|
Replies to this message are sent to an unmonitored mailbox.
To contact me, please click here: Rep.LisaFragala@oregonlegislature.gov
 Dear Friend,
It’s clear that Oregonians are feeling the effects of damaging and misguided policy changes at the federal level such as chaotic tariffs, the withholding of federal funds, attacks on immigrant communities, and hateful rhetoric. Oregon’s economy and our people are at risk and it's hard to believe this could happen in such a short time.
Yet that’s why I’m here in Salem. I ran for office ready to fight for core programs like education, housing, and healthcare to make sure Oregon is a place everyone wants to live, work, and play. I’m doing that work this session and stand committed to continue in these efforts on behalf of our community in good times and bad.
Five months into the legislative session, Oregon lawmakers have made tangible policy changes of our own and are hard at work to protect important programs and services. We've passed legislation that protects our healthcare programs, builds on a statewide shelter system, and fights for economic affordability. We've made it clear that the State of Oregon stands against the Trump administration and will continue to protect laws for strong reproductive healthcare access and provide safety to immigrant communities as a sanctuary state.
As you read this newsletter, please know that I am thinking about how I can continue to make a difference for our community and for all Oregonians.
|
The 2025 Revenue Forecast
On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, Oregonians heard the May Revenue Forecast. Unfortunately, the forecast shows Oregon’s revenue is down, reducing the funding available to spend in this legislative session. One thing was clear, reckless decision making at the federal level and out-of-touch economic policies are damaging communities across the United States, including us right here in Oregon.
What is a revenue forecast? Oregon’s revenue forecast is an estimate of how much money the state government expects to collect over a specific period from taxes, fees, and other sources. It helps us plan budgets and make decisions about spending and public services. It is updated quarterly to reflect new information.
Why is it important? Oregon’s revenue forecast is important because it guides us in creating a balanced budget and ensures public funds are used responsibly. This forecast, in particular, is important because it tells the legislature how much money it can spend on critical services.
-
Oregon businesses & families are directly impacted by federal tariffs.
-
Growth is being stifled for local business.
-
Working families are being hit the hardest.
-
The risk for a recession is increasing.
The good news is, Oregon is better off than many other states. Strong leadership for decades in Oregon has put us in a better position than many communities across the country. We’ve been preparing for this moment by budgeting with an eye on the future and making strategic investments to address some of our state's biggest challenges -- housing costs and homelessness, access to mental health and addiction treatment, and supporting education.
Even though the economic outlook can change quickly (and it has - even within the last week), this forecast is what the state budget is built on. That means we will be working in the state legislature to protect core services as we wrap up the 2025 session in June.
Stronger Together
Oregon ever ceases to amaze me. There is widespread, collective action towards safeguarding our state and communities, creating positive change, and working towards a better future. Whether you are a constituent who has visited my office to talk about an important issue, someone who has written an email advocating for a specific cause, an active voice at one of my townhall events, or a fellow community member at a local rally—Thank You!
Together is the best way forward.
|
|
 |
Session Priority:
Fighting for an Affordable Oregon
As your state representative, I’m committed to making sure our community is an affordable place to live, learn, work, raise a family, and retire. From building more homes to reducing the cost of childcare, utilities and healthcare, I’m lucky to be part of a larger Democratic team working together to address the cost-of-living challenges so many of Oregonians are facing. There is still a lot of work to do but we’ve already been successful at passing legislation to address affordable healthcare, housing, utility costs, and other public services.
 |
|
Access to Affordable Healthcare
|
-
HB 2010 - Strengthening funding for the Oregon Health Plan continues existing fees (or assessments) on health insurance companies, managed care groups, and hospitals. These fees help fund the state’s healthcare system, including coverage for low-income residents.
- The program helps keep insurance costs stable in Oregon and continues access to Medicaid for thousands of Oregonians and over half of the children in our state.
- Current Status: Signed into law on April 21
-
HB 2385 - Funding Services for Low-Income Oregonians will stop drug companies from getting in the way of pharmacies or clinics that are trying to procure, deliver, or give out low-cost 340B drugs to patients.
-
This bill increases access for low-income and rural Oregonians and will significantly lower costs for low-income individuals.
- Current Status: Passed House floor, awaiting Senate floor vote
-
HB 3243 - The Balance Billing Ban would stop ambulance companies from charging patients an extra fee in certain situations and sets up rules for how insurance companies should pay for ambulance services.
-
This means that if someone needs an ambulance, they won’t get hit with unexpected, large bills that their insurance doesn’t cover. It also makes sure that insurance companies pay ambulance services fairly and adequately.
- Current Status: Joint Committee on Ways and Means
-
SB 605 - Prohibits medical providers from reporting medical debt to a credit bureau or consumer report agency. This legislation will ensure medical debt is not a contributing factor to credit score reports.
- Current Status: In House Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, work session scheduled
Decreasing Utility Costs
|
-
HB 3179 - The FAIR Energy Act tells the Public Utility Commission to think about how a proposed price increase would affect customers overall—but only if that price increase would raise the utility company's total income in the state by 2% or more.
-
- The goal of this bill is to make it harder for utility companies to raise prices without considering how it will hit customers’ wallets—helping to keep utility bills more manageable and harder for utility companies to spontaneously increase rates.
- Current Status: Awaiting House floor vote
-
HB 3148 - The Oregon Lifeline bill creates a program that helps low-income people pay for phone or internet services indefinitely. Currently, such programs require regular renewal or are only temporary. Now the help will always be available for those who qualify.
-
Having this resource available would cut monthly payments, keep people connected, and provide stability to everyday life.
- Current Status: Joint Committee on Ways and Means
-
HB 3546 - The POWER Act tells the Public Utility Commission to create a special category or set of rules for businesses or facilities that use a lot of energy. This means big energy users (like factories or data centers) might get different rates or rules than regular households or small businesses.
- Preventing cost shifting by large energy consumers to families and encouraging efficient energy planning, this bill will ensure fairness in energy pricing and protect working families from paying more than their fair share.
- Current Status: Passed out of House, awaiting vote on Senate floor
-
HB 3792 - This Ratepayer Assistance bill would double the amount of money collected from electric companies from $20 million to $40 million for the Low-Income Electric Bill Payment Assistance Fund to help low-income people pay their electric bills or get emergency help.
- Current Status: Joint Committee on Ways and Means
Addressing the Housing Crisis
|
The housing crisis is a top concern I hear about frequently from constituents. I'm proud to serve on the Housing and Homelessness Committee and to help lead the way towards making reliable, affordable housing a reality. The following are some of the critical bills we've already passed out of committee that could have a meaningful, positive impact on everyday Oregonians.
Housing Shortages
We're tackling Oregon’s chronic housing shortage with a variety of strategies; this includes prioritizing solutions to address our unhoused community members.
-
HB 2258 – Governor's OR Homes Bill empowers the Land Conservation and Development Commission to create a library of certain approved housing types and development plans that have already been approved by the Department of Consumer and Business Services.
-
This means that for some new housing projects, once the building plans are approved by the state, local governments won’t have to review them again, speeding up the process and increasing the state's housing supply.
-
Current Status: Joint Committee on Ways and Means
-
HB 2968 – The SDC Deferral Bill requires the Housing and Community Services Department to guarantee that a housing developer will pay certain fees to the local government, but only after people move into their new homes.
-
These fees, called "system development charges," are for things like building infrastructure and under this bill the developer won’t have to pay them upfront—just after the homes are occupied. This approach can lead to more homes being built, potentially at lower costs, and could reduce waiting times for homebuyers.
-
Current Status: Joint Committee on Ways and Means
-
HB 3644 - establishes a New Statewide Homeless Shelter Program to increase access to emergency housing across Oregon and to reduce unsheltered homelessness with the goal of transitioning individuals into housing stability. The program also focuses on housing retention.
-
This measure divides the state into regions and provides flexibility to allow regional coordinators and shelter providers to meet the needs of each community.
-
Requires shelters to be available throughout the day and night, seven days a week, and during all seasons and weather.
-
Loosens the definition of "shelter" to include shelters currently labeled "alternative," such as Conestoga Huts and car camping sites, and prioritizes shelters currently receiving state funding.
-
Current Status: Joint Committee on Ways and Means
Home Ownership
Home ownership is a cornerstone of generational wealth and long-term security. These measures are designed to reduce barriers to home ownership (especially first-time homebuyers) and open doors for Oregonians ready to invest in a home of their own.
-
HB 3188 – This bill for Zero Down Payment Home Loans tells the Housing and Community Services Department to create a program that protects lenders from losing money on mortgage loans given to first-time homebuyers.
-
This means that if a first-time buyer struggles to repay their loan, the program helps cover some of the lender's losses, increasing the probability for lenders to offer loans to new home buyers.
-
Current Status: Joint Committee on Ways and Means
-
HB 3235 – This bill will establish the First-time Homebuyer Grant Program, an affordable homeownership revolving loan program to assist first time home buyers in building equity more quickly while maintaining affordable monthly payments.
-
This program focuses on homes for low- and moderate-income buyers across the state and on a shared equity housing model.
-
Current Status: Joint Committee on Ways and Means
Affordability
In the face of nationwide economic uncertainty, it is important a variety of housing is affordable in our state. We've taken active steps to increase affordability and to lessen the blow on Oregonians' wallets:
-
HB 3054 - Addressing Manufactured Home Park Rents, this bill would cap rent increases in larger manufactured home parks at 6% per year, based on changes to the consumer price index. This does away with the current system which allows rent hikes up to 10%.
-
This helps make rents more predictable in manufactured housing parks and helps some of our most vulnerable community members who live on a fixed income stay in their homes.
-
Current Status: Senate Committee on Housing & Development; work session scheduled May 19
-
HB 2077 - The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit extends the time frame in which low-income housing providers can receive tax credits for establishing and offering affordable housing.
-
This means nonprofit groups that build or manage affordable housing for low-income people can help keep units affordable and will incentivize non-profits to continue to provide affordable housing.
-
Current Status: Passed the House, awaiting Senate floor vote
-
HB 2139 - Providing grants to Tribal Nations for housing and
-
homelessness prevention. This bill aims to address the housing crisis among eligible, federally recognized tribal communities by establishing the Tribal Housing Grant Fund.
-
Current Status: Joint Committee on Ways and Means
-
SB 973 – Notifications regarding affordability requires landlords of publicly supported housing to be transparent about projected termination or expiration of affordability requirements.
-
This bill also increases minimum notice requirements from 20 months to 30 months, and ensures prospective tenants are informed prior to signing a lease if affordability requirements will expire.
-
Current Status: Awaiting Governor's signature
These are not just legislative wins—they’re tangible steps toward addressing our housing crisis and supporting communities across Oregon, including here in Eugene.
Engaging with Community
I am honored to serve our community in Salem, but being back in Eugene always energizes me and reminds me why I’ve lived here for 30 years. Here are just a few events I've attended over the last month!
Upcoming Events
Constituent Coffee:
May 31st @ 10 am, Hideaway Bakery, 3377 E Amazon Dr, Eugene, OR 97405
One of my favorite opportunities as a state representative is to hear what you are thinking about. My Constituent Coffee gatherings are an opportunity for us all to come together in community and for me to hear in-person the concerns and thinking of my constituents. I hope you will join us this month!
Tiny Titan's Big Adventures
 |
|
Tiny Titan has rolled up their sleeves and is getting down to business learning the House Chamber!
The second floor is where the House Majority and Speaker's offices are, as well as the entrance to the House Floor. On the third floor is the entrance to the floor viewing gallery. The fourth floor is where Tiny Titan's homebase is-- my office!
This carpet can be found on the floor of the House and throughout the House chamber. Do you know what the Senate floor looks like?
|
Although the federal administration continues to create chaos and undermine services critical to Oregonians, I’m committed to working together with my democratic colleagues and with constituents from District 8 to protect the services and programs we all rely on and to protect our most vulnerable community members.
I know our community has the ability to create positive change, and I am so grateful to be in this fight with you. Together truly is the best way forward!
Sincerely,
Representative Lisa Fragala
House District 8
My Office Is Here For You
Email: Rep.LisaFragala@oregonlegislature.gov I Phone: (503) 986-1408
Address: 900 Court St NE, H-484, Salem, OR, 97301
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/fragala
Facebook | Instagram
Please get in touch if you need assistance!
Click here to access my full compilation of resources!
|
