_{*  “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”  
—Helen Keller}

Replies to this message are sent to an unmonitored mailbox.
To contact me, please click here: Sen.JeffGolden@oregonlegislature.gov

Click here at 5:25pm, May 13th:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85967990071?pwd=cK4lJ0Prp1teyIiXvBga851T1ZAOVF.1 

Let's talk about the session

The 2025 session is picking up serious momentum. It seems like just the other day that I told you we’d reached the halfway mark; now we’re entering the final third. A major portion of the bills still in play will fall by the wayside in the next couple of weeks, clearing the way for us to wrestle with the session’s toughest and most consequential legislation.

I want to lay out the details and prospects for some of those in a livestream Town Hall from the Capitol next Tuesday evening. Here’s some of what I aim to cover.

• The transportation package, which has had top billing since we came into the session. Deferred maintenance, nosediving fuel tax revenues and expanding needs combine to make sustaining an adequate transportation system a colossal challenge. It’s also the center of a battle over whether we need new taxes.
• Funding wildfire programs is another place we’ll be fighting about money. Few people like any of the available options, but can we really adjourn the session without taking care of this? I want to think that’s impossible, but…
• The ongoing dialogue with the insurance industry to ease the crisis that wildfire has inflicted on their policyholders (or former policyholders).
• Modernizing the state’s water programs, a task that’s been kicked down the road for decades. With more (and likely more severe) drought ahead, this is another one we ignore at our peril.
• The fight to flatten the steep upward trend of utility rates (click here), which has more and more Oregonians on the edge of living without power.
• The proposed ballot measure for an environmental rights amendment to the state constitution, a complex ongoing debate.
• The campaign to make manufactured home park residents secure in their homes by reigning in ever-increasing rental rates on the spaces their homes sit on.
• The effort to make the biggest online platforms that profit from local news content share some of the wealth with the outlets that created it.
• Reforms that give Uber and Lyft drivers a fairer share of the revenue they make for their companies.
• Transparency measures to get clearer upfront information for people buying everything from medical services to concert and event tickets.
• Gun safety measures that (like all gun safety measures) are guaranteed to seriously stir the pot.

Hear all about it on Tuesday, May 13 at 5:30 (plus other gems that rise to the surface between now and then) right here:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85967990071?pwd=cK4lJ0Prp1teyIiXvBga851T1ZAOVF.1 

A pair of articles tells the story

These two stories came out at the same time. Not an encouraging combination.

• Capital Chronicle, “‘Fire season is here,’ Gov. Kotek declares May Wildfire Awareness Month, state prepares“ 
• OPB, “Trump administration guts federal funds that would have helped Lane County weather major disasters”. 

Protecting park residents

Wednesday I had a chance to support HB 3054 before the Senate Housing Committee. Here's why I think it's an important improvement for park residents who are feeling the squeeze.

Remembering Bill Thorndike

You may have heard of the February 14 passing of Bill Thorndike, a giant in the civic life of the Rogue Valley and far beyond. Wednesday I had the chance to speak to his legacy on the Senate Floor.

Take care until we meet online,

Senator Jeff Golden, Oregon Senate District 3

p.s. Your friends are welcome, too

Resources

Unemployment Insurance:

If you are experiencing difficulties accessing unemployment insurance, please contact our office by calling (503) 986-1703 or emailing sen.jeffgolden@oregonlegislature.gov

Food Assistance:

ACCESS operates 30+ food pantries in Jackson County, offering 3-5 days of meals for low-income residents.

Eligibility:

• Must live in Jackson County
• Meet USDA TEFAP Income Guidelines
• No ID or proof of income is required.

Legal Challenges to the Trump Administration's Actions:

• A comprehensive tracker by Just Security monitors the legal disputes against the Trump administration's executive orders and actions, covering areas like immigration, federal spending, and diversity programs. As of March 4, 2025, the tracker lists 96 active cases, providing case names, filing dates, summaries, and recent updates.

How to track a bill

Step 1: Visit oregonlegislature.gov and click "OLIS". This will take you to the website where you can search for a bill. 

Step 2: Click "Bills" in the upper right hand corner to search for a bill by number, text or sponsor.

Step 3: When you've found a bill you'd like to track, click e-subscribe and add your email. Once you've done this you'll receive emails when the bill progresses through the legislative process.

How to testify/submit testimony

Step 1: Go to oregonlegislature.gov and click "Get involved"

Step 2: In the left hand column, you'll find guides on how to testify, register to testify, and submit testimony.