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A week after visiting a Hillsboro health clinic, U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici celebrated what she said was a mixed bag of funding for school-based health centers in Oregon.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to reauthorize the Children's Health Insurance Program last week, something the Beaverton democrat listed as among her top priorities during a visit to a clinic at Hillsboro's Century High School in late October. The center was threatened with closure after Congress allowed the CHIP program to expire in September in the wake of several battles on health care.

In the wake of this year's horrific wildfire season, the U.S. House on Wednesday passed legislation aimed at reversing the rising fire danger in the nation's forests and grasslands.

The measure, passed on a 232-188 vote, would increase timber harvests and relax some key environmental rules. It also seeks to relieve the U.S. Forest Service from being forced to cannibalize its fire prevention budget to pay for the rapidly escalating costs of combating wild-land blazes.

U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, the only woman in Oregon's congressional delegation, says expanded education and training are the main ways to increase the number of women in technology and help them achieve pay equity with men.

Bonamici, a Democrat from Beaverton, said she understands the concerns voiced Monday night (Oct. 30) at a forum sponsored by PDX Women in Tech.