Oregon House Democrats Issue Statement on End of Legislative Session

SALEM, Ore., July 7 -- The Oregon House Democrats issued the following statement by House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson on the close of the 2017 Legislative Session:

"We began this legislative session just days after Donald Trump was sworn in as President. By the time we held our first official committee meetings, the Trump Administration had already clearly signaled what was in store for the nation under his presidency: xenophobia, draconian budget cuts, taking away health care from working families, and handing out tax cuts for the rich.

"In the six months since, Democrats in the Oregon House of Representatives have shown the nation how to resist Trump by blocking his agenda at the state level and passing bills that improve the lives of everyday people. From protecting and expanding health care to fighting for education funding to ensuring Equal Pay for equal work, Democrats in the Oregon House continued working to build a future where everyone has a chance to truly thrive.

"Here's where Oregon House Democrats defied the Trump Agenda by passing laws that protect Oregonians' values and priorities:

Health Care

"Even while Trump and Congressional Republicans are drawing up plans to slash health care to more than 20 million people, House Democrats passed an innovative plan to lower premiums and preserve health care for the more than 1 million Oregonians who get their health coverage through Medicaid.

"In contrast to plans by Congressional Republicans to defund or ban reproductive health access, House Democrats passed the Reproductive Health Equity Act, preserving and expanding reproductive health care for all Oregonians. Cover All Kids will provide health care coverage to all Oregon children, regardless of their citizenship status.

Education

"House Democrats worked for months to overhaul corporate taxes to provide more stable funding for education. While Republicans refused to come to the table on revenue reform and cost containment, we're proud that we were able to fund K-12 schools at $8.2 billion. We've laid the groundwork for the corporate tax reform work we'll pursue over the next two years. We made it easier for students to transfer college credits, and boosted funding for career and technical training to prepare students for the jobs of the future.

Protecting Working Families

"This session, we continued the pioneering work we've done to improve the lives of Oregon workers. We passed HB 2005, creating the strongest Equal Pay law in the nation. We passed Senate Bill 828, becoming the first state to pass a Fair Work Week law to give more workers certainty and predictability in scheduling. And we passed HB 3458 to strengthen overtime laws for workers in the manufacturing sector.

The transportation funding bill, HB 2017, will create jobs and economic opportunity in every part of the state while ensuring accountability in the way taxpayer dollars are spent.

Safeguarding Civil Rights, Inclusivity

"With civil right for immigrants, refugees, and communities of color under direct attack by Republican politicians in D.C. and in other states, Oregon's House Democrats led the way in safeguarding civil rights and creating a state where everyone belongs. House Bill 3464 protects immigrants' privacy and gives school districts and agencies more clarity on what information they can--and cannot--share with federal authorities. We passed bills that set statewide ethnic studies standards for K-12, establish curriculum about the Native American experience, and require cultural competency standards for colleges and universities. And we passed criminal justice reform and a comprehensive approach to ending racial profiling by police. Everyone is welcome in Oregon.

Government Accountability

"Despite the dangerous precedent being set by the Trump Administration to ignore ethics laws, keep the public and press in the dark, and let lobbyists run rampant, Oregon House Democrats are working to restore the public's trust in state government. We passed HB 2577, requiring better disclosure and transparency of lobbyists, and expanded access to public records through a package of bills that speeds up responses to public records requests and creates a Sunshine Committee and a public records advocate. SB 505 reforms a key part of the justice system by finally requiring electronic recording of grand juries.

"The balanced budget for 2017-19 reflects Oregonians' values--including strong efforts to reduce the cost of delivering important services, making targeted budget cuts, and prioritizing schools and the services that families depend on. We passed a robust cost-containment package that will increase government efficiency.

"The message of this legislative session is this: In Oregon, Democrats are fighting to improve the lives of everyone who calls this great state home."