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Dear Friends and Neighbors:
As we move into the third week of the legislative short session, I have several updates to share.
For starters, I am happy to announce that my personal bill, HB 4107, was passed out of the House Rules committee by a vote of 6–1 this morning. An idea and priority of Reimagine Oregon, this bill would allow the Oregon legislative assembly to identify potential racial and ethnic disparities in legislative proposals before a bill is passed, or early enough for us to make the appropriate corrections. HB 4107 now goes to Ways and Means for funding to be allocated.
Safer Streets and Better Use of Police
This week House Bill 4105 passed the Oregon House 32 to 23. This simple, common-sense bill will allow sworn enforcement staff to read fixed photo radar tickets. Photo radar has been found to significantly reduce traffic speeds and change driver behavior, which leads to safer roads for all users. It is scheduled for a hearing and possible work session in Senate Judiciary on Monday, February 21.
Supporting Working Families and Small Businesses
We need to build an economy that works for working families and small businesses, not just big corporations. That means investing in skills training, reducing barriers to people starting and expanding small businesses, and requiring corporations to pay their fair share.
Last week House Democrats passed HB 4015, which will raise the limit on loans small businesses can receive each year from $100,00 to $1 million, providing meaningful investments that help small businesses to grow jobs and create opportunities in every corner of the state. The Senate Committee on Labor and Business held a public hearing and work session for this bill yesterday, it now heads to the Senate floor.
HB 4002: Farmworker Overtime – Agriculture remains one of the only industries that does not require overtime be paid after 40 hours of work per week, a remnant of racist labor policies from the 1930s. Following the lead of California and Washington, Oregon is proposing a multi-year phased-in plan, with tax credits to support impacted small farmers while they transition, that will give farmworkers the pay they deserve. I was honored to vote in support of this bill as it passed out of the House Business and Labor Committee and referred to the House Revenue committee.
SB 1510: Transforming Justice – This important policy is a continuation of our work on justice reform in the 2021 session. It would help to interrupt unnecessary interactions between law enforcement and the BIPOC communities who have historically been overpoliced. The bill passed out of the Senate Judiciary and Ballot Measure 110 Implementation Committee and went to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means.
SB 1501: Forestry Accord – The Forest Accord would amend Oregon's Forest Practices Act to expand riparian buffers, tighten protections against landslides and erosion, support small woodland owners, and improve the rulemaking process going forward. It’s the result of collaboration between environmental advocates and the timber industry, and will lead to significant improvements in the management of our forest land. This bill passed out of Senate Natural Resources and Wildlife Recovery committee and was referred to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means.
If you have questions or would like more information about any of this work, please reach out to my office and as always, please let me know if you need any assistance. My office will work to connect you with resources and get your questions answered as quickly as possible.
Sincerely,
 Representative Barbara Smith Warner
House District 45
email: Rep.BarbaraSmithWarner@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1445
address: 900 Court St NE, H-487, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/smithwarner
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