Christine Drazan Talks Literacy But Skips Vote on Free Books for Oregon Kids

Portland, OR - Today, Governor Kotek signed legislation that directs funding to the Oregon Imagination Library Program to provide a free book each month to eligible children and improve third-grade reading proficiency. While Christine Drazan has claimed childhood literacy is one of her top priorities, she couldn't be bothered to show up when it was time to vote on it.

In February, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 4022, establishing the Oregon Imagination Library program to provide free books to children ages birth-5. The bill received near-unanimous support in both chambers, but Drazan skipped the vote entirely - spending the week taking photo-ops on the campaign trail rather than supporting early childhood literacy.

Drazan missed more than one-third of legislative session votes this year. While Drazan barely shows up to do her job, Republicans across the country are threatening education. Donald Trump signed an executive order to eliminate the Department of Education and proposed slashing its budget by $2.3 billion - putting funding for Pell grants, special education, and more on the chopping block.

"Christine Drazan talks a big game on education, but when it was time to vote for free books for Oregon kids, she was a no-show," said Candy Emmons, Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Oregon. "I grew up in a low-income household where access to books helped open up the world to me, and every Oregon child deserves that same chance to dream bigger. We can't have a governor who skips work for campaign photo-ops, and Drazan has proved that's exactly who she is."

###