 * “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
—Helen Keller
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To contact me, please click here: Sen.JeffGolden@oregonlegislature.gov
Hello, District 3 friends…
I ended our last newsletter, a few short days before the session’s late night adjournment last Friday, with a pledge to tell you how bills still in play actually turned out. I’d rather do that in person, and in conversation, than in a laundry list of a newsletter. I hope you’ll join us for that conversation next Saturday morning, July 12, at 10am in the main downstairs meeting room in the Ashland Library.
If you’re interested but can’t join us in person, try this Zoom link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83829235780?pwd=xG01TlbSZ6b8GCVj7wfbEqenfX5yid.1
We’ll do our best to make audience questions and comments audible for those of you watching online. That hasn’t been a strength of past hybrid Town Halls, but we have an idea for improvement.
So glad you asked.
It depends a lot on what you want to hear about. It’s a safe bet we’ll be touching on all of this:
- The amazing disappearing transportation funding package
- The likelihood we’ll be going back into special session to finish that work
- The not-so-amazing and odd plan we came up with to fund wildfire programs this year
- The repeal of the wildfire hazard map. My floor speech is here.
- Work with the insurance industry to encourage landowners to reduce wildfire risk
- A compromise involving payment to wildfire survivors for their damages and a safety certificate for the utilities that fell apart on the last day.
- A trio of utility rate reform bills that should make a big difference
- A modest gun safety bill (though it’s opponents didn’t think so)
- A landmark bill to protect manufactured homeowners who’ve seen rental rates on their park spaces shoot through the roof. My floor speech is here.
- Two historic bills to change water law; one crossed the finish line and one fell short
- Putting beavers to work protecting some remote waterways by limiting trapping. My floor speech is here.
- A near-miss on increasing the Transient Lodging (hotel/motel) Tax that would have funded programs to enhance the well-being of wildlife in Oregon, and where we go from here
- Some consequential—and controversial—labor laws, including the one that begins to offer unemployment payments for workers on strike. My floor speech is here.
- Ending the practice banning of books from school libraries based on what kind of characters they feature.
Enough? We’ll see. I want to be sure to leave time for comments or questions on other bills you might have been following.
Like pretty much every session, 2025 had wins and losses. I try not to dwell too long on either. It’s important to recognize and draw some strength from the wins, especially when the general thrust of politics makes you wonder if real progress is possible. And the losses bring some valuable lessons: what does this setback tell us about changing course in ways that might win next time?
That’s the theme I’ll try to follow next Saturday morning, July 12 at 10am. Join us in person at the Ashland library if you can. If you can’t make it down, check us out at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83829235780?pwd=xG01TlbSZ6b8GCVj7wfbEqenfX5yid.1
I’m looking forward to seeing you,
 Senator Jeff Golden, Oregon Senate District 3
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