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Greetings from Salem!
As we finish up the second month of the of the 79th
Oregon Legislative Assembly, bills are moving through the committee process
with Public Hearings and Work Sessions.
As a coastal legislator one of my top priorities remains
emergency preparedness, and so I’ve been working on the language of SB 885 relating to professional engineering
registration. Senator Arnie Roblan is
the Chief Sponsor of this bill, which seeks to modify provisions allowing
waiver of qualification for registration as professional engineer if applicant
has professional engineering experience in another jurisdiction. The reason we have been working on this
legislation is due to the help we’ll need in the case of a devastating natural
disaster. SB 885
is currently in the Senate Committee on Business and Transportation, and a
Public Hearing was held Monday on the bill.
Senator Roblan and other stakeholders are now refining the legislative
language before holding a Work Session to consider any amendments and to move
the bill to a Senate Chamber vote.
Another bill we moved this week is HB 2900 which relates to Port Advertising. I sponsored this legislation to expand the
ports authority, allowing them to advertise not only their own facilities, but
also activities of the port and those who are using a port. HB
2900 received a Work Session on Wednesday, and received unanimous support
in the House Committee on Economic Development and Trade, and now moves to the
House floor with a “Do Pass” recommendation.
I met up with farmers and ranchers from the district on
Tuesday, when Dairy Day was celebrated at the Capitol. Farming and ranching is a major economic
driver for our state and Dairy Day offered the opportunity to showcase many
wonderful healthy Oregon-produced products, with people enjoying a variety of
dairy treats. Representative Jennifer
Williamson, the House Majority Leader, comes from a dairy background, as she
grew up on the family dairy farm in Forest Grove. Although she didn’t participate in the
Oregon Dairy Princess competition as a teen, Jennifer full-filled her parents’
dreams last year when she was crowned as an Honorary Dairy Princess. Rep Williamson and leadership from both the
House and Senate joined the current Dairy Princesses, and Chad Allen in a “Milk
Toast” to the dairy industry.
A Milk Toast to the Dairy Industry
As part of the Dairy Day festivities, Governor Kate Brown
held a ceremonial signing of SB 1517. This
bill, a first in the nation, establishes a 10-year pilot program giving
Tillamook County and local farmers more input and control in the process of
wetland restoration projects. The law
creates a collaborative approach for stakeholders to weigh in on the
appropriate uses for exclusive farm use lands. Tillamook dairyman Chad Allen
spent countless hours lobbying for the effort last session, and recently
received the Oregon Farm Bureau Service to Agriculture Award for helping to
advance this legislation. It was nice to
be on hand for the Governor’s signing ceremony with Chad and other coastal
lawmakers who work to support our dairy industry.
Governor Brown Signs Senate Bill 1517
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