Bills Are Dying – First Chamber Deadline
April is upon us, which means that the deadline for a bill to have a work session in its first chamber has passed! Following Tuesday's deadline, a majority of the bills that were sent to policy committees during this year's legislative session have died.
In the House alone, 1352 bills were introduced into the Legislative process, and as of Tuesday night, less than 500 were still “alive”.
Many bad bills were killed, in large part due to people like you giving powerful testimony in opposition to them either written on OLIS or in-person in front of the committee members.
One bad bill we saw return this session that we are enormously happy to see (once again!) die in the process was HB 3214, which could have banned rodeos and 4H events due to them being labeled "traveling animal acts". Another was HB 2733, which was one of the attempts to impose more rent control and more undue regulations on landlords – hurting, not helping, our housing crisis.
Other BAD BILLS that died include:
HB 2920 – would have increased car insurance rates for low-risk drivers
HB 3158 – charging road tax on off-road diesel and other rural-focused taxes
HB 3152 – would have restricted, and eventually phased out, natural gas usage
SB 525 – was one attempt to ban small, non-road engines (such as chain saws, leaf blowers, and generators)
On the other hand, countless good bills also died. In many cases, it was the result of the Democrat-controlled Committee Chairs outright refusing to even grant these bills a public hearing. This limits the public’s ability to make their voice heard about which bills they care about most.
Here are some GOOD BILLS that died on Tuesday:
HB 2973 & HB 2831 – Would repeal Measure 110
HB 2899 – Would have removed wetlands from the Buildable Lands Inventory
HB 2557 – Would have expanded school choice in Oregon
HB 2629 – Would have lowered the property tax exemption for Veterans
HB 2302 – Would have eliminated statute of limitations on certain crimes against minors “Jogger Rapist Fix”
HB 3603 – Would have allowed more inclusion of other sex offenses to be admissible in court as evidence
The second chamber deadline for bills will be May 19th, and both good and bad bills that are still alive will need to have had a work session by that date. We hope you continue to follow along—and hopefully help us kill even more of the BAD BILLS while keeping GOOD BILLS moving through this process!
Gun Omnibus on the Move
One of the bills we've been keeping an eye on this session is HB 2005. As you may recall, this bill was originally three separate bills, but has now become one giant "omnibus" monster.
In case you missed our previous write-ups about it, 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 nearly impossible to carry legally.
The bad news is that this bill is on the move! It was voted out of its policy committee, and sent to the Joint Committee on Ways & Means (where it has a work session today!) It will then move to the House Floor for a vote of passage.
The super bad news is, by having been sent to the Joint Committee on Ways & Means due to a $356,816 “fiscal” impact projected (a very low fiscal by government’s standards), it will completely avoid any policy committee on the Senate side! This means the public will not have another chance to weigh in on this bill in public hearings!
It is critical you reach out to Representatives and Senators directly and make your voice heard about this horrible erosion of our 2nd Amendment rights. Collectively, your voices make a strong impression of the actual will of voters.
Follow the Oregon House Republicans on Facebook for more updates https://www.facebook.com/oregonhouserepublicans
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SB 611 – Yet another rent control bill
This bill follows up on prior efforts that have already driven 4,000 single family dwellings out of the rental market in Portland alone. By disincentivizing builders with more regulations, rent control makes the housing shortage worse.
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SB 1045 – Gutting Our School Boards’ Authority
This bill guts the authority of school boards and centralizes it with Oregon Department of Education. This is yet another attempt at a one size fits all approach to our schools, dictated by government bureaucracy rather than our parents.
SB 525 – Ban on Gas Powered Leaf Blowers and Chainsaws
Oregonians should have the right to choose which power sources we use day-to-day. This bill would put a ban on "non-road" engines by the year 2026. Did the sponsors of SB 525 consider our loggers that have to work deep in the forests far away from any power grid?
HB 2506 – Housing Criminals Next to Schools
This bill would require cities to allow for the citing of residential facilities for individuals who need supervision—which includes violent felons and registered sex offenders. The bill has no provisions to prevent these facilities from being next to our schools.
HB 3090 – Flavored Tobacco Ban
The proponents of this bill claim to want to protect children, but it is already illegal for people under 21 to purchase tobacco and other products containing nicotine. Furthermore, this bill targets vaporizers that are often used by people who have quit or are trying to quit smoking.
Some Sweet Home Huskies made the trek to Nevada last week to compete at the Reno Worlds wrestling tournament! This event is a major competition that invites young wrestlers from across the country to compete.
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After wrestling with other young athletes from across the country, Sweet Home's own Macen Rosa emerged victorious in the 10 & Under/110-pound division, winning the Worlds Championship! Sweet Home could not be prouder to have a champion representing us on such a national stage! Way to go Macen! |
Sweet Home saw some other great finishes as well, including the Sieminski brothers who won hard-fought 2nd and 3rd place finishes in their 18 & Under class! Jacob took 2nd, while Kyle wound up 3rd fighting through an injury. These boys already have a collection of State wrestling titles and their future could not be brighter! |
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Bailey Chafin won another Eagle at Reno Worlds after finishing 2nd in her 15 & Under/125-pound girl's division! Way to go!
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Do you know of anyone in House District 11 who deserves to be acknowledged? Send us your nominations at (Rep.JamiCate@oregonlegislature.gov)
Sweet Home Easter Egg Hunt
It's almost Easter! The Sweet Home Rotary Club invites you to come out tomorrow and celebrate with your family at 11:00AM in Sankey Park! This is a great opportunity to celebrate with the community without intruding on other traditional Easter Sunday plans.
Diaper Drive – Family Tree Relief Nursery
Help families struggling to make ends meet and consider donating diapers to a drop-off box for Family Tree Relief Nursery’s upcoming Diaper Drive! Below is a list of all of our wonderful local businesses that are participating:
Schmizza Public House • REMAX Integrity - The Integrity Foundation • Premier Motogear of Oregon • Ascent Fitness & Conditioning • Best Pots Inc. • No Dinx • People's Bank of Commerce • Fidelity National Title - Albany Oregon• Kish Realty Group • Albany Eagles #2255 • Corvallis Knights Baseball • Mid-Willamette Family YMCA • The Historic Carousel & Museum • Albany, OR, Northwest Community Credit Union • Memorial Middle School • Gillott Home Team • The Oaks at Lebanon Retirement and Assisted Living • Best Western Premier Boulder Falls Inn • PacRes Mortgage • PayneWest Insurance • Willamette Valley Bank • Healing Motion Physical Therapy • WaFd Bank • BlueSun Inc • Artisan Custom Countertops • Caliber Home Loans Albany Oregon •North Albany Supermarket IGA • Selmet Inc • Mother Goose Resale of Corvallis • Grocery Outlet • Grocery Outlet of Corvallis • American Legion Post 10, Albany Oregon • CASA of Linn County
Linn CASA Luncheon: April 19th
The Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) would like you to join them for their annual I Am For The Child luncheon at noon on April 19th, at Lebanon’s Boulder Falls Inn Event Center! This event gives you an opportunity to learn about CASA's impact on our local community and how you can help expand their reach. CASA of Linn County's featured speaker, The Honorable Heidi Sternhagen of the Linn County Circuit Court will be there to discuss how CASA makes a difference in the lives of foster youth.
Please contact Executive Director Leslee Mayers at leslee.mayers@linncasa.org for any questions you may have!
Young Women’s Fire Camp Signups
Calling all young women who have an interest in Firefighting!!! The Linn County Young Women’s Fire Academy happening July 8th and 9th is a place where women between the ages of 14 and 19 can learn about the fire service.
The camp hosts a range of classes encompassing the many skills needed to succeed in the field. The classes are taught by local female firefighters who serve in our communities.
Registration is free to all accepted candidates, so don't miss this opportunity!
April Is Childhood Abuse Awareness Month
Sweet Home Police Department and the City of Sweet Home are inviting the community to raise awareness of child abuse by participating in a campaign during April!
They are encouraging people to plant blue pinwheels at their homes and businesses and to swap their porch lights with blue bulbs. Pinwheels can be obtained from the Police Department for a suggested donation of $2 each or six for $10, and proceeds will go to the Linn County Child Abuse Network.
Opening Ceremonies Needed
Do you sing? Read poetry? Play an instrument? Pray? Then we have a job for you!
Every Floor Session in the House of Representatives starts with Opening Ceremonies, and is a great way to showcase the talents found across the state. Guidelines for Opening Ceremonies are below, but if you're interested in being a ceremonial part of the 82nd Legislative Session, let me know! My office can help coordinate with the Chief Clerk's office to get you on the calendar.
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