Things are moving fast

Representative Smith Warner

Update and Coming Events

Hello Everyone,

This is the time when the true politicking begins in Salem, for better or for worse. In my opinion, the “deal” to get the Senate Republicans to come back and do their jobs was undoubtedly for the worse. While I am thrilled about the passage of the Student Success Act (more on that later), it came at a great cost. In exchange for giving a quorum (better known as SHOWING UP TO DO THEIR JOB), Senate Democrats and Governor Brown agreed to no longer consider SB 978, the omnibus gun violence prevention bill, and HB 3063, which would have expanded vaccine requirements in Oregon. These are two critical public health and safety measures that I support wholeheartedly, and I will not give up on these issues.

With just 5 weeks left until our June 30 end date, the deadlines that dictate the movement of bills have passed. That means that any bills not in a Joint Committee, a Rules Committee, or a Revenue Committee are dead. My office didn’t experience too many casualties with those deadlines, but now it’s a race to the finish line. We have until June 30th to pass bills through both chambers of the Legislature and get them sent to the Governor. Republicans in the House are still engaging in slowdown techniques, leading to a backlog of dozens and dozens of bills. Fingers crossed we can passed critical legislation on this shrinking timeline -- I’ll be working hard to make it happen.

The last few weeks of session is also when critical budget decisions are made. Following a record-breaking revenue forecast, an additional $870 million more dollars are on the table than anticipated. The Ways and Means Co-Chairs are in charge of allocating those funds, but if there is a state-funded program or service that is important to you -- please reach out to tell me about it. I would love to hear from constituents and pass your priorities along to the budget committee members.

CONSTITUENT UPDATES

Last Friday was a scary day in our district. A student with a gun approached Parkrose High School with a gun, and was tackled by coach and former college football player.

School shootings have become terrifyingly commonplace, so much so that we almost shouldn’t be surprised when it finally happens in our community. Still, it was shocking. As soon as I heard about the event I was glued to the news, trying to understand what was happening in my district.  I am endlessly thankful to the coach, teachers, security officers and police who helped keep this day from being more tragic, but we can't accept this as normal. I’ve talked with parents, students, administrators and activists, and we are all fired up.

Our students should feel safe in their schools, and it's our moral obligation to make that a reality. Safe storage requirements, like HB 2505, can make a real difference. There's no time to lose, we can't keep putting this off. For Parkrose and for every Oregonian, the time is NOW.

CAPITOL UPDATES

SSA Signing Ceremony

The Governor ceremonially signed HB 3427, the Student Success Act, this Monday at a local Elementary School in Salem. It was a joyous celebration of a long overdue investment in Oregon’s preK-12 schools and I was so happy to participate and share a few words. This is why I came to Salem, and I cannot express how meaningful the process of passing the Student Success Act has been to me.

SSA signing

Advocacy Visits:

IDA coalition

IDA coalition

It was great to speak with a wide coalition of community organizations about individual development accounts, a matching grant program that helps low-income Oregonians save and purchase assets to help gain multi-generational wealth.

Oregon State Bar constituents

Thanks to constituent members of the Oregon State Bar for coming down to Salem! It was great to talk about legal aid funding and how it helps increase access to justice for more Oregonians.

Oregon State Bar mtg
CCC Lobby Day

Coalition of Communities of Color

Thanks to everyone from CCC for coming down to the Capitol! I’m proud to support youth sentencing reform, which passed the House by the necessary ⅔ vote yesterday, and is on its way to the Governor to become law.

Interesting bill updates:

HB 3310 passed in the House this week with bipartisan support. It’s an Oregon Voting Rights Act which will help increase representation by historically marginalized communities in local elections by making it easier to establish specific, smaller zones for elections. This is the kind of wonky-sounding yet truly significant policy that can have a huge impact on making our democracy more representative and reflective of all. Shout out to Rep. Diego Hernandez for his leadership on this bill, and I am eagerly supporting it as it moves to the Senate.

SB 664 will be coming to the House Floor for a vote in the coming days, and requires school districts to adopt curriculum on the teaching of the Holocaust and genocide by 2020. The need for this bill was made clear when a number of Holocaust deniers tried to testify against it in committee. Props to Rep. Margaret Doherty for her handling of their presentation, and I am eager to vote yes on this bill.  

MY BILLS & PRIORITIES

Safe Storage for Firearms  – HB 2505

After the scare at Parkrose last week, I became even more determined to make progress on Safe Storage requirements as soon as possible. Safely securing guns when they aren’t in use is something that responsible gun owners already do, and its a public health approach that would have a lifesaving impact right here in Oregon. If you are passionate about this issue, I would love to connect and hear your story. Please send me an email, or call my office.

Adi’s Act: Suicide Prevention in Oregon Schools – SB 52

It was bittersweet to carry SB 52 on the floor this week, where it passed unanimously. It will require every school district to establish suicide prevention plans, which are particularly important for vulnerable populations like LGBTQ students, and is named in honor of my constituent Adi Staub. Thank you to Adi’s family, who loved and supported her in every way during her life, who continue to advocate in her memory, and who gave me the privilege to share her story. You can watch my floor speech here.

AdisAct

End the Gigabit Exemption – HB 2684

My least favorite thing is a bad tax credit, and HB 2684 will end one now that it has passed through the legislature and is on its way to the Governor to become law. Passed as part of an incentive to get Google Fiber to come to Oregon in 2015, the gigabit exemption was instead utilized by other companies who met the technical if not the policy requirements of the bill. Putting this money back in state coffers will better allow us to promote economic development, broadband access statewide, and other critical services.

Oil Trains - HB 2209

This bill has been assigned to the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Natural Resources, where I am anxiously awaiting its passage out of Committee. I have worked on this issue for 4 years now, and this legislation will be a powerful tool to help keep our communities safer.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Sincerely,

Sig

Representative Barbara Smith Warner
House District 45

email: Rep.BarbaraSmithWarner@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1445
address: 900 Court St NE, H-286, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/smithwarner