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To contact me, please click here: Sen.DebPatterson@oregonlegislature.gov
Friends, early this morning, at 4:00 am Oregon time, the U.S. House of Representatives passed by a one-vote majority, 215 to 214, a bill that Speaker Mike Johnson is calling the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” It was debated in the middle of the night for the last two nights, while America was asleep.
This bill cuts $500 billion from Medicare, which provides healthcare to the vast majority of Americans over the age of 65, cuts $698 billion from Medicaid which provides healthcare to poor and disabled individuals, and cuts $267 billion from SNAP which provides modest amounts of food assistance to older adults and families who are struggling to feed themselves on very low incomes.
I know that the State of Oregon is a long way from Washington D.C., but what is happening in Washington today will affect people in our district and across our State.
What is happening in Washington D.C. will directly affect a great number of the 1.4 million Oregonians who depend on Medicaid for their healthcare coverage under the Oregon Health Plan. It will hurt many of the nearly 800,000 older Oregonians who depend on Medicare for their healthcare coverage. It will harm the nearly half million families across all of our Senate districts who depend on SNAP benefits, leaving them with less food, and more hunger.
These tax cuts will hurt the bottom line of our State’s budget, as well. Our hospitals will suffer, our clinics will suffer, seniors will suffer, people with disabilities will suffer, families will suffer. Who will these tax cuts help? Only the wealthiest.
If you have thoughts about this bill, I urge you to call Oregon’s U.S. Senators, to share your opinion about this bill headed to the Senate for consideration. The Capitol Hill switchboard number is 202-224-3121. And, as always, you are welcome to reach out to my office at Sen.DebPatterson@oregonlegislature.gov or by calling 503-986-1710.
Sincerely yours,
Deb
Bridgeway Community Health's Medical Center - Coming 2026
I recently had the opportunity to visit the Bridgeway Community Health's Medical Center building project. When opened in early 2026, it will house 34 medically managed withdrawl beds, seven sobering beds, and a large primary care clinic. This facility will be an amazing investment to our local community, as it will increase access and treatment for those struggling with substance use disorders. Pictured below is a photo me alongside Bridgeway Board Chair Patrick Vance, and CEO Emeritus Tim Murphy.
Thank you to all individuals involved in the creation of this project.
 Photo Courtesy of CEO Emeritus Tim Murphy.
The 2025 Senate Health Care Committee Comes to a Close
As we are entering the final weeks of the 2025 Legislative Session, also means that policy committees have started to conclude their work. The Senate Committee on Healthcare, which I am the chair of, has tackled several important issues this year. By doing so, we simultaneously held 96 public hearings and received over 4,000 pieces of public testimony. The majority of our work this year has been collaborative and bipartisan—and I am so grateful to my colleagues who worked alongside me to continue making our State a better place for Oregonians.
Provided below are a list of bills that I have championed, that have passed and are awaiting the Governor's signature, many of which have come out of the Senate Health Care Committee.
Bill Updates - Passed and Awaiting Governor's Signature
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Corporate Practice of Medicine (SB 951)
- Keeps actual medical professionals in charge of practices, closing loopholes that allowed huge corporations to list a physician as the owner without actually being in control.
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Testing and Treating of Covid-19 (SB 295)
- Removes the sunset for pharmacists to diagnose and treat COVID-19.
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Prescription Drug Affordability Board Fixes (SB 289)
- Allows Oregon's Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) to report annually instead of quarterly and to identify nine drugs currently required for affordability review.
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Allow PAs and NPs to Serve as Medical Examiners (SB 536)
- Addresses ongoing medical examiner shortages in rural and underfunded communities.
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Tenant Protections (SB 973)
- Requires a landlord of publicly supported housing to notify tenants of when the affordability restrictions may be terminated.
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Relating to Housing (SB 32)
- Provides updates to the Preservation Dashboard.
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Resolution - Mayor John McArdle (SCR 18)
- Recognizes and honors John McArdle for his leadership and service to the City of Independence and the State of Oregon.
Local Elections
This past Tuesday, elections were held for a number of local races. Congratulation to new Salem City Councilor, Mai Vang, who was elected to serve Ward 6, and the following school board members in our district: Salem-Keizer School District – Lisa Harnish (Zone 1), Jennifer Parker (Zone 3), Karina Guzman Ortiz (Zone 5) and Mel Fuller (Zone 7); and Central School District – Irene Oliveros-Vega (Position 2), Byron Shinkle (Position 4), and Andrea Van Heeswyk (Position 6). Also passed were the levy proposed by the City of Salem to maintain parks, the public library, and Center 50+ services, as well as the bond measure for Chemeketa Community College.
Thank you to all who voted, who stepped up to serve, and who are civically involved in making our communities such great places to live!
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1710
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-411, Salem, OR, 97301
Email: Sen.DebPatterson@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/patterson
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