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Dear Friends:
As we begin our
third month of the 79th Oregon Legislative Assembly, bills are
moving through both the House and Senate chambers. While many of the proposals clarify or fine
tune existing laws, others attempt to make more dramatic changes and attract
more interest from state residents.
The issue of
Pay Equity received lots of attention this past week as HB 2005 came up for a
House floor vote. After nearly four
hours of debate, the legislation that would expand Oregon’s existing pay equity
laws and increase penalties for business that violate them, passed 36-24. HB 2005 prohibits employers from paying
people less based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital
status, disability, age, and national origin. Another version of the bill, the
Minority Report added veterans as a protected class, while the Majority Report
did not. Because I feel so strongly
that veterans should be included, I voted for the Minority Report, which failed
on a 31-29 vote. I then supported the
Majority Report, because I totally support Pay Equity. I have asked for an amendment to add veterans
to the bill which now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Another bill
that received extensive floor debate was HB 2004 which would lift Oregon’s
statewide ban on rent control and establishes a just cause eviction standard
allowing for no-cause evictions only during the first six months of
occupancy. After that time, for the
most part, landlords would need a tenant fault-based cause to terminate
month-to month rental agreement. The bill includes many exceptions, including
allowing landlords to evict for business or personal reasons, but they would
need to give 90-days notice, and must provide one month’s rent for moving
expenses, unless they own four or fewer units.
The just-cause standard does not apply to landlords who live on the same
property as the tenant and have two or fewer units. This bill now moves to the Senate.
For many years,
I have been focused on disaster preparedness for the coast and the state of
Oregon, and one of my bills relating to this topic moved out of committee this
week and is now heading for a floor vote.
HB 2933 relates to emergency project funding by the Special Public Works
Fund. Established in 1985, the Special
Public Works fund is an important source of funding for critical infrastructure
projects throughout Oregon. When
disaster strikes, the fund provides matching funds for federal and other local
assistance. HB 2933 removes the
limitation on the amount the Oregon Infrastructure Finance Authority may grant
for emergency projects. Exceeding the upper limit of $2.5 million per project
should only occur in the event of a catastrophic seismic event. On Tuesday, HB 2933 was voted out of the
House Veterans and Emergency Preparedness Committee with a unanimous “Do Pass”
recommendation.
On Wednesday,
HB 2900 relating to Port Advertising passed the House of Representatives with a
unanimous vote of approval. I sponsored
this legislation at the request of the Oregon Ports Association to allow them
to advertise their own facilities and the activities of the port and those who
are using the port. The bill now moves
to the Senate for consideration.
I want to thank
the thousands of SOLVE volunteers who turned out last weekend for the 34th
annual Spring Beach Cleanup. Nearly 5,000
people participated in this year’s event which picked up 28 tons of trash from
Oregon’s coastline. The beaches now
look great, and are ready for company!
This week
several constituents visited my office to talk about Safety and Justice,
Banking issues, and Higher Education. I
always look forward when someone from the north coast visits, and my door is
always open to constituents. If you are
planning a trip to the Capitol it’s best to contact my office a few days in
advance so we can try to schedule an appointment.
If you have a
concern or comment about a state agency or proposed legislation, you can write,
phone or email my office. Your input
helps me make the decisions that best represent House District 32.
Sincerely,
Deborah Boone
Representative Deborah Boone
House District 32
email: Rep.DeborahBoone@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1432
address: 900 Court St NE, H-481, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/boone
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