Election Review and 2019 Legislative Session
Hello friends,
As you are preparing for the upcoming holidays, I wanted to send out a brief email to give you an update about what has been happening in the district and the state.
First, I want to thank you for electing me to serve you in the Oregon Legislature. It is truly a humbling experience and would not have been possible without your support. Oregon is strong because of people like you and I am proud to represent you. Please know that my office has an open-door policy and I, as well as my staff, are here to help with anything you need.
Elections for the rest of the state were a bit surprising. The Republicans lost three important seats in the House and one seat in the Senate, meaning that the Democrats now have a supermajority in both chambers. In case you aren’t familiar with this term, it means that it will be easier for Democrats to pass tax increases and other controversial proposals like climate change legislation. Although this will bring a new challenge, I will continue to be strategically advocating for House District 60.
I am developing legislative concepts that will be ready when the 2019 Legislative Session begins in January. Some of the legislation that I have proposed will work to make the Eastern Oregon Border Region more competitive with Idaho in terms of trade and career certification, better access to high speed internet, and incentivizing housing developers to come to the region.
Additionally, I am working on legislation that would increase funding for public safety answering points (PSAP) for 9-1-1 dispatching. Rural counties currently don’t receive enough funds for this service and so, typically, they have one shared PSAP for the entire county.
Another issue that I am trying to address is the lack of volunteers that we have to fight frontier fires. Oregon’s Frontier Fire Organizations are primarily staffed by an aging volunteer population, which is already limited as a result of smaller isolated populations and extensive training requirements. Currently, we have the problem of experienced firefighters retiring while not having the population base to find replacements. The legislation that I am proposing will make recruiting new volunteer firefighters in the Frontier Region easier and will allow us to maintain essential fire services throughout the Frontier regions of Oregon. If you would like to discuss any of these proposals further, please feel free to reach out to my office.
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it’s important to remember the people and families in our communities who may be struggling financially. We have compiled a list of organizations in House District 60 that will provide free Thanksgiving meals. If you have extra food to donate, or if you would like to attend one of these Thanksgiving Dinners, please reach out to the organization.
Baker County
Baker City McDonald’s, 760 Campbell St, Baker City, OR (541) 523-7041
Free Thanksgiving Day meal for seniors and veterans Nov. 22nd from 6am-11am
Salvation Army, 2505 Broadway St, Baker City, OR (541) 523-5853
Free Community Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner Nov. 20th starting at 10am
Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 42171 Chico Rd, Baker City, OR (541) 523-4913
Thanksgiving boxes – collection through Nov. 20th
St. Francis De Sales Cathedral, 2235 1st St, Baker City, OR (541) 523-4521
Food Bank
Baker County Senior Citizens Inc, Community Connection of Baker County, 2810 Cedar St, Baker City, (541) 523-6591
Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner/Lunch Nov. 15th 11:30am-12:30pm
Baker City Calvary Baptist Church, 2107 3rd St, Baker City, OR, (541) 523-3891
Free Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner 11/22 at 2pm
Grant County
Grant County Food Bank, 530 East Main Street # 9, John Day, OR (541) 575-0299
Normal monthly Distribution of food (staples only-no pre-made food) 4th Wed 9am-1pm
For Thanksgiving will distribute food on 11/21
Harney County
Safeway, 246 W Monroe St, Burns, OR (541) 573-8580
Turkey Boxes Nov. 20th 9am
Sign in & provide food bank link-to-feed #
Elks, 118 N Broadway Ave, Burns, OR (541) 573-6170
Free Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner Nov. 22nd 1-3pm
Lake County
Lake County Food Share, 247 North N St, Lakeview, OR (541) 947-3222
Thanksgiving Day boxes for the needy Nov. 20th10am-1pm & 4-6pm
Malheur County
First Christian Church, 180 NW 1st St, Ontario, OR (541) 889-6716
Free Community Thanksgiving Dinner Nov. 22nd11am-3pm
Starlite Café, 152 Clark St N, Vale, OR (541) 473-2500
Free Community Breakfast Nov. 22nd 7-11am & Thanksgiving Day Dinner 12-2pm
*donations appreciated
Nyssa Community Food Pantry, 415 Main St., Nyssa, OR, (541) 372-5623
Distributing Thanksgiving boxes in November. Please bring donations by Nov. 15th dropping off on Monday from 5-7pm or Thursday 9am-1pm
*Items needed are 200 cans of vegetables (especially corn & green beans), 100 boxes of stuffing, and all baking items such as salt, flour, oil, sugar, baking soda, shortening, baking powder, all spices, cinnamon, & cake mixes.
Nyssa Senior Center, 316 Good Ave, Nyssa, OR, (541) 372-5660
Free Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner Nov. 22nd 12-2:30pm
*donations accepted, or you can bring a side dish or desert
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Warm wishes,
Lynn Findley
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