Opening Reflection

Greetings friends, family, and my fellow constituents! Thank you again for tuning into our office's newsletter.

The 2024 legislative session just wrapped up with major movement to address housing, homelessness, and addiction treatment. I am proud of the work we accomplished and believe we will soon see results in our district and across the state.

Bills are now heading to the governor's desk, which includes a historic investment package for addiction treatment services. As part of the capital construction bill (House Bill 5204) Clackamas County is set to receive $4,000,000 for construction of a crisis stabilization center. This is in addition to funding through House Bill 4002 that provides four grants to local recovery housing providers: (1) $1,555,275 to Bridges to Change Inc., (2) $720,000 to Free on the Outside Inc., (3) $260,000 to Iron Tribe Network, and (4) $350,000 to Transcending Hope and Beyond.

I am also proud of two economic development expenditures made through the end of session "Christmas Tree" bill.. The first is a $2.5 million award to Greater Portland Inc for the "Land of Way More" marketing campaign to spur tourism and economic development in the Metro region. The second is an allocation for the Oregon Secretary of State Office to begin the process of digitalizing business records to prepare the office for modernization and become better positioned to support small businesses.

Lastly, there are several additional state investments that will soon reach Clackamas County and provide resources for House District 39 residents and our neighbors:

• $3,605,000 to Clackamas County Children’s Commission for the Milwaukie Head Start Center;
• $2,000,000 to Homeless Solutions Coalition of Clackamas County, Inc. for the Oregon City Resource Center;
• $1,437,058 to the Clackamas County Children’s Commission for the Marylhurst Center for Children and Families;
• $4,052,940 to the Parrott Creek Child and Family Services for construction of a youth residential treatment campus in Clackamas County.

As I reflect on my last session in the state house I am humbled by the great honor of serving my constituents and helping the next generation take the lead in driving Oregon forward. I will be leaving with the knowledge that Oregon is in a better place than when I was first elected and I am excited to see what the future holds.

Major Wins for Oregon's Semiconductor Industry and Advance Manufacturing

Building on historic investment made last session through Senate Bill 4, the legislature this session returned to round out Oregon's effort to attract billions in investment through private industry and the federal CHIPS and Science Act.

Our office was honored to co-chief sponsor House Bill 4098 that will provide childcare investments to support Oregon's growing semiconductor and advance manufacturing industries. These investments are crucial to meet directives of the federal CHIPS Act and will build a brighter and more stable future for working families.

Above is a celebratory photo commemorating passage of the Oregon CHIPS Workforce bill, House Bill 4154. The bill creates a fund for ongoing workforce investments and will help foster public-private training partnerships. This bill is complemented with several direct allocations to universities for semiconductor training programs: University of Oregon ($2,013,423); Portland State University ($1,946,309); Oregon State University ($2,013,423); Oregon Institute of Technology at Klamath Falls ($671,141); Portland Community College ( $1,677,852); and Mount Hood Community College ($1,677,852).

Victory for Arts and Culture & Sports Funding

Our office was also proud to sponsor the 2024 Arts and Culture investment package, and support additional investments in local sport facilities. Whether you are a fan of a summer afternoon at the ballpark with a hotdog - or if the opera is more your speed - the Oregon legislature made significant investments to support community activities that bring us all closer together.

Arts and Culture Investments:

• $1,000,000 to Clatsop County Historical Society for expansion of the Oregon Film Museum
• $900,000 to the Black United Fund of Oregon for building the United Futures Complex.
• $455,690 to Friends of the Oregon Caves and Chateau for restoration of the Oregon Caves Chateau.
• $400,000 to Columbia County Museum Association for relocation and improved accessibility of the Columbia County Museum.
• $424,603 to Josephine Community Library Foundation for acquisition of land for a new library and commons.
• $500,000 to Southern Oregon Historical Society for creation of an event center and new museum.
• $250,000 to Portland Art Museum for the PAM CUT Tomorrow Theater
• $500,000 to Painted Sky Center for Arts for the arts building acquisition
• $350,000 to Very Little Theatre for renovation and remodeling of the theater
• $150,000 to Portland Institute for Contemporary Art for capital repairs and upgrades to their building
• $500,000 to Rainier Oregon Historical Museum for a new museum building
• $150,000 to Salem Parks Foundation for restoration of the Eco-Earth Globe at Riverfront Park
• $300,000 to the Portland Playhouse for acquisition of Portland Playhouse and property

Sports:

• $7,614,676 to Lane County for the Eugene Emeralds Ballpark
• $15,196,461 to the City of Hillsboro for the Hillsboro Hops Ballpark
• $10,000,000 for Oregon State University athletic scholarships
•  $5,000,000 to the Eugene Civic Alliance for the Eugene Civic Park Stadium project
• $3,000,000 to Round-Up City Development Corporation to support the construction of the Pendleton Regional Sports Complex
• $3,000,000 to Willamette University for artificial turf and lights at Roy S. “Spec” Keene Stadium at Bush Park to support Salem youth baseball and softball

Signature Investment in State Housing Supply



Through three separate housing bills (Senate Bill 1530, Senate Bill 1537, and House Bill 4134) the legislature took bold action to address housing supply and services.

Strengthening Housing Stability

• $41 million for rental assistance and eviction prevention programs
• $15 million to the Healthy Homes Repair Fund
• $4 million to the Residential Heat Pump Program
• $3.5 million for air conditioners and air filters delivery
• $1 million for community furniture banks
• $1 million for outreach, education, and support for residents whose housing may be
• withdrawn from publicly supported housing

Addressing Housing and Homelessness

• $65 million to continue operations at shelters at risk of closure
• $18 million to support organizations in providing or operating recovery housing
• $2 million to support emergency shelters and facilities utilized during extreme temperatures or air quality event

Improving Access to Homeownership

• $5 million for Individual Development Accounts

Boosting Housing Production

• $101.4 million in direct allocations for shovel-ready housing infrastructure projects
• $75 million to create a Revolving Loans Program for moderate-income housing financing
• $29.2 million to acquire lands for culturally specific affordable housing projects
• $10 million to establish the Housing Accountability and Production Office
• $3 million to provide local governments capacity and support for infrastructure planning

Oregon Kids Credit

During the 2023 legislative session, Oregon Democrats championed the effort to create Oregon’s first-ever state-based child tax credit through HB 3235, which is a fully refundable $1,000 tax credit per child between the ages of 0 and 5 for families earning $30,000 or less.

Oregon families can apply for this credit when they file their tax returns in 2024. 55,000 children across Oregon are expected to benefit from this credit, with higher representation in rural communities and communities of color.

More information about the Oregon Kids Credit and other tax benefits can be found on the Department of Revenue’s Tax Benefit for Families webpage.