April 11, 2025 Legislative Update

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

April 11, 2025 Legislative Update

House District 24,

This past Wednesday, April 9th we had our "First Chamber Deadline" in the Legislature where every policy bill had to pass out of their initial committee to continue moving forward. It was a week filled with positive milestones, as well as continuous debate and disappointing outcomes. Read my full update below.

House Bill 3643 - Oregon Youth Suicide Awareness Day

This week, House Bill 3643 which establishes October 9th as Oregon Youth Suicide Awareness Day, passed the House!

Nearly one in five high school students in Oregon has seriously considered suicide, and thirty eight percent of high school juniors have reported feeling so hopeless or sad that they stopped engaging in their usual activities. In 2022 alone, 109 young people in Oregon died by suicide. Oregon now has the 12th highest youth suicide rate in the nation.

Below are a few remarks I shared on the House Floor:

This is a bill born out of heartbreak— and out of hope. It speaks to one of the most devastating and urgent issues facing our state: the mental health crisis among our youth and the tragic rise in suicide. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for Oregonians ages 10 to 24. That’s not just a statistic—it’s a wake-up call.

Oregon Youth Suicide Awareness Day will serve as an annual opportunity to educate our communities, recognize warning signs, reduce stigma, and connect young people to professional mental health support. It will foster compassion, open life-saving conversations, and strengthen early intervention before it’s too late. Most importantly, it will say to every young person in Oregon: You matter. You are not alone. Your life is worth fighting for.

House Bill 2019 - Oregon Adoption Day

It was a big week! The House also unanimously passed House Bill 2019 which designates August 25 of each year as Oregon Adoption Day. This bipartisan legislation was also Chief Sponsored by Representative Rob Nosse (D-SE/NE Portland), Representative Virgle Osborne (R-Roseburg), and Representative Dwayne Yunker (R-Grants Pass) – each who share their own personal adoption stories.

Below are a few remarks I shared on the House Floor:

House Bill 2019 is more than a ceremonial bill. It is a moment of acknowledgment for
the thousands of Oregonians— children, birth parents, adoptive families, and support
systems— who walk through the transformative journey of adoption.

And for me, this is personal. The day this bill recognizes is not just a date on a calendar.
It is my day— the day I was adopted. A day that forever changed my story, gave me a
future, and placed me in the arms of a mother who chose me as her own.

Adoption is an act of courage. It requires sacrifice, selflessness, and a whole lot of faith—
from all sides. It weaves together lives in ways that reflect the best of our humanity. And
it is worthy of recognition. By passing this bill, we send a message to every adopted child
in Oregon: You are seen. You are loved. You matter.

We honor the birth parents who made the hardest of choices. We celebrate the adoptive
families who open their hearts and homes. And we support a system that helps children
find belonging and hope.

Colleagues, this is not just a bi-partisan bill. It’s a human bill. A hopeful bill.

House Bill 2688 - Oregon Manufacturing Punishment Bill

As the Vice-Chair of the Labor & Workplace Standards Committee, I was extremely disappointed to see House Bill 2688 pass along party lines out of committee. My Republican colleagues and I are calling this the "Oregon Manufacturing Punishment Bill" because truthfully, that is what it is. Plain and simple. Read our full statement below.

More Attacks on Law Abiding Gun Owners

The attacks on Second Amendment rights continue with three major bills that attack our constitutional right to bear arms. The only thing these bills do is punish law-abiding gun owners and small businesses that are in full compliance with federal law.

On Tuesday, two of the bills that significantly reduce the rights of law-abiding citizens to bear arms, while doing nothing to reduce crime, passed out of the Judiciary Committee.

House Bill 3075 makes it harder to lawfully obtain a firearm by increasing the firearm permit provisions in Ballot Measure 114, including adding additional eligibility requirements, fees, and doubling the wait time to issue permits to 60 days.

House Bill 3076 directs the Department of Justice to create a state licensure program, adding additional, unnecessary oversight to an industry that already follows extensive federal regulations, including background checks, ATF licensing, and strict compliance laws.

These bills are an absurd attempt to target law-abiding Oregon gunowners with expensive regulations on law-abiding citizens that many of them cannot afford. They will ban standard size magazines, impose fees on the exercise of a constitutional right, and place prohibitive regulations on every local gunsmith and gun store, forcing these small businesses to close.

Furthermore, HB 3076 writes a blank check to the Department of Justice to enforce what’s already codified in federal law is bad policy.

The attack continued on Wednesday, as work session was held for Senate Bill 243 in the Senate. This bill would establish a 72-hour waiting period on gun purchases, raise the age to purchase a gun to 21 years old with exceptions from some hunting riffles and shotguns, ban switch devices, and allow city and counties to bar people, including people with concealed gun licenses, from carrying guns in certain public buildings and adjacent grounds.

977 people voiced opposition to the bill while 165 people supported it.

Billions In New Taxes & Fees For ODOT

Last week, Democrats unveiled a transportation funding package proposal that would make Oregonians pay billions more in taxes, despite resounding rejection from taxpayers. Simply put, this plan asks you to pay billions more for ODOT’s failures and get less. The proposal increases gas taxes by 20 cents (a 50% increase), increases taxes on truckers by nearly 17 percent, creates a new tax on tires, increases payroll taxes, and more.

A recent poll commissioned by House Republicans found that 80% of Oregonians oppose increasing the Gas Tax while 79% of Oregonians favor cutting taxes to make Oregon more affordable.

This week, a news investigation revealed an Oregon business owner spent $100,000 on a street corner construction project that ODOT planned to fix. According to the report, the City of Portland coordinated with ODOT to remove the project from the department’s to-do list and let the business owner do the work instead.

Oregonians shouldn’t have to help finance an agency that take advantage of small business owners. Since the beginning of this session, Republicans have pressed ODOT on revenue projection errors and failing to complete key infrastructure projects. I will continue to hold this agency accountable for its failures and stand up against any efforts increase the cost of living.

See a full breakdown below:

Oregon State Capitol Chaplain

I want to take a quick moment to recognize Oregon State Capitol Chaplain, Laurie Irion. I appreciate Laurie and her kindness tremendously. She often stops by my office to check on my staff and I. She is a bright spot in a building often filled with much divide.

American Cancer Society Advocacy Day

Unfortunately, I had a conflicting meeting in the building - but my Chief of Staff, Jessica Snook, was able to meet with the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network for their 2025 Advocacy Day. I appreciate the work they do and for coming to the Capitol to make their voices heard.

Ladies' Story Night Returns May 15th

Story Night is a community outreach where real women share real stories of real hope. There is much we can all gain by taking time to hear the stories of others and find ways to build relationships and connectivity.

In February, I shared my story with about 200 ladies. If you missed it, you can listen to the recording on the Story Night Podcast or watch on YouTube.

Ladies, I'd like to invite you and all your girlfriends to join us next month on Thursday, May 15th at The Grand Ballroom in McMinnville for the next Story Night. Bethany Palacios began her life as an orphan in Liberia. She is now Ms. Black Oregon and preparing for the Ms. Black America pageant. Don't miss her inspirational story. Tickets are FREE but likely to sell out, so don't wait! Visit storynighthope.com to get your tickets.

Reminder: Upcoming Legislative Townhalls

Interested in learning more about the 2025 Legislative Session? Have questions about headlines you are reading in the news? Come to one of our upcoming townhalls! Join us on April 24th in Willamina, or on May 8th in McMinnville.

REAL ID Deadline

The deadline to obtain a Real ID is rapidly approaching. Starting May 7, will need a federally recognized Real ID to board a domestic flight, although a passport or other acceptable alternative can used as a substitute.

Due to the approaching deadline, the DMV warns that Oregonians should expect longer wait times than usual and to give themselves at least three weeks for their new ID to arrive.

Oregon Energy Strategy: April Public Engagement Opportunities

The Oregon Department of Energy continues work developing the Oregon Energy Strategy, and are hosting public information and listening sessions this month to hear perspectives from Oregonians to inform recommendations for the strategy.

From The Oregon Department of Energy:

Public Forums/Listening Sessions

April 24, 2025 | 1 – 3 p.m. and 5 – 7 p.m.

We believe that all Oregonians should have a voice in shaping our energy future. Whether you care about affordability, clean energy, resilience, equity, or economic impacts, your feedback will help guide our thinking. This is a chance for you to ask questions, share insights, and help inform strategy recommendations that reflect the diverse needs of communities across the state. Each session will present the same information, so please plan to join the session that works best for you.

Find additional information and meeting log-in details on ODOE’s website.

2025 Solid Foundations Tour: McMinnville

Take a self-guided peek into some of Yamhill County's most treasured architectural gems while supporting a cause that changes the lives of vulnerable children in our community. The Solid Foundations Tour, an annual fundraiser for Yamhill County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), celebrates the diverse and remarkable architecture that makes our community truly unique.

Creating a solid foundation in a child’s life lies at the heart of CASA’s mission—a mission that has, in many ways, helped build the fabric of our community. Together, let’s come together to celebrate these architectural treasures and honor our most valuable asset: our children.