Monday April 8th I will be enjoying time at the North Plains Food Bank visiting with volunteers and anyone coming in for services.  After the tour and visit, I will be holding constituent meetings until 7:00PM.

Tuesday April 9th I will be meeting with the Port of Astoria to hear about their progress and upcoming projects.  Then attending the Clatsop Working Watersheds Cooperative meeting in the afternoon, followed by constituent meetings until the start of our joint townhall meeting with Representative Javadi at 6:30PM located at 10 Pier 1, Suite 209.

Monday April 15th I will travel to Vernonia to meet with constituents and most importantly, participate in a local Scout Troop meeting.

Tuesday April 16th constituents in Seaside can meet with me at the public library by signing up on my calendar here.

Wednesday April 17th I will be back in Banks for constituent meetings.

The constituent meeting times noted above are opportunities available to you to sit down and discuss issues that are important to you.  If  there are no remaining spots, or you are unable to attend on these dates, please email me at sen.suzanneweber@oregonlegislature.gov and my staff will try to find a time we can get together either virtually or in person.

 

On April 8th at 11:00 AM in Seaside and 2:30 PM in Tillamook, the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training invites you to join them in discussions on how DPSST can best meet the needs of Oregon’s public safety community.

They will be traveling throughout the state during the first two weeks of April for a series of open discussions on the issues affecting constituents across all disciplines. Public safety professionals in law enforcement, fire service, telecommunications, dispatch, corrections, parole and probation, private security, private investigation, and elected officials are all encouraged to attend.

Please consider joining them as they seek to better understand your training and certification needs, discuss current and emerging trends in public safety, and receive your feedback on the services DPSST provides.

The full executive leadership team will be present, including:

• Phil Castle, Agency Director
• Brian Henson, Deputy Director/Chief of Staff
• Dr. Staci Yutzie, Deputy Director/Training Division Director/Academy Dean
• Kathy McAlpine, Professional Standards Division Director
• Audra Anderson, Human Resources Director
• Kayla Ballrot, Interim Fire Program Manager
• Shelby Wright, Assistant to the Director
• Sam Tenney, Communications Coordinator

Each listening session will last about one hour. Please refer to the picture for other dates and times throughout the state.

I recently received the 2024 edition of Facts and Figures and wanted to share this with everyone.  Some things that it includes are:

• Sales tax rates in neighboring states.
• Which states levy capital stock taxes?
• Compare effective property tax rates across states.
• Ability to compare the different ways states tax cannabis or vapor products.
• State income tax rate schedules.

Bill Recriminalizing Hard Drugs Signed into Law

I am very pleased with the work we did to get hard drugs recriminalized.  This is the first step of many to do better for Oregonians.

On April 1st, the Governor signed into law HB 4002 A, a bill reversing much of Oregon’s drug decriminalization experiment in response to a deadly addiction crisis plaguing major cities, suburban neighborhoods, and rural communities across the state. The bipartisan proposal cleared the Oregon Senate with overwhelming support.

I agree with Senator Knopp in his statement released when the bill was signed:

“Now that the Governor has given the recriminalization bill her stamp of approval, we can finally end the chapter on Oregon’s experiment with decriminalizing hard drugs. HB 4002 is not a perfect solution; legislators will undoubtedly have much more work to do in upcoming sessions. But it sets a standard for how the state should approach the drug addiction crisis: by empowering law enforcement and our behavioral health systems to work together to help Oregonians struggling with chronic addiction seek life-saving treatment.”

A key priority for the Senate Republican Caucus last session was addressing drug addiction, homelessness, and crime. Recriminalizing possession of small amounts of hard drugs was at the top of the list. It is widely supported by Oregon voters.

Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Director Retires

On  April 1, Director Melcher has retired, and the current ODFW Commission is tasked with the selection of the new agency leader.

The Commission and Governor Kotek are at the helm of the selection process with the Governor’s office facilitating the recruitment and selection process and the Commission making the final selection from the winnowed list of applicants.

Selection of a new director is scheduled for the May 10 Commission public meeting.

It is my hope that the Commission selects a candidate that:

• Can effectively lead the agency through a hotbed of social topics while remaining focused on science-based wildlife management.
• Has an extensive background in wildlife management, as well as a strong understanding and belief in the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation
• Knowledge of the principles of wildlife research and how to apply those in an unbiased manner.
• Fiscal responsibility for the agency and to the rate-paying stakeholders.

If you would like to become more involved in the goings on of the ODFW Commission, follow this link to the meeting schedule:

ODFW Commission Meeting Schedule 

There are some really great things going on within the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative.

You can check out the 2023 report by clicking the image above.

Join me for this months episode of From the District!  Listen on SoundCloud or watch on YouTube.

We talk about a variety of issues that impact our district.

• HB 4002 that recriminalizes hard drugs
• HB 4024 that sets new limits on campaign contributions
• SB 1576 that restored recreational immunity
• Jewell School District lawsuit filed against Oregon Dept of Forestry

Phone: 503-300-4493
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-405, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Sen​.SuzanneWeber@oregonlegislature.gov
Website:  ​https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/weber/​