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To contact me, please click here: Rep.EmersonLevy@oregonlegislature.gov
Hello Friends and Colleagues,
We are nine days away from Sine Die, which is the constitutional day that we are required to balance the budget and end the legislative session. There’s still a lot to get done, including the Transportation Package, the repeal of the Wildfire Maps, and the final budget bill.
This week on the House Floor, I delivered my first remonstrance. A remonstrance is a three minute speech we are allowed to deliver on a topic of protest. The Wildfire Maps are being held up in political mess. This issue is important to my community. I know it’s important to you. I am here to represent my community, even if that means standing up to my own party. You can watch my brief remarks here.
We have lots of updates below, including:
- Wildfire Risks Maps
- Education Budget
- Major League Baseball in Oregon
- Burgerville Grand Opening - You’re Invited!
- Updates on Pacific Power Outages
- SNAP Update/Resources
Keep sending your thoughts on the Transportation Package! This bill will stabilize transportation and bring accountability to the Department of Transportation. It will promise money for flood light painting on the 97 and plowing the roads. It does come with an increase to the gas tax by .15 cents over the next several years. The .15 cents would be applied over time. It increases other registration fees as well. This is not a vote I take lightly.
Stay safe out there!
All the best,
Showing my family around the House Chamber!
Wildfire Risk Maps
This week, I have also received several messages from my community urging the legislature to repeal the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Wildfire Risk Maps. Senate Bill 83 was introduced to do just this, but we have not had the chance to vote on it. On Tuesday, there was a motion on the House Floor to withdraw SB 83 from its committee and attempt to pass it through the House Chamber. While I was supportive of this effort, the motion unfortunately did not receive enough votes from other members. I made a remonstrance in front of my fellow representatives to emphasize the importance of this bill to central and rural Oregonians. The impacts of the maps are significant and my community deserves to have their voices heard in this process. I am strongly committed to this initiative to repeal the maps and work with my colleagues to come up with sustainable and effective solutions to mitigate wildfire risk.
Education Budget
The K-12 budget recently passed out of the House of Representatives and is making its way to the Governor’s desk. This bill allocates more than $11.6 billion to the state school fund over the next two years, an increase of 10.5% compared to last biennium. This investment matches Governor Kotek’s recommended budget, with emphasis on teacher retention, updating school safety measures, digital learning programs, and special education. In addition, the House recently passed Governor Kotek’s education accountability bill, SB 141, which aims to create a more consistent statewide system for measuring student’s academic outcomes and equips the Oregon Department of Education with tools to support struggling school districts. While we are making historic investments in education, we must ensure that these initiatives are paying off and every student has the means to succeed.
That being said, I am aware that these investments are not going to solve all of the challenges our public schools are facing. This budget is enough to fund current service levels and keep up with inflation, but there is still so much room for improvement. I am committed to coming back to the Legislature when we have a more robust budget and continue advocating for fully funding public education.
Oregon Pushes Back on Federal Overreach
In response to increasing instances of federal overreach and the politicized deployment of National Guard units including recent events in Los Angeles, the legislature is taking decisive action to protect the integrity and readiness of the state’s forces. Under HB 3954, passed this week, the Adjutant General would be prohibited from authorizing any deployment that compromises the Oregon National Guard’s ability to respond to in-state emergencies — including wildfires, earthquakes, and public safety threats. This legislation helps us remain ready for local crises and reinforces our state sovereignty.
Bringing Major League Baseball to Oregon
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This week, the Oregon House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 110, with the help of the Portland Diamond Project. This exciting initiative will allow Oregon to advocate for $800 million in investor capital for our state if we are picked as the next new home of Major League Baseball. This project has the opportunity to benefit all Oregonians, not just those in Portland, by boosting our state’s economy through tourism and local businesses. The stadium alone is estimated to create around 12,000 jobs. This concept was originally introduced during an informational hearing in March and has garnered support throughout the state. |
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Burgerville is Now in Bend!
Next Monday, June 23rd, Burgerville’s newest location will be opening up in Bend! Start your morning with a ribbon cutting and Burgerville's breakfast menu, including locally brewed Stumptown Coffee. The restaurant will also be offering a Bend-exclusive burger – the Pub Beer Cheese Slider – and 20% of all proceeds will be going to a local food relief organization.
Unfortunately, I will not be able to make it to the grand opening, as I will be at the Capitol for the last week of the 2025 Legislative Session. However, I am looking forward to visiting as soon as I can and enjoying one of Oregon’s finest local businesses! The details are below:
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What: A grand opening celebration of Burgerville's newest Bend location, for the community – open to all customers
Where: 612 Southeast 3rd St., Bend, OR 97702
When: Monday, June 23rd at 7 am grand opening, 10 am ribbon cutting
Details:
- Special Guest Appearances: Burgerville CEO Ed Casey and Ranchers from Central Oregon-founded Country Natural Beef, a longtime partner brand.
- Breakfast: Order Burgerville Breakfast menu items (ends at 11 a.m.) and Stumptown Coffee offerings, including the new Cold Brew with Cold Cream Cloud Foam. The first 100 orders will receive free Original Cheeseburgers for a year*.
- Exclusive Community Burger: For the first 30 days only, Burgerville Bend is serving a Bend exclusive item: The Pub Beer Cheese Slider. Featuring Pub Beer cheese, pasture raised beef patty from Country Natural Beef, served on a pretzel bun. Burgerville will donate 20% of all slider proceeds to The Giving Plate, a Bend nonprofit food relief organization.
Pacific Power Outages
I have received several messages from constituents this week regarding the recent power outages and shutoffs in Bend. I reached out to Pacific Power to find out more regarding these new enhanced safety settings during fire season. Pacific Power will be implementing Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) in the case of extreme weather threatening power equipment, such as high winds or heat waves. Pacific Power plans to notify customers via email and phone beginning 72 hours before a potential PSPS. While I know this is a major inconvenience, our increasing fire risks in central Oregon make this a necessary step in fire reduction. Last summer I was evacuated from my home, and I know many of you were, too. For more information, visit here: Wildfire Safety
Federal Update
The US Senate is considering an even more impactful version of the “big, beautiful bill” and I have been feeling the fear coming from my community. With the cost of living at an all time high and working families struggling to make ends meet, this is not the time to be cutting government spending on critical services like Medicaid and SNAP. Nearly 1 in 3 people in Oregon, including 70% of children in rural communities, rely on the Oregon Health Plan. This bill would terminate coverage for hundreds of thousands of Oregonians while doing nothing to bring down the skyrocketing cost of health care. In fact, it would raise costs for everyone and put hospitals at risk of shutting down. This is not a Democrat vs. Republican issue. This is an issue of public health and safety.
In Oregon, we are proud that we’ve expanded coverage to more people. We should be building on that success — not tearing it down. If you are in need of resources, check out NeighborImpact for food assistance or the Deschutes County website for community support ranging from housing to transportation.
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1453
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-486, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.EmersonLevy@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/levye
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