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March 16, 2016
Folks,
The short legislative
session ended a week ago. It was the
worst session I have ever seen, and exactly opposite of what citizens were
promised when annual sessions became the law of the land.
We still do not know
exactly which bills that were passed the Governor will actually sign into
law. Think you all know the two largest
bills were the new three-tier statewide minimum wage which rises to $14.75 per
hour, and the so-called clean coal bill which will radically increase your
utility rates. Yours’s truly voted
against both bills for a variety of reasons.
Click here for a good summary of the bills passed in the 32 days
which felt more like 32 weeks:
If you want to get
some details on the specific bills you can go to the OLIS web page.
The fate of two bills
I worked on extensively has yet to be decided: SB 1565 is a rural economic development bill
that has yet to be signed by the Governor, and HJR 202 is a veterans funding
referral that goes to the voters in November 2016. SB 1656 got tampered with the House of
Representatives but is mostly intact.
Again, you can look at bill specifics on OLIS above.
Lastly, as the P.S., there
is a set of talking points from the session that might be of interest.
Sincerely,
Brian J. Boquist
State Senator 12th District
P.S.
• This 32-day
session went far beyond the scope of what we should – and can thoroughly and
realistically – consider in such a short amount of time.
• Senate
Republicans are concerned about the unknown costs of our new minimum wage law
and utility mandate.
• Small business
owners, the Public Utility Commission, and hundreds of Oregonians who reached
out to us throughout the session all warned of dire consequences of such
expensive mandates: shutting down small businesses, loss of Oregon jobs, and
pricing consumers out of basic goods and services.
• The short
session and one-hour noticed prevented full public input on policies that will
drastically change how Oregonians live and do business. This was a disservice
to Oregon citizens who deserve to full access to the legislative process.
• The
Legislature missed critical opportunities this session to address real
emergencies like our looming PERS liability and gaping holes in agency budgets
• While making
small steps forward in restoring transparency and accountability to Oregon
government, Senate Democrats still rejected numerous ethics bills, including
our bill to stop campaign contribution kickbacks (SJR 205).
• We saw too
many back room deals throughout this session. Despite claims to the contrary,
Republicans were not invited to the table on any of the major policy issues we
considered this session. The public was also left in the dark on key issues
like the minimum wage and renewable energy mandate. This is not the way Oregon
citizens want their government to do business.
Despite an 18-12 disadvantage, Senate Republicans are proud
to have the following bills pass:
• Extending
similar incentives to small and rural businesses currently available to large
corporations (SB 1565)
• Preserving open enrollment options for
parents and students (SB 1556)
• Preserving
the major party status of the Independent Party of Oregon and protecting the
status of all minor parties (SB 1599 & SB 1501)
• Ratifying
the ODF&W decision to delist the Canadian Grey Wolf (HB 4040)
• Protecting
government and nonprofit whistleblowers (HB 4067)
These bills will make a tangible difference in the lives of
thousands of Oregonians, especially those living in rural communities.
Despite an 18-12 disadvantage, Senate Republicans blocked
the following bad bills from becoming law:
Higher Property Taxes for Oregon
Taxpayers
·
SJR 202 would have increased property taxes on
homeowners, further exacerbating unaffordable housing issues in many Oregon
communities.
·
SB 1510 would have allowed Tri-Met to raise
property taxes to resurrect the Columbia River Crossing boondoggle.
Restricting Second Amendment
Rights
·
HB 4147 would have extended the waiting period
for obtaining firearms through a legal background check, further burdening the
Oregon State Police who are already understaffed and underfunded.
Endangering victims of domestic
violence and human trafficking
·
SB 1551 would have allowed abusers to block
domestic violence victims from obtaining firearms to defense themselves for 60
days.
·
HB 4073 would have made it easier for human
traffickers to conceal their abuse by forcing trafficked women into marriages
to conceal their trafficked status.
Threatening financial stability
·
HB 4131 would have forced banks to make bad
loans.
Increasing costs for Oregon consumers
·
HB 4122 would have increased costs for new
labelling of fish at grocery stories, raising the price of healthy groceries
for Oregon families.
·
SB 1509 would have removed caps on utility fees,
allowing bureaucrats to raise utility prices for ratepayers to subsidize green
energy special interests.
Adding to the PERS Liability
·
HB 4011 would have increased Oregon’s PERS
liability by 20% for employees of the Oregon State Hospital.
email: Sen.BrianBoquist@state.or.us I phone: 503-986-1712
address: 900 Court St NE, S-305, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/boquist
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