Sanchez appointed co-chair of Oregon legislature committee
Rep. Tawna Sanchez
SALEM, Oregon — Rep. Tawna Sanchez (D-N/NE Portland) is the first Native American to be appointed co-chair of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means in the Oregon Legislature.
Sanchez has represented House District 43 since 2017. She is Shoshone-Bannock, Ute and Carrizo.
Rep. Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis) intends to appoint Sanchez. He’s served as the House’s chief budget writer since 2019 and was recently nominated by the House Democratic caucus to serve as the next Speaker of the House.
“Representative Sanchez has shown a tremendous commitment to stand up for social justice and center equity in our state budgets,” Rayfield said in a press release. “She has built trust among her fellow legislators and has become a moral compass for our caucus. I am excited to work together as we enter the 2022 session.”
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve Oregon in a new way at this critical juncture in our state’s history,” Sanchez said. “I am committed to building a recovery that brings a brighter future for Oregonians from every background and zip code. Affordable housing, access to quality childcare, family wage jobs, behavioral health support, and a strong education system will be pillars of a robust recovery that extends to every corner of the state.”
Sanchez has most recently chaired the House Committee on Behavioral Health and helped lead the effort during the 2021 session to pass a groundbreaking behavioral health investment package worth more than $470 million.
The package included funding to increase statewide capacity for mobile crisis team interventions, as well as licensed residential facilities and housing for people with behavioral health needs. It also provides mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment through Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, incentives to increase diversity in the behavioral health workforce and funding to implement the new 9-8-8 crisis line.
Sanchez served on the full Joint Ways and Means Committee during the 2021 session, after previous tenures on the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Public Safety. As the Director of Family Services at the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), she helped create the Many Nations Academy (previously known as the Early College Academy), expanded early childhood services, affordable housing development, elder support, and assisted in building a nationally recognized domestic violence wrap-around service model.
The Speaker’s office is releasing a memo the week of January 24 reflecting the decision and other committee changes. The current House Speaker, Tina Kotek (D-N/NE Portland), announced earlier this month her intention to step down effective today. The Speaker Pro Tempore, Rep. Paul Holvey (D-Eugene), will then serve as interim Speaker until the full Oregon House of Representatives formally votes to elect the next Speaker on February 1, opening day of the 2022 legislative session.
