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Hello Friends,
WEEKLY UPDATE
Greetings from the office! There is a rumor going around that we could be out of here by this weekend. The House leadership is working toward an agreement that will determine whether or not this is true. We have been notified by the Speaker of the House that effective immediately, House Rule 8.15 (6), has been invoked, which suspends the requirement that 24 hours’ notice must be given for work sessions during committee meetings. This means that the pace in the Capitol will grow to be even faster in the upcoming days.
NOTEWORTHY ITEMS FROM THIS WEEK
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The Republicans planned on presenting a minority report opposing HB 1540; a bill that proposes to lower the age of consent for sex to 12 years of age, and relax the requirements of mandatory reporting. This change would be a mistake that would leave the most susceptible of our children defenseless and without advocacy. Thankfully with the help of my colleagues, HB 1540 has been referred to the committee on rules to be amended.
- On a fun note, it was Dairy Day in the Capitol on February 21st. The dairy industry showed off their delicious products which included cheese, yogurt, milk and of course, ice cream. My entire office offers a huge THANK YOU to our friends in the dairy industry.
- On the House Floor today, I attempted to do a Bill Pull for HB 4115. This means that I made a motion to move the bill from the Ways and Means Committee and onto the house floor so that we could vote on it. Unfortunately, the motion was barely rejected with a vote of 31 Nay – 29 Aye.
- This week included many more meetings in and out of my office here in the Capitol. Some meetings:
We met this week with the Alzheimer’s Association where we had the chance to discuss with constituents how Alzheimer’s is affecting not just the older people in their families, but how it affects the entire family.
I also had a conversation with McMinnville Mayor Hill, along with Jeff Towey and Jody Christensen to discuss McMinnville economic development projects.
Other meetings included the President of Chemeketa Community College, officials from ODOT to discuss various issues (including constituent issues), as well Rosa Klein from the Governor’s Office, who is the Human Services Policy Advisor.
IMPORTANT BILLS THIS WEEK
- 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: A Work Session was held on February 23rd in the Joint Committee and Ways and Means. The bill passed with a 16-1 vote in the Committee, and today passed the House Floor with a 46 – 14 vote.
- HB 4155 – This bill prohibits public bodies from contracting with broadband Internet access service providers that engage in certain network management activities based on paid prioritization, content blocking or other discrimination.
Status: This bill was passed in the house and sent to the president’s desk, and is now in the Senate Rules Committee.
As I mentioned, we continue to gain momentum in this short session. It is always my goal to represent the people in my District with their best interests as my priority. It would be easy to get caught up in the politics of the Capitol, but I am constantly on guard to ensure that my choices, my votes, and my opinions represent my District in the way that is expected of me by always keeping my eye on the people in District 24 and their wants and needs.
As always, my door is open, your input is welcome, and your opinion is appreciated. Please feel free to get in touch with me. More updates to come next week – our final week of the session.
Yours truly,
Representative Ron Noble
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1424
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-376, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.RonNoble@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/noble
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