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Dear friends and neighbors,
This will be an uncharacteristically long newsletter – apologies in advance, but there is a lot to catch up on from the last few weeks. As we start the short session (this is Week 1 of a five-week sprint), I’ll try to keep you updated on the big-ticket items moving through the legislature.
Upcoming Bills
In recent months, I’ve heard from people in Tigard, Beaverton, and across our state who are facing uncertainty about the cost of living, the actions of the federal administration, their safety, and the future of our democracy.
These concerns are real, and they demand action. That’s why I am pursuing a short-session agenda focused on protecting our communities, easing financial pressures, and building a more secure future for Oregonians. Here is a preview of the bills I will be championing:
HB 4128: Buyers Before Billionaires Act
In recent years, large corporate entities (think private equity firms) have increasingly outbid working families and first-time buyers for single-family homes, driving up prices and limiting opportunities for real people seeking to buy a home. Oregonians should not be forced to compete with billion-dollar corporations when trying to buy a home. This bill is designed to level the playing field between massive corporations and everyday buyers. The proposal would establish a 90-day waiting period before certain corporate entities can purchase single-family homes, ensuring that families and first-time buyers have a fair opportunity to compete for homes.
HB 4127: Protecting Affordable Health Care
Planned Parenthood plays a vital role in Oregon’s healthcare system, providing compassionate, affordable care to people across the state. From cancer screenings and STI testing to contraception, prenatal care, and reproductive health services, tens of thousands of Oregonians rely on Planned Parenthood every day. In fact, about 90% of Planned Parenthood’s work is preventive care, and roughly 70% of their patients are on Medicaid. But, on July 4, 2025, HR 1, the Trump Administration’s federal budget bill, effectively blocked them from receiving Medicaid reimbursements for one year, a move explicitly designed to target Planned Parenthood. To be clear, this change has nothing to do with abortion services. It explicitly targets non-abortion services. This bill is a direct response to this attack on access to care. It ensures Oregon can use state funds to reimburse providers for essential services like cancer screenings, contraception, and prenatal care. It’s wild to me that we have to do this – but because of poor federal decisionmaking, we do.
HB 4022: Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library provides one free, high-quality, age-appropriate book each month to children from birth to age five, regardless of income. In 2023, I helped secure Oregon’s first major investment in the program with $1.7 million to support a state-local matching program to fund the program. Research shows that 90% of a child’s brain is developed by age 5. This proposal would codify the Imagination Library and ensure that, in partnership with the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC), young Oregonians have access to a book every month.
Collaboration and Community: The Path to Better Healthcare
Photo by Finch Photography
Launched in 2014, the OHSU Community Partnership Program was created to support community-led projects to address cancer-related needs of communities across the state.
Last month, I joined panelists at the OHSU Community Partnership Program Grantee Conference, hosted by Jackie Shannon, Ph.D., and Kerri Winters-Stone, Ph.D., co-directors of this amazing program. During the event, I spoke about the profound impact this program has already had across the state, including right here in our community, and how its work fits into the larger story of Oregon’s healthcare system. Because while the Community Partnership Program continues to offer hope, connection, and real, measurable progress, we also must acknowledge the broader reality: our healthcare system is under immense strain.
Oregonians in every corner of this state have healthcare coverage on paper, but in practice, because of rising copays and deductibles, they are effectively uninsured. In fact, the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the United States is the inability to pay a medical bill. And a majority of those who go bankrupt from health care have health insurance.
This was all true before the passage of HR 1, Trump’s budget bill, which will cut billions from Medicaid. In Oregon alone, we could see nearly $12 billion lost in the coming biennia, and as many as 200,000 people could lose coverage. But I want to emphasize something: while this bill has exacerbated the challenges facing our healthcare system, it certainly did not create them.
Yet Oregon has faced crises like this before and prevailed. I reminded attendees of 2011, when our state confronted a massive budget shortfall in the wake of the Great Recession. The legislature was essentially split evenly among Republicans and Democrats. The cynics said we were toast: draconian cuts are the only way out of this. We’d have to kick people off coverage. Lower reimbursement rates. Slash benefits. That’s the only way, they said.
Instead, Oregon chose innovation. We created Coordinated Care Organizations and partnered with the federal government to reduce costs while expanding coverage. With bipartisan support, we charted a new path and saved billions while improving care. That was just 15 years ago; it was an enormous success by any measure, and yet so many of us seem to have forgotten.
With Dr. Brian Druker and other leaders from the Knight Cancer Institute following my speech to grantees. (Photo by Finch Photography)
Today, we face a different set of challenges, but they are not insurmountable. Oregon has a long history of doing hard things - and doing them together. If we approach this challenge with the same spirit of collaboration and creativity that has guided us before, we can build a healthcare system that works for everyone.
The Knight Cancer Institute Community Partnership Program is a shining example of what’s possible when we center community voices, invest in local solutions, and refuse to accept the status quo.
Corporate Practice of Medicine at the American Medical Association
Photo by the American Medical Association
It was an honor to speak at the American Medical Association’s (AMA) State Advocacy Summit in Los Angeles. In 2025, we passed SB 951, closing a loophole that allowed corporations to seize control of physician practices, resulting in a profit-based motive in healthcare that has negatively affected healthcare access and cost throughout the state. The AMA represents physicians across the country, and they are extremely interested in what Oregon is doing. Our bill is having national reverberations as states deal with rapid consolidation and corporatization in healthcare. Oregon is offering a path forward that rejects the “inevitability” of corporate control, and I’m really proud of that. We have a lot of work to do, but it’s clear that physicians are fired up about protecting their independence.
Pride Night with the Portland Trail Blazers!
I had an awesome time at Pride Night with the Portland Trail Blazers! And not just because we won in overtime against the Kings. I got to spend the evening with LGBTQ+ leaders from across the metro region.
I’ve been a Blazers fan since I was a kid and still vividly remember the 1999–2000 playoffs. Back in the day, I loved watching the Rick Adelman-coached Kings’ stars like Peja Stojaković, Chris Webber, and Vlade Divac (remember those days?!). Revisiting those memories made an already great night even more meaningful.
Oregon’s Economic Future
Photo from Oregon Business Plan
I joined business, community, and elected leaders to discuss Oregon’s challenges at the 23rd annual Oregon Business Plan Leadership Summit.
I also had the opportunity to participate as a panelist for a legislative roundtable, and focused on what it will take to modernize outdated permitting systems, strengthen our business sector, and ensure that growth translates into opportunity for more Oregonians.
I highlighted how I'll be introducing legislative concepts that focus on making permitting more predictable. By having agencies spell out requirements upfront and stick to clear timelines, we can make the process a lot easier for businesses to navigate.
This is only the beginning. I believe Oregon has an opportunity to strengthen our regulatory system that fosters innovation, attracts investment, and supports a growing business sector that creates good-paying jobs for working-class Oregonians.
NewDEAL Podcast
I had the chance to join the NewDEAL Podcast, An Honorable Profession, to talk about Oregon’s priorities for the upcoming short session.
We focused on how we’re tackling affordability for families across Oregon, especially as chaotic and harmful federal policies continue to drive up the cost of basic needs - and how Oregon is stepping up to protect Oregonians when the federal government is failing to.
I also enjoyed hearing from fellow state legislative leaders around the country who are implementing practical, results-driven solutions to the same challenges we’re facing here in Oregon.
To listen to the full episode, visit the Spotify page or Apple Music page.
Justice and Progress on Hall Boulevard
As you know, making Hall Boulevard a safer place for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and all users has been a priority for my office for several years. One of the tragic stories that has helped elevate the importance of building a safer Hall Blvd. was the death of Maria Negrete.
On September 18, 2023, Maria Negrete, a 45-year-old single mother, was struck by a vehicle on Hall Blvd. in a hit-and-run incident. The driver fled the scene, and despite medical efforts, Ms. Negrete tragically passed away two days later from her injuries.
Since that time, the Tigard Police Department has worked diligently to identify the individual responsible. Through investigative efforts and valuable tips from community members, an arrest has now been made in connection with Ms. Negrete’s death.
I extend our sincere appreciation to the Tigard Police Department for their dedication to justice and their continued commitment to keeping our community safe. Additional details are available in the Tigard Police Department’s official press release.
Through legislative advocacy, I’m proud to have secured $3 million for pedestrian safety improvements in our community. Those of you who travel along Hall Blvd. have likely already noticed new pedestrian crosswalks and sidewalks made possible by this investment.
As we continue this important work, we do so in remembrance of Maria Negrete, Karen Kain, and all who have been impacted by poor conditions of this road. We have more work to do. More information about the initial $3 million investment, as well as additional safety improvements planned for Hall Blvd., can be found on the City of Tigard website. (Hall Boulevard Tour Includes Discussion with State Leaders)
House Honorary Page Program
With the Capitol now open (come visit!), the Chief Clerk’s Office is excited to welcome students to the Capitol during the 2026 session! Please share this program with any students in your life (ages 13-17) who might be interested. The program is a one-day program from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm and will be packed with various civic activities such as meeting elected officials, participating in a House floor session, and more! If they are interested, you can submit an application for the program here.
Thanks for reading!
 Representative Ben Bowman
House District 25
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1425
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-484, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.BenBowman@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/bowman
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