCs are critical community tools that centers youth and supports their health and well-being. Many of our students and kids are struggling with mental health behavioral health, stress, and other issues that prevent them from fully engaging in the classroom.
I believe that with SBHCs, we can make upstream investments that will remove barriers to success like chronic absenteeism, cell phones and impacts to mental health, and more. School based health centers can offer a comprehensive system of wraparound support in schools that can help students achieve success and wellness.
I will also be working with Senator Reynolds and introduce a House and Senate bill that would ban the sale of flavored tobacco. Flavored tobacco and e-cigarettes are the most popular tobacco products among Oregon teens, with over 10% of 11th graders using them in the previous month. E-cigarettes can contain large doses of nicotine and are highly addictive and put youth users at a higher risk of addiction.
Vapes in particular have been marketed as safer than traditional cigarettes and come in a number of flavors like cotton candy, orange soda, and watermelon ice to make it more appealing to children. Vapes, e-cigarettes, and any other tobacco product lead to increased risk of cancer, gum diseases, and other systemic health issues. We need to protect our children from preventative illnesses and save lives.
Oregon Leadership Summit
I attended the 22nd Annual Leadership Summit where over a thousand Oregonians, leaders, community, and elected officials came together to collaborate and learn about fostering economic development. Oregon has a number of strengths, specialties, and opportunities to develop talent pathways that give every Oregonians access to fulfilling careers.
This year, we discussed some of the most pressing economic challenges that Oregon’s businesses and industry faces, especially workforce development in many of our key industries from agriculture, wood products, cheese, computer chips, and more. I look forward to continuing to hear and find opportunities to foster economic growth and support small businesses.
Westside Economic Alliance Legislative Panel
Thank you to the Westside Economic Alliance (WEA) for hosting a legislative reception, it was great to join my House and Senate colleagues on the panel!
A group photo of Representatives Pham, Neron, McLain, Leader Bowman, and Senators Sollman and Reynolds, and our moderator, Elizabeth
We had some great discussions about our priorities for the 2025 legislative session. There is a lot of great work being done in healthcare, education, economic development, and transportation that I look forward to.
From economic development and small business support to healthcare, we are ready to deliver collaborative solutions and policies so that our state works for everyone.
Oregon Civics Bee
The 2025 National Civics Bee is an initiative aimed at encouraging more young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. Organized in partnership with The Civics Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Oregon Civics Bee will inspire middle schoolers to become better informed about American democracy, to engage respectfully and constructively in the community and to build greater trust in others and institutions.
Middle school students (6th, 7th and 8th grade) from across the state are invited to take part in the first-round civics essay competition. Each participating student must submit an essay that identifies a community problem and proposes a solution using founding principles and civic virtues. A panel of judges will select finalists to participate in local civics bees to be held in a few locations around the state. The top performers in the local bees will win cash prizes and be invited to participate in the State Finals, which will be held in Salem in the late spring of 2025, for the chance to win additional cash prizes. The first-place winner of the State Finals will be invited to participate in the National Civics Bee in Washington, D.C. in fall 2025 with a chance to compete for prizes worth up to $100,000.
Student essays will be accepted through February 4, 2025. For more information and for students to submit essays click here. I’ve also attached a flyer to share with students or you can access it here. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions.
Sábado Saludables - Saturday January 18th
Centro Cultural will be hosting Sábado Saludables or Healthy Saturdays on Saturday, January 18th from 10 am - 1 pm at Hillsboro Lincoln Street Elementary School! Residents and community members can enjoy free health services including glaucoma and eye screenings (no appointment needed!) a Zumba session at 10:30 am and lots of information for health care and wellbeing.
You can find more information about the event on Centro Cultural’s Facebook page
REAL ID - Deadline May 7th, 2025
Travelers flying through US Airports will soon be required to have a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, passport, or another form of compliant identification to pass through security screening. The deadline that TSA will begin enforcing REAL ID requirements will begin on May 7th, 2025 but they’re planning for a “phased enforcement” that could allow travelers who don’t have REAL IDs to board flights with a warning notice.
You can find information to see if you’ll need a REAL ID or how you can get one on the Oregon DMV’s website.
From left to right: Sara, Chief of Staff, Linh, Legislative Intern, Representative Pham, Parker, Legislative Intern, and Yonny, Legislative Aide.
Our office is fully staffed and ready for the upcoming session! As we prepare for the legislative session, our office is here to be a resource and ready to serve you. If you have any questions or need assistance connecting to the appropriate service or agency.
You can reach me and my team at rep.haipham@oregonlegislature.gov or give our office a call at 503-986-1436.
Cheers!
 Representative Hai Pham
State Representative HD 36
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1436
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-282, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.HaiPham@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/phamh
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