Job apprenticeship (HB 4058): Oregon's "40-40-20" education goal is that by 2025, 40% of adults will have earned a bachelor's degree or higher, 40% will have earned an associate degree or post-secondary credential, and 20% will have earned a high school diploma or equivalent. This bill supports job apprenticeship as a career pathway in the education goals. These credentialed apprenticeship programs include math, science, language, and other educational curriculum along with specific and marketable job skills.

Crop donation tax credit (SB 1541): This credit is an excellent way to encourage farmers to donate to local food banks, and will help provide nutritious food to low-income Oregonians. The bill reinstates the tax credit for crop donation, and increases the amount of the credit to fifteen percent of the wholesale price.

Pollinator protection (HB 4139): The "bee bill" calls for best practices to avoid adverse effects of pesticides on bees and other pollinators, an increasing concern for farms and the environment.

Working with Oregon Alliance of Children's Programs

Home care worker registry (SB 1542, my speech in the House): Many Oregon seniors and those with disabilities rely on access to in-home care, which makes it possible to live more independently. This bill allows all Oregonians to buy home care services from the Home Care Commission's registry of trusted workers. Previously, only individuals covered by Medicaid were eligible to hire caregivers through the registry. Access to the registry increases safety by ensuring that Oregonians are hiring qualified caregivers who have passed criminal and abuse background checks, rather than hiring off of Craigslist or community bulletin boards.

Supporting emergency response: Almost everyone who uses a phone pays an automatic charge (75 cents a month) to help support 9-1-1 emergency service. People using pre-paid cell phones have been off the hook, until HB 4055 established a fee on those phones, too.

Several bills will protect seniors and vulnerable Oregonians from abuse in their homes or other facilities-including physical, mental, and financial mistreatment. These bills include: a public guardianship program for adults who have nowhere to turn (SB 1553); court appointed special advocates for seniors (HB 4114); and improved investigations of elder abuse (HB 4151).

A selection of other bills we passed: allow veterans to attend graduate school at Oregon public universities at the resident rate for tuition and fees; expand access to capital for small businesses looking to grow and create jobs (SB 1563); improve air quality through financial assistance to businesses in high air pollution areas to reduce heavy truck emissions (HB 4107); help injured workers to be treated in a timely manner (HB 4104); and increase access to refurbished medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, or ventilators (HB 4108). For medically high-risk individuals who had insurance coverage, another bill (SB 1582) allowed time to make sure that they will continue to be covered.

In my last newsletter I wrote about two of my bills that had already passed: expedited vehicle titles, and property tax deferral for seniors.  After that newsletter, two other bills I worked very hard on also passed: contract accountability and manufactured home parks, described below. In addition to those, I carried a few other bills that passed, including  Citizens' Initiative Review (SB 1544) and the Home Care Worker Registry (mentioned earlier).

Talking with high school students visiting the capitol

Class Action Lawsuits: This bill passed in the House but failed in the Senate by a vote of 15-15. I voted with a majority in the House to require damages awarded in a class action lawsuit to be paid up, and for anything not collected by individuals to go to Legal Aid to assist low-income Oregonians. HB 4143 would have held wrong-doers accountable, and required the guilty party to pay up on court-ordered damages. Currently, Oregon is one of only two states that allow at-fault corporations to keep what was unclaimed.

Toxics Disclosure for Healthy Kids Act stalled and was in committee on adjournment. SB 1569 would have established a list of 19 chemicals that harm children's health and required manufacturers to notify health officials when their children's products contain these chemicals.

GMO labeling also stalled and was in committee on adjournment. The bill would have referred the question to voters in the upcoming general election, and sought approval to require labeling of genetically engineered raw agricultural commodities and packages of genetically engineered processed food offered for retail sale in Oregon. Governor Kitzhaber recently announced the kick-off of his Genetically Engineered Agriculture Task Force to study the issue. See the news release.