Monday, February 22, 2010

From Tina Kotek - our State Representative

Dear Friends,
The February special session has been a blur of deadlines, budget conversations, and committee hearings. This newsletter is a very quick update on a great victory today on the House floor. Please save the date for my post-session town hall on Saturday, March 6th.
I have appreciated all of the phone calls, visits, and emails from constituents throughout this month. You still have a few days left if you're interested in visiting the Capitol while it is abuzz. Please contact my staff if you do come visit!

Job Applicant Fairness Act
Passes the House, On to the Governor!

Senate Bill 1045A passed the House today, removing an unfair obstacle to getting hired by limiting the use of a person's credit history as a screening tool for employment.

Employment experts report that more than 50 percent of companies are checking job applicants' credit histories before making a hiring decision. Under Oregon law, it has been perfectly legal to base hiring decisions on this information, which is notoriously inaccurate.

Today, we changed that practice when SB 1045A passed the House. The bill is now on its way to the Governor's desk to become law. You can read the bill here.

Post-Session Town Hall with Sen. Chip Shields and Rep. Lew Frederick
Saturday, March 6th at 10am

I am holding a town hall with Senator Shields and Representative Frederick on Saturday, March 6th at 10am. This will be a great opportunity to ask questions and learn about a variety of topics that were covered this session. We will be at PCC-Cascade in Terrell Hall, Room 122. Please mark your calendars!

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy the redesigned newsletter. I look forward to any feedback you have. Please feel free to contact my office with any questions or concerns.
Best,

Tina's signature