Oregon House Democrats

“These services are critical if we want to break the cycle of addiction, criminality, and incarceration — and to save lives in that process.” -Representative Pam Marsh

Federal officials allow Oregon to offer Medicaid services to those behind bars • Oregon Capital Chronicle Federal officials have approved Oregon’s request to offer free Medicaid services for addiction and other services to people in jail or prison.

Happy Independence Day from the Oregon State House Democrats. 🇺🇸

This month in Oregon, a minimum wage increase went into effect providing more support to hardworking Oregonians. Oregon Democrats in the state legislature believe that no one working full time should be forced to live in poverty.

This is based on work the did in 2016 to gradually increase wages to match inflation. The law passed because it struck an important balance, allowing businesses to adjust, while also providing minimum wage workers with a much needed raise.

Oregon’s minimum wage rises again: Here’s what it is where you live The Portland area’s minimum wage has climbed by nearly two-thirds since 2016.

In July of 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, spurring disability pride celebrations across the country. Today we continue in that spirit as we recognize the ongoing need for disability legislation.

In recent years, Oregon Democrats have demonstrated a commitment to progress as they work to pass laws that support Oregonians with disabilities. HB 4113 helps to lower out of pocket maximums, and bring down overall prescription drug prices. SB 567 makes it unlawful for medical practitioners to deny treatment based on disability status.

June 27th is National PTSD Awareness Day, a day recognized by many to raise awareness of the effects post-traumatic stress has on the lives of those impacted by it. Not all wounds are visible.

Today, we acknowledge that not all wounds are visible, and recognize groups across the state that provide resources to Oregonians who live with PTSD.

The Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs provides support and resources to veterans experiencing PTSD. National Association of Mental Illness Oregon (NAMI Oregon) connects people with support groups and provides information and resources for those struggling with mental health. Trauma Informed Oregon creates opportunities for community building and develops learning resources.

Starting this year, a new pilot program approved by gives foster students at participating schools additional support. House Democrats are improving success through investments in vulnerable communities.

“I have been steadfast in my commitment to ensuring that students have the tools needed for success, I know what the adoption of these rules will mean for our most vulnerable students” said Rep. McLain, a teacher of over 42 years, and chief sponsor of HB 4084.

This program was made possible by the Foster Care Student Success Pilot Grant established by House Bill 4084 that passed with strong bipartisan support.

It's wildfire season and House Democrats worked in to ensure Oregon is prepared. Rep. Nancy Nathanson fought for wildfires monitoring technology and cameras at UO - their partnership with other agencies around the state mean that we're better positioned to identify and respond to wildfires. 's investments are making a difference.

UO using AI to spot wildfires; the tech is expected to be a game-changer As wildfire season looms, the university's Oregon Hazards Lab has integrated its fire-spotting cameras with AI detection technology.

Two years ago, the Supreme Court ripped away nearly 50 years of reproductive freedom and threatened every American’s right to make their own family planning choices without government interference.

Oregonians support every person’s right to choose, and the Legislature took action to make sure reproductive health care, including abortions, are safe and legal in our state.

House Democrats are committed to ensuring access to medical care anyone seeks in Oregon.

House Democrats know that failure to plan is planning to fail. That’s why Reps. Paul Evans and David Gomberg joined local and state emergency officials on the coast to prepare for the next catastrophic event.

“The first 4 - 5 minutes 20,000 people can be gone. 250,000 to 300,000 the first three weeks because, think about it, slowly the bridges are gone. Transportation is gone. How to get food and shelter,” said state Rep. Paul Evans. “The vision is to have one of these response caches across the state to respond to any event that may come.”

Oregon’s largest coastal earthquake drill held in Newport A natural disaster can displace thousands of people, and the state wants to be ready.

Investments from to increase Oregon’s housing supply are going to central Oregon!

"Some of these homes, the lottery price will be around $200,000," said Rep. Emerson Levy (D-Deschutes). "So do we want our teachers to be able to stay here? Do we want our nurses to be able to live and work in our community? That's a policy choice, and I'm glad it's a policy choice that we've made together as a community."

Over $10 million headed to Central Oregon for affordable housing projects - KTVZ SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ)-- This week, over $10 million was brought into Central Oregon to build new affordable housing. In Sisters, Habitat for Humanity received over $4 million to help build 24 new units. "It's a wide swath of people that are stuck in that scenario where they cannot afford to buy a hou...

📆Today is the first day of legislative days, the three day period when legislators convene to bring agency leaders, experts, and Oregon communities together to ensure laws passed have been appropriately implemented and to learn what is needed from the legislature in 2025 to move Oregon forward.

Let’s get to work! 💪

Rep Hoa Nguyen helped to pass legislation recently to help underrepresented students overcome barriers and achieve success.

Democrats in know that better outcomes come when we use data and assess programs available to Oregon students.

Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian students may see boost in support, representation with new legislation Advocates hope legislation supporting Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian students will lead to more representation in classrooms.

One week from today, legislators hold the first stop on the transportation tour!

The tour will help gather perspectives and inform the as they develop a plan in the 2025 session to maintain critical infrastructure, complete work on major projects, and guarantee the safety and diversity of transportation systems across the state.

WHAT: Public hearing on transportation needs and solutions in the Portland metro area.
WHEN: Tuesday June 4, 5-7 p.m.
WHERE: Moriarty Auditorium, PCC Cascade Campus; 705 N. Killingsworth St., Portland

“Safe, sustainable, multimodal transportation systems are of critical importance to local, regional, and even international travel and commerce between urban and rural
communities,” said Rep. Susan McLain (D – Hillsboro, Forest Grove and Cornelius),
co-chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation. “We’re working to ensure that all
communities, all families, and all businesses are provided with choices that are safe,
resilient, and sufficient to meet transportation needs.”

Legislators to hold Transportation Outreach Tour Members of the joint committee will engage with local communities about the structural challenges facing the statewide transportation system

On this Memorial Day, we remember the fallen. Oregonians are forever grateful to the members of the military and their families who selflessly sacrificed it all to keep us safe and protect our values.

Today, we remember. Forever, House Democrats will honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice by supporting the veterans and families still with us.

“In every single race where an incumbent House Democrat was challenged in the primary, the incumbent representative won by an extremely wide margin” said Majority Leader Representative Ben Bowman.

Oregonians are supportive of the last couple of sessions and the work that’s happened recently.

Democratic Oregon House incumbents win primaries, one race remains too close to call • Oregon Capital Chronicle All incumbent House Democrats won their primary campaigns, while one open race in Corvallis remained too close to call.

“This technology is a key step in helping prevent fire outbreaks from reaching a catastrophic size,” said Rep. Nancy Nathanson. “It translates to direct public benefit: public safety, joining multiple public and private sector entities in the effort.”

The funded this program and it's going to help protect our communities from wildfires. Our public universities and institutions play an important role in keeping our communities safe.

University of Oregon helps manage large network of wildfire detection cameras Wildland firefighters across the West now have access to a large network of cameras monitored by artificial intelligence to alert them to wildfires when they start.

Today, we joined Gov. Tina Kotek at an Oregon elementary school to sign our summer learning bill we passed into law this year.

Summer Learning programs at schools in every corner of the state provide safe, healthy, and enriching resources for Oregon students between school years. These programs also ensure kids who need extra help to reach their full potential don’t get left behind.

This funding will strengthen partnerships between districts, community organizations, local governments and tribal nations already doing great work to support all Oregon students.

We're hiring! The Oregon House Majority Office seeks an experienced legislative professional as its Chief of Staff. This individual will serve as the top legislative and political advisor to the House Majority Leader and members of the House Democratic Caucus.

If you or anyone you know is interested, apply here:

Chief of Staff - Oregon House Democratic Office Initial Posting Date: 04/01/2024 Application Deadline: 04/14/2024 Agency: Legislative Assembly Salary Range: $7,819 - $11,729 Position Type: Employee Position Title: Chief of Staff - Oregon House Democratic Office Job Description: This recruitment announcement will remain open until filled. We encou...

Affordable, accessible child care ensures a bright, prosperous future for Oregon. It's crucial infrastructure that helps us reach our societal and economic goals.

That's why we funded child care in 2024 and will fund more in the future.

Advocates celebrate more state support for child care Advocates are celebrating legislative approval of $171 million — some now and some later — that will shore up state support for employment-related day care.

As Democrats, we will always work to protect access to abortion care in Oregon, no matter what The Supreme Court decides. We worked in the legislature to establish the Reproductive Health Equity Fund which just announced investments in 23 organizations to address long term reproductive healthcare access and affordability barriers faced by marginalized Oregon communities.

Oregon is committed to transition to 100% clean energy by 2040, and the COAL Act (HB 4083) aligns our public pension investments with this goal by divesting $1B from anthracite coal stocks. This makes a significant shift away from fossil fuel investment which isn’t just good for the environment, it’s fiscally responsible as our energy sector shifts to more green energy.

All Oregonians deserve access to high quality, affordable health care.

This session, House Democrats, Reps. Emerson Levy and Nancy Nathanson are proud to have passed bills that will protect Oregonians’ access to affordable prescription drugs and safeguard consumer choice by keeping pharmacies open (HB 4149), help Oregonians afford their lifesaving prescription medications (HB 4113), and expand access to high-quality, affordable health care (HB 4136).

Following the election of a new Majority Leader, Representative Ben Bowman, we need to thank the former Leader and now Speaker Julie Fahey. She's been a tremendous leader that made the Democratic Caucus stronger.

As majority leader this year, Fahey worked across the aisle to broker a historic deal between labor, business and good government groups that paved the way for the legislature to pass campaign finance limits.

So grateful to Speaker Fahey and we look forward to working with you to improve the lives of all Oregonians.

Here's her speech from her swearing in on March 7:

Rep. Julie Fahey Elected As Oregon's Speaker of The House Speaker Julie Fahey was elected on March 7, 2024 to be the youngest woman to serve as Oregon's Speaker of the House. She spoke about the accomplishments the ...

Today, Oregon House Democrats convened to elect new leadership to build on the successes of the 2023 and 2024 legislative session and continue focusing on what matters most to Oregonians.

Representative Ben Bowman (D-Tigard, Metzger, & S. Beaverton), a first-term Democrat and education administrator, was elected House Majority Leader to guide the Democratic Caucus’ agenda and efforts in Oregon’s State House.

We’re working to ensure students can get to and from school safely. Representative Courtney Neron, a parent and educator, championed HB 4147 to increase student safety by allowing automated stop arm cameras to be installed on school buses, enabling law enforcement to issue citations to drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses.

All Oregonians deserve a safe and affordable place to live in their own communities, which is why we’re proud to support those working to rebuilding the historically Black Albina neighborhood in North and Northeast Portland. This crucial funding is an opportunity to heal the harms of historically racist land-use decisions by investing in the Albina neighborhood, which has been fractured by redlining and the construction of Interstate 5.

Albina Vision Trust’s project will convert the aging Portland Public Schools headquarters into affordable housing units, and education hub, communal green spaces, and mixed commercial opportunities.

Dem. Rep. Daniel Nguyen sees how AI is becoming more regular in our lives so it's important that legislators act to study its impact on the public.

Rep. Nguyen believes this legislation is important to keep campaign ads grounded in truth and reality. This is part of how Democrats are working to keep elections safe and secure.

Oregon's first AI-related bills head to Gov. Kotek's desk Sponsors Rep. Daniel Nguyen and Sen. Aaron Woods are leading the bills to study and stop the potential damages of AI and its misuse in political campaigns and ads.

We're committed to protecting Oregon's beautiful coast, and the marine reserves program has played a key role in understanding the impacts of climate change on our natural environment.

HB 4132, championed by our coastal representative, Rep. David Gomberg, strengthens Oregon's popular marine reserves program and represents a significant step forward in the state's commitment to ocean conservation, stakeholder collaboration, and sustainable management of marine resources.

We’re working to meet every student’s needs in Oregon and that’s why we funded summer learning programming in the 2024 legislative session.

From Oregon’s smallest rural schools to our largest urban schools, Summer Learning Programs provide safe, healthy, and enriching resources for students during the summer months. $30M this year means 48,000 students benefit. Whether it’s catching up from last time in school or getting the extra help they need, Oregon students succeed because we invest in programs like this.

During the 2024 Session, Oregon’s House Democrats were laser-focused on effective policies addressing the issues that matter most to Oregonians: homelessness, housing, addiction treatment/behavioral health, and public safety.

Here's a look at what we accomplished: