It is a privilege to serve as the State Representative from Philomath and Corvallis. When I first went to Salem in 2005, I promised to be an accessible leader that would deliver results for our community. I’ve worked hard to keep those promises.
I'm running for reelection because I believe Oregon has a bright future. During the next legislative session, it is critical that we focus on the things that matter most to Oregonians-- education, jobs, health care, public safety and sustainability.
I’ve consistently fought to protect funding for our schools, universities and community colleges. I successfully advocated for a $1 million in new funding to provide medical care to abused children, and worked with my colleagues to secure funding for projects at LBCC and OSU, including funds for an expanded Marine Science Institute and Madrona Hall at LBCC.
Standing up for the most vulnerable remains a high priority for me. I sponsored Karly’s Law which ensures that abused children now get immediate access to the medical care and assessments they need. I sponsored and passed legislation to ensure those who confess to sexually assaulting the elderly, children and people with disabilities are held accountable for their actions. My leadership secured a new waiver to allow medically involved children to grow up in their family homes, rather than nursing homes and I worked to pass sweeping legislation to improve protections for seniors and people with disabilities living in group and foster homes.
I was proud to support legislation to expand health care to tens of thousands of needy children, and helped pass Oregon’s groundbreaking health care reform bill. Oregonians now benefit from a Charitable Pharmacy Program that allows sealed, unused prescriptions to be donated back to pharmacies thanks to a bill I sponsored on behalf of an OSU professor. Other bills I’ve sponsored have strengthened our rape laws, made Oregon the first state in the nation with statewide standards for modified and extended diplomas, cut red tape for consumers and contractors pursuing new construction permits, protected consumers from inflated concert ticket prices, fought animal abuse, expanded the universe of mandatory reporters of child abuse, protected consumers from inflated online concert ticket prices and made it easier for local brewers to sell their products at markets and festivals.
Of course, the most enjoyable part of my work as a legislator is communicating with constituents. Constituent coffees, town halls, phone calls, letters, emails and individual meetings keep my weeks full and help me learn more about what is needed to make Oregon a stronger, safer and more sustainable place to live, work and raise a family. I hope you will contact me about questions, concerns and ideas you have.
I am running for re-election because I believe Oregon has a bright future, and I know the decisions we make today will impact future generations. This website will tell you more about who I am, where I stand on the issues, and about my 2012 campaign. You can also get updates about the campaign by following me on Twitter or Facebook, and by signing up for my e-newsletter.
Thank you for visiting this site, and I hope you will help me build a winning campaign for 2012!
Sincerely,
Sara