Confluence Willamette Valley LGBT Chorus opened the House of Representatives at the invitation of Rep. Tina Kotek, who was reelected to her fourth term as Speaker of the House.
Rep. Anna Williams converses with a fellow representative at Monday’s inaugural gathering of the 80th Legislative Assembly. New and returning members were sworn in as other business was conducted and bills were introduced.
Confluence Willamette Valley LGBT Chorus opened the House of Representatives at the invitation of Rep. Tina Kotek, who was reelected to her fourth term as Speaker of the House.
Emily Fitzgerald
Rep. Anna Williams converses with a fellow representative at Monday’s inaugural gathering of the 80th Legislative Assembly. New and returning members were sworn in as other business was conducted and bills were introduced.
Newly-elected District 52 Rep. Anna Williams was sworn into office at the State Capital on Jan. 14, alongside her 59 fellow representatives, during the first gathering of the State House of Representatives for the 2019 Legislative Session.
While the assembly doesn’t officially convene for the 80th Legislative Assembly until Tuesday, Jan. 22, Monday marked the first of four official Organizational Days for the House and Senate to conduct the swearing-in ceremonies for members-elect, introduce bills and announce committee membership. Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Lee Walters presided as all new and returning Representatives took the oath of office together.
Williams was appointed to three committees: Agricultural and Land Use, Energy and Environment, and Human Services and Housing.
Rep. Daniel Bonham of neighboring District 56 was reappointed to the Business and Labor and Economic Development committees, as well as a joint committee on Carbon Reduction.
Williams was charged with calling roll for the Speaker of the House election between nominees Rep. Jennifer Williamson and Rep. Tina Koteck. Ultimately, Rep. Koteck, of District 44, was re-elected to her fourth term as Speaker of the House.
“I really do appreciate the trust you are placing in me,” she said after she was sworn in as Speaker of the House. “We must not shy away from any difficult conversations in order to move forward … (at the same time,) we must not be afraid to be kind and have respectful conversations with each other, even when the rest of the world tells us not to.”
After thanking her fellow Representatives, as well as their families and friends, she focused her remarks on improving workplace culture in the capital.
The Oregon capital was found to be a hostile workplace in a recent report by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industry, the culmination of an investigation into sexual harassment allegations.
“You only need to look at the size of the men’s and women’s restrooms (in this building) to know that we have not always valued participation equally,” Koteck said.
“Having a good capital culture starts with us. If anyone is sitting here on the floor today thinking we’re not part of the problem, I would ask that you catch yourself,” she continued. “We are part of the problem if each of us is not exhibiting our best behavior.”
She announced that members of the House and Senate would be participating in 10-hours of mandatory training throughout the week to learn about inclusivity and proper workplace culture. Some of those trainings would be dependent on the government shutdown, she said, but added that they would be rescheduled if they couldn’t be held this week.
After Koteck’s remarks and the remaining business was taken care of, the House then officially introduced all of the bills it will be considering this Legislative Session — over 900 in total, encompassing everything from definition changes to tax reform.
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