Friends and neighbors, here are some highlights from the week and helpful community information for you!

REDISTRICTING: 500 DAYS LATER

"Mr. Speaker, on each of the desks in this chamber you will find the names of Oregonians who served before us. Mark Hatfield. Vera Katz. Norma Paulus. Tina Kotek. Behind every nameplate, a piece of Oregon history.

There is one particular name I want to draw your attention to today: Marty Wilde.

Marty Wilde served in the Oregon House of Representatives from 2019 until the expiration of his term just a few weeks ago. Having served at the same time as Rep. Wilde, we had the opportunity to work together - and against each other - on a variety of issues.

But that’s not why I’m mentioning Rep. Wilde today. I’m mentioning Rep. Wilde today because I don’t want his story to be forgotten.

You see, Rep. Wilde fell victim to something called gerrymandering. You have heard of gerrymandering. It’s when politicians rig political boundaries to serve their own interests. Former President Barack Obama has criticized it as unfair and a threat to democracy. You won't hear me agree with him often, but he was right.

Rep. Wilde was drawn out of his district when this body adopted gerrymandered political maps exactly 500 days ago, today. His crime? Daring to speak out against his own party. His punishment? Political exile.

But Rep. Wilde was not the only victim. Minority party members were the victims. Oregonians themselves were the victims.

It’s my firm belief - a belief shared by thousands of Oregonians - that the maps are rigged and so was the process that produced them.

The maps were challenged in court but affirmed by a judiciary stacked with appointees from the very same party that drew them.

Mr. Speaker, the game was rigged from the start. That became clear when our now Governor abruptly broke her word with me and my colleagues, and it remains true today.

There are opportunities to fix what this body got wrong - through legislation, through ballot measures, through a commitment to getting it right the next time redistricting this body is tasked with redrawing the maps - we just have to have leadership that is willing to do right by the people of Oregon.

I challenge each and every one of you to fix the system. Because if we don’t, the next time redistricting comes around, you may end up just like Marty Wilde."

Watch full Remonstrance, here.

HB 2124 - CAT FIX FOR OUR FARMERS

Helping Farmers

This week in the House Committee on Revenue, I testified in support of my bill HB 2124, which would exempt sales of agricultural products to wholesalers from the Corporate Activities Tax. The impact of the CAT is felt by all businesses, but especially agriculture because of their unique supply chain. Several farmers joined the committee to also testify about how this bill would positively impact their farming operations. This bill is about keeping small family farms doing business in Oregon and keeping Oregon grown products produced here in our state. Recent estimates say that this bill could save farmers around $1 million dollars per year.

Watch my full testimony, here.

Janice Flegel, a farmer from Prineville, explains how the current Corporate Activities Tax encourages her to sell her products out of state.

Watch Janice's full testimony, here.

Jacqueline Duyck Jones, a farmer in Banks, joined us from the field to testify in support of HB 2124. She explained how without this fix, she can’t accurately calculate her tax liability and thus can’t expand her business.

Watch Jacqueline's full testimony, here.

Bruce Chapin, a hazelnut farmer in Salem, explains the hazelnut supply chain and how simply taking the hazelnut kernel out of its shell causes him to pay the CAT.

Watch Bruce's full testimony, here.

For the Week Ahead

Last week, I flagged HB 3158 for you. This bill would impose a laundry list of taxes that would make farming or owning or operating any heavy equipment in Oregon more expensive.

In 2020, I served on the bipartisan Diesel Task Force with the sponsor of HB 3158 and other legislators and stakeholders. This Task Force was created out of House Bill 2007 (2019) to consider policies to help businesses reduce emissions from diesel engines used in the course of business. The Task Force ultimately decided not to make specific recommendations, particularly for revenue. But yet, we have this bill anyways.

It just got scheduled for a public hearing on Wednesday, February 15. We need people who actually own and useheavy equipment to show up and testify about how this bill negatively impacts their livelihoods.

Submit written testimony or sign up to testify live (online or in-person) here.

As a reminder, this is what the bill does:

❌ Tax on tires

❌ Tax businesses that sell offroad diesel equipment

❌ Tax the use of offroad diesel equipment if you purchase it out of state

❌ Tax heavy equipment rentals

❌ Tax heavy-duty vehicles

❌ Tax on dyed diesel

NO CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE WITHOUT NUCLEAR POWER

In 2020, I toured NuScale Power, along with then-Representative Christine Drazan. NuScale is a local business located in the old HP campus on Hwy 20. They are pioneering clean nuclear power.

On Monday, the House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment will hold a public hearing on HB 2215. This bill would refer to voters the question if they want to make approving clean nuclear power plants easier in Oregon. I will be testifying in support of this measure because I believe that nuclear power is the key to a clean energy future. Solar panels and windmills alone won’t get us there. And we all know that hydropower is renewable...yet Oregon doesn't recognize it as such. This needs to change. 

When I visited NuScale, I was impressed by the safety of the NuScale design. The design eliminates a Fukushima-type event. They simulated an earthquake while I was there, and they walked me through how quickly the system can recover and rapidly return to power to support first responders such as hospitals, police and fire. The biggest issue renewable energy faces is reliability. Nuclear provides reliability when used along side other sources of energy.

SUPREME COURT RULES ON MEASURE 114

This week, the Oregon Supreme Court chose not to overturn a restraining order on Measure 114 implementation until a lower court decides its constitutionality. This is unlikely to be the only time the Supreme Court rules on Measure 114 as any ruling the lower court makes on constitutional grounds is likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court for review. The justices wrote in the order: “We recognize that the legal status of Measure 114 is of significant concern to many Oregonians. Of course, it is the role of the judicial branch of government to resolve disputes such as challenges to laws enacted by the legislative branch, which includes the people exercising their initiative power.”

A PROTEST VOTE - THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

HAS TOO MUCH POWER

We have an imbalance of power in our state government. It is very common for bills we pass in the Legislature to tell the executive branch agencies to do our job for us. We should not be handing over policymaking to the executive branch without any oversight. But the last decade is exactly what the Legislature has been doing. We are allowing unaccountable bureaucrats to make policies that govern Oregonians’ lives - through rulemaking. That is not democracy.

To that end, Republican vice-chairs of the various policy committees sent Governor Kotek a letter asking her to suspend any new executive regulatory rulemaking back in January.

This week I registered that complaint on the House floor when I voted NO on HB 2292. There isn’t much to dislike about HB 2292. It creates a 3-day window for people to back out of a contract with a landscaping company to ensure they are comfortable with the terms before getting charged. I think that’s fine – Oregonians already have that right when dealing with any other door-to-door sales person. But the bill also gave the State Landscaping Contractors Board expansive rulemaking authority. That is not fine.

Legislators are the policy makers, the executive branch agencies are not. We should be making the hard choices on policy so Oregonians can hold us accountable at the ballot box.

Watch my full speech, here.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN'S RESPONSE TO GOVERNOR'S BUDGET

On February 1, the House Republican Caucus released a statement in response to Governor Kotek’s two-year budget proposal, a $32.1 billion request, which represents an 8.76% increase over the 2021-2023 legislatively approved budget.

Read entire statement, here.

A reminder of how powerful your voice is. So many Oregonians feel unheard and fed up. I encourage you to join an organization where you align on values, on goals, and supports your community. It is never too late to look around, and see what is missing - fill the gap! You never know where that might lead you.

Eastern Oregon lawmakers aim to get kicker back to taxpayers this year Argus Observer That was the message during a virtual town hall hosted on Monday by Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, and Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane. The lawmakers represent Oregon’s Senate District 30 and House District 60, respectively, both of which include Malheur County. The duo were joined by Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp and House Republican Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson for a portion of the event.

... Breese-Iverson said she filed less bills than some of her colleagues this year on purpose, as her goal is to help her colleagues get their respective bills moved and to do some bipartisan work. … Noting that the eastern Oregon lawmakers’ constituents include farmers and ranchers, who produce more than 13% of the state’s gross domestic products, Breese-Iverson said “if we don’t pay attention to that tradition and what rural Oregon has been, we will lose it.”

Oregon creates a new inspection program to boost state ag economy, keep meat local OPB At the Intermountain Stockyard in La Grande, rancher Todd Nash watches the action as he works to sell four small cows to improve his breed stock and pay for feed. Some of the animals he’s selling today may end up in hamburgers. But in the stockyard’s canteen, he has no idea whether the burger on his plate comes from a local ranch or from New Zealand.

A Portland high school student has Oregon governor’s ear on environmental justice OregonLive Cage, now a senior at Grant, became the state’s youngest environmental justice commissioner – and a fresh voice on a group that advises the governor and the state’s natural resource agencies how to identify and help communities around the state that experience disproportionate environmental harms from such things as wildfires, diesel pollution and nitrate-laced drinking water.

… Cage, born in Eugene before his family moved to Northeast Portland, grew up steeped in social justice. His mother, a special education teacher, took him and his two younger sisters to marches and protests – from workers’ rights rallies to teacher strikes – from a young age.

Resolution would designate potatoes as Oregon state vegetable Capital Press State Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, is sponsoring a resolution that would make potatoes the official state vegetable of Oregon, crediting them as a "vital, versatile and easy-to-use food source for Oregonians from all cultural backgrounds and across all levels of income." While Oregon grows more than 200 different crops, potatoes are the most widely cultivated vegetable by a significant margin.

Eugene to become the first Oregon city to phase out gas appliances in new constructions Fox News The city of Eugene, Oregon, will join other local governments throughout the country in phasing out gas appliances in some types of new construction in an effort to cut climate pollution. The Eugene City Council passed the measure by a 5-3 vote Monday night. The ordinance, believed to be the first of its kind in the state, bans natural gas hookups in the new construction of residences that are three stories or less.

Oregon takes first step to giving tax breaks to homeowners who rent out rooms Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon moved a step closer Tuesday to giving homeowners tax breaks for renting out rooms in their houses. House Bill 3032 would allow homeowners to subtract up to $12,000 per rented room from their state taxable income each year. The House Committee on Housing and Homelessness endorsed the measure on a 9-1 vote; it still needs approval from a second committee before it could be voted on by the full House.

Top OLCC officials kept popular booze -- including Pappy Van Winkle -- for themselves, diverting it from public Willamette Week Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission employees, including top-level managers and the agency’s longtime executive director, have for years set aside for their own use some of the most sought-after bourbons, diverting them from the public and running afoul of state ethics laws. The blockbuster findings, detailed in an investigation obtained Wednesday by The Oregonian/OregonLive in response to a public records request, reveal a longstanding practice within the agency of reserving bottles of the popular bourbon, Pappy Van Winkle, for multiple employees, including the recently ousted executive director, Steve Marks, and his second-in-command, Will Higlin.

Oregon Supreme Court upholds order blocking new voter-approved gun laws OPB The Oregon Supreme Court has denied a petition to overturn a lower court ruling blocking the state’s new gun laws from taking effect. Ballot Measure 114′s provisions remain blocked in their entirety pending a lower court hearing on the measure’s constitutionality. It is the second time the state Supreme Court has declined to get involved in the proceedings.

Heads may roll in Oregon agency due to love for rare bourbon Associated Press A thirst for rare bottles of bourbon appears set to cost the executive director and other top officials of Oregon’s liquor and marijuana regulating agency their jobs. An internal investigation by the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, obtained by The Associated Press via a public records request Wednesday, concluded that Executive Director Steve Marks and five other agency officials had diverted sought-after bourbons, including Pappy Van Winkle’s 23-year-old whiskey, for their personal use.

‘It’s a nightmare:’ Oregon workers file lawsuit over payroll issues KOIN6 A newly proposed class action lawsuit claims thousands of state employees are experiencing payroll issues after the State of Oregon switched to a new system two months ago. KOIN 6 News has received several emails from workers with the State of Oregon who say they’ve been affected by a new local payroll system Some have been overpaid and now have to pay that money back and others have not received a paycheck at all. And while the issues seem to vary, everyone that KOIN 6 spoke with Wednesday says this system switch has been a total disaster.

Oregon voters could amend state Constitution to protect hunting, fishing rights La Grande Observer State Sen. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, is sponsoring House Joint Resolution 5. If the legislature passes the bill, the issue would go to voters in November 2024. Only voters can amend the Oregon Constitution. Smith, who is co-chair of the Oregon Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, said Oregon would become the 24th state to have a right to hunt and fish constitutional amendment.

OREGON MAKING NATIONAL NEWS:

Oregon’s New Republican Congresswoman Invites Portland Police Officer to Attend State of the Union Willamette Week Newly elected U.S. Rep Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Oregon) has selected a Portland police officer as her guest for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Tuesday night. These selections are often intended to make a political statement, and Chavez-DeRemer’s choice of Officer Jordan Zaitz appears to be no exception.

OREGON AG FEST - APRIL 29 & 30, 2023

From our Friends at Oregon Ag Fest:

Is riding a pony at Oregon Ag Fest on your bucket list?

Thanks to Papé Machinery you can cross it off of your list for free when you attend Oregon Ag Fest April 29th & 30th at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem!

To stay tuned for more details about how to purchase tickets, go here!

CHILDREN'S ADVOCACY 

From our friends at ABC House, Albany, OR:

We could use a little extra help this week. We are low on scratch and sketch books, colored pencils and coloring books, thinking putty, and individually wrapped, low sugar snacks. If you are out shopping and could spare to grab any of these items we would greatly appreciate your help! Our wishlist can be found, here. 

EVERY CHILD LINN BENTON

From our friends at Every Child Linn Benton:

Save the date! Our next Explore Fostering Coffee House will be Thursday, February 23 at 6:30 pm at New Morning Bakery in Corvallis.

Come learn about the path towards becoming a resource (foster) parent, ask any burning questions you might have....coffee's on us! Email Jen at everychildlb.director@gmail.com to RSVP.

Saturday, April 22, 2023 at 5 pm

Join us for our first ever Every Child Linn Benton Lincoln Benefit Gala and Silent Auction!.

Tickets can be purchased now by scanning the QR code on the second slide - or going, here.

Come, enjoy the evening and help support children and families impacted by foster care!

ALBANY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD BANQUET

MARCH 4, 2023

From our friends at the Albany Chamber of Commerce:

Have you registered for the Distinguished Service Awards Banquet yet? Don't miss this chance to celebrate these wonderful community members!

It's coming up soon on Saturday, March 4th!

$85 individual, $680 table of 8

For more information, click here.

COACHES NEEDED FOR SPRING SPORTS!

From our friends at Albany Boys and Girls Club:

Interested in coaching a team? We have multiple opportunities for our Spring sports!

Contact the Athletic department for more info and to sign up!

Phone: (541) 926-6666 

Or email, here.

STITCHED TOGETHER IN KINDNESS

From our friends at Albany Police Department:

A huge shout out to Velma Ropp and her talented sewing circle friends that made these warm quilts for officers to pass out when needed! They are true treasures and we are honored to be able to give them to people to make a really bad day, a tiny bit better.

During the 2023 legislative session my office will continue to keep you updated and informed - and is always at your service. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any community event announcements, legislative questions, or concerns.

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