Weekly Update

Ronald H. Noble

WEEKLY UPDATES

We are back in Salem for the Short Session! This session started on February 5th and will conclude on March 9th.  During this time, I thought updates would be helpful in keeping you up to date on what is happening here at the Capitol. We are a week in and things are happening quickly, so weekly updates will be full of useful information.

 

WHAT IS SHORT SESSION?

In 2010 the people of Oregon voted to allow the legislature to meet for a few weeks. The purpose of this was to fix bills from the long session that could have had unintended consequences and needed to be amended. This time is also set aside to work on budget issues that may have come up.

These things were the initial intent of having a short session.  However, there are some things being done at the Capitol that were not intended for this session. Thankfully there are 60 representatives for a reason, and we are all able to recognize that things may need to be reigned in for the purpose of the short session to be fulfilled. Some of what we see happening is that public hearings are being shortened, people testifying are being timed, Representatives and Senators are not always offered enough opportunity to ask questions. In essence, the short session is being used (mis-used) to quickly push major legislation through the system without providing the due diligence that the people of Oregon deserve from their state government.  

 

NOTEWORTHY ITEMS FROM WEEK ONE

  • Cap and Invest is on the table this session.  There are many bills on this issue, and I will update you as we move along in this session.
  • There is also what is being referred to as the “gun bill” (House Bill 4145). 
  • Senator Jeff Kruse announced his resignation. There is no winner and no loser in this delicate and sad situation.  It is the hope that his resignation begins a much-needed healing process to the victims and the occupants of the Capitol.


BILLS THAT I INTRODUCED

I drafted two bills for the short session (each Representative is allowed two bills during the short session.) and I am excited to see where they go!

  • HB 4115 – This bill proposes to remove all legislators, state-wide elected officials, and judges of the supreme court and court of appeal from the PERS/OSPRP system effective July 1, 2018.  This is not a new idea, and it certainly won’t fix the PERS crisis, but it’s a starting point and will begin to eliminate a conflict of interest for those who make decisions regarding PERS. 

Status:  This bill is in the Business and Labor Committee, and a public hearing and a Work Session occurred on February 12, 2018.

  • HB 4116 – this bill is simply a “fix” to HB 2597, which we call the “distracted driving” bill.  This bill put into place new laws regarding driving a motor vehicle while using a mobile electronic device. HB 4116 provides a few technical safety fixes and includes an exemption of large and/or slow moving vehicles.  

Status: This bill was heard in the Judiciary Committee on February 8th, and is scheduled for a Work Session on February 14th.

 

A BILL THAT I CHIEF SPONSOR

  • HB 4005 – This bill will require prescription drug manufacturers to report annual information to the Department of Consumer and Business Services regarding the prices of prescription drugs, and costs associated with developing and marketing prescription drugs. 

Status: This bill had a Public Hearing on February 5th, and had a Work Session on February 9th. 

We will continue to have interesting information to share with you throughout these next four weeks, and I am excited to see what we can accomplish for the people of Oregon during this session. Please look for my Weekly Update next week, and in the meantime, always feel free to contact my office if you have any questions or concerns! 

 

 

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