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Neighbors,
The past month turned a bi-partisan session into a partisan session because of a few terrible terrible bills being pushed onto Oregonians. Some, like the so called “Right to Rest” bill we have been able to kill which would have allowed homeless people to basically stay anywhere. While others like HB 2002 and HB 2005 we continue to fight. These two bills are especially heinous and threaten to strip Oregonians of fundamental rights, especially parents. The bills where ushered through the process with very little public input or debate on bills. These two bills strip parents of their basic rights and deny Oregonians of their constitutional right to own firearms.
House Bill 2002b strips parents of their basic rights to be involved in the lives of their children and empowers state bureaucrat and employees with the power to indoctrinate your child into making irreversible, life altering decisions, without parental knowledge.
The Bill facts:
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Allows a child of any age, without parental consent to receive an abortion. Section 8(1)92)
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A doctor may not disclose to the child’s parent information regarding the abortion they performed unless the child provides written consent. Section 9(10(a)
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Prohibits health insurance plans from limiting/denying coverage for irreversible sex-changing treatments and procedures. Section 20 (2) (a)
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A minor may receive irreversible sex-changing treatments and procedures without parental knowledge. ORS 109.640
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A minor may have parents’ insurer cover the cost of irreversible sex-changing treatments and procedures without parental knowledge. ORS 743A/B.555
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Insurer must cover “medical necessary cosmetic procedures”: tracheal shave, hair electrolysis, facial feminization surgery/facial-altering treatment. Section 20(2)(B)(c)
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Decriminalizes concealing the dead body of a newborn child. Section 59(5)
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Oregon taxpayers will be on the hook to pay for abortions and irreversible sex-changing treatments for non-Oregon residents.
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Requires student health centers at public universities and colleges to provide medication abortions to enrolled students funded by Oregon taxpayers. Section 14
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Changes statutory language from “terminate the individual’s pregnancy” to “exercise the individual’s reproductive health right”. Section 5(1)(a)
HB 2002 is a direct assault on parental rights.
Currently in Oregon a child cannot take a field trip, get a tattoo, ear piercings, or contact lenses without a permission slip. These are just some of the examples in which a parent is required to provide consent for their children in the state of Oregon.
At least four progressive nations in Europe have already reversed course and are taking steps to limit the use of puberty blockers and the access minors have to reassignment surgery.
The United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, and France have all taken steps recently to pull back on transgender medical treatments for gender-dysphoric children.
In fact, it’s not just bad policy, it’s also unpopular and extreme. Recent polls show that Oregonians overwhelmingly oppose denying parental rights. Oregonians don’t want transgenderism taught in school. Oregonians don’t favor the Democrat’s extreme gender reassignment agenda. It’s clear that Democrats are attempting to pass this bill without informing Oregonians about the true nature of the bill. Without proper time to debate the bill and without sufficient public input. The summary is confusing, and the bills is written in a way that makes it very difficult to understand. DHM Poll is below, answers are who says yes
HB 2005 is unconstitutional, it would strip 18-21 year old’s of their constitutional right to purchase certain types of firearms and allows jurisdictions to create their own rules and regulations limiting access to firearms. Which will create a patch work of gun laws throughout the state, denying gun owners their constitutionally protected rights. Many of the restrictions in the bill have been previously struck down by the courts. After passage House Republicans united and immediately committed to a twenty-five-thousand-dollar donation to an organization willing to challenge the bill in the courts. The check will be awarded after the Governor signs the bill.
I’m very proud of the unity the Republican caucus demonstrated. Republican lawmakers put up an eleven-hour fight on the floor to kill HB 2002 and the following day mounted a multi-hour effort to defeat HB 2005.
Both House Bill 2002 and 2005 failed to comply with the state Constitution, and State Statute. House and Senate Rules require bill summaries to be written at an 8th-grade reading level, which correlates with a Flesch-Kincaid readability score of 60. House Bills 2002 and 2005 score well below 20, corresponding to the reading level of college graduates. Oregonians deserve transparent government. The Democrats intentionally drafted complex bills with difficult to read and comprehend summaries in an effort to confuse Oregonians about the intent of the bills.
Because the Senate and House leadership refused to follow the state constitution and statute, Senate Republicans, with the full support of House Republicans, walked out of the building to force Democrats to negotiate on the bills. Not only are the Democrats passing extreme, unpopular, and unconstitutional bills, but they’ve also killed Republican bills that would address the homeless crisis, high price of housing, educational choice, and bills to improve the states economy.
Until we take control of one of the chambers, Democrats will continue to ignore the voice of parents, small business, and rural Oregon. I’m very proud of the efforts made by House and Senate Republicans to protect your rights and improve the state’s livability and economy.
God bless,
Vikki
2023-2024 House Republican Caucus commits $25,000 towards 2A lawsuit
Knopp, Breese-Iverson, Boquist Send Letter to the Governor Urging Independent Nonpartisan Counsel to Investigate OLCC
SALEM, Ore. – This morning, Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend), House Republican Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson (R-Prineville), and Senate Independent Leader Brian Boquist (I-Rural Yamhill & Polk Counties) sent a letter to Governor Kotek urging that independent nonpartisan investigations be launched into the OLCC’s alleged favorable treatment of land acquisitions and rare liquor distribution.
The letter reads as follows: “Dear Governor Kotek, Today, we urge you to launch independent nonpartisan investigations into the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission’s (OLCC) potential favorable treatment of (1) land acquisitions; and (2) rare liquor distribution. It is with an unwavering commitment to full transparency that we request these investigations be conducted by independent outside counsel. We ask that you use your statutory authority1 to investigate the potential favorable treatment of alcohol distribution and land acquisitions of the Oregon Liquor and 1 ORS 180 Cannabis Commission. According to recent reports2, the price tag for land and a new warehouse for the OLCC “…rose by 133% between 2019 and 2022 — from an estimated $62.5 million to $145.7 million. It has risen higher since.” Prior to the purchase, and for the first time on record, the Oregon Public Lands Advisory Commission rejected this land acquisition. Since the rejection was advisory, the agency pushed the deal through regardless.
On the outset, this suggests a negligent breach of the agency’s fiduciary duty. In the spirit of government transparency, working Oregonians deserve assurance they can trust the Legislature and State Agencies with their tax dollars. In recent months, there have been multiple reports that lawmakers, public officials, and management at the OLCC had benefitted from the diversion of bottles of high-end, rare liquor.3 Most recently, in mid-March, three top OLCC officials were fired for their involvement, leaving us with more questions than answers.
We request OLCC and the Attorney General release the names of all lawmakers who used their position for personal gain, an action which Oregon government ethics laws clearly prohibit. The keeping of public records is fundamental in ensuring accountability in our government. To preserve public trust, it is imperative the names be released. We understand that in certain instances4, investigations are being conducted by the Department of Justice. This is not sufficient. Therefore, we request independent nonpartisan counsel be used for these investigations. On multiple occasions you have committed to increasing accountability and oversight in state government, taking a customer service approach to public service. We agree that this leads to good governance. In keeping with our shared goals of accountability and transparency, we ask that you take immediate action.”
Full story here
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1455
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-395, Salem, OR 97301
Email: Rep.VikkiBreeseIverson@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/breese-iverson
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