I truly appreciate all the people who supported me as I campaigned for State Representative.  In this competitive race I feel that I ran a very positive campaign—my qualifications, experience, and ideas were all distributed for voters to see and make an informed choice.  Local newspapers published my articles (links are available on my website).  TV ads highlighted the influential people who endorsed me.  I walked to over 5,200 residences since October 2011 and I visited 9,000 residences when I ran in 2010.  I enjoyed meeting people and felt humbled to have you share your thoughts and ideas with me.  It was exciting to also see so many people proudly displaying my signs.  Having supporters who were willing to have their names posted on my website, volunteer for the campaign, appear in my ads, and actually vote for me made me feel honored to be part of the community.

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for us all to be involved.  Only through participation can we make a difference.  As the old saying goes, “the world belongs to those who show up.”  We have to stay in the game to win it.  I encourage each of you to volunteer for some effort in the community that will benefit our youth.  Over and over again I talked to people who reported that education was their top priority.  We need to now put that priority into action.

I will continue to be involved in the community.  One of my top priorities is to see if we can fund out-of-school time (after school, weekend, and summer) positive growth activities for our youth.  If you are also interested in that effort, please contact me and I will be happy to talk to you about involvement possibilities:  katie@katieriley.org

Thank you

Katie

The Forest Grove News Times has published my article on affordable health care in recognition of the key role that this issue has in Oregon’s economic status. Health care costs drive up costs for businesses, education, and individuals.  Focusing on prevention and early intervention can drive costs down.  Proactively managing chronic diseases and controlling costs of health insurance can also make a difference.  I am the only candidate running for State Representative in House District 29 who has the expertise to address this issue.  Voters recognize this expertise and are voting for me.  Check out the articles posted on the “In the News Page.”

Two exciting new ads supporting the Katie Riley campaign for State Representative are being viewed by voters in House District 29!  Acclaimed producer/director Alexander MacKenzie (producer of Dancing on the Edge, nominated for the Cannes film festival) teamed up with supporters of Katie Riley to produce two ads that are airing on CNN, the Hallmark and Food Channels, and other cable TV channels.  Here is one of the ads for your viewing enjoyment!

Katie visits her 5,000th home this election cycle and gets a warm reception from Fay Magraff!

Katie just released a new video on YouTube. We are trying to raise enough money to get it on tv.  If you can help with this project, click the Contribute button above and donate whatever you can.

I am proud to wear the sash to mark the 100th anniversary of Oregon women obtaining the right to vote. Women must exercise this hard-won right and stand for the values of equity and representation for all. I will be speaking at the Unite Against the War on Women Rally on Saturday, April 28th in Salem.

I am proud to report that I have been endorsed by the Oregon Black Political Convention. They recognize my commitment and long time dedication to serving all people in my district and Oregon.

Don’t miss this important documentary! The “Koch Brothers Exposed” will be shown tonight at the Washington County Democrats’ office (140 NE 3rd Avenue) at 7 pm.

You are invited to a showing of “Koch Brothers Exposed: The 1% at its very worst” hosted by Katie Riley!

April 17th at 7pm
Washington County Democrats Office
140 NE 3rd Ave in Hillsboro

There is space for about 45 people, so first come first served.

These days, the primary emphasis of state strategies is recruiting new businesses and supporting existing large businesses rather than supporting small businesses already here in our community. This prioritization occurs despite the fact that Oregon has a strong core of small, stable businesses making up our economic fabric and creating the majority of jobs in the state.

That’s why I formed an advisory group of small business owners to identify barriers to their success and develop potential solutions. Members come from Hillsboro, Cornelius, and Forest Grove and include manufacturers, farmers, health care providers, contractors, and retailers. Some have been in business many years; others only a short time. The following barriers to success emerged from our first meeting:

Access to capital: In spite of the massive public bail-outs of large Wall Street banks, small business loans for start-up and expansion purposes are almost non-existent. Most small businesses need bridge loans between seasonal buying months and to technologically improve operations to remain competitive. Small business loans are also needed to fuel expansion into new markets and product development.

Land use: Small businesses have less clout when confronted with large ventures that would adversely affect their operation on their own land. This is particularly true in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) controversy where legislation has been passed that will allow private energy corporations to get permits to do soil removal and/or fill without landowner approval.

Regulatory Laws and Licensing Requirements: State and local laws and licensing requirements rarely take into account the economic impact of compliance on small businesses.

Access to health insurance pools for employee healthcare purposes: Small businesses could get more employee healthcare coverage at better rates if pooled together.

The participants agreed that small businesses need to be given incentives equal to those provided for large businesses. Many business owners are ready to expand and hire new people but they need capital to expand. We need to help get it to them.

Other Legislative ideas include:

• Incentives to expand. The last Legislative Session allowed the state to “Buy Oregon first.” We need a bill to “Hire Oregon First.” I will introduce a bill to give incentives to small businesses, to do just that.
• Streamline the permitting process. The state has instituted one-stop permits for state agencies. The process now needs to be coordinated with counties and cities so businesses truly have one-stop permitting.
• Provide access to capital. In the last session the Oregon Investment Act pooled funds for business loans. Now, we need to make sure those funds get delivered to our small businesses so they can expand and hire more workers.
• Lower the cost of health insurance for small businesses. The new health insurance exchange program needs to be expanded to allow small businesses and their employees to participate.

We need to deliver to small businesses in our community. I am committed to working on each of these initiatives as well as other ideas that arise from small businesses. Business owners can submit ideas and comments to me via email: katie@katieriley.org