The Fight to Fix “Equitable” Inequities for Schools
If you've been reading our newsletters over the years, I might sound like a broken record, but I want to call attention to the fact that myself and several other lawmakers are once again pushing hard to improve Oregon’s outdated student funding formula, which does not meet the needs of our rural school districts with much higher-than-average Special Education rates. Though Oregon’s 35 year old funding formula was meant to bring equity to our school’s funding, the arbitrary 11% cap on SPED funding places a huge burden on our most vulnerable students and school districts, especially when it can force schools to take resources that were meant for the rest of their student body just to meet the costly state and federal mandates for our SPED students.
HB 2953 passed its initial policy committee last month, and just yesterday had an all-important hearing in the House Committee on Revenue, where teachers and advocates alike gave passionate and sometimes heart-wrenching testimony. One of these people was Lebanon’s own Roxanne Savedra (pictured), who works at Cascades Elementary where SPED rates are a shocking 26%. (As a fun sidenote: Roxanne is also a fellow-former Lebanon Strawberry Festival Princess, and was always such an amazing help when I was putting together the Former Court Dress display! I never dreamed we’d be together in the Capitol fighting for funding for our SPED students, but that is one of the amazing things about this job—you never know what to expect!)
We can now only hope that the committee sees this as a priority worthy of funding, and advances it to the Ways and Means Committee (budget). Just as a reminder, you can still submit written testimony on OLIS until 3:00PM tomorrow! To watch my testimony in support of HB 2953, click here.
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Education seems to be the theme of the week in our office, as we also had a visit from Lebanon Community School District! Superintendent Jennifer Meckley (yet another former Strawberry Festival Princess!!!) and communications director Michelle Steinhebel stopped by Monday afternoon to talk about issues facing the district, and how we can all support our next generation coming through the public school system! It's always great to have folks from back home make the drive to advocate at their Capitol!
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HB 2234 - Creates an Oregon personal income tax subtraction for overtime pay received by a taxpayer during the tax year.
HB 2548 - Major attack on family farms, essentially unionizing the farming industry statewide.
HB 2586 - Exempts asylum seekers from non-resident college tuition and fees.
HB 3444 - Would increase funding resources for charter schools.
HB 3914 - Creates an Oregon personal income tax subtraction for tips received by the taxpayer during the tax year.
SB 179 - Grants landowners recreational immunity, which keeps our outdoor recreation spaces open.
Congratulations to the Lebanon High School Army JROTC Warriors!
The Warriors were crowned Cascade Mountains League Oregon-Washington Two State Champions on Saturday, March 8th, at Walla Walla High School for the 2024-2025 season! This prestigious title is awarded to the school that performs at the highest level over the entire season, including five competition weekends.
Here’s a breakdown of the Warriors’ outstanding performance at the championship meet:
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Air Rifle Team 1 (Varsity): 1st Place
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Air Rifle Team 2 (JV): 1st Place
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Dual Armed Drill (Lawrence Parker & Jasmine Wooden): 1st Place
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Dual Armed Drill (Chase Stoering & Ronald Williams): 3rd Place
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Individual Armed Drill (Lawrence Parker): 3rd Place
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Drill Team: 3rd Place
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Physical Fitness Team 1 (Varsity): 4th Place
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Physical Fitness Team 2 (JV): 4th Place
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Color Guard 2 (JV): 5th Place
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Color Guard 1 (Varsity): 6th Place
Special recognition goes to the undefeated Air Rifle Teams, who have dominated since joining the league in the 2010-2011 season. This year, the Warriors claimed 6 out of the top 8 spots:
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Erin Hiller: 1st Place (PR qualification score: 559, Final score: 88.9)
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Alana Griffiths: 2nd Place (PR qualification score: 553, Final score: 88.0)
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Rusty Vaughn: 3rd Place (Qualification score: 535, Final score: 87.8)
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Jalynn Wilson: 4th Place (Qualification score: 543, Final score: 78.8)
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Chris Slingluff: 6th Place (Qualification score: 532, Final score: 81.3)
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Melanie Wilder: 7th Place (Qualification score: 530, Final score: 83.2)
Way to go, Warriors! Your dedication and hard work have truly paid off!
Do you know of anyone in House District 11 who deserves to be acknowledged? Send us your nominations at Rep.JamiCate@oregonlegislature.gov
Community Breakfast in Scio Tomorrow
The Rebekahs Lodge and the SHS Senior All-Night Party are teaming up for the next Scio Community Breakfast, and the Lamb Fair Princesses + Junior Court will be there to join the fun! Come to the IOOF Hall between 7:00AM-11:00AM enjoy a delicious breakfast while supporting a wonderful cause, and don’t forget to say hello to your Lamb Fair Princesses!
Menu:
- All-you-can-eat pancakes
- Eggs
- Sausage
- Coffee
- Orange juice
- March’s featured item: Biscuits and Gravy
Pricing:
As always, the Royal Court will have this year’s buttons and Father Daughter Dance tickets available. Come out for a great meal and support the community!
 A Sweet Night for a Great Cause Tomorrow in Lebanon!
The 20th annual Dessert & Silent Auction will be held tomorrow, March 15th from 6:00-8:00PM at Seven Oak Middle School in Lebanon! Attendees can enjoy delicious desserts while bidding on exciting items like gift baskets, jewelry, gift certificates, art, cakes, pies, and much more!
The students have worked diligently to raise funds for their upcoming history trip and need the community's support to make this unforgettable experience a reality. This trip will not only enhance their understanding of history but also provide them with invaluable life experiences.
DC / New York History Trip Highlights:
U.S. Capitol
Statue of Liberty
Museums
And much more!
 Shred Day at 44 North Credit Union Tomorrow
Need to securely dispose of your sensitive documents? Shred Day is being hosted by 44 North Credit Union tomorrow, March 15th, from 9:00AM to Noon at the Lebanon Branch (485 S. 2nd St). This free event is a great opportunity to protect your personal information, support privacy, and do your part for the environment—all while keeping your community safe!
Why Shredding Matters:
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Identity Theft Prevention: Shredding personal documents helps prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information such as Social Security numbers, bank details, and medical records, reducing the risk of identity theft.
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Privacy Protection: Shredding ensures confidential information remains private and is not misused.
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Building Trust: Community shred events create a sense of trust by demonstrating efforts to protect personal and community information.
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Public Education: These events often include educational components to help the public learn best practices for document security and identity theft prevention.
Estate Planning Lesson in Brownsville
The Brownsville Library will host a free estate planning session on wills with Attorney Danielle M. Myers and Legal Assistant Ms. Sam on Thursday, March 20th, at 7:00PM. The event will take place in the Kirk Room at the Brownsville Library (146 Spaulding Ave) and is open to the public! Attendees are encouraged to bring their general questions.
Upcoming Sessions:
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April 17: Advanced Directives
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May 15: Funeral Arrangements
For more information, contact Librarian Sherri Lemhouse at 541-466-5454 or library@ci.brownsville.or.us.
Oregon Court of Appeals Rules BM 114 Constitutional
The Oregon Court of Appeals unanimously overturned a Harney County Judge's stay on Ballot Measure 114, which if implemented, would make Oregon one of the most anti-gun states in the Union.
The court claims the Measure allows a “qualified person” to acquire a firearm for self-defense, supposedly in line with Oregon’s constitutional right to bear arms. By claiming that the law does not overly hinder the right to armed self-defense, the court overlooks the significant barriers Measure 114 places in front of responsible gun owners. It bans purchases of magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, and requires a permit and completion of a gun safety course to purchase a firearm.
The implementation of Measure 114 is still on pause pending any appeals, which opponents have 35 days to file, meaning that the fight is not over; but this is no doubt a major blow to the 2nd Amendment rights of Oregonians, and paves the way for bills like HB 3075 (which would implement most of BM 114 and sidestep the court mandated delays of 114). We will continue to monitor developments and share any updates in future newsletters.
Town Hall with Congresswoman Janelle Bynum Sunday
We often have constituents reach out to us concerned about issues happening at the Federal level—which isn’t in our purview as the State Legislature. We are always happy to do our best to connect you to our Federal delegation to be heard by those in a position to actually address your concerns, and wanted to share that an opportunity to do that is coming up this weekend!
Oregon CD5 Representative, Janelle Bynum, is hosting a town hall in Linn County Sunday. She’ll be joined by Senator Ron Wyden to answer your questions regarding federal issues--face to face. Don't miss it!
Town Hall Schedule for Sunday, March 16th:
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Linn County: 1:00 PM, Linn-Benton Community College Activities Center, 6500 Pacific Blvd SW, Albany
If you can't attend, we're told that more town halls will be scheduled soon across the district. Don’t miss your chance to have your voice heard!
 Cherry Blossom Day at the Capitol Tomorrow!
Salem's iconic cherry blossom season will kick off tomorrow, March 15th with the annual Cherry Blossom Day at the Oregon State Capitol, thanks to SB 146 which passed back in 2017!
The Oregon State Capitol Foundation is sponsoring Cherry Blossom Day, which this year will take place between 11:00AM-3:00PM. This popular annual event pays tribute to the influence of the Japanese culture in Oregon.
We have officially begun our daily floor sessions, and the momentum is building as we approach our first legislative deadline, just one week away! The pace has picked up significantly, and every office is scrambling to save as many of their bills as they can in the final days. It's an exciting and intense time, as we work to stay on track and make the most of the remaining days before the deadline.
The highlight of the week is that we finally got to use my list of special education teachers' contact information to send individual emails ahead of yesterday's hearing on HB 2953. I spent a lot of time and effort gathering this contact information by researching school district websites, scouring staff directories, and reaching out to administrative offices to ensure accuracy. The hard work paid off with a solid turnout in the House Revenue Committee, proving that direct advocacy at the grassroots level is impactful!
As Rep. Cate always says, the best days in Salem are the times when we get to visit with friendly faces from the district, and Wednesday evening's Special Districts Legislative Reception at the Salem Convention Center was no exception! In addition to meeting with Jefferson Fire Chief Levi Eckhardt and Lebanon Fire Chief Joe Rodondi, Conner and I spoke with Chiefs from across the state whilst chowing down on some great food! Receptions really are a great perk of this job.
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Some of the districts, including the Special Districts Association of Oregon, went above and beyond by showing off gear firefighters carry on the job.
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Besides all of the other work we've been doing, our office remains committed to staying engaged with Rep. Cate's constituents and addressing their needs. We continue to prioritize constituent services while also making steady progress on our policy work. Balancing these responsibilities ensures we’re effectively keeping in touch with House District 11 while pushing forward on important legislative goals.
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Editorial: Legislators need a math lesson
The Oregonian | Editorial Board
You would hope that legislators could put two and two together. But when it comes to Oregon’s K-12 educational system, the math just seems to blow their minds. Democratic legislators are once again pushing a bill that would require school districts to bargain over class sizes with teachers unions in contract negotiations. House Bill 3652, they say, only requires school districts to have a conversation about capping class sizes. Under current law, class size is a mandatory subject of bargaining for low-income schools receiving targeted Title 1 federal funding.
Oregon’s unemployment rate is highest since 2021, even though state keeps adding jobs
KATU
Oregon’s unemployment rate climbed to 4.4% in January, its highest level in more than three years, even though the state continued to add jobs overall. The state had nearly 118,000 unemployed workers in January, according to data released Monday by the Oregon Employment Department. That’s 15,000 more than in January 2024, though the jobless rate has increased only a little bit in that time.
Gun control vs. gun rights: More than 2 dozen Oregon firearm bills introduced this session
Statesman Journal
Even without the muscle of Measure 114, which would require Oregonians to apply for and obtain a permit before purchasing a gun and outlaw large-capacity magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, Oregon has some of the strictest gun safety laws in the nation. It ranks just outside the top 10 by the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence (No. 11) and Everytown for Gun Safety (No. 12).
Kotek Urges DEQ to Relax Advanced Clean Truck Rules for Largest Vehicles
Willamette Week
In a March 4 letter to DEQ director Leah Feldon, Kotek noted that although the new policy appears to be working for smaller classifications of trucks (such as the ubiquitous package delivery vehicles), there are “ongoing challenges currently facing the Class 7 and 8 tractor classes” (the largest trucks). “One of my key directives to state agencies is that we do our work with a focus on customer service, transparency, and accountability across state government,” Kotek wrote. “I would like DEQ to quickly develop a solution for Class 7 and 8 trucks that considers the current circumstances while still maintaining the integrity of the ACT program for all other classes.”
Oregon Secretary of State Read withdraws scandal-marred marijuana audit that led to Fagan's downfall
Oregon Capital Chronicle
New Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read on Wednesday withdrew the scandal-marred audit of the state’s liquor and cannabis commission that ended a predecessor’s political career. “My team and I concluded that the selection of the audit, the framework for the audit, and potential predetermination of its conclusions imperiled the audit from the outset,” Read wrote.
Filing Deadline for Local Elections Next Thursday
I always thought it took some special qualification to serve in elected positions, but I was so very wrong! And too often, people with a heart for their communities fail to step up and serve just because they don’t view themselves as “qualified.” Public service can be a challenge, and is undoubtedly a sacrifice, but it’s also an incredibly rewarding experience that I encourage you to not count yourself out for! There are a lot of opportunities in our communities for folks to step up and help lead, and a little bit of time yet to decide if filling that need could be the right step for you.
The filing deadline for May school, fire, and water board elections is next Thursday, March 20th at 5:00pm! For a list of positions up for election in Linn & Marion Counties click on the links below:
Open Positions in Linn County
Open Positions in Marion County
Two Vacancies on Scio's City Council
The City of Scio is seeking two council members to fill recent vacancies. Applications are due March 28th, so if you're a Scio resident and interested in serving your community at city hall, don't hesitate!
Courtesy of The Canyon Weekly
Warning! New Taxes Being Considered
Out-Shenaniganed By 8th Graders!
Fire and Ice, and Birthday Hearts!
Mandates To Defy Trump Administration?
Resuming the Fight for Volunteer Firefighters
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