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To contact me, please click here: Rep.Farrah.Chaichi@oregonlegislature.gov
Hello Friends,
Welcome to the 82nd Oregon State Legislative Session, HD35!
I hope you had a restful and reflective New Year. My team and I have spent the first weeks of 2025 getting prepared for a busy legislative session and we have a lot to share with you!
I want to take a moment to acknowledge the moment we’re in, one that may have folks uncertain, scared, or angry. I encourage you all to take time to honor those feelings, take care of yourself, and connect with your community. While many of the headlines we’re seeing from Washington are upsetting, be assured that my team and I are committed to working tirelessly for a safe, equitable, and prosperous Oregon for all. As a legislator and a member of this community, I will always stand with you to protect your rights. It is an honor to serve my community in this capacity.
On December 12th, 2024 the Oregon Legislature convened for a Special Session to address the devastation caused by wildfires in recent years, and how we will continue to fund remediation efforts. While it is not historically or ecologically unusual for Oregon to experience occasional wildfires, climate change has increased the frequency and severity of fires beyond what experts and lawmakers could have ever expected or planned for. This has left us with unanticipated costs that we must make room for in the budget. I am committed to working to make good on our promise to pay the debts created by these natural disasters and to work toward a sustainable, long-term funding solution so that we can continue to support Oregonians impacted by climate related disasters.
I am excited and honored to announce that in addition to my seats on the House Judiciary Committee and the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee On General Government, I will also serve as the Vice-Chair of the House Commerce and Consumer Protections Committee. My goal is that my Vice-Chairship will be a vehicle for me to fight even harder for improved material circumstances and protection from predatory practices for HD35 and all working class Oregonians.
2025 Committee Assignments
- House Commerce and Consumer Protection, Vice-Chair
- House Judiciary
- Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on General Government
Legislative staff are essential to a functioning and effective office. In addition to day to day tasks, my staff is here to assist constituents with casework, ensure timely response to legislative concerns, and be a resource to HD 35. I am excited to welcome the following new staffers to my team.
Anne Marie Bäckström (She/Her)
Chief of Staff
Anne Marie grew up in House District 35. Her background is in public health and epidemiology, and she has spent the last 14 years working in reproductive freedom, harm reduction, and progressive drug policy. In her free time, Anne Marie collects vintage Furbies and spins records with her teenage daughter, three cats, and tiny dog named Harvey Milk.
Zach Surmacz (He/Him)
Policy Director
Zack moved to Oregon 5 years ago from Las Vegas, Nevada where he grew up. He studies at Portland State University where he is getting his Master's Degree in Public Policy. He just came back from 6 months living in Taiwan. In his free time, he likes to play tennis, go to the opera, and drink tea. He is super stoked to be working in Rep. Chaichi's office!
Sabbath Rain Mikelson (She/Her)
Communications Director
Sabbath is Team Chaichi’s resident member of Gen Z. She began her career in St. Helens Oregon where she worked as a campaign manager, community organizer, and even a candidate herself when she ran on an environmentalist platform against an establishment candidate. Over the years, Sabbath has developed a speciality for leftist political organizing in rural and conservative districts. Sabbath can be found outside of work walking her dogs, in her kitchen experimenting with recipes, or at a local coffee spot with an iced soy latte.
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As Providence Healthcare workers enter their fourth week of striking for better pay, safer working conditions, and more equitable workspaces, I would like to highlight the all women team of Obstetrics Hopsitalists that are fighting for the same overnight pay differential that is given to doctors at other Providence Hospitals. Denying women doctors who treat primarily women patients the same pay as their colleagues is an insult to the vital services they provide to their community.
On Tuesday January 28th, I addressed the Legislature to voice my support for the nurses, doctors, and hospitalists who are on strike, and I called on Providence to meet their staff at the bargaining table in good faith. If Providence can afford to pay their CEO over $14 Million per year, they can afford competitive pay and benefits for the hard working folks who keep their hospitals running.
Since 1987, Oregon has declared itself a Sanctuary State, codifying our unwillingness to assist federal immigration authorities with issues related to immigration enforcement. In 2021, HB3265 was passed, strengthening our commitment to protecting immigrant communities through increased support, as well as transparency and accountability regarding government interactions with federal immigration authorities. For more information on the Oregon Sanctuary Promise, you can visit the Department of Justice.
In light of the ICE raids ordered by the current Presidential administration and reported sightings of ICE agents in Oregon, my office would like to reaffirm our commitment to upholding Oregon’s sanctuary status, preventing and reporting ICE raids in Oregon, and protecting the members of our communities who are immigrants, documented or otherwise.
To report ICE sightings or access resources for immigrants and allies, you can visit the Portland Immigration Rights Coalition website. When reporting ICE sightings, it is imperative that the information you give is accurate and up to date. Only report sightings you yourself have witnessed and remember to include exact location, time and date, activity, and descriptions. False or inaccurate reports can cause panic, divert resources, and overwhelm hotlines.
There is a lot to look forward to this year in the Oregon Legislature. My office has begun submitting our bills for the Session, with more coming as Session picks up. These pieces of legislation will work to strengthen our working class, protect folks from harm and harassment, and support our vision for an equitable future.
My first bill of this session is HB 3213, which would require public university foundations to adhere to the public records laws that apply to other State agencies. The purpose of public record laws is to ensure that State funds and resources are used responsibly, managed appropriately, and transparent to the public so that they may ensure these standards are met. By extending these laws to cover public university foundations, we are creating a pathway for these institutions to be accountable to the public.
HB 3214 is my second bill to be released this session that would expand the definition of “debilitating conditions” that are eligible for a medical marijuana prescription to include hospice, palliative, and end of life care. This bill would mandate these facilities to provide training and regulations to their staff to ensure patients' access to their prescribed medical marijuana. This bill prioritizes the care and comfort of Oregonians suffering from medical illness that have been shown to improve with the use of medical marijuana and reaffirm that medical marijuana is a valid form of treatment for those who need it.
I am partnering with Tri-Met and Washington County to increase the accessibility and safety of HD35 through Moving Forward TV Highway. This initiative would create safer access to transit by providing sidewalks and bike paths, increase bus speeds, and improve transit access to historically underserved communities.
Please reach out to my office at any time for legislative or constituent matters. My staff and I are committed to serving the constituents of HD 35 and you can reach us at: Rep.FarrahChaichi@oregonlegislature.gov, or 503.986.1435.
Thank you for taking the time to subscribe to and read my newsletter. I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to work with and represent HD 35 in the Oregon State Legislature.
In solidarity,
 Representative Farrah Chaichi
House District 35
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1435
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-478, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.Farrah.Chaichi@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/chaichi
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RepresentativeFarrahChaichi/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FarrahChaichi
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