Sara Gelser Blouin

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT SARA GELSER BLOUIN

I have dedicated my career in the Oregon Legislature to advancing the rights and well-being of people who face systemic barriers to success and well being, such as children and youth in care, people with disabilities, those with mental illness, people living in poverty, and the aging. I currently chair the Senate Human Services Committee and serve as the Senate Majority Whip. I am also a member of several other committees including Education, Judiciary, Joint Ways and Means and the Human Services Subcommittee of Ways and Means. In the Oregon House, I chaired the House Education Committee for six years. I\'ve successfully championed legislation and initiatives designed to end discrimination, violence, and inequality in various domains, such as health care, education, employment, and justice. Some of my notable achievements include leading the efforts to end Oregon\'s backlog of untested rape kits, establishing a Domestic Worker\'s Bill of Rights, eliminating the use of abbreviated school days for students with disabilities, and exposing and reforming abusive residential programs for children. I also served on the National Council on Disability for five years, after being nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the US Senate. I am honored to have received several awards and recognitions for my work, including the Carl Levin Award for Effective Legislative Oversight from Wayne State School of Law, the Voice for Justice award from the Oregon chapter of the National Crime Victims Law Institute and the Angels in Adoption award from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption.