Rep. Nathan Sosa

In this year’s legislative session, Oregon Democrats showed what it actually looks like to fight for working people.

For many years, working people have grown increasingly frustrated. Stagnant wages, rising prices and historic inequality have led to a sense that something is wrong. The American Dream is fading, and the promise of a better life if you just work hard enough seems to be slipping away.

So, it is no surprise that Donald Trump found a receptive audience when he declared, “the system is rigged.” He cast himself as a tribune of the people who would oppose the powerful. He convinced millions to vote for him and his Republican allies.

Yet, what have we seen? Billionaires seizing the reins of power. Executive orders attacking collective bargaining, the minimum wage and workers’ rights. The elimination of consumer protections that keep people from being cheated and scammed. Tariffs that are raising prices. A “Big Beautiful Bill” that gives $4 trillion in tax cuts, mostly to the wealthy, while stripping health care and food assistance from millions of people.

Sadly, the Republicans’ phony populism is proving to be another con from our grifter-in-chief while he and his cronies line their pockets and loot our nation’s treasury.

Meanwhile, Oregon Democrats showed what it actually looks like to fight for working people. This year, we passed a sweeping set of bills to create a more affordable, fair and just society.

We assisted families who are struggling to make ends meet. We addressed historic increases in utility bills by overhauling the rate-setting process so that consumers’ interests are prioritized over those of utility investors (HB3179) and by ensuring that large energy users, like data centers, will pay their fair share rather than driving up prices for the rest of us (HB 3546). We encouraged the development of affordable housing by speeding up the permitting process (SB 974) and removing regulatory barriers to construction (HB 2138). We also limited increases in health care costs by curbing the corporate takeover of our locally owned clinics (SB 951).

We extended a helping hand to workers. We cracked down on wage theft in the construction industry (SB 426). We supported striking workers by making them eligible for up to 10 weeks of unemployment benefits (SB 916). We addressed age discrimination in employment by prohibiting employers from asking for someone’s age or date of graduation on a job application (HB 3187).

We also protected consumers. We stopped auto dealers from using bait-and-switch financing tactics (HB 3178). We eliminated hidden fees in online sales so that vendors must be upfront in their pricing (SB 430). We enhanced privacy by banning the digital tracking of those under 16 years old, prohibiting the sale of our precise location data, and expanding our privacy laws to include information collected by our personal vehicles (HB 2008 and HB 3875). We also prohibited the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports so that someone’s financial future is not ruined because of an unexpected illness or injury (SB 605).

What we did this session was prove that our democratic system can still rise to the occasion. We can solve big problems. We can overcome the corporate power that seeks to stall and stymie reform. We can make lasting and positive changes to improve the lives of Oregonians. Oregon Democrats have shown the nation what fighting for working people really looks like.

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Nathan Sosa has represented House District 30, including North Plains and most of Hillsboro, in the Oregon House of Representatives since 2022.