PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon Sen. James Manning Jr. introduced a bill on Monday that would provide aid to more than 4,500 Ukrainian refugees currently living in Oregon.
Manning’s office said that, if passed, the bill would help remove barriers that Ukrainian refugees face in obtaining housing and driver’s licenses when settling in Oregon.
“By removing these obstacles to basic needs, Oregon can ease Ukrainian refugees’ transition to life in Oregon at this unimaginably stressful time,” Manning said. “It is our responsibility and humanitarian duty to not only open our state to these refugees but to do what we can to make their lives easier, ensuring access to housing, mobility, and state-issued identification.”
The new legislation would allow Ukrainian refugees without an Oregon cosigner to apply for rental housing in Oregon. The bill would also waive written and driving tests for Ukrainian refugees attempting to obtain an Oregon driver’s license if they already hold a valid Ukrainian driver’s license.
The bill was introduced the same day that President Joe Biden paid an unannounced visit to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, showing a display of solidarity ahead of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.