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To contact me, please click here: Sen.JaneenSollman@oregonlegislature.gov
Friends and Neighbors,
Upcoming Events
Community Conversation - Saturday, October 25th
Join me on Saturday, October 25th, from 10:00AM to 11:00AM at the Hillsboro Downtown Station Food Carts, located at 320 SE Baseline Street in Hillsboro. Come share your thoughts and talk about issues that are important to you. Meet fellow community members and stay to enjoy food from the many food carts. Breakfast and coffee open at 8:00AM and the lunch carts open at 11:00AM. I look forward to seeing you there.
Legislative Updates
Special Session
This week we wrapped up the Special Session for transportation funding. On Monday we voted to pass House Bill 3991 A. On Wednesday, we voted to confirm Executive Appointments to Oregon Boards and Commissions and passed the Sine Die resolution, closing the Special Session. I voted yes for the transportation funding bill. You can read my vote explanation below and hear the concerns I voiced in my floor speech and regarding the re-appointment of members to the Oregon Transportation Commission.
  
September Legislative Days
This week we were also in the Capitol for Interim Legislative Days. This is an opportunity for committees to meet and hear updates and for legislators to hold office hours for meetings. Our office was buzzing with activity! Many committees heard about the impacts of federal funding cuts in HR 1, signed by the President earlier this year. You can watch the committees I participated in below.
SB 710 Ceremonial Bill Signing
In the 2025 Session, I was proud to sponsor and pass Senate Bill 710, mandating sexual assault and domestic violence training for judges. We have heard from numerous survivors over the years that this type of training for judges is critical to positive outcomes for families. This bipartisan effort had broad support in the legislature, from the Oregon Judicial Department and fellow advocates.
Professional Fellows Program
My office has been fortunate to host Haykaram Drmeyan, a fellow from Armenia, over the last couple of weeks. The Professional Fellows Program is an opportunity for international exchange participants to come and learn from a variety of Professional Hosts in the United States. Haykaram is a Deputy Director and Lecturer in Management at the Armenian State University of Economics. He brings with him experience in non-formal education and management training, and he is currently pursuing his Ph.D. This week I was able to offer courtesies of the Senate to Haykaram during Wednesday's floor session. Team SD 15 has greatly enjoyed getting to know Haykaram during his time here and we look forward to a continued friendship.
In The News
New Law Aims to Improve Court Experiences For Survivors of Abuse and Assault, The Source, by The Source Staff, October 1, 2025.
“As a Senator and a board member of the Family Justice Center of Washington County, I have heard from numerous advocates and survivors that improvements to the family court system are much needed,” said Senator Sollman. “In order to protect children and survivors of abuse and domestic violence, we must have better training and awareness for our judges all across Oregon, it can have dire consequences if they do not have this trauma-informed training.”
After delays and missteps, Oregon Democrats pass road-funding bill, OPB, Dirk VanderHart, September 29, 2025.
“It was a downright misuse of public trust to introduce a bill as large as a transportation funding package in the final weeks of a long session,” said state Sen. Janeen Sollman, a Hillsboro Democrat who voted in favor of the bill. “That whole process did not show good governance and this special session has continued to feel very bumpy.”
New law affecting data centers could lead to some Oregonians seeing lower electric bills, Fox12 News, Payton Romans, September 25, 2025.
The bill creates a new customer category specifically for data centers and cryptocurrency so that utility companies, like PGE and Pacific Power, can properly allocate the energy costs of those large energy users, and bill them accordingly.
According to CUB, PGE and Pacific Power have raised home billing rates by nearly 50% since 2021 to address rising utility costs, driven in part by the surge of data centers. So, customers with an average $100 energy bill just four years ago now would have an average bill of up to $150.
Listen. Learn. Act.
Oregon Coast Economic Summit
Last week, Team SD 15 traveled to Coos Bay for the Oregon Coast Economic Summit. This is an annual summit hosted by Oregon's Coastal Caucus and a great opportunity for legislators from around the state to learn about the issues affecting our coastal communities. I was invited to speak on a panel during the summit about Economic Development with my colleagues Representatives Daniel Nguyen, David Gomberg and Paul Evans.
At the NCEL conference I attended earlier this year, I learned about a concept that the State of Maine passed regarding a "Blue Economy". Much of the work to identify needs for Oregon's coast has already been done, but I learned at the Summit that there may be some benefits for Oregon to look at its own type of Blue Economy bill. I plan to hold an informational hearing in the Senate Energy and Environment Committee during the next Legislative Days to learn more.
Intern Corner
Title IX - Equal Benefits
Title IX requires public schools to have the same number of boys' teams and girls' teams. For instance, if a school added a women's soccer team, they would need to add a male swim team as well to balance the number of teams. One area where schools tend to miss the mark is the part of Title IX that requires equal benefits for girls' and boys' sports teams. I want to focus specifically on this lack of equal benefits, as I witnessed my school not complying with the standards outlined in Title IX.
Equal benefits at sports games mean an equal environment in which the teams play, whether that be weather conditions, fan attendance, or facility use.
During my current high school soccer season, I observed an unfair scheduling pattern between the girls' and boys' varsity teams. The boys' team consistently played at 7:30 pm, while the girls were subjected to the 5:30 pm slot. During one of our 5:00 p.m. games, three of our starting players suffered severe calf cramps due to the extreme heat, with one player sidelined for two weeks. Meanwhile, the boys' team, playing later in the evening, avoided these conditions and enjoyed a larger, more enthusiastic crowd.
While it may appear minor on the surface, the unequal treatment between male and female athletes in terms of benefits was evident. Recognizing this injustice, I brought this issue directly to our athletic director, and he graciously complied with my request for the shift in game times. I felt very satisfied with this change until I reflected further on this issue. How many other women's sports teams were experiencing this? It is crucial that the awareness of equal benefits is regulated without the reliance on high school students to step up to the plate.
~Amara D.
Out and About for Senate District 15
Joint Town Hall
Last night I participated in a Joint Town Hall with Senator Lisa Reynolds and Representative Nathan Sosa at PCC Rock Creek. We had a great turnout and covered a lot of topics including Oregon's transportation funding bill, impacts of federal funding cuts, critical energy infrastructure, banning flavored tobacco, and more. I am grateful for these opportunities to meet with constituents and hear firsthand about the issues most important to them.
Small Business Roundtable
Yesterday afternoon, I participated in a business roundtable discussion with the Forest Grove/Cornelius Chamber of Commerce. We had a great group of local businesses representing a variety of goods and services. We talked about their individual and collective needs and ways that we can collaborate and help each other. While I may not be able solve a specific problem, I am always hopeful that we can connect people to the right resources or individuals who can. I look forward to keeping in touch with the hardworking business owners in Senate District 15, who play a vital and integral role in our local economies.
Community Outreach
Shred Event - Tomorrow, Saturday, October 4th
Shared from City of Hillsboro
Date: 10/04/2025 8:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Hillsboro Stadium
4450 NE Century Blvd
Hillsboro, Oregon 97124
Simply drive up and drop off your confidential documents, we'll shred them on-site for free. Get your confidential documents shred on-site at this free, self-serve event.
- On-site from 8 am to 1 pm or until shredding trucks are full
- Three box/bag limit
- Monetary donations accepted to benefit the Hillsboro Police Cadets
Please Note: We ONLY accept paper items. Please make sure your boxes do not contain other materials that can break the shred trucks (batteries, remotes, shoes, socks, toys, diapers, trash, binders, binder clips, metal file folders, etc.). Paper clips and staples are okay.
Blackberry Grove Battery Project - Community Open House
 
Diwali Celebrations
Shared by BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Portland
 Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is a time when our community comes together in a spirit of unity and goodwill. It represents the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. Our celebration is a beautiful display of faith and community spirit, bringing together people of all backgrounds for a shared experience of culture and tradition.
This year's celebration will feature a special exhibition focusing on the theme of “Festival of Unity,” which highlights the power of coming together as a community to celebrate joy, peace, and harmony. As an elected leader, we believe you will find this display particularly resonant. It will highlight how different cultures and traditions can come together in harmony to create a stronger, more connected community. This spirit of togetherness is at the very core of our celebration and aligns with the values we hope to foster in Oregon.
Event Details
Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025
Time: 1:00 PM onwards
Location: BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir - 11365 SW Tigard St, Tigard, OR 97223
Find more information here.
Additional Resources
Senate District 15 – Event Calendars
Federal Delegation Links
Education Links
Food and Housing Assistance
Immigration Resources
Be good to yourself and each other. ❤
Onward & Upward,
 Senate District 15 lies on Kalapuya land. The Atfalati were the northernmost band of the Kalapuya that lived along the Tualatin River in present day Washington County. Many of the Atfalati descendants are members of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon today. The Indigenous Peoples of this land experienced a painful history of colonial violence, sickness and removal from their land. The Atfalati are the foundation of Oregon's past and we must honor them well into our future.
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1715
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-207, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Sen.JaneenSollman@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/sollman
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