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To contact me, please click here: Rep.LisaFragala@oregonlegislature.gov
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
We're back and I’m excited to catch up now that the Oregon Legislative “blackout” period is over. What’s the “blackout” period? In a previous newsletter, I mentioned our office would be suspending communications for a period of time. This is because, in Oregon, to help keep legislative business and campaign activity separate, state elected officials maintain a “blackout” period for sixty days prior to major elections. During this time period, we are not allowed to use most of our legislative communication tools, but now that the “blackout” period is over, I want to share what I’ve been up to during these last few months.
Right now, I’m excited to be back “in-district”. This means doing what I think of as one of the most important parts of my job as a state representative–getting out and connecting with our local community. These months between sessions are a great opportunity to catch-up with local leaders and community members, as well as attend community-wide events alongside all of you. For a few highlights about what I've been up to–keep reading!
 As always, I’m honored to represent our district, so if there's an upcoming event you're organizing, and think would be beneficial for me to attend, please send my legislative office an invitation. I also know that many community members are struggling and that these are challenging times for many of us. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office about issues, ideas or concerns. We are also working to schedule upcoming constituent gatherings in July and prior to the 2027 session. It would be great to see you in attendance at one of these and to hear what you are thinking about.
Many of you know about my work in 2025 as a chief-cosponsor of the Corporate Practice of Medicine (CPOM) legislation (SB 951). This legislation reigned in corporate control of healthcare by prioritizing decision making between doctors and patients. Less than a year after this landmark legislation successfully passed, Oregon faced the first major test of this new law right here in our own community.
SB 951 was at the center of PeaceHealth’s decision to replace longtime, local emergency room doctors, Eugene Emergency Physicians (EEP), with an out-of-state corporate entity. This decision raised serious concerns about local control of healthcare, continuity of care, and the growing influence of corporate entities. Myself, and other state legislators strongly opposed this change and advocated to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and PeaceHealth to reconsider.
 Fortunately, EEP filed a lawsuit under SB 951 and during the proceedings, U.S. District Court Judge Mustafa Kasubhai expressed significant concerns about the PeaceHealth and ApolloMD arrangement. He noted that SB 951 had “changed the landscape” for these types of corporate structures and questioned compliance with the new law. As a result, PeaceHealth reversed their original decision and kept EEP in place as our community’s emergency physician provider.
As a first term legislator, it was a priority for me to work on strengthening access to healthcare in our community and seeing such an important tangible result from legislation I personally worked on has been uplifting. Judge Kasubhai described SB 951 as “a wise and far-reaching decision Oregon undertook to protect patients and medicine from exactly what happened in this case.” I also want to thank all the local healthcare providers, community members, and local & state leaders who stood up for our local healthcare access. Please know that myself and other state representatives are already thinking about how to to continue to strengthen these types of protections in upcoming legislative sessions.
At the end of May, state economists gave their quarterly report on the health of Oregon's economy and what that means for the revenue our state is projected to bring in during the 2025-27 biennium. (For more on the forecast, see this article from the Capital Chronicle.) The forecast tells a story of how the current federal administration's policies are significantly impacting working Oregonians. The war in Iran has resulted in skyrocketing gas prices and significant increases to inflation. We know Oregon businesses are facing deep uncertainty in a struggling economy under federal tariffs and Oregon families continue to see prices rise and are struggling with the cost of living.
Yet amid all of these financial uncertainties, Oregon's economic and revenue forecast projected a $345 million increase over the last projection. Even though this is good news for state budgeting it reveals a stark economic divide in our state. Economists noted a clear divergence in our economic story– wages are down, but profits for the wealthy and corporations continue to grow. Unfortunately, the gap between wealthy Oregonians and the economically vulnerable continues to grow wider.
I know families are feeling squeezed by the increased cost of food, rent, and gas. Affordability is not an abstract issue, but determines whether people can stay in their homes, save for the future, or handle an unexpected healthcare expense. Last session, myself and Democratic colleagues worked on legislation to help lower the cost of living, grow good-paying jobs, and ensure Oregon’s economy serves working families. In addition to these efforts, I also worked on legislation to close tax loopholes for billionaires and the largest corporations. At the end of May, much of this legislation went into effect (Here is an article that discusses recently enacted legislation, including those bills designed to address affordability.) There is still a lot of work that needs to be accomplished, but moving forward, I’m committed to working with others in the State Legislature to ensure all Oregonians can achieve prosperity.
Over the past couple of months, invitations from local organizations to speak at events or attend local gatherings has been a great opportunity to engage with and hear from constituents. I’ll focus on a few of the highlights here, but have appreciated each and every opportunity to connect with our community locally.
The League of Women Voters has been conducting great conversations about access to healthcare locally, the challenges we are facing and what opportunities might exist for positive change. I spoke at one of their regular gatherings about some of the legislative successes in the 2026 session. This included one of my personal bills in the last session, the Strengthening Patient and Provider Privacy Act (HB 4088). This legislation increases protections for reproductive care and gender affirming care. It strengthens Oregon Shield law to protect health care providers and patients from attacks or threats by the federal government and other states where this type of care is not protected. HB 4088 also strengthens important data privacy protections.
 The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) hosted their annual membership conference here in Eugene. Nurses from all over the state attended to participate in governance activities and to attend seminars. As part of the conference, I participated in a panel with Speaker Julie Fahey and two ONA member leaders. In addition to answering questions from the ONA members who attended the seminar, we reflected on the ways both legislation and local grassroots organizing can help protect the quality of healthcare in Oregon. The panel also discussed how the voices of nurses and other care providers are essential to improving care. I’m grateful for the work the Oregon Nurses Association does and for the chance to continue building partnerships that strengthen healthcare for everyone in Oregon.
 Last month, I attended the Lane County Bar Association’s Spring Gathering and Annual Awards and was honored to receive a Special Recognition award for efforts to strengthen our local justice system. As Lane County has grown, the casework at the Lane County Courthouse has increased significantly. Until recently, the number of judges at the Lane County Circuit Court had not increased since the early 1980s! During the 2025 legislative session, I was proud to help secure state funding to bring two new judges to Lane County. This expansion will strengthen our local courts system and help ensure that Lane County residents have access to a better functioning judicial system. The annual spring gathering was a great way to spend some time with people who care deeply about our community and to have a chance to celebrate the collaborative effort it takes to keep our justice system running smoothly.
 I was also thrilled to be invited by the Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) to participate in their annual McKenzie River Trip. This was a fantastic way to spend a beautiful day, but it was also an incredible opportunity to learn about the ways in which EWEB is working to protect and improve our drinking water sources, particularly the McKenzie River. The day started out with a tour of the restoration work accomplished at Quartz Creek and a discussion of how important the health of our watershed is for protecting our water quality. Much of this work is being done in collaboration with the McKenzie River Trust.
It was exciting to see how the river’s ecosystem is rebounding after the devastation of the 2020 Holiday Farm Fires, and as the day progressed, I learned more about how EWEB has worked with over 270 landowners to assess fire damage, replant riparian forests, install erosion control devices, and reduce fuels to mitigate future fires. They’ve also helped plant more than 500,000 trees in the McKenzie Watershed to help our lands recover in addition to providing resources to upriver communities to help rebuild. We are lucky to have an organization like EWEB, who is committed to protecting the McKenzie River, Eugene’s sole source of drinking water, and to supporting upriver communities as they continue to recover.
 It has been quite an active and busy spring, and things haven't begun to slow down as we move into the summer months! Currently, my office is preparing for upcoming Legislative Days in June, where legislative committees will return to Salem for continued dialogue ahead of the 2027 Legislative Session. These meetings will focus on project and policy implementation, and we'll have the opportunity to hear from agencies about the challenges and successes they are finding as they provide services to Oregonians.
As a former teacher, this time of year also brings back fond memories. To our teachers, students, and families, I wish you all the best as you end your school year with a strong finish and make the transition into the summer break. Congratulations to every graduate in our community this season! Even with all of the challenges our public education system is facing, we are fortunate to have local educators at our universities, community colleges, and in K-12 schools who are committed to the success and well-being of our students.
Stay safe this summer, particularly as we move into fire season! I’ll be checking in again soon with an update after our June Legislative Days and will be sending out additional information about a constituent gathering in July. As always, please reach out if you have questions, ideas, or concerns about issues affecting our community. I’m excited to continue in my role as your state representative and know that being connected to my local community is critical to this work. We are stronger together!
Sincerely,
 Representative Lisa Fragala
House District 8
email: Rep.LisaFragala@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1408
address: 900 Court St NE, H-484, Salem, OR, 97301
website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/fragala
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