April 10 2019 Legislative Update

Brad Witt

April 10 2019 Legislative Update

Hello Friends:

We are now halfway through the 80th Legislative Assembly and over the past two weeks the pace of activity has been intense due to legislative deadlines.   In Oregon, laws are created through the committee process.   Concepts are suggested by agencies, elected officials, stakeholder groups and individuals, drafted into bills, discussed in committee and then amended to meet the needs of Oregonians.   This session I have been working on some very important Public Safety issues.  

Some of the highlights include:

                HB 2085: Dam Safety.   Oregon’s policies relating to dam construction, safety and removal were established in 1929, and this bill works to update those rules and standards. The new bill was crafted by the Water Resources Department with input from stakeholders including cities, counties, farm, environmental organizations and private dam owners.   The bill was approved unanimously in committee and now moves to the House for a vote. Stakeholders have already made commitments to futher improvements to the bill as it moves through the Senate.

                HB 2289: School Safety Task Force. This bill will establish an eight-member legislative panel to review school facility safety features such as alarms, entries, communication, shelters, physical barriers and trainings for staff, students and emergency responders. I sponsored this legislation because I believe the safety of our young people is paramount.   The bill was referred to the Committee for Student Success by Speaker Kotek.

                HB 2566: ATV Registration. Oregon currently has no registration for all terrain vehicles. I have heard from property managers like Bureau of Land Management, Oregon State Forestry, the US Forest Service and others that the lack of registration creates an enforcement problem. When ATVs are taken into restricted areas and damage public and private lands they are difficult to trace.   Another problem is the theft of and subsequent sale of stolen ATVs.   Because the legal ownership is hard to establish, many ATV dealers don’t allow an ATV trade-in on a new purchase. While HB 2566 won’t become law this session, there is a work group forming to address these problems and the ATV registration issue.

                HB 2980: Pesticide Reporting. This would extend the Pesticide Use Reporting System (PURS) from June 30, 2019 to June 30, 2029. PURS collects, organizes and reports information on all categories of pesticide use in Oregon.   HB 2980 was heard in the House Committee on Agriculture and Land Use and received support from farmers, environmental groups and workers, and after a unanimous committee vote was referred to Ways and Means for funding.

                HB 2565: Emergency Management Department Funding. The Oregon Office of Emergency Management is the lead entity for coordination of statewide emergency response efforts. Counties throughout the state lack the funds to hire personnel at the local level.   I introduced this bill to appropriate $3.6 million from the General Fund to issue grants to counties to hire emergency management personnel.   The bill received a unanimous committee vote in the House Committee on Veterans and Emergency Preparedness and moves to the Ways and Means Committee for funding consideration.

                HB 2286: College Scholarship Fund for Fallen Public Safety Officers. A college scholarship fund exists for children of public safety officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. Currently the program is funded by 10 percent of civil forfeiture proceeds. HB 2286 redirects that money from the Oregon 529 College Savings Account to a higher education qualified tuition savings programs of the Oregon 529 Savings Network, thereby saving administrative costs.   This was approved by the House Committee on Judiciary, received a unanimous Floor vote and is now scheduled for a Public Hearing April 17th in the Senate Committee on Judiciary.

In addition to an extremely busy committee schedule, I was delighted to meet with members of the Early Childhood Coalition from St. Helens who visited with me in my office about pending legislation.

Early Childhool Coalition

Rep Witt, Martine Barnett, Elena Barreto, Dorit Harvey-Skidmore, Suzann Purtee, Jackie Sedo

 

While it’s a busy time in Salem, I’m looking forward to getting home to the district for some of the local celebrations.   April 20th is a big day in Columbia County, starting at 9:00am the mEGGa Egg Hunt at the Columbia County Fairgrounds. What a fun event for the kids!   I always enjoy seeing their excitement and enthusiasm and meeting up with friends and neighbors.   Also that morning at Heritage Park, the Scappoose Parks Earth Day Festival begins at 10:00.  After the winter we’ve had, this is a nice way to celebrate spring in Columbia County and I hope to see you there.

Thanks for reading my newsletter

Brad

 

email: Rep.BradWitt@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1431
address: 900 Court St NE, H-374, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/witt