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To contact me, please click here: Rep.SusanMcLain@oregonlegislature.gov
Dear Neighbors and Community Members,
It is hard to believe we are in the final month of the 2025 Legislative Session. Constitutional sine die is set for June 29th, which means we have a lot of work ahead in the coming weeks! I am looking forward to a busy and fulfilling June as we continue to make progress on our Session priorities: stabilizing and diversifying funding to maintain and preserve our transportation system, equipping our students and educators with the resources they need to succeed, and uplifting working families across Oregon.
In this newsletter, you’ll find:
- Reflections on AAHNPI and Mental Health Month
- News on Oregon’s legal win against tariffs
- Some important votes on the Floor this week
- Updates on education and transportation policy
- A review of a few of my meetings this week
- Local events and activities in Washington County
CELEBRATING OUR AANHPI CITIZENS
In May, we reflect and celebrate the important role that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) have played in our shared history in the U.S. and in our local communities. I recommend learning more by visiting the National Archives, which holds a wealth of material documenting the Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander experience. You can support the AANHPI community in Western Washington County by visiting one of the many AANHPI-owned businesses in the area - this list was put together by the City of Hillsboro.
In honor of AANHPI Month, I want to shout out Forest Grove High School’s HAAPI club, which is doing amazing work year round to empower AANHPI communities. They promote local AANHPI-owned businesses, host fundraisers, and organize events that enrich our community. Learn more about the club through their TikTok page.
Finally, I'd like to take a moment to reflect back on the passage of HB 3144 in the 2023 Legislative Session, which directed the Oregon Department of Education to develop and implement a statewide education plan for students who are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. The bill was sponsored by Representative Hòa Nguyễn, who worked incredibly hard to ensure that the Department of Education received the funding necessary to implement the plan. I was proud to assist her in passing this bill, and to work with her on several other key education policies in the 2023 and 2024 sessions. You can read about the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Student Success Plan here.
BELOW: Rep. Nguyễn sitting with me at my desk on the House Floor during the 2023 Session.
LET'S TALK ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a national observance to bring attention to the importance of mental wellbeing. Across the country, individuals and organizations step up to raise awareness of and help address the challenges faced by people living with mental health conditions. Despite recent strides in how our society approaches mental wellbeing, many Americans still don’t have access to the high-quality, comprehensive treatment and care they need. Just take a look at some of the staggering data about mental health in the United States:
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1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year.
- Only 47.2% of U.S. adults with mental illness received treatment in 2021.
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1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year.
- Only 65.4% of U.S. adults with serious mental illness received treatment in 2021.
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1 in 6 U.S. youth have a mental health condition, but only half receive treatment.
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50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14, and 75% by age 24.
Let’s do more than just talk about mental health though. Let’s listen and be there for people when they need us. Let’s show acceptance and love. Let’s ensure access to quality medical care and fund new cutting-edge treatments. Most of all, let’s make a commitment to always lead with empathy in everything we do, especially in how we see and treat people.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health issues right now, please reach out to one of the below resources for help.
♦CRISIS LINES:
24-hour crisis lines - Lines for Life
Crisis service providers by county - Community Mental Health Programs
Alcohol and Substance Helpline - 800-923-4357
Problem Gambling Helpline - 877-695-4648 / Website includes live chat
Military Helpline - 888-457-4838 anytime / Text: MIL1 to 839863 between 0900-1500 PST
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - Call, text or chat 988
Youthline - 877-968-8491 anytime / Text: teen2teen to 839863 between 4 and 10 p.m. / Online chat available at OregonYouthline.org
♦SUPPORT AND TREATMENT SERVICES
Contact Your Local Community Mental Health Program
Find an Alcohol and Drug Treatment Provider
Find Licensed Behavioral Health Practitioners
Find Resources for Dealing with Crisis and Traumatic Events
Find Resources for Children, Youth, Young Adults and Families
Oregon Behavioral Health Provider Directory - Search for mental health and substance use disorder providers
Oregon Health Plan Behavioral Health Coverage
Report Abuse and Neglect
Residential Youth Programs
SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Locator
IMPORTANT FLOOR VOTES THIS WEEK
Here are some of the significant policies that we passed in the House and the Senate this week:
♦SB 605 B On Medical Debt- I was proud to vote yes on SB 605 B, to prevent medical debt from showing up on credit reports and prohibit anyone from providing that information to a credit reporting agency. Oregonians do not deserve to have their credit scores impacted by an illness, injury, or a medical billing error out of their control.
Given the Trump Administration’s threats to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, this bill is especially timely. SB 605B passed the House and will go back to the Senate for concurrence.
♦SB 426 On Fighting Wage Theft - This week, I also voted yes on SB 426, a bill aimed at reducing wage theft in Oregon’s construction industry. Under SB 426, construction workers will now have access to another avenue to recover wages they are owed from project owners or general contractors. The new legislation allows construction workers to file a lawsuit to recover the wages they are owed for their work. By strengthening worker protections, the bill also promotes increased vetting of subcontractors and incentivizes owners and contractors to ensure workers on their projects are compensated.
Right now, workers are able to file wage-theft complaints with the Bureau of Labor and Industries, but BOLI’s ability to investigate claims is limited. This bill provides workers an alternative course of action to recover wages withheld illegally. It does not apply to homeowners building or remodeling their primary residence. SB 426 passed in the House and now returns to the Senate for concurrence.
♦SB 1161 On Facilitating Organ Transplants - I was excited to vote yes on SB 1161, which extends traffic privileges to organ transport vehicles, including the use of lights and sirens. This issue was championed by my granddaughter, Jessica McLain, in Washington State, and I was glad to see Oregon take action on this issue. Organ donation is life-saving and time-sensitive. It is critical that organ transport vehicles are able to protect the viability of donations by navigating their journeys efficiently.
The bill also directs the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to issue licenses for the operation of organ transport vehicles, sets criteria for an organ procurement organization to obtain a license, and establishes standards for drivers of an organ transport vehicle. After passing in the House and Senate, the bill now awaits a signature from Governor Kotek.
♦SB 951 - Protecting Medical Clinics - I was glad to vote yes on SB 951, which ensures that medical practices in Oregon are owned and controlled by licensed medical professionals, not corporations. Corporate and private equity takeovers of independent clinics have become increasingly common, and their rise has come at the expense of high-quality, affordable, and equitable patient care.
In Oregon and across the country, there has been a sharp rise in private equity firms and large for-profit corporations acquiring medical practices in the last decade. These entities have exploited loopholes by employing or contracting with physicians who are listed as owners to be in compliance with CPOM on paper, but who lack true control over the practice. Senate Bill 951 closes that loophole, restoring the intent of CPOM and protecting the integrity of patient care in Oregon.
Oregon’s corporate practice of medicine (CPOM) doctrine, established in 1947, was designed to ensure that medical decisions are made by licensed professionals. That includes everything from how much money is spent on care, what staffing levels should be, how much time should be spent with each patient, when and to whom physicians sell their ownership in the practice, and how much to charge for medical services.
♦ HB 3582 A- Statute of Limitations Expanded for Survivors - I was proud to vote yes on HB 3582A, a bill that removes the civil statute of limitations for sexual abuse claims filed after the bill’s effective date and addresses a critical technical barrier to justice for survivors. The legislation ensures that survivors will no longer be barred from seeking justice simply because their healing took time.
I am grateful for the courage and dedication of my colleague, Rep. Annessa Hartman, who has championed this bill and advocated fiercely for survivors. Under current law, adult survivors have just five years from the time they discover the connection between the assault and their injuries to file a civil suit. For child survivors, the limit is five years from discovery or until they turn 40—whichever is later. But trauma experts and survivor advocates point out that the average age at which a child sexual abuse survivor comes forward is 52.
HB 3582 A eliminates these deadlines going forward, allowing survivors to file when they are ready. The bill also closes a legal loophole by removing the word “knowingly” from the extended statutes of limitations, which currently requires survivors to prove that an institution was aware of specific abuse against specific victims—a burden not placed on any other negligence plaintiff.
With HB 3582 A, Oregon would join 19 other states and the federal government in removing civil time limits for child sexual abuse. The legislation also contains an emergency clause to immediately allow survivors, particularly victims of notorious abusers like Dr. Farley, to seek justice without additional delay.
KEY VOTES HELD IN EDUCATION BUDGET COMMITTEE
As a member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education, I am proud to announce that we passed several historic Education bills in our Committee this week that will improve educational outcomes and access for all Oregon students.
SB 5516 is the budget bill for the State School Fund, which is the primary funding source for the general operations of school districts and educational service districts that serve just more than 545,000 Oregon students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The Subcommittee approved a record budget of $11.4 billion for the 2025-27 biennium. This is an increase of $1.16 billion, or 11.4%, over the 2023-25 legislatively approved budget. Counting local revenues dedicated to schools, school formula funding in the upcoming biennium will top $16.7 billion.
This funding comes in addition to the $82 million the Legislature passed in April to support summer literacy programs.
HB 2140 makes important changes to how we calculate funding for education and ensures that school districts will receive more funding this year. For context, the distribution of funds to school districts has historically been divided into two parts, with each school district receiving 49 percent of its distribution the first year of each biennium and 51 percent the second. However, since 2013 the calculation of CSL for the subsequent biennium has been based on an assumption that districts received 50 percent each year. House Bill 2140 requires consultation with the Department of Education and the use of 51 percent of the previous biennium's State School Fund as the starting point for the CSL calculation and enacts into law the current practice of distributing State School Fund grants to school districts based on a 49/51 split over the two years of each biennium.
View my comments in the committee hearing regarding the budget by clicking here.
SB 141 A adds new student success metrics, strengthen district accountability for student outcomes, provide coaching and support to struggling districts, and help schools focus more on students and less on paperwork. New metrics include 8th-grade math proficiency and K-2nd-grade regular attendance rates, both of which are indicative of future success. Interim assessments will also be used to track student progress so schools can make adjustments to improve student learning in real time. Results of these assessments will be made public for transparency and accountability. "Investment in schools is not a blank check," Rep. Ruiz said. "Providing for th
TRANSPORTATION HEARING ON ACCOUNTABILITY
The new Joint Committee On Transportation Reinvestment held its first meeting on the issue of ODOT accountability on Tuesday, May 27th at 1:00 pm. As mentioned in previous newsletters, the Transportation Emissions Reduction Program & Investment Plan work that is being done has a key component on accountability in place to monitor the use of tax dollars and require that they are spent effectively. Tuesday's hearing in the Transportation Reinvestment Committee provided the first look at crucial new report on accountability at ODOT. For a deep dive, I recommend the following:
TARIFFS STRUCK DOWN IN U.S. TRADE COURT
This week, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield secured a major victory for working Oregonians. In response to a multi-state lawsuit led by AG Rayfield, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled the Trump tariffs unconstitutional.
These tariffs have acted as a hidden tax on families, raising the cost of everyday items and straining on our local economy. While the ruling is on hold during appeal, AG Rayfield and Oregon leaders will continue to stand up against federal overreach and fight for economic justice.
“The court’s ruling is a victory not just for Oregon, but for working families, small businesses, and everyday Americans. President Trump’s sweeping tariffs were unlawful, reckless, and economically devastating. They triggered retaliatory measures, inflated prices on essential goods, and placed an unfair burden on American families, small businesses and manufacturers," said AG Rayfield.
To read more about this ruling and the Oregon Department of Justice's work, click here.
PARTS OF 217-SOUTH CLOSED FOR PAVING THIS WEEKEND
Southbound OR 217 to close from SW Canyon Road to OR 99W all weekend for paving
Southbound OR 217 will close Friday night through Monday morning from SW Canyon Road to OR 99W to begin final paving for the OR 217 Auxiliary Lanes project.
The closure will begin at 9 p.m. Friday, May 30, and it will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, June 2.
Consider using the signed detour on U.S. 26 to the north of the closure area, I-405 through Portland, and I-5 to the south of the closure area. Drive safely and follow the posted speed limits.
Before you hit the road, check TripCheck to see if the weekend’s highway closure is taking place on schedule. The schedule might change due to weather and other factors.
Final paving will require full closure of sections of 217 in the project area for up to five weekends this spring and summer. Additional weekend directional closures to complete paving are tentatively scheduled for the weekends of June 6, June 20 and June 27.
ODOT will not close both directions of 217 on the same weekend.
Temporary striping will be in place until the pavement cures, and then the contractor will install final striping. The new auxiliary lanes may not open right away – crews might still need to use them to finish work along the shoulders and side slopes.
The overall project remains on schedule to be completed by the end of this year.
Travel tips:
- Plan extra time for the detour.
- Because the schedule may change, check TripCheck before you hit the road to make sure the closure is still on schedule. It’s a good idea to visit Tripcheck anytime you travel in Oregon for current road conditions and unplanned closures for crashes and other incidents.
- Remember that most of OR 217 is an active work zone 24/7 for the rest of the year. Slow down and watch out for construction workers, equipment and other travelers.
- Get the latest news on the project by subscribing to the project newsletter for email updates on the project page.
Background
The OR 217 Auxiliary Lanes project will improve safety and reduce bottlenecks on the highway by adding auxiliary lanes, or ramp-to-ramp connections, between Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway and OR 99W. We are also making targeted improvements to local bicycle and pedestrian routes.
Work began in 2021 and is on pace to finish on time by the end of 2025. The $174 million project is funded mostly by House Bill 2017. The City of Beaverton and Washington County also contributed money toward the project.
POINT BUS MOVES TOWARDS RENEWABLE DIESEL
ODOT’s POINT intercity bus service has joined Oregon’s transit agencies—Lane Transit District and TriMet—in making a leap toward sustainability by transitioning its Cascades Route fleet from petroleum diesel to renewable diesel.
Renewable diesel (also known as R99) is chemically identical to petroleum diesel, allowing it to be used as a direct replacement without the costly engine modifications and maintenance required with other fuels like biodiesel. Making this switch has an immediate environmental benefit without delays or new expenses.
After several months of successful testing, POINT’s Cascades Route—operated by ODOT's contractor MTRWestern—has fully transitioned to renewable diesel.
According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, renewable diesel significantly reduces harmful tailpipe emissions—including particulate matter, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides—while offering a cleaner burn than petroleum diesel. Produced in the U.S. and elsewhere from a variety of plant, animal fats and waste oils, renewable diesel is cleaner-burning, and newly available for commercial use in the Pacific Northwest.
With this move, ODOT continues to align with Oregon’s broader climate goals, providing vital intercity connections while leading in clean transportation innovation.
CONNECTING WITH COMMUNITY
Over the long weekend, I hosted a picnic with friends and family to celebrate my daughter Emily's birthday. It was great to get together for the afternoon and enjoy the beautiful weather!
On Tuesday, I came back to Salem for a busy week of committee hearings, floor votes, and meetings. I enjoyed a long conversation with Metro Councilor Juan Carlos Gonzalez about our community's transportation needs and our work this Session. It is always great to see Washington County leaders at the Capitol!
I also had the chance to catch-up with educators and education leaders over the past few days. I spoke with Dr. Williams, the Director of the Oregon Department of Education, about education budget issues and our state's work to support students, teachers, and familes. I truly appreciate her leadership and commitment to serving Oregon's schools. It has been a pleasure to work together over the last few sessions on critical policies like Summer Learning and foster youth student support.
I also spoke with educators from West Linn-Wilsonville School District about the State School Fund and education budget decisions at the local level. I appreciated hearing about their experiences in the classroom and their perspectives on our education system.
Coming up next week, I'll be speaking at the Westside Economic Alliance's Transportation Committee Meeting to provide an update on our work this Session to stabilize and diversify funding for our multimodal transportation system.
WHAT'S GOING ON IN WESTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY!
Here's a look at opportunities to engage with our community and support important causes.
It's Farmers Market Season Again!
The Forest Grove and Hillsboro Farmers Markets are open now and Cornelius opens next Friday. Make sure to stop by and support our local growers.
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WHEN: Saturday, May 31 at 5:30 pm
WHERE: Hillsboro Elks Lodge #1862
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West Tuality Habitat Local Build Exchange
West Tuality Habitat for Humanity is hosting a vendor fair to connect local businesses, organizations, community leaders, and members of the public and strengthen community infrastructure.
WHEN: Thursday, June 5 from 2:00 to 6:00 pm
WHERE: Cornelius Public Library
My office has compiled a list of resources for our community. You can click on the images below to open a document with the relevant links. If you know of a resource that should be included here, or you need a resource and are having trouble finding the information you need, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office at rep.susanmclain@oregonlegislature.gov.
EDUCATION RESOURCES
Click here, or on the image to the right for a list of Education-related resources. This includes links to the Forest Grove and Hillsboro School Districts, the Oregon and US Departments of Education, information on how to pay for college, student lunch programs, and much more!
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WILDFIRE-RELATED RESOURCES
Click here, or on the image to the right for important resources related to wildfire prevention and recovery. This list includes links to current fire restrictions and recreation site status maps, the Oregon Department of Forestry's fire prevention tip page, and important resources for wildfire victims.
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RESOURCES FOR OUR VETERANS
Click here, or on the image to the right for a list of important resources for Veterans, including links and phone numbers to the various divisions of the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs, local Washington County assistance, supportive and community-based groups like the American Legion, and mental health resources.
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STATE & LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Click here, or on the image to the right for links to important local and state government pages, including the Hillsboro, Forest Grove, and Cornelius city government pages. You can also access the Oregon Legislature's page, and other important state agency sites, like the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Unemployment Department, and the Oregon Health Authority.
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ODE Director Dr. Williams, Gov. Kotek, and I at last year's Summer Learning Bill Signing!
Yours truly,
 Representative Susan McLain
House District 29
email: Rep.SusanMcLain@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1429
address: 900 Court St NE, H-493, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mclain
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