Mark Hass

Mark Hass (born December 10, 1956) is a politician from the US state of Oregon. A Democrat, he currently represents District 14 in the Oregon State Senate. Hass is best known as an outspoken advocate of state-sponsored higher education. In 2015, Senator Hass sponsored the "Oregon Promise," which provides debt-free community college to all Oregon high school graduates.

Early years

Hass was born in Newport, Rhode Island on Dec. 20, 1956 and moved to Oregon with his parents as a young boy. Growing up, he was a Boy Scout and even received the distinction of Eagle Scout.

In 1980, Hass graduated from University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism. In 1981, he went on to earn his Master of Arts in Communication from the American University School of Communication.

Prior to serving in the legislature, Hass spent 20 years as journalist, most recently at KATU television from 1984 to 2000. He won an Emmy Award in 1998 for writing.

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. He was elected for a full term in 2008.