 This past week was a quieter one at the Capitol. The House had only one floor session as committees are now working on Senate Bills after the first chamber deadline. The proceedings in the Senate continue to make a snail’s pace look fast. This is on purpose as Senate Republicans protest the non bi-partisanship management of their chamber. The end result is a bottleneck of bills stuck in the Senate and very few bills in the House.
The Bridge
Discussions to replace the Columbia River Bridge on I-5, continue in serious debate. The cost will be $1 billion to Oregon. The Governor has not been in support of the current legislative direction. This week the Governor stated she wants to prioritize over $1 billion for housing. For context, the reason the bridge discussion timeline is imperative, is due to this being a joint project with Washington state, with Federal funding only available for two-thirds of the project — now in 2023. If Oregon delays, the federal funding opportunity will be lost and federal funding may not come around for another decade. Differences of opinion about tolling, fixing the Rose Quarter, how many lanes, light rail, bike lanes and more are what make this discussion complicated. It will certainly be interesting to see how this plays out, as Democrats control both the Legislature and the Governor’s office, yet are not in alignment on this critical infrastructure project.
Budgets
As we approach May, the state budgets are being prepared for consideration. What is notably different about this session is the amount of spending that has occurred prior to the consideration of agency budgets:
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~$210 million on HB 2001 - Homelessness Package (I voted NO)
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~$200 million on SB 4 - CHIPS Act (I voted NO)
Furthermore, on the horizon is the $1 billion funding for the I-5 Bridge as mentioned above, over $1 billion for the Governor’s housing plan, tens of millions on an R&D Tax Credit to compliment the CHIPS Act (SB 4), a massive expansion of the 9-8-8 suicide hotline through a major cell phone tax and an unknown, and uncertain, revenue forecast, scheduled for May 17th. The May Revenue Forecast will inform legislators how much we can spend in the upcoming biennium which begins on July 1, 2023. Unlike the Federal Government, Oregon’s Constitution requires lawmakers to create a balanced budget for the next two years. In simpler terms, the legislature cannot spend more than it raises through taxes, fees and federal programs. If the Revenue forecast is bright and rosy, the legislature might have enough money to fund most if not all projects and agency requests. If the forecast is more gloomy, then there will be a struggle at the Capitol to prioritize where funding will go and which projects and agencies will need to do with less — or without.
Social Engineering
HB 2002 and HB 2005 are significant priorities for Democrat leadership. HB 2002 eviscerates the requirement that a minor have parental consent before receiving an abortion — in other words a 10 year could get an abortion without parental consent; it also mandates that insurance companies must cover the cost of gender-altering procedures — including puberty blockers, cross-hormone therapy, facial feminization surgery & laser hair removal. Several serious questions remain about the increased cost in insurance premiums to all Oregonians. Furthermore, the increased costs are unknown to the state, as well as to tax payers, considering these mandates also apply to the Oregon Health Plan (medicaid) and Healthier Oregon (coverage for those without citizenship in the US). Given Ballot Measure 111 made healthcare a “constitutional right” in the state of Oregon, costs associated with anyone who steps foot in Oregon seeking an abortion or gender-altering procedures is likely to further burden Oregon tax payers. Talk about a budget buster! However, the majority party is only concerned about their extreme agenda and will deal with the cost problem when it happens. Most likely their solution will be to increase taxes to businesses and “the rich” (meaning everyone will pay more, just not directly).
HB 2005 is an omnibus gun-control bill, that is most certainly unconstitutional. HB 2005 requires registration of ghost guns (guns made by people, not manufacturers), raises the age limit to purchase firearms, in most cases, from 18 to 21 and furthers restrictions on where people are allowed to carry their firearms.
I have submitted letters in opposition to HB 2002 and in opposition to HB 2005. Both bills will come to the House floor first before proceeding to the Senate. The best estimate of when these bills will come before the House is around May 1st and 2nd. I plan on speaking against both bills and voting NO on both as well.
It is an honor to service the great people of Central & Southern Oregon. If you need assistance on a state matter, plan on visiting the Capitol or have an idea for legislation, please reach out to my office.
Best regards,
E. WERNER RESCHKE
State Representative, HD 55
The Crater Lake District
Capitol Phone
(503) 986-1455
Capitol Address
900 Court St. NE, H-383
Salem, OR 97301
Email
Rep.EWernerReschke@oregonlegislature.gov
Website
www.oregonlegislature.gov/reschke
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