Year End Newsletter

In This Update:

• Gratitude and New Year Hopes 

• Looking Forward to 2020

• Driving Down the Cost of Prescription Medications

• Oregon Laws Making National Headlines (and one that should be making headlines)

• In District Meetings & Town Halls

• A Local Win

• Oregon AFL-CIO Rookie Legislator of the Year Award

• Final Thoughts

Gratitude and New Year Hopes

What a year! Representing the people of HD 37 and serving  on the House Healthcare Committee and the Joint Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development as well as two commissions; The Willamette Falls Locks and The Oregon Patient Safety Task Force is an incredible honor.

Constituents visiting me in the capitol is the highlight of this job.  Whether it was the hundred fourth graders from Tualatin Elementary, the high school students learning the value of civic engagement, or AARP members advocating for affordable prescriptions and housing options; helping people like this, one-on-one, always brightens my day. One visit that stands out was from a constituent visiting the capitol for her first time advocating on behalf of eczema patients. I’m happy to announce that I will be the chief sponsor of the bill she and many others are fighting for in the 2020 session that addresses utilization management in medical care. 

My New Year hope is that Oregon will see a productive session in 2020, and that I will see you at a community event and in the capitol taking part in our democracy.

Looking forward to 2020 aka Session Priorities

Utilization Management: Utilization management practices, such as prior authorization and step therapy are important tools to contain medical costs and ensure quality of care. However, they can often result in delayed treatment, abandonment of treatment, and higher administrative burdens. My bill seeks to ensure utilization management protocols are fair, transparent, evidence-based, and best support the health needs of the patient while preventing treatment delays and treatment abandonment.

Telehealth: Telehealth services modernize practices and allow for health care delivery innovation. However, to offer these services, health centers and small practices must make substantial investments in technology, staff training, workflow engineering and other services. My bill seeks to update medicaid telehealth policy to drive health equity so all Oregonians can access care despite geographic and transportation barriers.

Safe Storage: Safe Storage laws are intended to help prevent unauthorized users, including children, from accessing and using firearms, which can reduce tragedies due to suicide, unintentional discharges, and gun theft. I will be cosponsoring a bill that protects vulnerable populations while respecting the rights of gun owners.

Community Correction Funding: The 2019 Legislature approved a budget that funds county community corrections operations statewide at a "baseline" level only. Without additional funding in 2020, Both counties that make up HD 37 will face devastating cuts to jobs and important programs. In Clackamas County approximately $1.4 million in cuts are expected, which put twelve staffers, including parole & probation officers and client counselors jobs at risk and will lead to the likely closure of the award-winning Transition Center, the first facility of its kind in Oregon and a major step forward in reducing our jail population. To learn more about this center click here. In Washington County approximately $1.2 million in cuts are expected, which will lead to the elimination of six full-time parole & probation staff, a community corrections assistant manager and contract recovery and peer mentors as well as the closure of a 36-bed substance-abuse program. 

Family Preservation Project Funding:  The 2019 Legislature did not fund The Family Preservation Project (FPP) and is at risk of closing.  FPP keeps women connected to their children while they are incarcerated. The program interrupts the inter-generational cycles in families of criminal justice involvement, poverty, and addiction and helps mothers take ownership of their lives and changes the lives of their children, reducing trauma and providing support they often do not receive anywhere else.

Save the Willamette Falls Locks: The Willamette Falls Locks Commission worked diligently to create a Public Corporation to take ownership of the Locks. The bill will set up this plan and request state funding for the repairs needed. The Willamette Falls is the second largest waterfall in the United States by volume and we are blessed to have the magical falls in our district. This bill will work to save the Willamette Falls Locks. 

Driving Down the Cost of Prescription Medications:

A lot of  discussion in the 2019 House Healthcare committee was dedicated to discussing prescription drug costs. Among our successful bills addressing this issue was HB 2658 requiring manufacturers of prescription drugs to report to the Department of Consumer and Business Services any planned increase of price for certain prescription drugs at least 60 days before the date of increase. While the law is being challenged in the courts by PHaRMA, I  will keep fighting until we have a system where people don’t die or go bankrupt when diagnosed with a chronic condition. 

Looking forward to the 2020 short session, I am happy to announce that I will be cosponsoring a bill with Republican Rep. Walen continuing our fight against high prescription drug costs. The bill allows for the importation of prescription drugs from Canada and is another way we can help Oregonians struggling with increasing medical costs. 

Some 2019 Oregon Bills That Received National Attention

HB 2191 will allow students to request absentee for mental or behavioral health reasons. Read more about it here.

SB 664 adds Oregon to the states that are a part of the national movement to have holocaust and genocide education taught in school. Read more about it here.

HB 3076: Requires Oregon Health Authority to work with hospitals to create a minimum requirement for community benefit and charity care, as well as establish reasonable limits to medical debt collection. Read more about it here.

And… a bill I think should receive national attention

Healthcare costs in Oregon have been growing unsustainably. We have the third-highest health insurance deductibles in the country. Between 2010 and 2016, household income grew by 15%, while employer-sponsored health care premiums grew by 25% and deductibles for families grew by 77%. To address this issue, Oregon established a 3.4% growth rate for all public programs, but there isn’t a similar target for the private market, where nearly half of Oregonians get their insurance. This past session we took a critical step in containing health care costs with SB 889 which establishes a Cost Growth Benchmark Program. This is a citizen-and-stakeholder-led group that is modeled after a program in Massachusetts which has saved $5.5 billion for consumers between 2013 and 2016. Rhode Island and Delaware have also adopted similar programs. For those of you who want follow the meetings online, show up to make public comment, or simply learn more, you can find information here.

In District Meetings & Townhalls

During 2019 (when I wasn’t in Salem) I held weekly meetings in district at local coffee shops, hosted monthly public events across the District, and often invited other elected officials to participate because working together is how we will better address the needs of our cities, counties, and schools. 

Given a common concern for HD 37 constituents is transportation, I hosted two town halls at the end of the year specifically focused on the issue; one in Clackamas County and one in Washington County. At both events I heard varied perspectives on how we should make it easier for people to get around, keep costs under control, and protect neighborhoods from getting swamped by changing traffic patterns. The panel and attendees discussed Oregon’s aging infrastructure, the challenges of population growth and climate change. For me, the most important part of transportation planning that involves multiple levels of government across many jurisdictions and several agencies is that we allow for the community to participate. I made it very clear at the town hall in West Linn that I do not support tolling the Abernathy bridge to pay for its upgrades and will continue to fight for funding from the state. The 205 Widening & Seismic Improvements Project was prioritized as a signature congestion relief project in HB 2017 but it was then left out of the funding package. ODOT has provided $53M and the project will be shovel ready in late 2020, however the construction is currently unfunded. I’ve talked non stop about this project and will keep fighting for the safety upgrades our bridge needs. 

Next Town Hall 

My next town hall will be in partnership with several community leaders and other elected officials. I hope you will join me for this important public health discussion. More details will follow but here are the basics:

Topic: E-cigarette Addiction & Our Youth

Where: Rolling Hills Community Church

Date:  January 23, 2020

Time:  6:30 pm 

A Local Win

HD 37 became a leader in our state with the opening of Oregon's first recovery high school. Harmony Academy is accepting students from Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties. I am grateful to the HD 37 constituents who believed in an educational solution specific to the needs of young people experiencing addiction. Their persistence and hard work will help hundreds of families in the region. Learn more here.

Oregon AFL-CIO Rookie Legislator of the Year Award 

It's an honor to have received the Oregon AFL-CIO Rookie Legislator of the Year Award and remain committed to serving working families.

Support My Run For Re-election:

My birthday fundraiser and re-election party in November was fantastic. If you couldn’t make it but want to contribute to the campaign click here: https://rachelforstaterep.com

With just a few days left in 2019, don't wait any longer: Use the Oregon Political Tax Credit to make your end-of-year donation today. You can give up to $50 per year (or $100 for joint-filing couples) and then get the full amount back as a credit subtracted from your Oregon state taxes when you file.

Final Thoughts

To everyone in HD 37, and across the state, I wish you a happy new year. The end of the year is often a time to reflect on accomplishments and celebrate. A time to look back on days past – the successes and failures, the joys and sorrows great and small. It can be a time to remind ourselves to focus on what matters. And for some it can also be a very difficult time. For anyone feeling lonely, or worried about someone else, here are some helplines:

SUICIDE LIFELINE  

800-273-8255 

Text 273TALK to 839863

ALCOHOL & DRUG HELPLINE

800-923-4357 

 Text RecoveryNow to 839863 

MILITARY HELPLINE

888-457-4838 

Text MIL1 to 839863 

SENIOR LONELINESS LINE 

503-200-1633

YOUTHLINE

877-968-8491

Text teen2teen to 839863

Chat at www.oregonyouthline.org

The Trevor Project Suicide Prevention Lifeline for LGBTQ youth

1-866-4-U-TREVOR (866-488-7386)

As always, if you would like to reach out to me or my staff you can best reach us via email at [email protected] or once in session at our capitol office number: 503-986-1437.

Happy holidays and happy new year!

In Unity,

Rachel Prusak