Biography
Laurie Monnes Anderson is serving her second term as an Oregon State Senator following two terms as a State Representative. She represents a large suburban area stretching across the east side of Portland, Oregon. Her district includes Gresham, Troutdale, Wood Village, and Fairview. She is a retired public health nurse and manager.
Currently, Senator Monnes Anderson serves as chair of the Senate Health Care, Human Services and Rural Health Committee. She also serves on the Veterans' and Military Affairs Committee and the Ways and Means subcommittee on Human Services. Additionally, she is on the Joint Interim Committee on Legislative Administration. She is a current member of the Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission as well as the Women's Veterans Health Care Task Force.
As a county public health nurse, she worked in a variety of areas, with drug addicted moms, drug addicted babies, at risk seniors, and with teens in a school based health center. She also managed the communicable disease, immunization, breast and cervical cancer, field nursing, and tobacco cessation programs. At the University of Colorado Medical Center, she worked in cancer research as a research biologist.
She is a Willamette University graduate and she obtained her MA at the University of Colorado and BSN from Radford University, in Virginia. Senator Monnes Anderson was also awarded an honorary associates degree from Mt. Hood Community College. She has two grown children and loves golfing and gardening.
In 2010 and 2009, she served as chair of the Senate Committee on Health Care, and also served on Human Services and Rural Health Policy as well as Veteran's Affairs and the Legislative Administration Committee.
Senator Mones Anderson has also served on a Legislative Task Force on Women Veterans' Health Care.
In the 2007 Oregon Legislative Session, she served on the following Senate committees: Business, Transportation and Workforce Development; Health Care Reform; Health and Human Services; Rules. In addition, she chaired the Health Policy and Public Affairs Committee. Also, Senator Monnes Anderson was chosen by her Senate colleagues to serve as Deputy Majority Leader.
During the 2006 interim period between bi-annual sessions, she was the chair of the Senate Committee on Children’s Health Care and is co-chair of the Joint Committee on Information Management & Technology. She also served as a legislative representative to the Oregon Commission on Children & Families and on four Governor’s Commissions dealing with health care issues.
In the 2005 Oregon Legislative session, she chaired the Senate Health Policy Committee and served on three additional committees dealing with human services and economic development.
In the 2001 and 2003 sessions, in the House of Representatives, she served on the Health Policy, Natural Resources, and Rules Committees.
In 2010, Senator Monnes Anderson gave an invocation in the Senate, in which she talked about her family history. Watch it below:
