By Representative Cyrus Javadi, House District 32

Friends and neighbors,

I want to put something on your radar.

The Oregon Board of Forestry has decided to move forward with a proposal that would cut nearly 35% of the timber harvest in the State Forest. This reduction, which is part of the Western Oregon State Forests Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), could potentially result in the loss of millions of dollars for the North Coast timber industry, forestry workers, and the budgets of Clatsop, Columbia, and Tillamook Counties. The devastating impacts on local governments, jobs, and essential services like public safety are of serious concern.

Last week, on a 4-3 vote, the Board of Forestry rejected a proposal that would have required them to go back to the drawing board to balance the region’s economic needs better.

In short, this plan is going to devastate our local timber economy. Years ago, the North Coast gave these forests to the state for essentially nothing, with the promise that it would be managed for the benefit of the local economy. This forest provides hundreds of good-paying jobs in our communities. I am working with local industry and officials to understand the full impact, and in the coming weeks I will be sharing what I am doing to protect our forests and jobs – and how you can help.

Big Housing Bills

The Legislature’s first two big housing bills are out – House Bills 2001 and 2889. These bills are a step toward fulfilling the Governor’s request for $130 million that accompanied her homelessness state of emergency declaration. As a member of the Housing and Homelessness Committee, I hope this represents a “first draft” and that negotiations on the committee will be bipartisan and productive.

There are some good provisions in HB 2001, but there are some that concern me. Here are some of the provisions:

• Extends the homelessness state of emergency statewide (currently, under Kotek’s executive order the only counties that were included were Mulnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Marion, Polk, Lane, Jackson, Deschutes, Crook and Jef​ferson counties.)
  • This is good news for the Coast. As you may have seen, the bipartisan Coastal Caucus expressed dsisappointment with the Governor’s exclusion of Coastal communities in her initial executive order.
• Expands Youth Homelessness Services
• Requires landlords to give 10 day notice of eviction to tenets who don’t pay rent and gives the courts the right to vacate the eviction if the landlord fails to give this notice
• Provides a $20 million in grant funding for the construction of Modular Housing
• Provides a $3 million subsidy of predevlopment costs for moderate income rental projects

The amendment to HB 2889 would turn it into a massive, 104-page bill. This bill does a lot, and I am still digesting it all. But one thing of interest is that it establishes housing production targets. We must increase the housing supply to bring down the cost of living in Oregon. I hope this bill will also undergo productive, bipartisan negotiation.

Insider Baseball – Inside Your State Government

Here are a few stories you may have seen recently that are impacting you and your state government.

1. The director of the Oregon Liquor & Cannabis Commission (OLCC) has resigned because of recent corruption allegations that he and top officials were improperly diverting rare liquor to themselves and legislators over the last few years. The Attorney General has opened an investigation.
2. The Oregon Supreme Court decided to keep the order that is blocking the implementation of Measure 114, the recent gun control measure that narrowly passed last year. For the time being, Measure 114 is NOT being enforced. Whether or not Measure 114 is constitutional will be decided in the coming months.
3. I have heard concerns recently about the continued mask mandate in health care settings. The OHA signaled that they may reverse that policy “in the coming months.”

Oral Health Week

This week was Oral Health Week in the House Behavioral Health and Health Care committee. They held public hearings on a suite of bills that would increase access to and quality of oral healthcare. I am proud to work on these bills in a bipartisan way with Representative Hai Pham, who is also a dentist.

Watch KGW’s coverage of HB 2979 below:

Recognizing Tillamook High School

It’s time for Tillamook High School’s Charity Drive! I recognized them on the House Floor this week. They are doing amazing work to support Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. To date, they have raised $4 million!

Check out their silent auction that ends this weekend:

Happy 164th, Oregon!

From Crater Lake, to Mount Hood, to the beautiful Willamette Valley – we are blessed to call Oregon home. Oregon turned 164 on Valentine’s Day – Happy Birthday!

Unclaimed Property

Oregon’s Unclaimed Property Program has been helping Oregonians access their unclaimed funds for more than 60 years. The Dept. of Treasury began managing the program in 2021, with the goal of connecting more Oregonians with money the state is protecting on their behalf. Over the last 25 years, the Unclaimed Property Program has returned more than $500 million back to individuals. Nearly 1 in 7 people have unclaimed property.

Unclaimed property is any asset — such as uncashed checks, forgotten security deposits, tax refunds, and more — being held by a business, nonprofit, or government entity for which the owner cannot be found. When an organization is unable to contact or return unclaimed property to an owner after some time, usually 1-3 years, they must report the property to Treasury to be held until claimed by its rightful owner.

Go to Unclaimed.Oregon.gov to search for any unclaimed property under your name. Searching is free and easy, and you never know how much unclaimed funds Treasury might be holding for you.

As always, please reach out to me with any questions or concerns you have. I look forward to serving you.

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1432
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-373, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.CyrusJavadi@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/javadi​