 Last Friday,
Representative Whisnant (HD 53) and I held three town halls in Senate District 27.
Rep. Whisnant and I discussed and answered questions from citizens about a
variety of Oregon government issues at locations in Sunriver, Redmond, and Bend.
We heard concerns on rent control,
revenue, the Public Employee Retirement System, a transportation package, and
more. Thank you to everyone who made the town hall series a success!
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 The men and
women working in our correctional system have incredibly stressful and difficult
jobs. One major source of that stress is the possibility of physical and
emotional harm resulting from their work with individuals in the correctional
system. Unfortunately, employees are regularly under attack, oftentimes with
bodily fluid or biting. In response to this situation, I co-sponsored Senate
Bill 367 which was introduced by Senator Bill Hansell (SD 29). The bill will
allow very limited disclosure of health information of inmates that attack
corrections employees in situations where the attacker has a communicable disease.
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In 2012, the
Oregon Legislature held a one-day special session to give Nike more tax
certainty in order to prevent the company leaving and to spur growth and job
creation by the company in Oregon. As they say, “what is good for the goose is
good for the gander,” so that is why I introduced Senate Bill 631 to provide
Oregon small businesses with the same tax certainty in order to encourage
investment and job creation. This is a fair and prudent policy because small
business sits at the center of our economy and when they succeed our state
prospers.
Last week I
spoke to the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue about Senate Joint
Resolution 32. The legislation proposes an amendment to the Oregon Constitution
to expand the types of legislative measures that require a three-fifths
majority vote in each chamber for passage. Under SJR 32, the following types of
legislation would require a supermajority vote: 1) Bills that establish new or
increased taxes, 2) Bills that modify or expand the tax base to produce revenue,
3) Bills that establish new or increased fees or fines, 4) Bills that offset
reductions in revenue. Revenue raising bills currently require a three-fifths
majority vote, and expanding this requirement to include the previously
mentioned bills adds another layer of scrutiny, and protects Oregon taxpayers
from more unnecessary financial burdens.
 One area of focus for me as a
legislator is improving health care by making it more responsive to patients’
wants and needs. Part of that is encouraging citizens to save for health care
expenses as well as providing portable, convenient ways to cover health care
services beyond their insurance. I introduced Senate Bill 810 to do just that.
The bill directs the State Treasurer to administer a program allowing for
Oregonians to be able to save for health care costs and medical expenses. These
savings would be exempt from Oregon tax. This would encourage people to save
for any kind of health care expense with a real incentive of money saved from
Oregon tax. Helps people take health savings into their own hands. With increasing
costs in medical care, having an option to save with a little incentive would
help better the health of all Oregonians.
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 One of our
fundamental constitutional rights is the right to be free from unreasonable
searches and seizures. The US and Oregon constitutions both guarantee this
right. Unfortunately, as technology changes so must our laws and we have not
yet adapted to some of the new technologies that are being used by our police
departments. Cell-site simulators (a.k.a Stingrays) are one such technology
that must be properly integrated into the law. Cell-site simulators act like
cellphone towers and allow police departments to collect location and other data
from cell phones. The technology clearly has a place in the toolbox for our
public safety officers, but at the same time they shouldn’t be used without a
warrant due to the concern for protecting constitutional rights.
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 I had the
privilege last week of speaking on behalf of Senate Bill 573, which encourages
Oregonians to stop and reflect for 21 seconds on the sacrifices of those who
have given their lives in military service. The bill is called “21 Seconds” in
part because of the significance of the number 21 to the US Armed Forces. You
can read the bill and learn more about the nationwide initiative online.
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Best Regards,
 Senator Tim Knopp
Senate District 27
email: sen.timknopp@oregonlegislature.gov 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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