Friends and neighbors, 

Recently, with deep sadness and profound love for this job, I announced my decision to not run for re-election. Today I want to share greater details with you, the people who have supported me through this journey. 

In both my private and professional life, I saw the struggles that families face and this convinced me to run for office. Over the past several years, I’ve met with thousands of Oregonians and have been deeply honored to be trusted with their stories, struggles and successes. I have proudly championed public health policies, including equitable access to physical and behavioral healthcare, gun violence prevention, and policies to support frontline healthcare workers during the pandemic.

Throughout my legislative career, I have also continued to see patients and these dual roles as elected leader and healthcare provider have taken a toll on me. Like many Oregonians trying to make ends meet with two jobs, I face exhaustion and burnout. While the work of the Oregon Legislature was once part-time, it is no longer. It has become a full time role for anyone who wants to get it right, yet it is impossible to invest the time needed to do the job correctly when we are not earning a livable wage.

What should be a citizen legislature has historically been a legislature of wealthy or retired applicants. The reality is that most Oregonians cannot afford to even consider this job. The current structure ensures a power imbalance that excludes candidates who are talented and passionate but cannot survive on a legislator’s salary. A system built for the financially well-off or the retired will never work for all of its citizens. 

I'm sad to leave. Still, I hope my fellow and future legislators will eventually choose to pay lawmakers what they are worth, so we can recruit people of varied backgrounds and life experiences to serve our state. The people of Oregon have countless unique perspectives and as many of those perspectives as possible should have a voice in our state legislature. 

My retirement from the legislature is not a retirement from advocating for good healthcare policy. I will continue speaking out on issues important to nurses, patients and families. I will forever be honored by the trust the constituents of House District 37 placed in me to be their voice over the past 4 years. Thank you to my family and friends and a special thanks to my supportive husband, Billy, who has cheered me on every step of the way. I also couldn't have done this without brilliant staff over the years: Kimberly, Roxy, Devon, Miranda, Madison, and Colette. I'm looking forward to continuing to serve out the remainder of my term and cheering on our next state legislator for House District 37.

More information can be found here: 

https://www.wweek.com/news/2022/02/28/in-joint-announcement-three-veteran-house-democrats-say-they-wont-seek-re-election/

https://www.opb.org/article/2022/02/28/three-oregon-lawmakers-wont-run-reelection-citing-low-pay-growing-job-demands

I'll be in touch next week with an end of session newsletter discussing the work I've been doing this session to increase access to healthcare, address the nursing staffing shortage and more.