Oregon lawmakers gathered in Salem early Monday to begin the 35-day legislative session focusing on the state’s housing shortage and homelessness, behavioral health, drug addiction, and rebalancing the budget.
In the House, Rep. Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, opened the legislative for the last time as House Speaker and gave a speech about his mother’s journey to sobriety.
Rayfield described his memories of an anti-Nixon pamphlet that hung for years in his family’s house and how he once saw his mother use it to do drugs. The leaflet, he said, was a constant reminder of how grateful he was to have his mother in his life and the opportunities he has had since she went through recovery.
“The biggest issues facing our state right now are our housing and homelessness crisis and the addiction crisis in each of our communities,” said Rayfield who will step down at the end of the 2024 legislative session to run for state Attorney General. Democrats selected House Majority Leader Rep. Julie Fahey, D-Eugene, as their next Speaker last month.