Hello subscribers to Senator
Laurie Monnes Anderson’s newsletter,
As 2017 begins, many of us
are taking a moment to reflect on the past year’s accomplishments and thinking
of the challenges and opportunities ahead. The same is true in the Legislature,
and this time of year I can’t help but reflect on the good things we’ve done.
The 2017 legislative session convenes February 1, and I look
forward to returning to the Capitol to continue fighting for Oregon families,
creating a climate where local businesses thrive, and prioritizing funding for
our public schools. These are the priorities I continue to hear from my
constituents in District 25 and I will focus on advancing these priorities in
the New Year.
You can follow my work in Salem by visiting my website or
liking my Facebook page! I also encourage you to follow
the Legislature’s deliberations through the Oregon
Legislative Information System (OLIS), where you can find
current information about bills, votes, committee agendas, legislative history,
and much more.
As always, it’s important that I hear from you about your priorities.
Your opinions are invaluable when it’s time for me to make decisions in the
legislative process. If you have questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to
call my Capitol office at 503-986-1725 or email at Sen.LaurieMonnnesAnderson@state.or.us.
Warmest thoughts and best wishes for a wonderful holiday and
happy New Year!
New
Laws: January 1, 2017
Senate
Democratic Highlights:
SB 1503: Access to Affordable Primary and Mental
Health Care
SB 1517: Encouraging Local Collaboration on
Wetland Restoration Projects
SB 1524: Improving Ease of Access to Medical
Marijuana for Veterans
SB 1527: Ensuring Efficiency and Accountability
for Transit Riders
SB 1554: Guidelines for Managing an Individual’s
“Digital Assets”
SB 1567: Criminal Impersonation
SB 1600: Eliminating the Statute of Limitations
for First-Degree Sex Crimes with New Evidence
HB 4046: Enhancing Penalties for Poaching
HB 4053: Streamlining Brewery Licenses and
Applications
HB 4067: Protecting Whistleblowers in Public and
Non-Profit Sectors
HB 4082: Preventing Commercial Sexual
Exploitation of Children
HB 4106: Ensuring Agency Accountability and
Oversight
HB 4128: Preventing ‘Notario’ Fraud
Other bills going into effect January, 1
include:
SB 1599: Relating to calculation for
maintaining status as a major political party
HB 4019: Clarifies duties of Executive Director of the Office of
Student Access and Completion
HB 4104: Excludes health insurance
offering limited benefit coverage from certain statutory requirements for
health insurance coverage
HB 4121: Cancels 2017 restoration of Construction Contractors Board
contested case process
HB 4140: Prohibits release of Sky Lantern in Oregon airspace
+
Senate
Democratic 2016 Accomplishment Summaries:
SB
1503 Access to Affordable Primary and Mental Health Care
Oregon’s
Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants fill critical roles in our state’s
delivery of primary care and mental health services, especially in rural
Oregon. In 2013, the Legislature enacted a law to ensure that these providers
are reimbursed at the same rate as physicians for providing the same services.
Senate Bill 1503 ensures that these essential providers can continue to deliver
quality, cost-effective care in underserved areas by making this law permanent.
SB
1517 Encouraging Local Collaboration on Wetland Restoration Projects
Senate
Bill 1517 creates a pilot project in Tillamook County to establish a more
collaborative impact review process for wetland restoration projects. SB 1517
authorizes the pilot project for 10 years, giving the Legislature opportunity
to review it before making it permanent.
SB
1524 Improving Ease of Access to Medical Marijuana for Veterans
Under
current law, individuals with valid medical marijuana cards are required to see
a physician annually to maintain their eligibility. Senate Bill 1524 creates an
exception to this requirement for 100 percent permanently disabled veterans,
removing an unnecessary barrier by ensuring that these former service members don’t
have to complete this process annually.
SB
1527 Ensuring Efficiency and Accountability for Transit Riders
Senate
Bill 1527 makes changes benefitting public transit riders throughout Oregon by
ensuring that funds placed on an eFare card will remain in the account and
available to the rider in perpetuity, regardless of length of inactivity.
SB
1554 Guidelines for Managing an Individual’s “Digital Assets”
In
today’s day and age, many of us have online lives consisting of electronic
information such as photographs, correspondence and important business records
or other documents with significant financial value. When an individual dies or
becomes disabled, they often leave behind this digital legacy for friends,
family members and other designees to manage. Senate Bill 1554 enacts the
Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, a national policy
standard. The Act lays out clear guidelines, responsibilities and directives
for account users to make clear their wishes for designees who are acting on
the wishes of the person they represent, and for online providers who are often
the custodians of these important digital assets.
SB
1567 Criminal Impersonation
Senate
Bill 1567 closes a loophole in existing law by making it clear that it is a
crime to impersonate someone with the intent to humiliate, harm or harass a
person. SB 1567 provides an important mechanism to hold offenders, particularly
those who use technology for violence or other harm, accountable for these
kinds of abusive tactics. SB 1567 builds upon the necessary work the
Legislature has undertaken in previous sessions to ensure that victims are
protected in a fast-paced digital age.
SB
1600 Eliminating the Statute of Limitations for First-Degree Sex Crimes with
New Evidence
Senate
Bill 1600 authorizes the prosecution of first-degree sex crimes at any time
after the crime is committed, if the prosecuting attorney obtains additional,
corroborating evidence such as non-DNA physical evidence, such as a video or
audio recording; confession by the defendant to that particular crime;
statements by the victim made close in time to the alleged crime; or when
multiple victims come forward alleging crimes similar enough to be on the same
list of charges.
HB
4046 Enhancing Penalties for Poaching
House Bill 4046 cracks down on poachers by
increasing penalties for unlawfully taking or killing certain game wildlife.
The bill increases the maximum fine amount for illegally taking certain species
and requires the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to revoke all licenses,
tags and permits issued to those convicted of a first poaching offense. Upon an
individual’s second conviction within a 10-year period, the bill prohibits the
individual from applying for or obtaining a license, tag or permit. Upon a third
poaching conviction within 10 years, all guns, boats, vehicles, traps and other
implements used in committing the offense are subject to civil forfeiture. This
bill is designed to address a key problem for rural Oregon communities.
HB
4053 Streamlining Brewery Licenses and Applications
House
Bill 4053 expands the activities covered by a brewery license to include retail
sales and special events. Currently, breweries may have to receive three or
more separate permits to engage in these activities. HB 4053 makes this
permitting process more efficient, helping breweries expand and do more
business while maintaining public health and safety.
HB
4067 Protecting Whistleblowers in Public and Nonprofit Sectors
House
Bill 4067 creates a new set of legal protections for whistleblowers and makes
clear that these protections apply to all public and nonprofit employees and
board members. The bill will promote transparency, helping to ensure that
employees can safely report abuse, crimes and other serious misconduct in their
workplace without fearing retaliation or discipline as a result of their
disclosures.
HB
4082 Preventing Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children
House
Bill 4082 closes a loophole in Oregon’s laws to better protect victims of sex
trafficking. The bill expands the crime of promoting prostitution to include
bartering goods, services or anything of value in exchange for prostitution
services, rather than strictly an exchange of money, as is in current statute.
The bill comes at the recommendation of the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of
Children Work Group, which meets regularly with stakeholders to address the
needs of sex trafficking victims, many of whom are minors.
HB
4106 Ensuring Agency Accountability and Oversight
House
Bill 4106 requires all state agencies to report annually to the Legislature on
information related to the use of temporary rulemaking. This new requirement
ensures the Legislature and Oregonians are apprised of agency rules and
actions.
HB
4128 Preventing “Notario” Fraud
In
Oregon, only attorneys and federally authorized individuals can provide legal
advice on immigration matters. However, some unqualified individuals
advertising their services as a “notario” -- a misleading term because, in many
countries, “notario” refers to someone with the same training and authority as
an attorney -- deceive consumers and provide illegitimate services. House Bill
4128 cracks down on “notario” fraud by strengthening penalties, tightening
standards for becoming a notary public and providing law enforcement and other
agencies with more effective tools to protect consumers and hold fraudulent
practitioners accountable.
This
ends our newsletter for January 2017.
Warmest Regards,
Laurie Monnes Anderson
State
Senator, District 25
email: Sen.LaurieMonnesAnderson@oregonlegislature.gov
phone: 503-986-1725
address: 900 Court St NE, S-211, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/monnesanderson
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