Advocating for Our Most At-Risk Students
Our Homeless and Special Needs students have the highest drop-out rates in the state, and yet Oregon’s Student Funding Formula grossly ignores their needs. Our schools are tasked with the responsibility of giving these kids an education, and yet are short-changed of the added resources doing so requires.
I introduced HB 2895 to help address the funding inequities we see for our SPED and Homeless students, and—along with the support of Representative Courtney Neron (D, Wilsonville) who Chairs the House Committee on Education—was able to have a public hearing on Monday.
To share a House District 11 perspective, I was joined by Kevin Strong, the business manager of the Sweet Home School District, who provided a unique perspective of the funding struggles our schools face in meeting the needs of these students, as well as a wealth of data highlighting the funding disparities in our present funding formula. |
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You can watch our testimony with this link.
With the very enthusiastic support of the Chair, HB 2895 had a work session on Wednesday afternoon, and passed unanimously out of committee. It now moves on to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means.
Bypassing Our Courts: Measure 114!
As you likely know, Measure 114 was passed by voters last November by a very narrow margin, and has since been blocked until the Oregon Supreme Court hears the case. But late last Friday, Senate Democrats introduced a 64-page, “gut and stuff” amendment to SB 348—which had a hearing Monday in the Senate Committee on Judiciary.
The amendment would make SB 348 an implementation of Measure 114 (and then some!) while bypassing the due process of our court system.
Testimony is closed on SB 348 right now, but there is a work session scheduled for this bill on Monday in the Senate Committee on Judiciary. Please reach out to committee members with your objection to this subversion of our judicial system and erosion of our 2nd Amendment rights!
HB 2002 – Expands abortion/gender-change without parental consent
As we mentioned last week, this is an egregious bill that erodes parental rights while radically expanding allowance to abortion and sex-change. Your child would still need your permission to pierce their ears, but not to receive gender affirming care. Keep up the great work advocating against this bill—it is scheduled for a work session next Tuesday!
HB 2005 – Gun Control Omnibus
The three gun control bills that we highlighted in last week's newsletter (2005/2006/2007) were all merged into one "omnibus" bill" yesterday with the adoption of the -1 amendment. This expansive gun bill would target hobby gun makers, ban 18-20 year olds from buying rifles, and create more of a confusing patchwork of regulation making it near impossible to carry legally. The bill passed out of committee and is in the Joint Committee on Ways and Means.
SB 4 – Oregon Chips Act – Headed to the House Next Week
After driving out Chip manufacturing businesses due to our unfriendly business regulations, Oregon is trying to compete for Federal dollars to entice these businesses back to Oregon. This $200 million package is just a starting place for what it will take to be successful in this effort, and without a more complete picture of the investments required—not to mention the uncertainty of what Oregon’s economy will even look like in a few months—I find it premature to commit our limited tax dollars to this package.
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The FFA State Convention happened last week, and it was an exciting experience for FFA students across House District 11!
I want to celebrate a few of the highlights this week, including Sweet Home FFA receiving their official National FFA Organization Charter!
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Another great recognition for House District 11 was the prized State Farmer Award going to Scio’s Clancey Krahn! Such a job well done on six years of hard work, dedication, record-keeping, and downright perseverance!
And no State Convention would be complete without the conferring of State Degrees, and I would like to extend a special congratulations to all of our recipients for their hard work and positive impacts they make on agriculture:
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Brooke Glaser, Central Linn
Jaxon Wirth, Central Linn
Saydey Johnson, Central Linn
Alexis Laiblin, Harrisburg
Shaiyenne Molthan, Harrisburg
Alyssa Baker, Lebanon
Ashlyn Brinson, Lebanon
Katelyn Hacker, Lebanon
Adalai Rudkin, Scio
Elliana Savage, Scio
Khloe Free, Scio
Rayanna Morris, Scio
Congratulations to all of our FFA students! The future of Oregon Agriculture is brighter thanks to all you do!
Do you know of anyone in House District 11 who deserves to be acknowledged? Send us your nominations at (Rep.JamiCate@oregonlegislature.gov)
Jefferson Fire Easter Fundraiser
The Easter Bunny is hopping his way back to town again this year, and we are EGG-CITED to share that our Jefferson Fire crew will be helping him deliver those pesky eggs filled with candy again this year.
The Easter Fundraiser helps supports our Volunteer Firefighters. You can order online at: https://www.jeffersonfire.org/
Lebanon Business Expo Coming April 18th
It's that time of the year again! The 16th annual Lebanon Business Exposition will be held at the River Center on April 18th! There will be 130 vendors, and it's free to the general public. Don't miss out on this showcase of the best Lebanon has to offer!
House Republicans' School Safety Plan
In the wake of this week's tragic shooting in Nashville, House Republicans called attention to our plan of action to improve safety in our schools—all of which was already introduced, but was largely ignored by Chairs and let die in committee. We all want our children to be safe, and these commonsense proposals will make great strides in achieving that without further infringing on law-abiding Oregonian's 2nd Amendment rights.
Security measures are the best deterrent for violence, and students shouldn’t be forced to accept any less than the extensive safety measures found in our own Capitol building—including armed officers. But most of my Democrat colleagues voted against these protections when Republican House members tried to pull these bills to the floor for consideration. In the words of House Republican Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson, “We should, we can, and we must do better.”
 Follow the Oregon House Republicans on Facebook for more updates https://www.facebook.com/oregonhouserepublicans
OLCC Scandal: Release the List!
There is no room for corruption in our Government agencies, yet repeated calls for an independent investigation into the blatant corruption witnessed in the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) has gone unanswered.
You may have heard about the recent scandal that led to the firing of most executives at the OLCC—namely around the alleged “favorable treatment” of rare liquor distributions, but suspicions remain around recent land acquisition processes too.
Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp, Senate Independent Leader Brian Boquist, and House Republican Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson, sent a letter to the Governor last week calling on her to launch a nonpartisan investigation into the OLCC, and members of both Chambers have continued that request daily during floor sessions. We are still waiting for Governor Kotek to take action.
What do you think? Should Oregonians know who in their government is unfairly profiting off of the OLCC? Take Senator Knopp's poll with this link.
Chamber Deadlines: Bills are Dying!
For all of you (normal) people who don’t have Chamber Deadlines written on your calendar in bold markers… I know it can be confusing to wrap your head around the timelines of the Legislative process. You may be hearing that bills are “dying”, but what does that mean exactly???
There are deadlines throughout session that serve as cut-off points for a bill’s progress. Failure to meet that cut-off, and the bill is “dead” (cannot be considered through normal processes for the remainder of this session).
It’s important to note that there are ways to side-step this process (an example being the attempt to pull the School Safety Plan bills directly to the floor for consideration), but they aren’t likely.
March 17th: A bill must have a work session scheduled, or it is dead.
April 4th: A bill must have completed its work session in its first chamber, or it is dead.
May 5th: A bill must have a work session scheduled in its second chamber, or it is dead.
May 19th: A bill must have completed its work session in its second chamber, or it is dead.
This timeline applies to all committees except Rules, Revenue, and Joint Committees. These committees have no deadlines, and many bills will be re-referred to one of these committees when deadlines are looming just for the purpose of keeping them “alive” for later consideration.
Many bad bills have already died (as have many good bills!) As you advocate for bills you support/oppose, it is important to understand if those bills are still viable in the Legislative process, and I hope this helps you decipher some of the complexities about session!
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