Building a Better Oregon: Priorities for the Upcoming Legislative Session

We have the November 5 election behind those of us who are in my Keizer and North Salem  district. I thank everyone who volunteered to help with my campaign, donated to my campaign,  and who voted for me in the election. This gives me a chance to continue to reach out and  represent the needs of everybody in House District 21 and also address the statewide  challenges facing the Oregon government. Now we need to consider the agenda for the  upcoming legislative session.  

● Implementation of measure 110 reforms: we need to expand the delivery of addiction  recovery services and we need to help our counties beef up their enforcement programs.  This includes providing funds so that those who refuse community treatment can receive  treatment while they are held in county jail. 

● Homelessness: Our efforts to address addiction will eventually reduce addicted persons  on the streets. We still need to enhance our mental health programs with additional staff  and facilities so the mentally ill are not left out on the streets to care for themselves. 

● Housing: We need to implement a dramatic change in our land use policies, where we  continue to protect agricultural land but where we allow open land to be developed into  housing. Every person who would like to own a house should have the opportunity to do so, within his or her means.  

● Public Safety: We need to eliminate the “catch and release” system in which criminal  defendants are routinely released from custody without bail, even though they are  charged with a serious offense. Under recent changes to the law (before I returned to  the legislature) Oregon has adopted this release policy, which does not make any sense.  We need to return to the tried and true system in which every person charged with a  felony or a class A misdemeanor will be held in custody until arraigned before a circuit  court judge. The judge should review the person’s criminal record and the charges  against the person, and should consider the safety of the community, the safety of the  victim, and the likelihood of the defendant’s appearance at trial. Then the judge can decide whether to hold the person in custody until trial. The state will need to provide  funds to our county jails so the counties can better afford such pretrial custody.  

● Transportation: We need to ensure that the replacement I-5 bridge project continues to  move forward, and construction of the new bridge begins. We will need to find other  ways to fund road maintenance and improvement, as the current gas tax is insufficient based on better fuel efficiency for modern vehicles and the increasing number of electric  vehicles on our roads. We also need to expand access to mass transit at the local level  for the many people who do not use automobiles.  

● Education: We need to take a fresh look at what we ask our schools to do and ensure  that we provide them with the resources necessary to provide our children with a quality  education. This includes respect for the capability of local school districts to fashion  policies which most meet local needs, and a willingness to help our non-public schools  serve our children.  

Let us all work together to help the Oregon legislature respond to the needs of our people.