Another Week, Another Big Milestone

Friends and Neighbors,

There's been an air of excitement at the Capitol this week as we reached another milestone in the legislative session. This week, we reached the deadline for all of those work sessions to happen.

A committee work session is the process where committee members debate and then vote on whether to pass a specific bill to the floor for a vote. I'm pleased to announce that many of my bills included in my last newsletter were successfully voted out of committee and are now headed to either the Joint Committee on Ways & Means or to the House floor for a vote. Below, you will find a list of those bills and their current status. Don't forget that you can sign up for email updates about each bill (including when it is scheduled for hearings, work sessions, and House or Senate votes) by clicking "e-Subscribe" at the top right corner of each bill's OLIS page. I have linked each bill's OLIS page below.

Update on My Priorities for the Session

• HB 2002
  
  • In the wake of Roe v Wade being overturned, it's critical that we strengthen our protections for reproductive healthcare access and enhance access to and coverage for gender-affirming care. I'm proud to be a Chief Sponsor on HB 2002, which further protects and advances Oregonians' right to these life-saving services. After a lengthy debate with my fellow committee members, HB 2002 was successfully voted out of the House Behavioral Health & Health Care Committee on Monday evening this week.
  • HB 2002 is now in the Joint Committee on Ways & Means.
• HB 2697
  • Nurses and technical medical staff have stated that strengthening of laws around safe staffing plans would help alleviate overwork and burnout. This bill would address those needs, while also imposing penalties on hospitals that fail to follow the law.
  • HB 2697 is now in the Joint Committee on Ways & Means.

• HB 2918 and HB 2925
  • The legislature funded a pilot program for mobile health units in the 2022 legislative session, but not enough funding was provided to stand up the program. HB 2918 adds additional funding to the program to help with implementation, while HB 2925 continues that funding and the work of the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Advocacy Commission Office to research and address racism as a public health crisis.
  • Both bills are now in the Joint Committee on Ways & Means.
• HB 2921
  • Hospitals with over 100 employees already compile and submit an EEO-1 report to the federal government. An EEO-1 report (which stands for Equal Employment Opportunity) breaks down the racial and gender diversity of a company by job classification. This helps employers and the federal government to understand where the true diversity of their company lies. HB 2921 would require that hospitals in Oregon submit their EEO-1 report to the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries in addition to sending it to the federal government.
  • HB 2921 will be on the House floor for a vote on Monday, April 10th.
• HB 2922
  • This issue was brought to my attention by a constituent. Surety bonds are required for all construction contractors and companies, and ensure financial protection for everyone involved. When accidents or damage happen to a home during renovation (or on a construction site), a contractor's surety bonds mean that the company is not bankrupted by paying back the person or company that hired them. The base amounts of bonding haven't been increased in nearly two decades and HB 2922 would increase the base amount by $5,000 while only increasing the annual payment for the bond by $35-175 depending on the company.
  • HB 2922 had a public hearing in the Senate Labor & Business Committee on Thursday, April 6th, and is now awaiting for a work session to be scheduled.

HB 2922 is the first of my bills this legislative session to reach the House floor for a full vote. You can click on the photo above to watch the video of my speech and the resulting vote.

• HB 2927
  • Sickle Cell Disease and carrying the sickle cell trait affect mostly the Black and Brown community. There are not enough resources and attention dedicated to researching this debilitating disease and to connecting people suffering with treatment. HB 2927 would establish a statewide steering committee on Sickle Cell Disease to study and facilitate these efforts.
  • HB 2927 is now in the Joint Committee on Ways & Means.

• HB 3313
  • The Oregon Advocacy Commissions Office (and their Commissions on Hispanic, Black, Women, and Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs) do not have the funding to hire one paid intern for each commission. The work these commissions do is critical for elevating the concerns and needs of BIPOC communities across the state while helping those communities become engaged in the legislative and government at the state level. HB 3313 would set up the funding and mandate that the OACO hire at least one paid intern for each commission.
  • HB 3313 is now in the Joint Committee on Ways & Means.
• HB 3324
  • Nurse instructors are paid much less than nurses with a two- or four-year degree. Many of the instructors for the next generation of nurses are leaving the teaching profession to take higher paying jobs at hospitals and clinics. HB 3324 would direct the Oregon Health Authority to establish a program that would provide incentives to nurse instructors in an effort to help alleviate this financial disparity.
  • HB 3324 is now in the Joint Committee on Ways & Means.
• SB 629
  • The current membership of the Oregon State Hospital Advisory Board does not include any positions with experience or background regarding diagnosis and treatment of mental health. SB 629 would modify the membership of the board to include members with a wider range of expertise regarding mental health.
  • SB 629 is scheduled for a public hearing in the House Behavioral Health & Health Care Committee on Monday, April 17th, and for a work session in the same committee on Wednesday, April 19th.
• SB 776
  • Oregonians of Black and African-American descent have faced, quite literally, over 150 years of persecution, injustice, hardship, and denial of civil rights. I believe that it's past time we address those historic, systemic injustices. SB 776. would establish a task force to study and develop proposals for financial and non-financial reparations and make recommendations on remedies based on their findings. The task force would also develop methods for educating Oregonians about their findings.
  • SB 776 is now in the Joint Committee on Ways & Means.
• SB 851
  • Bullying, harassment, and psychological abuse occur far too often in the workplace. As a union rep, I know the importance of a safe work environment, not just physically but emotionally and mentally as well. SB 851 would require the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries to study the occurrence of psychological abuse and bullying in Oregon workplaces.
  • SB 851 is now awaiting a vote on the Senate floor.
• SB 907
  • Over the last three years, we have seen a dramatic increase in unsafe working conditions, including healthcare settings with a lack of PPE (personal protective equipment), laborers employed in outdoor settings during extreme heat and cold, and fire and rescue services responding to devastating, out-of-control wildfires. It is the duty of the employer to ensure a work environment that is as safe as possible for their employees. SB 907 makes it an unlawful employment practice for any person to bar or discharge from employment or discriminate against employee or prospective employee because they have refused to expose themselves to serious injury or death from hazardous condition at place of employment, with no reasonable alternatives and in good faith.
  • SB 907 is now awaiting a vote on the Senate floor.
• SB 1089
  • SB 1089 would establishes the Universal Health Plan Governance Board within the Oregon Department of Administrative Services. This board will design an administrative structure for the Universal Health Plan, to assess the readiness of public institutions and infrastructure to carry out the plan, and to work collaboratively with partners across the healthcare system, including hospitals, healthcare providers, insurers, and coordinated care organizations.
  • SB 1089 will have a public hearing and possible work session in the Senate Committee on Rules on Thursday, April 13th, at 3pm.

Say Their Names

On Saturday, March 25th, 2023, three young Black men were shot and killed in North Portland. I delivered a remonstrance a few days after to call attention to the incredible work being done by Healing Hurt People to support the victims' families and to prevent future violence. The following day, I led a moment of silence in remembrance of the three young men killed.

We say their names. We remember them. May their souls rest in power and peace: Babu Daudi (19 years of age), Eskender Tamra (17 years of age), Patrick D. Johnson, Jr. (20 years of age).

You can click on the photo above to view the video of my remonstrance.

BIPOC Caucus Priorities

Last week, the Black, Indigenous, People of Color Caucus held a press conference to announce our legislative policy package and priorities. One of the top priorities for the BIPOC Caucus is the safe, affordable, equitable access to culturally appropriate healthcare for all Oregonians.

Personally, I am excited to see the mobile health unit project, begun in the 2022 legislative session, continue on the path of implementation. I am looking forward to the great work these units will do in under-served and often overlooked communities within our state, and that is why I brought forward HB 2918 and 2925 to help further the work of the program.

In addition to advocating for bills that advance access to healthcare for all Oregonians, the Caucus's priorities include economic justice, education equity, public and community safety, Indigenous, immigrant and refugee justice, environmental justice, and civil rights.

I am proud to be a part of the largest BIPOC Caucus in the history of the state legislature, with 20 BIPOC-identifying members serving this session. You can read here about the specific bills we have put forward.

Oregon CHIPS

Thanks to the work in Oregon of semiconductor companies such as Intel Corporation, our state has become known as a go-to place for semiconductor innovation and manufacturing. Yesterday, the Oregon House passed SB 4 (also known as the Oregon CHIPS bill) with broad bipartisan support. It now heads to the Governor's desk to be signed into law.

The result of this bill becoming law means that Oregon can leverage once-in-a-generation funding from the federal CHIPS Act to solidify our place as a global leader in the semiconductor industry. The Oregon CHIPS bill will create long-term, good-paying jobs in every area of the state, and will keep our economy stable and competitive as we continue to advance into the 21st century.

This bill will also help to bolster our national security and protect the United State's supply chain for everything from credit cards to cars by bringing critical technology supply chains into the country and lessening our dependence on manufacturing in other countries.

My warmest congratulations to Representative Janelle Bynum for her tireless work to bring this bill to fruition!

Fifty-Five Years

Tuesday, April 4th, was 55 years since the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I spoke briefly on the House floor that morning about Dr. King's legacy and his influence in my life and my work.

Rest in power and peace, Dr. King. You continue to inspire us and we carry on the work you began.

I hope that you and yours are well. I want to wish a blessed Ramadan, holy Passover, and happy Easter to all who celebrate.

Best,

Travis Nelson
State Representative
House District 44

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1444
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-275, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.TravisNelson@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/nelson​