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Redistricting is vital to all Oregonians. We have only a few more opportunities to have the Redistricting Committees, on both sides, hear from you.
House Redistricting Committee Agenda information here
Sign-up to provide live (remote) testimony here
Provide written testimony here
I have broken down the redistricting process in a few of my past newsletters, here are the links:
February 5
March 12
March 19
Or you can listen to this podcast. This is a full and comprehensive discussion about redistricting in an interview with The Rational Republican on March 21.
THIS WEEK'S WATCH: HB 2247 - Property Tax Relief
I introduced HB 2247 at the request of my Linn County Board of Commissioners as a response to what we are seeing on the ground in Linn County.
HB 2247 – as introduced - allows the County Commission to adopt an ordinance to waive interest and penalties on delinquent property taxes, if it can be shown that delinquent property taxes are substantial, due to the impacts of the pandemic or 2020 wildfires.
Oregon statute currently locks in penalties and interest on delinquent filings. Under Oregon law, taxpayers are charged 16% annual interest on delinquent filings. The common penalty for delinquent real property taxes is an additional $250, and for business personal property taxes, the amount can range from 5% - 50% of tax due. There is no latitude on these penalties and interest.
I felt it was important to create this bill to provide the much-needed relief to our struggling property owners. Giving them time to recover without compounding more interest, incurring additional fees, or negative financial report filing against them.
Important points about this bill:
- It’s accommodating. County commissions can either adopt this ordinance or they can choose not to.
- It’s temporary. It applies only to two property tax years, the 20-21 tax year and the 21-22 tax year.
- It’s needed. Many Linn County residents lost residences, rents, or their business income due to either wildfires or the pandemic.
Read the full bill here
Watch the Work Session on Monday - 3/29
If you support this concept, you can provide written testimony here
Or email my office
I have had many emails, texts and messages surrounding the OSHA temporary workplace rules becoming permanent. I have received information to share that I hope is helpful. If this affects you, please send in comments.
Local businesses have borne the brunt of the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Employers have been tasked with enforcing the Governor’s mask mandate, enforcing the 6-foot social distancing requirements, among countless other mandates. Employers across Oregon have worked to do the right thing—under the risk of violation and penalty from OR-OSHA—but OR-OSHA’s proposed rules fail to acknowledge the incredible progress we’ve made as a state at stopping the spread of COVID-19.
Now, OR-OSHA is considering the adoption of permanent COVID-19 Workplace Rules that layer new regulations on local employers nearly 14-months into the pandemic!
Proposed rules
By May 5th, when these new rules become operative, every Oregonian 16 years and older will be eligible for a COVID vaccine (though it is not required)! OR-OSHA should be providing workers and local businesses with certainty that their efforts to vaccinate and social distance are acknowledged and appreciated. Employers and workers certainly should not be further penalized by government overreach. OR-OSHA needs to hear from concerned employers and workers about the proposed scope of COVID-19 workplace rules.
If this affects you, please feel free to use the talking points below and send your comments via email to tech.web@oregon.gov or snail mail to Administrator Michael Wood by April 2, 2021:
Department of Consumer and Business Services/Oregon OSHA
PO BOX 14480
Salem, OR 97309
Consider copying your state senator and representative so that they are aware that the OR-OSHA rules need changes before they are adopted.
You can find your legislator here
If you own a small business, make sure you say that. If you’re an employee, please make that clear. OR-OSHA needs to hear from Oregon employers and workers that they need to reset their approach to this pandemic.
Comments I have from the proposed rules:
1) Oregon has required a lot of employers over the last 12-months and without any acknowledgement of the significant cost to local businesses. Many businesses in my community have permanently closed their doors due to unforeseen costs of responding to this pandemic, including state mandated closures.
2) I care about the health and safety of workers, but I am strongly opposed to OR-OSHA adding new, more onerous regulations on local businesses 14-months into this pandemic.
3) The proposed permanent workplace rules unfairly burden local businesses with new mandates. Not only is this inappropriate, given that by May 1st, every Oregonian 16 years and older will be eligible for vaccination, but OR-OSHA is also contributing to vaccine hesitancy among Oregonians. Some workers are asking why they should take the vaccine if the state’s response to COVID-19 is not going to change as a result.
4) Perhaps most important, OR-OSHA’s Permanent COVID-19 Rules must expire when the Governor’s declaration of a public health emergency is rescinded. Employers and workers have raised concerns with the agency’s discretion to leave the COVID-19 Workplace Standard (masks, sanitation, transportation, distancing, etc.) in place after the vaccination is available to all Oregonians.
5) The proposed ventilation requirements will burden small businesses. It can be very expensive to get service providers out annually, let alone quarterly. This should be revised.
6) OR-OSHA should eliminate the requirement that employers keep records for 30-years of possible COVID-19 exposure in the workplace. This mandate will only burden employers with excessively long recordkeeping requirements, and I am not sure how that requirement adds to employee safety, which is where OR OSHA’s jurisdiction is.
7) OR-OSHA must eliminate the requirement that employers record whenever a worker declines a vaccine. Not only do employers lack access to this personal medical information, but what constitutes a denial in this instance (e.g. an employee taking only one of two Pfizer or Moderna doses)? This requirement doesn’t provide any value to OR-OSHA’s enforcement activities and should be removed.
8) Also, OR-OSHA doesn’t have the authority to direct employers to hand over their private property to the government for vaccination events. While employers may volunteer to host an onsite vaccination clinic, the agency should remember that its authority is limited to worker safety.
9) OR-OSHA does not have the authority to require employers to provide written notices of all potential available paid time off or sick time under local, state or federal law. There are already existing laws administered by BOLI relating to wage and hour law that include requirements for notification. This requirement is clearly outside the authority of your agency.
10) OR-OSHA’s rules must align current scientific understanding and the latest CDC guidelines related to 10-day quarantine, distancing, and classroom safety. Also, rules should be written to acknowledge that the agency’s authority is limited to worker safety and does not extend beyond that. Without these changes, I am worried that OR-OSHA will adopt an inflexible rule that ends up harming our efforts to control the virus and reopen safely.
Today, the Department of Revenue announced that it will adjust the tax returns for Oregon taxpayers who have already filed their 2020 returns and are due relief from income taxes paid on recently exempted unemployment benefits earned in 2020.
Oregon taxpayers who received unemployment in 2020 and have not yet filed their tax returns, can do so following instructions recently provided by the IRS.
The change announced today affects Oregon taxpayers who had already filed their state income tax returns, paying taxes on 2020 unemployment benefits, before Congress made the change to the tax code.
More information and FAQs here
You can go to this website to find local administration of the COVID vaccine.
Check Linn County Health Department's COVID Vaccine website daily too!
Starting March 29, people 45-64 with underlying conditions eligible - read more here.
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#NationalAgDay and #internationalwomensday both happened in March. For me, they are almost one and the same.
Agriculture is essential to everyday life, and we’ve seen the importance of American ag during the pandemic. The average American farmer feeds approximately 166 people worldwide! Their food brings everyone to the table. During this #NationalAgWeek, I appreciate the individuals dedicated to feeding the world and making Oregon and America a better place to live and work, even in the midst of so many barriers.
To the many women in my life, I thank you for your dedication to making this world better for all. Oftentimes I feel like I’m standing on the shoulders of giants. In Oregon, the number of women in ag is one of the highest in the nation. I’m proud to stand beside the many women in ag and will continue to bring that voice to Salem.
P.S. Can’t wait to dress up and go out to events again! Oregon Women for Ag and Oregon AgLink auctions, I’m looking at you!
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As always, my office is here for you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office if you have any community event announcements, legislative questions, or concerns.
Stay tuned and stay involved!
Talk soon,
 Capitol Phone: 503-986-1415
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-389, Salem, OR 97301
Email: Rep.ShellyBoshartDavis@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/boshartdavis
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