On December 22, 2017 President Trump signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. It cuts income tax rates, and Oregon is one of only a few states that runs predominantly on an income tax. The problem with this is that Oregon could potentially lose $220 million dollars which would impact areas such as education and human resources. Oregon’s best bet is to disconnect itself from Trump’s Tax Plan so that we can receive more funding for important issues like early childhood education and community college. There are several bills in the Revenue Committee that are helping to ensure Oregon maintains the best parts of the tax return plan while avoiding the pitfalls.

This bill is very straightforward- it seeks to establish an agreement between the Oregon Department of Transportation and the City of Portland to address and remove certain homeless camps that are causing health and safety concerns within the city. Specifically, the Springwater Trail and Johnson Creek are two areas with high homeless populations but also areas of high urban growth. I personally helped build the Springwater Trail but recently it has become a gathering ground for homeless populations. These areas are used by schoolchildren to get to and from school, as well as pedestrians accessing the trail for leisure or commuting to work. Many have raised concerns over the growing fear of accessing these areas due to filthy, unkept conditions and drug needles left by homeless camps. This bill would allow for better management of public spaces, as well as better public trust within the community. This bill does not call for sweeps of homeless camps, rather this bill is a first step approach in getting the conversation started with the help of social service agencies and garbage clean up efforts to begin making changes to heavy populated homeless areas such as the Springwater Trail.

SB 1512 would add Oregon to an interstate compact to elect a president based on the National Popular Vote instead of the Electoral College. States that have adopted the compact must appoint presidential electors who vote for the person who gets the most votes nationally. 270 out of the total 538 electoral votes are needed to enact this compact; so far 10 states and the District of Columbia have signed on. I have been pushing for this bill for many Sessions now and would really like to see it pass in Oregon. The only practical way to get this done this Session is to put it on the Oregon ballot next November.

Last Session we passed a $5.3 billion-dollar transportation package. With the passage of this package Oregon can improve its highways, bikeways, public transportation and its bridges. I’m honored to have received $110 million dollars in funding to improve Powell Boulevard from I-205 to Gresham. With this funding, we can improve the road’s dangerous driving conditions by adding sidewalks, bike paths and crosswalks as well as widening the road to improve safety and public access. These much-needed repairs on Powell Boulevard will begin within the next few years.

This bill clarifies the requirement of mandatory reporting of abuse of anyone under the age of 18 to exclude sexual contact if there is less than a three-year age difference or if the conduct is not a result of force, coercion or intimidation. Some school districts have interpreted mandatory reporting to include activities between young people such as kissing. This bill simply clarifies the requirements of mandatory reporting to other areas not previously covered. I’m a strong supporter of this bill.