Hello friends,

I hope you are enjoying this amazing weather we’ve been having!

We have a little over a month left in the 2019 Legislative Session and the Capitol building is becoming increasingly chaotic. Political tensions are rising as we are having to face the realities of HB 2020, HB 3427, SB 1008, and funding PERS. It is important for all of us to remember that our united goal is to make Oregon a place where people can thrive. We just have varying ideas on how to make that goal a reality.

On Wednesday, the state economists delivered their Revenue Forecast for the next quarter. To everyone’s surprise, there has been a record amount of tax revenue and the Kicker has reached an historic level of $1.4 billion. Constitutionally, the Kicker is a check on excessive taxation. The Oregon Constitution mandates that the excess revenue be returned to Oregonians, unfortunately that is not the opinion shared by some of my colleagues in the Legislature. However, I believe that every penny should go back to the hard-working Oregonians who contributed to our economic success. The state is currently expecting to collect 7.6% over initial forecasts, which means that for Oregonians’ 2020 personal income tax filings, the median expected rebate is $338. My goal is to protect the Kicker and ensure that it goes directly back to all of you.

In my last newsletter I spoke about HB 3427. Since then, the bill has passed through both the House and the Senate and was signed into law by Gov. Brown today. To review, this will be a $2.8 billion gross receipts tax and could prove to be catastrophic to some of our local small businesses, farms, and ranches. There are some exemptions, but if you think it will affect your business, I highly encourage you to meet with a tax professional as soon as possible.

Finally, a brief update on the bills I have sponsored for HD 60. We have made it past another deadline in the Legislature and most of my bills remain unscathed. To date HB 2451 and HB 2933 have been signed into law by Gov. Brown, HB 2458 is on its way to the Governor’s desk to be signed, HB 2456 (a very important land use bill for the Eastern Oregon Border Economic Development Region) just passed the House and is on its way to the Senate, and my other bills are either waiting for work sessions or about to go to the Senate Floor to be voted on. Overall, despite the hostile political climate, the bills that will benefit House District 60 are doing exceptionally well. We are receiving extensive bi-partisan support on many of Eastern Oregon’s important issues.

Thank you for all of your encouragement throughout the past several months. As we head into the final month of the 2019 Legislative Session, please don’t hesitate to reach out if there is anything I can do for you.

Warm regards,