Hello Friends,

Thursday the 13^th marked the last day for bills to make it out of committee, if they failed to do so they were termed “dead.” The two bills I introduced remain alive, with HCR 204 which commemorates Oregon’s ratification of the 19^th amendment, passing off of the House floor today.   HB 4138 the pharmacy CAT exemption legislation remains in Rules.

Of the original 256 bills, 136 house bills and 83 senate bills, a total of 219 remain. These include revenue and expense bills -   SB 5701 and 5702, HB 5201, 5202, 5203, and 5204. The next deadline is Thursday the 20^th of February. For the latest on bills and committee work please visit OLIS.

Priority Bills

City of Salem and Marion County expressed a desire to revisit a few bills, relative to their services, that failed in the 2019 session. I am tracking the following bills – SB 1558 CourtCare Program and HB 4049 Covanta Renewable energy credits, as well as two bills concerning community corrections, and one in the arena of water that will benefit both Salem and Turner. These five remain alive and our office is monitoring them as they are of importance to our area. In addition to these bills we are also watching HB 4001 aimed at funding for homelessness which includes low barrier shelters and navigation support as well as bills dealing with children's advocacy centers such as Liberty House, Casa, Oregon Alliance for Boys & Girls Club.

I am also tracking the bills that would implement “Cap & Trade Program” - SB 1530 and HB 4159. House Bill 4159 was voted out of committee without a public hearing resulting in the 3 Republican members walking out of committee. SB 1530 is scheduled for a work session today at 4:45 in Joint Subcommittee on Natural Resources - the hearing previously posted for tomorrow has been cancelled. SB 1530 has a 177 page amendment that my staff and I have been diligently working our way through. Of note is the phase in of the program. SB 1530 includes Marion County under the fuel cap starting in Phase 2 in 2025.

     Below are the current phases proposed in SB 1530:

• Phase 1 (2022-2025): Includes fuel distribution inside of the Portland metro area and excludes truck stop within 1.5 miles from a non-regulated state's border.
• Phase 2 (2025-2028): Includes fuel distribution inside of Benton, Clackamas, Clatsop, Columbia, Douglas, Hood River, Jackson, Josephine, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Washington, and Yamhill Counties.
• Phase 3 (2028-2051): Includes fuel distribution inside Coos and Curry Counties, and the City of Bend and the City of Klamath Falls.
• Opt-in: The electors or the governing body of a county or city may, by ordinance or resolution, exercise the option to opt-in to the Oregon Greenhouse Gas Initiative covering fuel distribution within their boundary. Cities and counties will no longer be exempted after the number of counties opting-in to the program exceeds 23.

The phases are outlined in SB 1530-A Section 13:

https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2020R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB1530/A-Engrossed 

Accomplishments on the Floor and Committee Work

This week several pieces of legislation were passed out of the House and to the Senate. They covered a variety of topics including workforce development, boundary adjustments for a few of our other regional communities, establishing regulatory statue for the hemp industry as well as honoring our veterans and state troopers.

The work of the committees continues this week. After 42 pieces of legislation that flowed through my three committees – Judiciary, Health Care, and Behavioral Health, I am ready for another full four days of committee work.

In Other News

The quarterly state economic forecast was released on Wednesday. Oregon’s economy remains strong – with 650 million additional dollars to the budget! Our outlook is stable, we continue to see high employment rates and an increase in employment in better-paying jobs. A gain for our working families - that we as fiscal agents of the state’s resources should protect. We are cognizant that family budgets are still fragile in communities across the state, and every opportunity ought to be taken to protect them from additional tax burdens.  

On Tuesday I had the honor of welcoming Wendell Barnett, Volunteer Capitol Chaplain to the floor. He provided the opening ceremony with a prayerful meditation which encouraged all house members. My other guests on the floor this week included my daughters, Teresa and Madeline.

Our office hosted numerous visitors from the insurance, forestry, dairy, and public safety sectors, as well as students from colleges throughout our state. I had a group composed of WOU, UofO, OSU and OSU Bend who shared their insights to the challenges of today’s college students.       Oregon Dairy Association

Thank you for engaging with your state government. Please know my door is always open and my staff, Pam McClain, Lena Prine, and I welcome your participation.

All my best, rmg

Representative Raquel Moore-Green
House District 19

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1419
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-385, Salem, OR 97301
Email: Rep.RaquelMooreGreen@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/moore-green