A Note From Jeff on Health Care

          I want to remind you that open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is happening now until December 15 -- and that you can sign up right here!

          Every Oregonian, regardless of the color of their skin, the language they speak, or their zip code, deserves the high quality, affordable health care they need to have the freedom to achieve their dreams. Thanks to the ACA -- which offers coverage to those with pre-existing conditions and cut the uninsured rate in Oregon by two-thirds -- we’ve gotten a lot closer to realizing that vision.

          Watch and share my video urging Oregonians to sign up during the open enrollment period.

          Our communities are at their strongest when our family, friends, and neighbors have access to the health care they deserve. I hope you’ll join me in spreading the word about this year’s ACA Open Enrollment period.

All my best,
Jeff

          Between many nurses retiring and Baby Boomers’ increasing need for medical care, the nursing workforce in America is at a critical juncture. That’s why earlier this year, Jeff and Richard Burr (R-NC) introduced the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2019, critical bipartisan legislation that would fund a broad range of programs to help advance nursing education, recruitment, and retention.

          Recently this bill passed out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee by a unanimous voice vote -- an important milestone readying the bill for a full Senate vote.

          “As the husband of a nurse, I’ve seen firsthand how important nurses are to patients, and how their support and advocacy can make the world of difference for patients at some of the most difficult and joyous moments of their lives,” Jeff said. “We must do more to support our nurses by putting critical training and development programs within reach and addressing the nursing shortage.”

Supporting Human Rights and Pro-Democracy Demonstrators in Hong Kong

          For over five months, residents of Hong Kong have been demonstrating in support of democracy, protesting efforts by the Chinese government to take away longstanding rights that China promised to preserve when Hong Kong was handed over from the British in 1997. Recently, the police force in Hong Kong has cracked down on the protesters with increasing force, and in some cases, have used U.S.-made equipment such as pepper spray, batons, and rubber bullets to attack the crowds.

          That’s why Jeff introduced new, bipartisan legislation that would ban the U.S. export of crowd control equipment to the Hong Kong Police Force. “The U.S. should never be complicit in police violence against pro-democracy protests,” Jeff said. “As we support the voices calling for democratic reforms in Hong Kong, it’s time to ban the export of U.S.-made police equipment to Hong Kong.”

Battling Blazes

          For months, Jeff has been fighting to include key provisions to help Oregon fight wildfires in the U.S. Department of Interior Appropriations bill-- which passed out of the Senate last week.

          As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Jeff helped secure an additional $19 million for the U.S. Forest Service and $5 million for the Bureau of Land Management to increase the resiliency of Oregon’s forests. Those funding increases brought the total funding level for forest health restoration and collaboration to $648 million. In addition, the bill included $40 million for the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, which includes three active projects across Oregon: in the Southern Blue Mountains in Eastern Oregon, the Deschutes National Forest in Central Oregon, and the Fremont-Winema National Forest in Southern Oregon.

Keeping Oregon Safe From the ‘Big One’

          Oregon’s location on the Cascadia subduction zone puts it at prime risk for a major earthquake. That’s why Jeff also included critical funding in the Interior Appropriations bill for programs and initiatives that will help prepare for and mitigate the impacts of a major seismic event. That funding includes $170.8 million for the U.S. Geological Survey’s Natural Hazards program, which contains $2 million for regional earthquake initiatives like the ShakeAlert warning system. Early warning systems like these could be critical to saving lives if and when the ‘big one’ comes.

          Jeff is the first member of Congress to represent Oregon on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee since Senator Mark Hatfield in the 1990s. “Moving forward, I will continue to use my seat on the Senate Appropriations Committee to fight for the emergency and long-term resources communities across Oregon rely on,” Jeff said.

Thank you!