 * “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
—Helen Keller
Photo credit Jack Leishman
The April 4 “First Chamber” deadline—the day by which bills either pass out of a policy committee or die—came and went this week, giving us all a couple of days to breathe before the pace intensifies again. In the Senate, Republicans still refuse to waive the old rule that bills must be read in their entirety before a vote can happen, so we sit on the Senate Floor each day listening to a computer read every bill.
That means we’re falling farther and farther behind, with bills piling up on the Senate President’s desk waiting for a vote. In order to catch up, committee meetings have been cancelled this Monday and Tuesday so we can meet on the floor from 9am-9pm to catch up. That means a whole lot of pizza delivered to the Senate Majority Office, just off the floor, for us to gobble up in the snatches of time between votes.
On top of that, the massive remodel of the Capitol is filling the Senate Chamber with so much construction noise and fumes from heavy equipment beneath the floor that it’s hard not to get cranky. That’s starting to come out in ways that aren’t pretty. Two days ago we voted on SB 166, which strengthens protections for citizens to cast their confidential vote and increases penalties for harassing election workers. A few Republicans blasted it as an attempt to cover up election fraud, with one going so stunningly over the top with ugly accusations that I couldn’t stay in my seat. When I rose to the microphone here’s what came out.
I’m hoping we can change what looks like a perilous trajectory this session.
The semiconductor push
The fastest freight train this session continues to be the campaign to out-compete other states for billions of federal CHIPS Act dollars to expand the semiconductor industry. We passed SB 4 out of the Senate 21-8 this week; here’s a concise report of what it does. The bill passed through the House a couple of hours before I sat down to write this on Thursday evening.
I struggled with this vote. The rush for federal dollars, ostensibly to turbocharge the state’s economy, has a team of intense cheerleaders from the Governor on down. They may be right, but I have trouble shaking the sense that this frantic race to lure major corporations before other states beat us to the punch essentially tees up a race to the bottom. The “rising tide floats all boats” theme underlying this campaign also feels shaky; we’re placing a lot of taxpayer dollars on this bet, and I’m not sure how much will change for Southern Oregonians, four hours away from the Metro Area’s “Silicon Forest,” who are trying to make ends meet.
A few hours of reading and listening to committee testimony tipped me to a ‘yes’ vote, but I used the opportunity of an SB 4 floor speech to lay down a marker for a broader version of how we should be thinking about economic success.
Wildfire
As we continue to move forward legislation to improve our wildfire program, it feels good to see more of the SB 762 grant money hit the ground in our county. The city of Jacksonville has long needed help reducing significant fire risk in Forest Park; thanks to the persistence of its forward-looking leaders, notably City Councilor Andrea Thompson, it just got some. Well-done, Jacksonville.
Here’s a set of recent news stories that covers much of the recent action.
KPVI: Oregon Senate passes street racing bill amid deaths from illegal races
OPB: Oregon lawmakers pass major bill aimed at luring semiconductor manufactures
OPB: 'Right to repair' bill advances in Oregon Legislature
Oregonian: Major Oregon gun control bills pass out of committee
Portland Business Journal: Oregon rent control bill advances to Senate floor vote
Oregon Capital Chronicle: Oregon bill on abortion, gender-affirming care clears first hurdle
Central Oregon Daily: Here are some of the bills that survived 'Do-or-Die' day in OR Legislature
Oregon Capital Chronicle: $120 million proposal to boost student literacy advances in Legislature
Oregon Capital Chronicle: Oregon Senate passes ban of foam containers for prepared food
OPB: Oregon lawmakers consider bill to overhaul public defense system
Oregon Capital Chronicle: Oregon will end reimbursements for remote state employees
Oregon Capital Chronicle: Legislature approves $7.5 million for Oregon Food Bank with COVID food benefits gone
That's all for now. Take care.
 Senator Jeff Golden, Oregon Senate District 3
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