Big Legislative Wins for Oregon
Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin at 04/17/2025 01:35 PM PDT
Dear friends and neighbors,
My third legislative session is well underway, and I have lots of updates.
We’re in the thick of the legislative session right now, which means I’m spending a lot of my time on the House floor voting on bills (and listening to the floor debate). This is the most intense part of the session—things move quickly, and every day we’re making big decisions that will impact people’s lives. My colleague, Rep. Nancy Nathanson, snapped the candid picture of me below during this week’s floor session; I’m watching the “board” as votes came in on a bill.
A Priority Bill is Moving Forward - Vision To Learn
One of my top priorities this session is expanding access to Vision To Learn, a nonprofit that provides free eye exams and glasses to students directly at school. About one in four students in Oregon needs glasses but don’t have them. As you can imagine, this can have a profoundly negative impact on their ability to learn and succeed in school.
The good news: we can fix this.
Vision to Learn has already helped 3,000 Oregon children in just eighteen months. My bill would help bring Vision To Learn to more schools across Oregon. It passed unanimously out of the House Education Committee (shoutout to my Republican colleague, Rep. Emily McIntire, for her advocacy in committee) and now heads to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, where funding decisions are made.
KGW recently ran a great story highlighting how Vision To Learn is changing lives in our state. One fourth-grade teacher said it best: “Because seeing is learning—and that’s why we’re here.”
If you missed the story, I highly recommend checking it out here.
KGW's story on Vision To Learn's impact and how my bill - HB 2992 - will expand access across Oregon
Partnering with Local Leaders
Even though session keeps me in Salem most days during the session, I stay connected to what’s happening in our communities. A couple weeks ago, Beaverton Mayor Lacey Beaty joined me in Salem. In the last few weeks, I’ve also checked in with Tigard Mayor Heidi Lueb, Tualatin Hills Parks and Rec Board Members, County Commissioners, and more.
And sometimes my friend and colleague (Tigard’s former representative, before redistricting) will pop in to say hi. Her new district has a lot of Beaverton, too.
Celebrating the Life and Art of Henk Pander
We recently held a public hearing for my resolution honoring the life and legacy of one of Oregon’s greatest artists–Henk Pander.
If you’ve ever visited the Portland Art Museum or walked the halls of the Capitol, you’ve probably seen Henk’s work. He was a painter and a historian in his own right—capturing Oregon’s beauty, heartbreak, and transformation through bold and unforgettable images.
Born in the Netherlands, Henk moved to Portland in the 1960s and spent the rest of his life here. His official gubernatorial portraits of Governors Tom McCall and John Kitzhaber normally hang in the Capitol (they’ve been removed temporarily while the Capitol is under construction) as reminders of Oregon’s political giants, and his paintings of Mount St. Helens and the wreck of the New Carissa are etched into our visual memory of Oregon’s past.
Henk passed away last year, but his legacy lives on in his work. This resolution comes to the House floor for a vote on April 24th, where I will be joined by Henk’s widow, Jody Pander, and his sons, Jacob and Arnold, to honor his life and to celebrate the impact he had on our state’s cultural history. We will have some of Henk’s work on display on the House Floor.
Federal Updates: Tariffs, Cuts, and Economic Uncertainty
I continue to hear from many constituents about concerns with what’s happening in D.C. I am keeping a close eye on federal policy developments, especially the growing uncertainty around President Trump’s tariffs.
Here’s what we know: Recently enacted tariffs will raise prices on everyday goods, hurt local businesses, and inject more instability into an economy already feeling the effects of inflation. Oregonians are already paying more for groceries, housing, and prescription drugs—we can’t afford to layer on a new round of economic uncertainty driven by erratic trade policy.
The Oregonian recently published a piece on $225 million in allocated money for Oregon communities that is “in limbo”. Here’s an excerpt:
“Some $225 million is in limbo for communities across Oregon after the Trump administration balked at paying federal grants that include costs for a day care center, a water treatment plant and hospital upgrades.
Nearly three dozen projects in Oregon are on the chopping block for money from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Federal Emergency Management Agency. Federal officials effectively halted the grants and local leaders worry the money will never arrive in Oregon.”
The uncertainty and harm created by these decisions are bad for Oregon. I will do what I can at the state level to support a strong economy in Oregon.
With federal policy changing seemingly by the hour, good reporting, like this from Axios, can keep us all up to date.
Bill Updates: My Bills Are Moving Forward
Here’s a sampling of some of the bills I’m sponsoring that are moving forward in the process:
- ✅ HB 3188 A – Passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Housing. This bill helps credit unions and banks offer zero-down mortgage loans to first-time homebuyers. It now moves to the Ways and Means Committee.
- ✅ HB 2756 A – Passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Economic Development. This bill establishes the Oregon-Taiwan and Oregon-Vietnam Trade Centers to strengthen international partnerships. It now moves to the Ways and Means Committee.
- ✅ HB 3054 A – Passed out of the House. This bill sets a 6% cap on annual rent increases for manufactured home parks. It now moves to the Senate.
- ✅ HB 3104 – Passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Economic Development. This bill establishes a rural community resource center to support services in under-resourced areas. It now moves to the Ways and Means Committee.
- ✅ HB 3143 – Passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Natural Resources. This bill creates a grant program for landowners who share their land with beavers, encouraging wildlife conservation. It now moves to the Ways and Means Committee.
- ✅ HB 3145 A – Passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Housing. This bill allows existing housing funds to be used for modular, mass timber, and factory-built homes. It now moves to the Ways and Means Committee.
- ✅ HB 3167 – Passed out of the House Committee on Consumer Protection. This bill cracks down on deceptive ticket practices by banning speculative sales, hidden fees, and scam websites. It now heads to the House floor for a vote.
- ✅ HB 3180 – Passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Judiciary. This bill provides funding for planning the replacement of the Washington County Courthouse. It now moves to the Ways and Means Committee.
- ✅ HB 3435 A – Passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Education. This bill guarantees free school meals for all Oregon students, regardless of income. It now moves to the Ways and Means Committee.
- ✅ HB 3554 A – Passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Health Care. This bill supports primary care providers through new programs under the Oregon Health Authority. It now moves to the Ways and Means Committee.
- ✅ HB 3932 A – Passed out of the House Committee on Climate, Energy, and the Environment. This bill protects beavers by placing limits on trapping. It now moves to the House floor for a vote.
- ✅ HCR 24 – Passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Rules. This resolution honors the life and work of legendary Oregon artist Henk Pander. It now moves to the House floor for a vote.
- ✅ SB 450 – Passed unanimously out of the Senate. This bill designates November 14 as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day in Oregon. It now moves to the House Rules Committee.
- ✅ SB 539 – Passed out of the Senate Committee on Health Care. This bill requires hospitals to report to the Oregon Health Authority when they charge patients extra “facility fees.” It now moves to the Senate floor for a vote.
- ✅ SB 916 A – Passed out of the Senate. This bill ensures workers can’t be denied unemployment benefits if they’re out of work due to a labor dispute. It now moves to the House Committee on Labor and Workplace Standards.
- ✅ SB 951 – Passed out of the Senate. This bill requires that medical practices in Oregon be owned and operated by licensed medical professionals. It now moves to the House Committee on Health Care.
- ✅ SB 1039 A – Passed unanimously out of the Senate Committee on Early Childhood. This bill creates a new agency within OHSU focused on improving maternal and child health outcomes. It now moves to the Ways and Means Committee.
- ✅ SB 1167 A – Passed out of the Senate Committee on Early Childhood. This bill provides funding to seven early learning hubs across Oregon to support early childhood development. It now moves to the Ways and Means Committee.
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✅ SCR 10 – Passed unanimously out of the Senate. This resolution honors the life and legacy of Senate President Peter Courtney. It now moves to the House Committee on Rules
The Ways & Means Roadshow is in Full Swing
In my last newsletter, I mentioned that the Joint Committee on Ways & Means — the budget-writing committee I serve on — was about to hit the road. Now the roadshow is officially in full swing. I’ll write more about this in a future newsletter (it’s been an incredibly fun experience getting to see the state and hear from people on a remarkably broad range of topics).
Here are a couple pictures from my travels around the state.
Just outside Enterprise, with Wallowa Lake and the Wallowas in the background. Truly one of the most stunning places I've ever been in my life.
All that's left of the Peter Iredale, a shipwreck near Warrenton.
As the days get longer and the sun starts to stick around a little more, I hope you get a chance to get outside and enjoy the beauty of Oregon in the spring, whether it’s a neighborhood walk, a local park (Cook Park is my favorite!), or one of our incredible state trails.
And as always, don’t hesitate to reach out about what’s on your mind. I love hearing from you.
Rep. Emerson Levy, Rep. Hartman, and I took a few minutes to see the cherry blossoms at the Capitol when they were in full bloom.
Thanks for reading,
Ben Bowman
Oregon State Representative
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