End of the 2022 Legislative Session with Gratitude
The Legislature just adjourned Sine Die for the Legislative Session of 2022. OPB has a summary of the session available now at this link.
We had some important conversations during this mostly virtual session and have done some important work for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. In our upcoming End of Session GO Bulletin we'll dive deeper into some of the key bills that impacted the I/DD community, but we would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you that for your tremendous advocacy during this session.
Thank you to all of you for responding to our GO Advocacy “Call to Actions”—it was noticed by legislators. Thank you for those of you who sent in written testimony and who testified virtually for bills or Senate Resolutions that were important to you. Your voices were heard, and your stories were important!
We would also like to thank our Legislative Champions. Without their partnership we would not have seen the advancement of critically important policies that will improve essential services, supports and communities for Oregonians with disabilities.
A special thank you to Senator Gelser Blouin for her relentless dedication to DD policy issues during an incredibly busy legislative session.
We have some incredible champions in the legislature. Without their dedicated support, our work and priorities would not move forward. Thank you for your dedication to legislation that make our communities a better place for ALL Oregonians. A huge thank you to:
- President Courtney
- Speaker Rayfield
- Senator Lieber
- Representative Nosse
- Representative Williams
- Representative Power
We would also like to express our gratitude to the Chairs and Members of the following legislative committees:
- Joint Ways and Means Human Services Subcommittee
- House Committees on Early Childhood | Education | Health Care | Housing | Human Services
- Senate Committees on Education | Health Care | Housing & Development | Human Services, Mental Health & Recovery
Senate Resolution 201 brought our community together to remember the lasting legacy of Kathryn Weit a visionary leader in the I/DD Community. The reflections of the impact of her decades of work during the Senate floor vote were incredibly moving. Thank you once again to all who contributed to the stories that helped fill the record. Thank you to the Senators who read stories from the DD Community and told the world a bit of who Kathryn was. A special thank you to Governor Brown for visiting the Senate Chamber during the vote of the resolution.
