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Dear friends,
Today marks another major procedural deadline for the 83rd Legislative Assembly: Any bill assigned to a regular policy committee must be scheduled for a "work session" to remain in play this session. We will then have two weeks, until May 23, to pass these bills out of the committees to which they're assigned. As a result, legislators and committees are very busy in the lead-up to our May 23 deadline.
I was glad to receive news of a tentative agreement between striking University of Oregon student workers and the University. I raised concerns about students engaging in protected strike activities losing their housing assignments and was assured by UO leadership that Resident Advisors, for example, will be able to move back into their rooms after the strike. I'll continue to monitor the situation until agreement is finalized.
Lastly, for those who have been following the embezzlement case at the Eugene Weekly, an arrest has been made in the case. Please refer to the Weekly's article for details.
Below you will find information on:
- Bill Supporting Conservation Land Trusts Heads to Governor
- Senate Passes Measure to Disclose Fees in Transactions
- Oregon Quadruples College Savings Incentive for Young Families
- Shop at Farmers Markets in your District with Double Up!
I hope this information is helpful and informative for you or someone you know. As always, feel free to share your comments, questions or concerns with me by phone, mail or e-mail.
Bill Supporting Conservation Land Trusts Heads to Governor
Conserving land helps keep Oregon's environment clean and our views beautiful. With passage of HB 2256, which I co-chief sponsored with Rep. Lisa Fragala, barriers are lower for nonprofit organizations, local governments, and tribes to acquire land and protect it, instead of developing it.
Land trusts often face long delays in purchasing land due to lot requirements related to development, even though these nonprofits plan to use the land for conservation purposes. Under HB 2256, if a nonprofit purchases a piece of land that hasn't been established as a developable lot and uses it for conservation, they and the seller are protected from lawsuits over the lot status.
Land trusts support conservation by preserving natural habitats, forests, and farmland; maintaining scenic views and open space; protecting water and air quality; and conserving cultural, historical or archeological sites.
EWEB enthusiastically supported the passage of HB 2256, which passed the Senate in a vote of 17 to 11 on May 5. It now heads to the Governor for her signature. I want to commend Rep. Fragala for championing this measure!
Senate Passes Measure to Disclose Fees in Transactions
I'm happy to share that a bill that I spearheaded, SB 430, recently passed the Senate with bipartisan approval. SB 430 provides that anyone selling goods or services online must include required fees and charges in the price they advertise or display on a website. Under this measure, Oregon residents will no longer need to worry about being stuck with fake prices. They can be assured that the price they see when checking out online will be the same as the one they saw when they initially agreed to a purchase. Price transparency through SB 430 will allow individuals already struggling to meet basic needs to better balance their budgets while holding corporations accountable for promoting misleading price information that costs families money.
Even though actual costs to ship a product and taxes are exempt under SB 430, the seller must still declare those costs to the purchaser. My experience is shared by many: going online to buy a ticket to a baseball game thinking it was one price, and then having to pay extra fees on top of fees. I firmly believe that consumers have the right to know how much an item will cost in an online transaction before confirming the purchase
Oregon Quadruples College Savings Incentive for Young Families
Aiming to provide a stronger foundation for Oregon's youngest learners, the Oregon College Savings Plan (OCSP), a program of the Oregon State Treasury, today announced changes to its long-running community outreach programs. Effective immediately, families opening a new OCSP account for their newborn or kindergartner will receive a $100 deposit – a fourfold increase from the previous $25 offered through the popular Baby Grad and Kinder Grad programs.
This increased investment underscores our state’s commitment to making higher education more accessible and fostering a college-going culture from the earliest years. Since their inception, Baby Grad (launched in 2018) and Kinder Grad (launched in 2019) have empowered nearly 20,000 Oregon families to begin saving for their children's educational futures.
Families who have opened college savings accounts have collectively saved nearly $200 million, with an average account balance of more than $10,000, demonstrating the strong value Oregonians place on education after high school, and their willingness to start saving when given encouragement to do so. The evolution of the Baby Grad and Kinder Grad programs follows a year of strong performance for OCSP, which brought in more than $286 million in contributions to more than 143,000 accounts from across the state, ending 2024 with $3.35 billion in assets under management.
 
Shop at Farmers Markets in your District with Double Up!
Spring is arriving and farmers markets are opening! Shopping at a farmers market is a great way to find the freshest food for your family, while supporting our local farmers and small businesses. One program that helps make farmers markets affordable and accessible for all is Double Up Food Bucks. This program matches SNAP benefits, dollar for dollar, for the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables. Double Up is also available at participating small grocers, farm stands, and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs. Check this map for locations that participate in our district. Happy eating!
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