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I am excited to announce that a bill I am sponsoring regarding human trafficking awareness passed the Senate this week. HB 3143 was passed unanimously by the Senate and is now only awaiting approval by the Governor.
The bill combats this insidious practice by placing stickers and signs within bathrooms of destinations frequented by victims of human trafficking. The stickers provide the human trafficking hotline number and will be placed in bathrooms because many victims are only away from their pimp when using the restroom.
Human trafficking is a serious issue in our state and this bill gives victims a better chance of escaping this form of modern day slavery. The photo below is a mockup of a sticker used in Central Oregon.
The College Board estimates that tuition prices have increased 58% at public community colleges and 72% at public four-year institutions nationally over the last decade. This has created a barrier to many Oregonians receiving higher education.
This session, I have chief-sponsored HB 2973 which directs our public universities, community colleges, and Higher Education Coordinating Commission to investigate creating low or fixed-cost degree programs.
The bill passed the House with unanimous support in April, and I carried the bill this last week in the Senate where it also passed with unanimous support. The bill is now awaiting to be enrolled and approved by the Governor.
HB 2758 Update
HB 2758 has been an especially contentious bill this session with hundreds of Central Oregonians contacting me. The bill would prohibit the insurance carrier or third party administrator from disclosing to persons, other than the enrollee who receives health services, protected health information relating to services provided to enrollee. The bill has passed the House and is in the Senate Committee on Health Care.
Like the vast majority of Oregonians that contacted me, I oppose HB 2758. The bill is too expansive and creates several troubling possibilities that undermine the rights of Oregon parents. Under HB 2758, minors could receive medical services with their parents' insurance without their parents' knowledge. For instance, a hypothetical nine-year-old could receive a medical treatment and the child's parents could be prohibited from knowing.
I was reminded of the right and necessity of parents to know the health of their kids by a recent testimony I heard from Representative Hack (R-Salem) in the public hearing for HB 2758 before the Senate Committee on Health Care. The story involved a teenage girl who was in an abusive relationship where she contracted an STD. Her abuser paid the co-pay of her parents' insurance to hide the event from them, however, the girl's parents were still able to find out about the STD treatment when the insurance company mailed an explanation of benefits to them. Because of this, the parents were able to start a conversation with their daughter and help her end her abusive relationship. Had the daughter and abuser been able to keep the event confidential like HB 2758 allows, the abuse would have continued. For this reason, I will be voting against HB 2758.
Best Regards,
 Senator Tim Knopp
Senate District 27
email: sen.timknopp@state.or.us I phone: 503-986-1727
address: 900 Court St NE, S-309, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/knopp
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