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To contact me, please click here: Rep.SusanMcLain@oregonlegislature.gov 

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We have officially reached the halfway point of Session, and the important First Chamber Deadline has passed. This is the end of the road for most bills.  With the exception of Revenue, Rules, and Joint committees that are not subject to the deadline, any bill not voted out of committee by April 9th is officially dead. This means most House bills still alive are headed to the Senate for consideration, and conversely, in the House our focus now turns to Senate bills. 

With the Transportation framework released, our focus in the Joint Transportation Committee is now on having in-depth and detailed conversations with jurisdictions, stakeholders, and the public on the key elements of the plan. In addition to the transportation framework, I will continue to work on education funding and on priorities for the 2025-27 budget.

Looking ahead, I will be speaking at The Street Trust’s Active Transportation Summit on April 24th. This is the second year in a row that I will be addressing the summit, and I truly appreciate the opportunity be part of the conversation on the importance of safe and active transportation infrastructure (for biking, walking, scooting, etc) as part of our multimodal system. The Street Trust continues to be an essential voice in our efforts to ensure safe and accessible active transportation options are available to all system users and I am thankful for their advocacy and leadership.

In this newsletter, you'll find:

• An update on Oregon’s response to federal decisions 
• Big news for Summer Learning and Foster Youth bills
• Why passing Newborn Screening is now critical
• Dates for the next IBR program public comment period
• Highlights from Team McLain this week
• Events coming soon in our community

OREGON STANDS UP FOR ALL STUDENTS

I first ran for the Oregon State Legislature to advocate for public education, and it is one of my top priorities to ensure Oregon schools are inclusive and welcoming to all. This week, I was proud to see our state leaders standing up for all of our students and educators.

When the Trump Administration demanded public schools end all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives or risk losing federal funding, we refused to abandon Oregon values. 

Governor Kotek and Director Dr. Charlene Williams of the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) announced that they will not give in to President Trump’s unlawful threats. Governor Kotek directed ODE to “hold the line” against the administration’s ultimatum. “Since the start of the new federal administration, I promised Oregonians that I would not back down from a fight when it comes to safeguarding Oregon values,” Kotek said. “Making sure every child has the opportunity to meet their future promise with a strong public education is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of government and one of my top priorities as governor.”

In a letter to federal officials, Dr. Williams wrote, “There is no circumstance where it is okay to leverage childrens' resources as a political tool. Oregonians paid for and deserve these federal investments.” You can read her full letter by clicking here.

As lawmakers and state leaders, we will continue our work to educate and empower all students. I will always support programs and resources that address systemic inequities, celebrate our differences, and meet the diverse needs of our communities. Here in Oregon, we won’t compromise on our commitments to our students. 

PROTECTING VOTE-BY-MAIL

Oregon leaders are objecting to federal overreach at every opportunity. Democratic Attorneys General – including Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield – continue to serve as a critical state-level check on the federal administration’s sweeping chaos. Time and time again, AG Rayfield has proven that Oregon will not stand idly by while the federal administration tries to roll back our rights. 

The federal administration and local Republicans are doing everything they can to make voting more difficult and less accessible, but the AGs of Oregon and Washington filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s unconstitutional executive order attacking elections and voting rights. Just last week, thousands of Oregonians flooded the legislative online portal to share their opposition to a bill from Oregon Senate Republicans to repeal mail-in voting. As Oregonians, we know vote-by-mail works, and we will continue to stand up for our voting rights.

SUMMER LEARNING PASSES THE HOUSE

My primary bill in the 2024 Legislative Short Session was House Bill 4082 (2024) to fund Summer Learning programming across the state in 2024. As a former educator of over 42 years, I have long advocated for improving outcomes in Oregon's schools, and I recognize how critical summer and afterschool learning are to creating extra learning opportunities for our students. I sponsored the Summer Learning bill because the evidence is clear that summer and afterschool learning programs foster success by improving readiness to learn, promoting academic achievement, and supporting social and emotional health.

This Session, my friend and colleague, Representative Ricki Ruiz, has taken over as the House co-chair of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education and is leading the charge on Summer Learning. Building off of our success last summer, he is working with Senator Janeen Sollman and Speaker Julie Fahey on HB 2007, a bill that provides a vehicle for a sustainable funding mechanism to support summer learning programs for the biennium and prioritizes evidence-based literacy instruction and intervention. 

HB 2007 passed in the House on Wednesday, and I was proud to speak in support of it on the Floor. I truly believe that Summer Learning opportunities are an essential tool for ensuring student success, and I will continue to be a fierce advocate for fully funding long-term Summer Learning programming. Watch my testimony by clicking on the image below or here. 

FOSTER YOUTH BILL HEADS TO SENATE 

Along with Summer Learning, my other top priority bill from the 2024 Short Session, HB 4084 (2024), also has a companion bill back this Session. HB 4084 created a pilot program to support Foster Youth in educational spaces and provide needed wrap-around services. The bill proposed a 2-year pilot program designed to improve educational outcomes for foster youth and produce data to help develop best practices for a future Statewide Education Plan for foster children. The pilot program was implemented this school year at one school each in Portland, Albany, and Medford. This is an incredible first step to ensure that foster youth get the support they need to succeed. 

I have been working closely with the Department of Education to proactively support the pilot program, and through our evaluations, it became clear that a technical change needs to be made to the statute. In this session, I am sponsoring HB 3449 (2025), which will make a small change to the law that will guarantee that the school districts in the pilot program can use the money allocated in the original bill. I am pleased to share that HB 3449 passed unanimously in the House on Thursday and now heads to the Senate for consideration. 

ESTABLISHING OREGON ADOPTION DAY

As an adoptive mother, I was honored to speak in support of HB 2019 on the House Floor this week. The bill designates August 25th of each year as Oregon Adoption Day, and is an opportunity to recognize the pure gift of love that a family receives when they adopt a child. I spoke about the gift that is my daughter Maggie and you can view my brief remarks here or by clicking on the image below.

FEDERAL CHANGE IMPACTS MY WORK

As regular readers of my newsletter will know, I am a passionate advocate for improving Oregon's newborn screening program. This session, Representative Mark Owens and I are the co-chief sponsors of House Bill 3192, which would allocate $4 million to our newborn screening program. It would also add five new diseases to the testing panel, bringing the total number of conditions screened for in Oregon to fifty. Three diseases, Mucopolysaccharidosis Type II, GAMT Deficiency, and Krabbe have already been approved for addition, but insufficient funding means they are still not on the panel. The new funding would also cover screenings for two additional diseases currently in, or likely will soon be in, the review stage for addition to the screening panel: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and Cytomegalovirus.

State newborn screening programs have always been supported by the work of the federal Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children. As an example, Oregon's Newborn Screening Advisory Board waits to consider new diseases to add to our state's panel until the federal advisory committee has reviewed and recommended adding a disease. Given the critical importance of newborn screening in saving lives, I was absolutely shocked that the Trump Administration shut down the federal Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children this week. 

The loss of federal support for newborn screening is devastating for the children and families who face rare genetic diseases. It also means that passing HB 3192 in the Oregon Legislature this session is even more important. In fact, it is now essential that Oregon's newborn screening lab receive adequate funding in order to shoulder the responsibilities abdicated by the federal government.  

The federal advisory committee was less than a month away from considering the addition of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy to the list of diseases it recommends states test for. Now, because of federal inaction, the only way that Oregon can start testing newborns for Duchennes in a timely manner is  through the passage of HB 3192. It is vital that Oregon keeps up with the latest scientific breakthroughs to ensure newborns with rare and devastating diseases like Duchennes receive quick diagnoses and obtain life-saving treatments. I don't know what will happen as things play out at the federal level, but I do know the only sure and efficient path forward for Oregon's newborn screening program is the passage of HB 3192. 

Read more about the termination of the federal Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children here.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION OPEN HOUSE

THANK YOU FOREST GROVE FIREFIGHTERS

Two weeks ago, dozens of Oregon firefighters, including several Forest Grove locals, deployed to North Carolina to fight the highest priority fire in the US. We are lucky to have incredible public servants who keep communities safe, here in Washington County and around the country. Thank you to our Forest Grove firefighters!

At home, the Forest Grove Fire Department has partnered with Safe Kids Portland Metro and OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital to provide a monthly car seat check-up event. The event is staffed by certified car seat technicians from the area. Save the date for the next opportunity on May 10th.

The events are by appointment only. To sign up, call 503-880-8409 or email Larisa.nefedov@preventprotectserve.com.

MEETINGS WITH OUR COMMUNITY

This week, I appreciated the opportunity to speak with community members about the issues that matter most to them.

It was wonderful to connect with the Sacred Organizing Coalition, a community of faith leaders who advocated for access to food, shelter, and mental health services for all. I enjoyed speaking to the Oregon Wildlife Coalition about the need to protect our state's biodiversity and ensure humane treatment of wildlife. 

I was also glad to hear from healthcare workers and educators in Washington County. Members of the Oregon Society of Physician Associates visited Salem to share about their experiences as healthcare providers and advocate for the needs of physician associates in our state. Higher education union members discussed the importance of post-secondary educational opportunities and accessible college for Oregon students. I appreciate all those who took the time to share their insights at the Capitol this week!

TEAM MCLAIN AROUND THE CAPITOL

After getting through the First Chamber deadline, Keenan and Grace from Team McLain took a well-deserved break and enjoyed a lunch with Attorney General Dan Rayfield on Thursday. He spoke to legislative staff about his career path and commitment to public service. We appreciated his inspiring words and his advocacy on behalf of Oregonians!

Things are always busy in our office, but that didn’t stop team members Carolyn and Khushi from taking time to advocate for bills that matter to them personally. 

Khushi is a student at Summit Charter School, a virtual public school that has provided her with the flexibility she needs to pursue her goals (like interning in our office and eventually Law School!). She testified in support of HB 2583, a bill that would allow public charter schools like hers to be eligible for Student Investment Account funds through the Oregon Department of Education. You can view Khushi’s testimony to the House Committee on Education here. 

Carolyn is passionate about animal rescue and ensuring that all animals are treated humanely so she used her lunch break to testify in support of SB 1076 in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire. The bill would establish animal breeder licensing and require standards of care, with the fees collected going to support the Animal Rescue Entity program. You can view Carolyn’s testimony to the committee here, and since she ran out of time to finish her remarks, you can also view her written testimony here. 

UPCOMING EVENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY

Pacific University Annual Lūʻau and Hōʻike Lū‘au and Hō‘ike is the only completely student-run and student-directed lū‘au in the Northwest. About 2,000 people attend the live performance and dinner event each year. Click here for more details.  WHEN: Saturday, April 12th  WHERE: Stoller Center, Pacific University

Anywhere but Here: The History of Housing Discrimination in Oregon View the seven-panel exhibit that chronicles Oregon’s largely unknown history of discrimination, segregation, and displacement. Learn about the progress we’ve made in overcoming this history and the challenges that remain. Click here for more details. WHEN: Wednesday, April 16th to April 30th WHERE: Hillsboro Civic Center

Centro Cultural's Día de los Niños Mark your calendars for Centro's upcoming Día de los Niños event in Cornelius. Families are welcome to enjoy an afternoon of entertainment, family activities, community resources, and food vendors. WHEN: Saturday, April 26th from 11 am to 3 pm WHERE: Centro Cultural - Cornelius

My office has compiled a list of resources for our community. You can click on the images below to open a document with the relevant links. If you know of a resource that should be included here, or you need a resource and are having trouble finding the information you need, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office at rep.susanmclain@oregonlegislature.gov.

EDUCATION RESOURCES Click here, or on the image to the right for a list of Education-related resources. This includes links to the Forest Grove and Hillsboro School Districts, the Oregon and US Departments of Education, information on how to pay for college, student lunch programs, and much more!

WILDFIRE-RELATED RESOURCES Click here, or on the image to the right for important resources related to wildfire prevention and recovery. This list includes links to current fire restrictions and recreation site status maps, the Oregon Department of Forestry's fire prevention tip page, and important resources for wildfire victims.

RESOURCES FOR OUR VETERANS Click here, or on the image to the right for a list of important resources for Veterans, including links and phone numbers to the various divisions of the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs, local Washington County assistance, supportive and community-based groups like the American Legion, and mental health resources.

STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT  Click here, or on the image to the right for links to important local and state government pages, including the Hillsboro, Forest Grove, and Cornelius city government pages. You can also access the Oregon Legislature's page, and other important state agency sites, like the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Unemployment Department, and the Oregon Health Authority.

Yours truly,

Representative Susan McLain
House District 29

email: Rep.SusanMcLain@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1429
address: 900 Court St NE, H-493, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mclain