Legislative Deadlines, Redistricting, & Constituent Coffee Reminder

Dear Friends & Neighbors, 

I hope you are doing well, staying safe and enjoying the sunshine. It has been an eventul week in the Capitol since I sent out an update last Thursday. One of my bills successfully passed off the House floor, another legislative deadline passed, and the Oregon Supreme Court made an important decision about our state’s redistricting process.

As I referenced in my previous newsletter, the Republicans had been refusing to suspend the rules requiring every bill be read in full prior to final passage. This led to a backlog of bills and incredibly slow floor sessions and long, late nights of voting. Last night, however, a deal was reached between House Democrats and Republicans and the rules will be suspended. I expect to get through the backlog of bills sitting in our third reading list.

Despite the previous delays, we still managed to pass a few important bills, including HB 2261, which will ban online vape sales and make face-to-face purchasing required for this product. This will close loopholes used by underage Oregonians to purchase vaping products. We know that the nicotine in these devices is highly addictive and can negatively impact developing brains so it’s important we keep it out of the hands of young Oregonians. I am proud to be a sponsor of the legislation.

Another bill, HB 2363 also passed off the floor with a near unanimous vote of support. This bill was brought to me by the Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce and will make it easier for certain entities to obtain temporary liquor sale licenses so they can host fundraisers and charitable events.

Lastly, I’d like to remind you that everyone above the age of 16 will be eligible for a vaccine on April 19^th. More information on how to find an appointment can be found below. Also, please continue to wear your mask, wash your hands, and socially distance. The cases in our state continue to rise, even as we work to vaccinate as many Oregonians as quickly as possible.

I look forward to seeing you all this Saturday, April 17^th, from 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at my Constituent Coffee. Click here to register.

Sincerely,

Andrea Salinas, State Representative 

Legislative Updates

This Tuesday, April 13^th, marked another legislative deadline in our session. All bills, unless referred to the House or Senate Committee on Rules, Revenue, or the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, must have received a public hearing and a work session to have a chance at passage in the 2021 session. Otherwise, the bill is dead and must be brought back again in a future legislative session. On deadline day, five of my priority bills passed out of committee to their next committee, or to the House Floor.

Our next legislative deadline is on May 14. By this date, all bills need to be scheduled for a work session in the second chamber to have a chance at passage.

All the below bills have successfully passed the most recent deadline and are either going to the Joint Ways & Means Committee, or to the floor for a vote.

• HB 2363 passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 53-0-7 (53 “yes” votes, 0 “no” votes, 7 excused) on April 8 during our night floor session. This bill, which was brought to me by the Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce, will make it easier for certain entities to obtain temporary liquor sales licenses so they can host fundraisers and charitable events.
• HB 2359 passed out of House Health Care Committee with a subsequent referral to Joint Ways & Means on April 13, with a vote of 8-1-1. HB 2359 seeks to align Oregon law with Federal law so that health care providers utilize certified and qualified health care interpreters when interacting with a patient for whom spoken English is not the person’s preferred language.
• HB 2010 passed out of House Health Care Committee with a subsequent referral to Joint Ways & Means on April 13, with a vote of 9-0-1. HB 2010 directs OHA and DCBS to bring back design plan options to extend health insurance to those who are uninsured or underinsured because premiums or cost share is too high, or they are not eligible for public payer coverage.
• HB 3230 passed out of House Judiciary Committee with a subsequent referral to Joint Ways & Means with a vote of 9-1-0. HB 3230 creates a universal representation program which will provide legal services for undocumented and refugee Oregonians to help with deportation cases, with legal service providers housed at community-based organizations.
• HB 2315 passed off the floor this afternoon with a vote of 53-0-7. This bill adds a requirement that behavioral health providers continue to receive education about suicide prevention throughout their career. It now heads to the Senate for further consideration. 

Redistricting Update

On April 10, the Redistricting Committees held our final public hearings for our first round of community engagement during the redistricting process. We had three meetings that covered Congressional Districts 3, 4, and 5, that were very well attended. Thank you to those who participated.

Statutorily, the Oregon Legislature must hold 10 public hearings during this process to give Oregonians the opportunity to testify before state and congressional maps get drawn. Then, once we have access to Census data, the Legislature is required to hold 5 more public hearings if the timeline allows for it, to craft the new lines in conjunction with our communities. As Co-Chair of the House Redistricting Committee, I hope to host at least five more public hearings.

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, for the first time ever, due to COVID-19 and federal Census Bureau delays, the data we use to re-draw state and congressional district lines won’t be available to us until around September 1 at the earliest, even though our state law requires that the Legislature complete the redistricting process by July 1.

Due to this complication, the Oregon Legislature filed a petition of Mandamus to the Oregon Supreme Court that sought to push the deadline to three months after Census data is received. Last Friday, April 9, the Supreme Court announced that they would grant our request with a slightly shorter timeline. The legislature now has until September 27, 2021 to draw new state legislative boundaries.

With this good news, the Redistricting Committees can ensure robust community feedback is considered ahead of the census data delivery.

Sadly, in order to get rules suspension on bill readings, Speaker Kotek appointed the Republican Vice-Chair to Co-Chair the House Special Committee on Redistricting, and appointed the House Minority Leader to the Committee as well. Prior to these appointments, Democrats held 3 of the 5 seats on the committee, and I held the gavel. I will now Co-Chair, and Democrats hold only 3 of the 6 seats.

I remain committed to a fair process where legislators, representing all Oregonians across the state, can draw the new congressional and legislature district maps. I hope my new committee member and Co-Chair share the same commitment to a fair and open process with the goal of ensuring Black, Indigenous and other communities of color are thriving and represented.

Keep an eye on the legislative page for redistricting updates.

Town Hall Update

Please join me on Saturday, April 17, from 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. for a virtual Constituent Coffee held over Zoom.

I plan to share updates on the 2021 legislative session, and most importantly, answer your questions and hear your concerns. I hope to see many of you there!

Registration for the event is required, and you can sign up here. 

COVID-19 Vaccination Eligibility & Availability

As of April 5, everyone in Phase 1A and groups 1-7 of Phase 1B are eligible to schedule a vaccine appointment in Oregon. You can find info on eligibility here, and you can find more information on the vaccine here.

Governor Brown also announced that she would be speeding up the vaccine timeline. On April 19, all Oregonians 16 and over will be eligible to receive the vaccine. Her press release can be found here.

Clackamas County Vaccine Clinics:

Clackamas County is hosting several COVID-19 vaccination clinics throughout the county. Vaccination clinics are set at Clackamas Town Center, Clackamas Community College Wilsonville Campus, Clackamas County Fair Grounds, Molalla High School and Sandy High School. These appointments are quickly being filled, so please be sure to sign up as soon as possible.

How to get an appointment:

• All vaccination clinics are by appointment and only open to Clackamas County residents who are currently eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.
• You can schedule a vaccination appointment by visiting Clackamas.us/coronavirus/vaccine.
• If you do not have access to a computer to schedule your appointment, please call 503-655-8224 and they will help you set up an appointment.
• Some vaccination appointments are filling quickly. Clackamas County will host more vaccination clinics as they obtain more vaccines. Additional vaccination clinics will be announced on their website and social media networks once they are scheduled.

At your appointment:

• Please bring photo ID.
• Wear your mask and observe physical distancing guidelines.
• Insurance information will be collected at time of appointment. Uninsured will not be turned away. You will not be charged for your vaccine.
• Everyone welcome, regardless of immigration status.
• Your information will be kept confidential.

You can also use Vaccine Finder to figure out which pharmacies near you have an available supply of vaccine. You can find that here.

email: Rep.AndreaSalinas@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1438
address: 900 Court St NE, H-282, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/salinas