Mark Hass
{{short description|American politician}}
{{distinguish|text=Mark Hasse, one of the victims of the 2013 Kaufman County murders}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2011}}
{{BLP primary sources|date=April 2016}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Mark Hass
|image = Mark Hass.jpg
|state_senate = Oregon
|district = 14th
|term_start = January 2007
|term_end = January 14, 2021
|predecessor = Ryan Deckert
|successor = Kate Lieber
|state_house1 = Oregon
|district1 = 27th
|term_start1 = January 2001
|term_end1 = January 2007
|predecessor1 = Ryan Deckert
|successor1 = Tobias Read
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1956|12|10}}
|birth_place = Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = Democratic
|spouse = Tamra
|children = 2
|education = University of Oregon (BS)
American University (MA)
}}
Mark Hass (born December 10, 1956) is an American politician from the US state of Oregon. A Democrat, he was the representative for District 14 in the Oregon State Senate from November 21, 2007, until January 10, 2021.{{Cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Mark_Hass|title = Mark Hass}} He sought the office of Oregon Secretary of State in 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wweek.com/news/state/2019/09/03/state-sen-mark-hass-confirms-hes-running-for-oregon-secretary-of-state/|title=State Sen. Mark Hass Confirms He's Running for Oregon Secretary of State|date=September 3, 2019 }}
Early years
Hass was born in Newport, Rhode Island, on December 10, 1956, and moved to Oregon with his parents as a young boy. Growing up, he was a Boy Scout and an Eagle Scout.{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
In 1980, Hass graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science in journalism. In 1981, he earned his Master of Arts in communication from the American University School of Communication.
Prior to serving in the legislature, Hass spent 20 years as a journalist, most recently at KATU television from 1984 to 2000. He won an Emmy Award in 1998 for writing.[http://www.leg.state.or.us/hass/bio.htm Official biography] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101212092320/http://www.leg.state.or.us/hass/bio.htm |date=December 12, 2010 }}, from Senate web site{{self-published source|date=April 2017}}
Oregon legislature
Hass was selected in fall 2007 by the County Commissions of Washington and Multnomah counties to serve the remainder of Senator Ryan Deckert's term, following Deckert's resignation.{{cite news|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2007/11/its_official_hass_to_replace_d.html|title=It's official: Hass to replace Deckert|accessdate=September 10, 2008|date=November 20, 2007|work=The Oregonian}} He was elected for a full term in 2008. Hass has subsequently been reelected twice, in 2012 and 2016.
Hass is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue.[https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2013I1/Committees/SFR/Overview Finance and Revenue Committee] He is also a member of the Senate Education Committee [https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2013I1/Committees/SEDWD/Overview Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee] Senate Labor and Business Committee, and the Joint Interim Committee on Public Education Appropriation.{{Cite web |url=https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2017R1/Committees/SGGA/Overview |title=General Government and Accountability Senate 2017 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System |access-date=July 24, 2017 |archive-date=March 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316151935/https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2017R1/Committees/SGGA/Overview |url-status=dead }} He also serves as Senate Democratic Whip.
Throughout his time in the Oregon Legislature, Hass has made reforming education in Oregon his chief priority. In 2011, Hass sponsored a bill (SB248) for full-day kindergarten, which replaced half-day kindergarten in Oregon public schools in the 2015-16 school year. Hass was also instrumental in restructuring the state's higher education system. In 2011, as a member of the Higher Education Workgroup, Hass led the legislative efforts to pass SB 242, which provided greater autonomy for Oregon's seven public universities. It also created the Higher Education Coordinating Commission.{{cite news|last1=Hammond|first1=Betsy|title=Oregon higher education stands to get powerful new overseer|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2013/04/oregon_higher_education_stands.html|accessdate=2016-04-09|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=April 14, 2013}} During that same 2011 session, Hass led the passage{{Cite web|url=https://sos.oregon.gov/archives/Pages/records/legislative_minutes.aspx|title = Oregon Secretary of State}} of SB 253, which put the 40-40-20 goals into state law. Those goals seek a workforce by 2025 that is made up of 40 percent people who hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 40 percent who hold a two-year degree and the remaining 20 percent people who hold the equivalent of a high school diploma.
During the 2013 Legislative session, Hass sponsored Senate Bill 270 after chairing the Oregon Legislative Task Force on University Governance. Senate Bill 270 created institutional governing boards for the schools in the Oregon University System.{{citation needed|date=April 2017}} That same year, Hass was the chief sponsor of a bill that established the Accelerated Learning Committee, an institution promoting access to dual credit programs in Oregon high schools.{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
In 2015, Hass was a chief sponsor of Senate Bill 81, which created the Oregon Promise. The Oregon Promise is a last-dollar program allowing students graduating from an Oregon high school, who meet specified criteria, to attend community college tuition-free.{{Cite web|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/education/index.ssf/2015/07/oregon_embraces_free_community.html|title = Oregon community colleges lead nation's free-tuition drive|date = July 12, 2015}}
Perhaps Hass' most significant reforms happened in the recently completed 2019 Legislative session. Long a critic of Oregon's inadequate K-12 education system, Hass spearheaded the passage of the Student Success Act. The bill makes new investments in Oregon's education system by prioritizing early childhood development, mental healthcare in schools, and increasing graduation rates.{{Cite web|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2019/05/oregon-governor-signs-multibillion-dollar-tax-and-education-funding-bill-into-law.html|title = Oregon governor signs multibillion-dollar tax and education funding bill into law|date = May 16, 2019}}
Personal life
Outside of the legislature, Hass works as an account manager for Cappelli Miles, an advertising and brand identity firm with offices in Portland and Eugene.{{cite web |url=http://cappellimiles.com/cappelli-miles---full-service-advertising-agency-in-eugene-and-portland-oregon---our-team.html |title=Cappelli Miles - Full-Service Advertising Agency in Eugene and Portland Oregon - Our Team |website=cappellimiles.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170604085935/http://www.cappellimiles.com/cappelli-miles---full-service-advertising-agency-in-eugene-and-portland-oregon---our-team.html |archive-date=2017-06-04}} Hass is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Northwest Health Foundation.
Hass' wife, Tamra, is a speech pathologist.{{citation needed|date=April 2017}}
See also
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080928161443/http://www.leg.state.or.us/hass/ Legislative website]
- [http://www.votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=46683 Project VoteSmart biography]
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Category:American University School of Communication alumni
Category:Journalists from Portland, Oregon
Category:Democratic Party Oregon state senators
Category:21st-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly
Category:Politicians from Beaverton, Oregon
Category:Politicians from Newport, Rhode Island
Category:Politicians from Portland, Oregon