House District 25 Representative Benjamin Bowman is a newly-elected Democratic member of the House of Representatives. Bowman, a TuHS grad, served as the Tigard-Tualatin School District Board Chair prior to his election into the House. Bowman works hard to get bills passed in the House regarding all sorts of issues, but his focus has been on bills addressing addiction recovery, homelessness and quality education for students.
In an interview with The Wolf, Bowman shared his opinion on the most pressing issues for Oregonians now and in the coming years.
“Right now, Oregon is facing two giant crises: a housing crisis and a behavioral health/addiction crisis. The result is thousands of people living in homelessness without access to the resources they need to find safe and stable housing (among other impacts). We are facing many other challenges, too – but right now I believe this is the most pressing issue.”
Bowman has worked in politics and education work for a long time following gaining his teaching degree from the Stanford University Graduate School of Education. He has a passion for both education and politics and the way they can overlap.
“I’m most passionate about upstream solutions – investing in education, childcare, job training and other strategies that help prevent these crises from happening in the first place,” Bowman said.
Being a Representative is both tiring and fulfilling. There is no doubt that political work can be frustrating, but Bowman has many key policies and initiatives he has worked on that deserve recognition and pride.
“I am most proud of the work I did on early literacy. I was the chief sponsor of a bill that allocated over $140 million to improve how we teach our youngest learners how to read. Separately, I secured funding for statewide implementation of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library – an awesome program that sends a free children’s book in the mail to every child, from birth until their fifth birthday. These are research-based strategies that will help many thousands of kids learn how to read,” explained Bowman.
With the short session of the Oregon House of Representatives approaching, Bowman is exploring the policies he plans to support and introduce. Real change can be made at a state level if Representatives are able to carry policies through the House, something Bowman is working hard to do this coming session.
“In the short session, I will focus on public safety, improving Measure 110 (the ballot measure that decriminalized drugs) and expanding access to treatment for those struggling with addiction,” said Bowman.
Bowman is an accomplished Oregon Representative who tirelessly works to improve the lives of every Oregonian. He has much to be proud of and much more to look forward to.
