OREGON ADOPTION DAY
HB 2019 established August 25th as Oregon Adoption Day.
During the 2025 session, I put forward a bill that was very personal to me as an adoptee. I wanted there to be a day that would celebrate all forms of adoption and honor all the people who have adoption as part of their stories. August 25th was the day I was adopted as an infant. I have been touched as I travel and hear stories of others from around the state having their own celebrations and sharing how adoption touched their lives. The message is clear: You are seen. You are loved. You matter.
Housing Oregon’s Workforce
House Bill 4134 allocated funds to rural communities including McMinnville, Amity, Toledo, and Burns. Collectively, these projects will create over 500 new housing units by 2029, all of which will be affordable to households earning 130% or less of the area median income. The bill requires state departments to issue grants to cities for specific infrastructure projects, such as water, sewer, and road improvements, to support housing developments where at least 30% of units are affordable to workforce-income households.
YOUTH SUICIDE AWARENESS DAY
HB 3643 established October 9th as Youth Suicide Awareness Day.
Youth Suicide Awareness Day was born from the tragic loss of Mikalynn Jayde Morris on October 9th, 2024. Gone too soon, but forever in our hearts, Mikalynn's story has inspired the community to remove the stigma and have the hard conversations in the pursuit of saving lives. Her family has established a scholarship fund and a non-profit organization called LoveLikeMikalynn. October 9th will forevermore be a day for our state to elevate the hard conversations around youth suicide and come together in pursuit of education, support, and prevention.
I want to share a special thank you to all those who courageously reached out and shared their stories as this bill worked through the legislative process.