Friends and Neighbors,

I hope you and your loved ones have a blessed Good Friday and a happy Easter. Easter reminds me that some things are bigger than politics.

As a member of the Oregon House of Representatives, I am in the business of solving problems. But regardless of what we do, there will always be evil in the world. Last week's shooting in Nashville was a heartbreaking example. But there are things we can do to protect our children in school. A little more about that is in this newsletter.

We have begun passing budget bills. As a Public Safety budget committee member, I take this process very seriously because we aren't spending our money; we are spending YOUR money.

We cannot simply write agencies a blank check when passing their budgets. It's not about how big our budgets are but how we spend them. Oregon has the highest effective tax rate for those middle-class families earning $75,000 . You work hard for that money and should expect your government to spend it prudently.

I always welcome your feedback. Please send me a note at Rep.JeffHelfrich@oregonlegislature.gov or at 503-986-1452.

Talk soon,

Representative Jeff Helfrich

Mark Your Calendars: Three Upcoming Townhalls

Mosier

Welches/Mt. Hood Communities

The Dalles

Policy Update

UPDATE: House Republicans Introduce Safe Schools Package

Last week, House Republicans forced votes on all seven bills in the Safe Schools Package. Only one passed; the rest were voted down, even though we had bipartisan support.

These votes pushed forward bipartisan conversations on school safety, however. I am working with Representative Ricki Ruiz, a Democrat from Gresham, to merge three safety concepts into HB 3348, which was unanimously voted out of the Education Committee. The amended bill would:

Study the feasibility of bringing the Salem-Keizer threat assessment program to all Oregon school districts. Salem-Keizer Public Schools created the program more than 20 years ago to prevent shootings on campus.
Direct the Department of Education to identify cost and funding sources to improve school safety.
Direct the Department of Education to identify a secure point of entry for each public school.

These bills just study ways to make our schools safer. Studies without action don't protect our kids. That is why I am disappointed to see other bills in the Safe School Package were blocked in committee, including legislation that would have hired school resource officers in our schools. Bill Lee, the governor of Tennesee, is proposing legislation to put SROs in every school in the state. We can and should do the same here in Oregon.

Watch my remarks on the House floor on school safety here and watch KATU's coverage of the bipartisan work below:

OHA Blocks Birthing Center Closure

Nearly two weeks after Legacy Health closed its Mount Hood Family Birth Center, the Oregon Health Authority has denied the health care facility’s request to close.

Legacy closed the center on March 17, saying the hospital would be on “divert status” – sending maternity patients to Randall Children’s Hospital for care nearly 17 miles away.

But the closure came before OHA had approved or denied Legacy’s waiver application that was originally submitted on March 6.

Legacy says they were forced to close the center because it requires 24/7 staffing, has the lowest birth volume, and requires the highest-care costs across their system.

My office is in near-constant communication with constituents, the Oregon Nurses Association, and other legislative offices on this issue. We share your concerns and fears about what this closure means for the pregnant women in our community.

SB 611 - Rent Control

SB 611 would tighten Oregon's current rent control laws and severely limit how much housing providers can charge for their products. The Oregonian Editorial Board just this week penned a scathing rebuke of this bill.

Affordable housing is a big topic for everyone. But we must be clear about what we mean by "affordable housing." Some use the term to mean government-subsidized housing. However, I do not believe we can subsidize our way out of our housing crisis - especially if we disincentive investment and make owning rental properties unprofitable.

We need the private sector's help, including home builders and landlords. By tightening rent control even more, as SB 611 attempts, we will be encouraging landlords to get out of the business, causing the available supply of rental units to decrease and inevitably increase rents.

Resources and How to Get Involved

Opportunities to Provide Input on Your Transportation System

Public invited to weigh in on draft 25-year Oregon Transportation Plan

Why should you comment on the draft Oregon Transportation Plan? Because this 25-year plan guides important transportation-related decisions that impact Oregonians like you and communities like ours every day. It lets ODOT and other decision-makers know what you value in a transportation system – now and into the future.

There are several ways to review and provide ODOT your valuable feedback:

Review the draft plan online and provide comment through ODOT's online form, available on the website, through May 12.
Attend a public hearing on Wednesday, May 3 at 10 a.m. Use this Zoom link.

To learn more about the plan and ask questions of ODOT's project team, join a webinar on Tuesday, April 11 at noon. We have links to these events, the draft plan, fact sheets and more on ODOT's website.

ODOT's Transportation Improvement Plan

The Oregon Transportation Commission released the draft 2024-2027 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), ODOT's capital improvement plan, for formal public review. To view the proposed projects in Hood River County, start on page 45 of this document. Clackamas County starts on page 2. Wasco County starts on 382, and Multnomah County starts on page 54.

Every three years, the commission puts together the STIP that lays out where they will invest federal and state money in the transportation system - everything from bike paths and sidewalks to roads and bridges to public transportation.

The commission started developing the STIP in 2020 by deciding how to allocate state and federal funding among different areas with input from partners, the public, cities, counties, and the public. They have spent the last two years selecting critical projects and now have a draft list of proposed investments to present for public comment.

This draft STIP includes:

A major investment in repairing and replacing deteriorating bridges.
A significant increase for public and active transportation to help people get around.
Increased funding for projects that improve safety on state highways and local roads.
More money for local governments to invest in their priorities.
A major investment in ADA curb ramps to help people with disabilities get around safely

ODOT wants to hear from you. In particular, they want feedback on two primary issues:

Which of the proposed projects do you support, and which projects do you have concerns about?
Would any of the proposed projects have possible impacts that we should work to address?

How to provide public comment

You can provide comments on the projects in the STIP in a variety of ways.

Visit the online open house at Oregon Draft Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. It will be open from March 9 to April 28.
Attend in-person public comment sessions. See the STIP website for details.
Attend the virtual public comment session on April 13, from 2-3 p.m. Check out the STIP website for details.
Send an email to ODOT.STIP@odot.oregon.gov.

Public comment will close on April 28. Comments will inform ODOT's decision-making as they consider adjusting the projects in the STIP and project design. All comments will be included in the public comment record that goes to the commission before they approve the final STIP in July.

To learn more about the STIP, visit ODOT's website. To stay up to date on all things STIP, sign up for email updates .

Honorary Page Program

The House of Representatives hosts an Honorary Page program whereby students can sign up to volunteer in the House Chamber for a day.

If you are a student or know of one that would be interested, I would love to host you.

To sign up to be a Page for a day, go here.

If you have questions, email Civics.Education@OregonLegislature.gov.

The Oregon Department of Energy sent me an email this week sharing information about the proposed siting of the Cascade Renewable Transmission System. The Department is hosting a public information meeting in The Dalles on May 2nd, and public comments are currently being accepted online.

Learn more here.

Around The Capitol

Call me “Speaker Helfrich!”

This year, the presiding officers are allowing each freshman member to be Speaker of the Day and Monday was my turn with the gavel to oversee the floor session.

Thank you to House Speaker Dan Rayfield for the honor!

Working with the District

It’s always great when students and parents from the district come visit me at the Capitol