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Greetings
from Salem!
As
I have mentioned, I remain focused on Disaster Resilience and Emergency
Preparedness. One very important bill is
HB 2270 which would create the
position State Resilience Officer in the office of the Governor, to direct,
coordinate and oversee seismic safety and resilience planning and preparation
by state agencies. Although I have known
and worked with Governor Kate Brown since she was appointed to the Legislature
in 1991, this week I had my first formal meeting with her in the Governor’s
office. At that session I explained the
Oregon Resilience Task Force’s number one priority is to have a State
Resilience Officer and Governor Brown seemed interested in the idea and has a
great interest in planning resilience planning and disaster response. HB 2270 unanimously passed out of the House
Veterans and Emergency Preparedness Committee on Thursday with a “Do Pass”
recommendation and was referred to the Ways and Means Committee.
I’ve
been receiving lots of comments from constituents advocating for increased
school funding. Many of the comments we
are getting in the office report they have been told there will be reductions
in the state’s K-12 budget. There seems
to be some confusion, as the most recent figures generated by Oregon’s
Legislative Revenue Office show that if the Legislature puts $7.235 billion
into the State School Fund in the next two-year state budget, as proposed by
the state’s top budget writers, Oregon School District will receive 1.4 percent
more money per student in 2015-16 than they are receiving this school
year. Of course additional funding
would be preferable, but under the current projections, every school district
in House District 32 is expected to receive a small increase in the per-student
calculation funding.
Speaking of students, our schools are definitely
doing something great in educating the children in our district. On Tuesday the 2015 Oregon Blue Book was released. This is the state’s official directory and
unofficial almanac, and this year includes eight essays written by Oregon
elementary and middle school students.
Knappa third-grader Jaxon Dietrichs from Hilda Lahti Elementary was a
runner-up in the essay contest and his essay describing why he likes to live in
Oregon is featured in the book. Jaxson
came to Salem for the book’s release, and was on hand to autograph 200 copies.
Deb and Jaxson Dietrichs
Also
this week, Gaston High School Sophomore Cooper Reynolds spent a day
job-shadowing me as his sophomore career project. Cooper is extremely
interested in political science and will be attending the National Student
Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C this July. We had an interesting day, Cooper was able to
join me on the House Floor, and also spent time on the Senate floor with
Senator Betsy Johnson. It’s great to see
young people taking an interest and wanting to make a difference through
involvement in the political process.
Deb and Cooper Reynolds
I
was saddened to hear of the unexpected passing of Nehalem Mayor Shirley Kalkhoven
on Tuesday. She worked tirelessly for
the people of her community, county, and state.
She served as a Nehalem City Councilor and Mayor for two decades, and
while also working on transportation, economic development, and coastal
livability issues at the local, state and regional levels. I considered Shirley a mentor and good friend,
and I will miss her sage advice on a variety of issues. Shirley’s memorial will be held this Sunday
at 1:00pm at the Port of Tillamook Bay’s Officer’s Mess building.
My
schedule remains busy, but my door is always open to constituents from House
District 32. If you are planning to visit
the Capitol, contact my office a few days in advance so we can schedule an
appointment. If you have a concern or
comment about a state agency or legislation, you can write, phone or email my
office.
It
is my privilege to represent you in the Oregon House of Representatives and I
look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Deborah
Boone
email: Rep.DeborahBoone@state.or.us I phone: 503-986-1432
address: 900 Court St NE, H-375, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/boone
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