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To contact me, please click here: Rep.Farrah.Chaichi@oregonlegislature.gov
Well folks, we made it. Almost! There is a little less than a week until the Constitutional Sine Die, which is June 29th. This whole week, Members of both the Senate and the House will spend most of our day on the Floor, in hopes to move through all the remaining bills and resolutions. Depending on how much we have left to vote on, we may be asked to attend Floor on Saturday and even Sunday. My first long Session we worked on Sunday. There will be a special Sine Die (which by the way is pronounced “sigh knee die”) edition of the newsletter next Monday, but for now let’s recap some of what happened this Session.
Each Session, there are wins and losses. This Session, Democrats had a three-fifths or super-majority in the Senate. That means that not only are they the Majority party, but that the majority is significant enough for them to pass bills that have fiscal impact. In the house, we have a Democratic majority, but not by a wide enough margin to be considered a quorum-proof -majority. With these majorities, Democrats had the opportunity to pass landmark progressive legislation. One such major win is SB 605 which barred medical debt from being reflected on consumer credit reports. This will remove the additional burden that disabled, medically complex, and folks with medical debt face when attempting to attain housing, loans for education, and other actions that require consumer credit checks. In a similar vein, Governor Kotek recently signed SB 951 into law, which imposes the strictest rules on private equity ownership and management of healthcare companies. Not only is this a landmark step in consumer protections, but also prioritizing people over profits. Another bill that passed this Session that also prioritizes humans over corporate greed is HB 2008, which bans the sale of precise geo-location and consumer data collected from users under the age of 16. All three of the above mentioned bills are ones that I am proud to have co-signed.
Unfortunately, each Session will inevitably have losses. Despite our super-majority, we were not successful in passing some of the most progressive bills put forward this Session. Our efforts to cap rental application fees at $20 (HB 3794) did not make it past the finish line. Neither did our bill to remove the prohibition on local governments setting their own rent control (HB 3767). Despite these losses that we know are so disappointing to the advocates, staff, and legislators that worked so hard on them, that work was not entirely in vain. A lot goes into passing progressive legislation, including organizing roundtables, collaborating with advocates and experts, compiling testimony, and caucusing with my colleagues. This work takes time, and Sessions are short, so it’s not uncommon to start the work on these types of bills many Sessions before they are actually passed. We are laying the groundwork for the wins of next Session, and many Sessions after that. Additionally, we were not able to pass our Cannabis in Hospice bill (HB 3214), which was a major disappointment to Ryan’s family.
My office receives a lot of calls and emails from folks concerned about what’s happening at the Federal level. I want to assure you that we hear you and share your concerns. On a personal note, I am Iranian and I have family in Iran right now. I was one of the first of very few State legislators to use my platform to unequivocally denounce the US backed genocide happening in Gaza, and I will continue to speak out against the Trump administration to spend my tax dollars to bomb civilians in the Middle East. I will also continue to do everything in my power to protect Trans folks amidst nation-wide attacks on Trans healthcare, supported by the recent SCOTUS decision. As long as I am in office, I will fight to keep Oregon a place that is safe for Trans people, immigrants, and marginalized folks of all walks of life.
Below are some resources for the queer community:
OPDC is still seeking to fill spots on a new rulemaking committee, which will provide input on rules our agency plans to develop and their potential impact. The committee will consist of seven to 13 people who could be impacted by our rules.OPDC is seeking candidates to join its 13-member governing body for the following two volunteer, non-voting positions:
- A person who is currently employed as a public defense provider in Oregon and is from an urban area. Term ends on Jan. 1, 2028.
- A person who is currently employed as a public defense provider in Oregon and is from a rural area. Term ends on Jan. 1, 2028.
Do you fit either of those descriptions or know someone who does? Please apply online here.
Stay tuned for our special Sine Die edition of the newsletter next Monday. Please follow me on Facebook or Instagram for interim updates. You can also email or call my office, but please be aware that Legislators only get one interim staff member, and as a result, our response times are likely to be a bit slower than usual.
Everybody say “Get well soon,” to Harvey Milk, Chief of Staff Anne Marie’s chihuahua who is pictured here in his itty bitty cast.
Small white dog with black markings, laying down with a cast on his back left leg.
Here is my Ash, at our Communication DIrector, Sabbath’s house!
Small black dog wearing a blue athletic style jacket with white stripes, standing on a green fuzzy beanbag chair with an orange blanket.
And a few more of my little guy!
Small black dog with white markings on his chest, sitting in grass in front of a bush of pink flowers.
Small balck dog with white markings on his chest, sitting on a small cream chair looking at a crochet doll sitting in an even smaller rocking chair.
But wait, there’s more! Chief of Staff Anne Marie also has Kitties! In this order, we present to you, Tigerpelt Kesha Rose, Peppermittens, and Taun Taun. And just for good measure, another appearance by Harvey Milk.
Tabby cat sitting on a shelf looking down.
Black cat with white chest and feet, sitting in a gray cet tree.
Black cat with white belly and feet laying belly up on brown carpet.
Small white dog with black markings on his face and ears, wearing a pink t-shirt with angel wings, a sparkley silver tutu, and a pink flower clipped to his collar.
Aside from occasionally babysitting my dog, Ash, our Communications Director, Sabbath has two dogs of her own: Ava, an Aussie mix, and Fern, a German Shorthaired Pointer.
A blonde, long-haired dog with blue eyes with another brown dog with white spots on her body laying next to each other on a brown couch
Sabbath, a white woman with shoulder length black hair, wearing black rectangular sunglasses, a black cropped t-shirt, and camo pants, sitting outside in a black chair with her brown dog withwhite spots sitting in her lap
Honorable mention, our Policy Director Zack doesn’t have any pets but he does have a MASTERS DEGREE! Everyone say, “Congrats, Zack!”
Zack, a white man wearing a black graduation cap and gown, with blue and green stoles, standing with his mom, a white woman with chest lenth light bown hair, a black t-shirt, and black and white checkered pants to the left, and his dad, a tall white man with silver hair in a gray suit to the right. They are outside on grass.
Zack, photographed from aboce wearing a light green PSU hat, gold wire-framed glasses, and a blue suit and tie.
Please reach out to my office at any time for legislative or constituent matters. My staff and I are committed to serving the constituents of HD 35 and you can reach us at: Rep.FarrahChaichi@oregonlegislature.gov, or 503.986.1435. To keep up with my office, consider following me on Facebook or Instagram
Thank you for taking the time to subscribe to and read my newsletter. I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to represent HD 35 in the Oregon State Legislature.
In Solidarity,
 Representative Farrah Chaichi
House District 35
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1435
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-478, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.Farrah.Chaichi@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/chaichi
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RepresentativeFarrahChaichi/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FarrahChaichi
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