It is an honor and a privilege to serve as the State Senator for District 17. It’s my goal to be of service to you -- my constituents -- and the great state of Oregon. I am committed to making Oregon the healthiest state in the nation through thoughtful lawmaking, ensuring access to affordable healthcare, enhancing our education system, balancing budgets with financial sustainability in mind, protecting our most vulnerable citizens through robust social service programs, and ensuring quality of life for every Oregonian through living wages and affordable housing.
In 2011, I decided to run for office because I wanted to make Oregon the healthiest state in the nation. In my tenure as your State Senator, I've had many accomplishments toward that goal. These include strengthening Oregon's CCO system which streamlines and integrates health systems to deliver comprehensive, effective healthcare more efficiently and increasing Oregon's vaccination rates. I have also championed policies that work to improve health outcomes for Oregonians through upstream interventions such as raising the legal age for purchasing tobacco products to 21 and establishing the nation’s first state-wide universally-offered nurse home visiting program.
When I'm not serving in the Legislature, I teach medical students and residents at OHSU. My 35 years of experience in healthcare professions have given me a breadth of understanding of state systems that can be transferred to other large systems and agencies in our state government. I've also learned through my time in elected office that in order to make Oregon the healthiest state, we need Oregonians to be well educated, have affordable housing and access to nutritious foods, and have a stable economy that creates living wage jobs. With my experience as a health care provider and a vision to create the healthiest state in the nation, I continue to work on bridging the gaps where health care, human services, education, and public safety meet. I am honored to have served as the Senate Co-Chair of the Full Ways & Means Committee (which oversees Oregon's state budget) since 2018. A stable, balanced state budget ensures we can properly fund agencies and services Oregonians rely on. This experience has given me a broader perspective when considering the fiscal impacts of new legislation, balancing funding priorities, and maintaining fiscal responsibility by investing intelligently in evidence-based, outcome focused policies and programs. Four legislative sessions (and a handful of special sessions) as Co-Chair later, I am proud of the investments my colleagues and I have made during that time, including increased funding for K-12 and higher education, improving access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment, putting more state troopers on the roads, and directing billions of dollars toward new housing construction.
As always, I value your input, questions, and concerns, and am committed to making Senate District 17 and Oregon, the best places for all to live, work, raise families, and treasure. Please feel free to contact me about any issue that is of importance to you.
You can reach my office on the phone at (503) 986-1717, or send us an email at sen.elizabethsteiner@oregonlegislature.gov.
If you prefer to contact me via mail please address all letters to:
900 Court St NE, S-213
Salem, Oregon, 97301.
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Warmly,
Elizabeth Steiner MD