Senator Wlnsvey Campos

Employment Related Day Care (ERDC), helps eligible families pay for child care so they can work, attend school, or engage in family well-being activities. Families who qualify for the program pay a portion of their child care expenses through a co-pay which is based on the family’s size and income.

The ERDC waitlist will begin November 4, 2023. This means that families who believe that they qualify for these benefits should apply by November 3 at 11:59pm. Get more information about the program and submit your application here: https://www.oregon.gov/delc/programs/pages/erdc.aspx

Good news for Oregonians: at the end of last month, new laws went into effect making our state more affordable, growing our economy, creating good jobs, and protecting your health and safety. Learn more tinyurl.com/Sept23NewLaws

Proud to stand (or rather, scoot) with United Auto Workers last week on the picket line in their fight for a fair contract. Record profits should mean record contracts!

That’s a wrap on our first Legislative Days of the interim! Legislative days are legislative committee meetings held during the interim. These meetings usually include informational hearings on the committee’s subject matter and, in some committees, approvals of applications from state agencies to certain grants that would help them do their work. If you want to listen back to any committee meeting, you can find the recordings on OLIS(https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023I1)

I’m honored to have been awarded Fair Shot Oregon’s Most Valuable Player award alongside my colleague Senator Kate Lieber for the 2023 Legislative Session. I was proud to work in collaboration with them on the 2023 Fair Shot legislative agenda which included housing, public defense, indigenous language access, reproductive and gender justice, and more.

Beaverton Restaurant Week starts today! Participating downtown restaurants are serving up special menu items from around the world. Get out there and visit your favorite local spots today through October 1st.

As we celebrate the last days of summer, let’s throw it back to one of my favorite community events of the past few months: the opening of Tamarack Elementary in Hillsboro! I’m so excited for this amazing new school to be a part of our community and serve our students. Go River Otters!

Connect with neighbors, advocates, and thought leaders who are driving community change at the 2023 AARP Age-Friendly Oregon Summit. The best way to predict the future is to create it! Join Age-Friendly champions from around Oregon to shape our shared future. Explore new ideas, promising practices, and policies critical to making our state and communities great places for people of all ages and abilities to live, work and play. Scholarships are available to help cover the costs of travel and lodging if needed. Learn more and register: aarp.org/ORSummit23

Thanks to AARP Oregon for sharing this info with our office!

Play Ball! Such a fun opportunity to throw out the first pitch at the Hillsboro Hops game(video in comments!) alongside Representative Dexter last week. And wonderful to attend a Hops game with some legislative and get to cheer on the Hops! Thank you to the Senator Sollman for organizing the evening out and to the Hops for having us out onto the field.

Healthcare must be about people, not profits. I stand with SEIU Kaiser Members in their fight for a fair contract, safe staffing ratios, and quality care!

Last week I had the opportunity, along with other local elected officials, to join in on an inspiring morning at the Hillsboro School District’s All Staff Kick-Off.

The event highlighted the District’s Promise to, “Know, Value, and Empower Every Student to Achieve their Dreams” and the critical role that school staff play in helping students to thrive.

Today, I wish Hillsboro School District staff and students a wonderful school year as they kick off a back-to-school week!

Happy Labor Day! When Oregon’s workers are strong, Oregon is strong. I’m proud to be a steadfast supporter of Oregon’s workers and labor unions. It was great to spend the afternoon amongst friends at the Northwest Oregon Labor Council Labor Day Picnic honoring the labor movement, building solidarity with allies, and celebrating working Oregonians and their families.

Happy First Week of School, Beaverton! Good luck to all the students and staff this year!

You shouldn’t have to choose between a paycheck and caring for yourself or your family. That’s why I’m so excited to see Paid Leave Oregon go into effect. Paid Leave Oregon covers paid family leave, medical leave, and safe leave for Oregonians who need to take time off to care for important, personal life events. Apply today: tinyurl.com/PaidLeaveOregon

I was honored to join my legislative colleagues, community advocates, and Governor Kotek yesterday for the signing of a series of bills aimed at protecting Oregonians across the state and promoting community safety. These bills include a ban on ghost guns, fixes to our public defense crisis, funding for children's advocacy centers, taking steps to address the fentanyl crisis, and more. Read about it here: tinyurl.com/publicsafetyOR

Education for our youth is a critical element of addressing our opioid crisis and I am so proud to see the Beaverton School District being recognized for its work on opioid prevention and education. We can do better for our kids and our state and Beaverton is showing us the way.

https://www.oregonlive.com/education/2023/08/beavertons-lesson-plan-on-opioids-could-soon-be-a-model-for-schools-nationwide.html

Oregon Housing and Community Services reopened the federal Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) Program to new applications this week! This program provides emergency mortgage relief to support homeowners who have experienced severe financial hardships due to the pandemic.

Homeowners can apply through the online portal or speak with a homeownership counselor who can help them apply and find other resources here: https://oregonhomeownerassistance.org/

Make sure to drink water, rest, and stay inside as much as possible to beat the heat. If you need somewhere to go, there are resources available.

Congratulations to the UPS Teamsters on their historic contract agreement! UPS Teamsters make sure our schools have the supplies they need, that our neighbors get their medication on time, that businesses across the nation can function, and they have always been there for us when we need them. Through pandemic, rain, or heat, UPS Teamsters are there for us. I’m proud to stand with them and so excited to see their work being valued.

I was honored to represent Oregon at the White House’s Child Care Convening yesterday morning. It was great to be among colleagues from across the country who are working to ensure child care is accessible and affordable.

In 2021, I had the honor of introducing HB 3352, which passed and created the program known as the Healthier Oregon Program to open a pathway to free, full Oregon Health Plan (OHP) coverage to adults, to those previously ineligible solely due to their immigration status.

Initially, funding for the bill was provided to encompass those not covered at the ages of 19-25 and 55 and older. This legislative session we provided full funding so, as written in the bill, full expansion to the remaining population will begin July 1, 2023. Tomorrow, OHP benefits will open to people of any age or immigration status who would otherwise be eligible and close to 40,000 Citizenship Waived Medical members aged 26-54 will move from emergency coverage to full OHP benefits.

Full OHP covers services such as:
Medical, dental and mental health care
Prescriptions and tests
X-rays and hospital care
Rides to and from health care appointments

People with disabilities or over age 65 may also qualify for other services and supports, which may include:
Case management services
Services to support independent living, such as help with eating, bathing and travel to work.

Now that our office has had the chance to catch our breath a bit after the session ended late Sunday afternoon, we’re thrilled to share some Legislative Highlights with you! This is by no means a comprehensive list and if you want to hear about more of the legislation we worked on this session, keep an eye out for an incoming newsletter! (If you’re not yet subscribed, subscribe at the link in the comments below).

The Westside Q***r Resource Center had its grand opening last night!

I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to celebrate Pride month by attending this event and by voting in support of HB 2002 earlier this month, which(among other things) makes the full expanse of gender affirming care a right in Oregon and affirms our commitment as a state to support transgender and gender non-conforming Oregonians.

I’m incredibly proud to represent a state with some of the strongest protections for LGBTQIA+ people in the nation and to live amongst community members who advocate and work for spaces of belonging. Happy Pride! And congratulations to the new Westside Q***r Resource Center! (Read more about their grand opening here: https://www.kptv.com/2023/06/28/nonprofit-opens-queer-resource-center-washington-county/

Yesterday I joined Representatives Pham and Chaichi at our second joint town hall of the session. We shared updates on our priority bills and district priorities, answered questions, and more!

Thank you to our attendees for their flexibility as we have kicked things into high gear here in Salem.

Looking forward to the opportunity for more community engagement as the legislative session winds down!

The session is wrapping up! Join myself and Representatives Pham and Chaichi on Thursday, June 15th, to discuss what the close of session looks like and how things are going for our budgets, bills, and district priorities. I hope to see you there.
tinyurl.com/sessionwrapup2023

Our newsletter came out today! Included is an update on our priority bills. Sign up at the link below to stay in the loop with future newsletters.
http://eepurl.com/gWOGaX

Today we honor and remember those who sacrificed their lives for our country, and also stand in support of the family members and loved ones they’ve left behind. Their dedication and service will never be forgotten and is carried on in our collective hearts and memories.

Lately I’ve heard from my constituents about mental health supports, better staffing and equitable care for the intellectual and developmental disability care field, climate resilience, and much more. I’m proud to be here to represent them and dig into the work that will make a real difference to their lives.

I am excited to announce that I have recently been appointed to serve on the Diversity Equity and Inclusion committee and the Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs (OCHA) in my capacity as a member of the Senate. I am proud to have been granted these opportunities to advocate for marginalized Oregonians and their inclusion in the Capitol and throughout the state. I hope to help foster inclusivity and understanding through the important work of these groups.