HD15 Legislative Update: April 28, 2023

Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin at 04/28/2023 01:15 PM PDT

Friends and neighbors, here are some highlights from the week and helpful community information for you! There are quite a few opportunities for you to lend your voice and get involved – please do!

- Shelly

OREGON TRUCKERS IN THE HOUSE

Always a great day when the truckers are in the House!

🍎 REMINDER TO VOTE 🍎

I want to throw out a quick reminder that the May 16 elections are coming up. There are school board elections in the Salem-Keizer School District as well as Greater Albany School District. You should be getting your ballot in the mail any day now. Make sure to turn in your ballot before May 16.

TRANSPORTATION

Last night was the public hearing on HB 2098 and the -2 amendments that lay out the funding plan for the I-5 Bridge Replacement project. In my last newsletter, I went in-depth about the state of this legislation.

After first voicing skepticism on the proposal, Gov. Kotek tweeted this supportive message about getting the bridge plan across the finish line. I hope this means the Governor will support the bipartisan -2 amendments to HB 2098.

When the Governor released her budget in February, the funding for the bridge was absent. This suggests she’ll be letting the legislature figure out how to fund it. We are certainly at the table doing just that – and the -2 amendments are a bipartisan solution to both fund the bridge and to ensure the legislature is looking to the future to make sure our transportation infrastructure is both funded and works for all of Oregon at the same time fulfilling our promises to Oregonians in prioritizing projects from the 2017 Transportation Package.

You can still weigh in with written testimony until April 29th at 5pm - go here to submit.

NEXT WEEK: House Bills 2002 and 2005

On Monday, the House will take up HB 2002, a bill that goes beyond what most Oregonians believe is reasonable when it comes to abortion and "gender-affirming care." We are scheduled to be on the floor most of the day, with most of that time being dedicated to debate. On a related note, SJR 33 had a public hearing this week that would enshrine abortion and "gender-affirming care" into Oregon's Constitution.

Below is a fact sheet that explains the most extreme aspects of the bill:

On Tuesday, the House will take up HB 2005, an omnibus gun control bill that will further erode Oregonian's 2nd Amendment rights with no apparent benefit to public safety. The bill will be challenged in court if it passes and should be found unconstitutional.

This article from CNN explains well how there is an all-time high interest from those who identify as liberal, women, and minorities in owning firearms for self-protection.

In a time of rising crime, we must ensure that those most vulnerable to being victims of crime have the legal right to protect themselves.

PERPETUAL HOMELESSNESS

This week I have gotten thousands of emails on HB 3501 and SB 603. These bills would have the effect of making homelessness a permanent crisis in Oregon. HB 3501 would allow tent cities nearly everywhere, and SB 603 would give homeless individuals $1,000 per month. BOTH of these bills are "dead," but HB 3501 was scheduled for a public hearing next Thursday at 8 AM. However, this is after the deadline for public hearings, so the bill is unlikely to move forward and likely just scheduled as a courtesy to the sponsors. Regardless, register to testify on the bill here or submit written testimony here.

EARTH DAY: Votes for Common Sense

Energy Policies

In recognition of Earth Day, House Republicans attempted to withdraw five pieces of legislation that would have protected Oregon from future environmental hazards, boosted clean energy in a responsible way, and helped us further understand the long-term impacts of renewable energy infrastructure on our environment. Every bill with Republican chief sponsors died in committee and was voted down.

UPDATE: OREGON'S TOP 20 AG COMMODITIES

Oregon’s nursery and greenhouse industry remains the leading agricultural commodity in the state, with a value of $1.32 billion in 2021. This is up 10 percent from the previous year. The industry represented 22 percent of the total agricultural value in 2021. An estimated 74 percent or more of Oregon’s nursery sales come from outside the state, making the industry a critical traded sector.

Read more, here.

House Republican leader calls for more action on ‘root cause’ of homelessness KOIN6 House Republican Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson — representing District 59 cities such as Prineville and Madras — told KOIN 6 News she thinks the package didn’t do enough to address the crises, especially when it comes to housing. “I’m not fully unhappy,” Breese-Iverson said. “I think there’s room for more to be done. Both the housing and homeless scenario were discussed early in the session, wanted to try something collaborative across the aisle, make it for the good of Oregon. I think we got part way there.” ... While working on these issues, the Republican leader says she wants to see more balance between Democrat and Republican-led bills being considered. “Bipartisanship is an interesting conversation, and it really depends how you define bipartisanship. Are we getting along? Are we working together? Are we talking across the aisle? Yes,” Breese-Iverson said. “I think the atmosphere inside the Capitol is good, there’s communication happening. But true bipartisan would include … an emphasis on Republican bills as much as Democrat bills. There would be an emphasis to get bills across the House floor that have more than one Republican supporting them as a ‘bipartisan bill’ and we still don’t have a true balance of that,” she continued.

Some Oregon bills skip committee hearings. Legislative Republicans say that needs to change Oregon Capital Chronicle “Prior leadership has claimed that a solution is simply untenable,” minority leaders Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson and Sen. Tim Knopp wrote in their letter. “We disagree. Instead, in our view, prior leadership have been unwilling to change the status quo for fear that their hand-picked policy preferences will suffer from additional scrutiny by policy committees and public hearing.” ... A spokesman for House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, said in an email that he and Breese-Iverson, the House Republican leader, speak regularly and she hasn’t brought the issue up with him directly. “The outline proposed is a significant structural change to how the Legislature has historically operated and would take significant thought and discussion if the body wishes to move in this direction,” Rayfield spokesman Andrew Rogers said in an email.

Oregon Bill Forcing Health Insurance to Pay for Gender Transitions Excludes Detransition Care National Review A bill in Oregon explicitly would require Oregon health-insurance plans to pay for gender-transition medical interventions — including cosmetic procedures such as electrolysis and facial feminization surgery — while not concomitantly requiring equivalent coverage for detransition care. ... Detransitioners are seeking care to restore congruence with their born sex. That’s apparently a distinction that makes a big difference in terms of the proposal. Republican representative Ed Diehl thought the same thing. So, he filed an amendment to provide equal coverage for medical services for detransitioners and transitioners alike.

The Economist Magazine, a Longtime Proponent of Drug Decriminalization, Says Measure 110 Is Struggling Willamette Week The Economist magazine, a staunch advocate for more progressive drug laws and less incarceration, says Oregon’s experiment with decriminalization has started off poorly because overdose deaths have risen and treatment services are scarce, despite Measure 110′s promises.

Democrat Leaders urged to create a Joint Oversight and Accountability Committee The World Recently, House and Senate Republican and Independent leaders sent a letter to Senate President Rob Wagner and House Speaker Dan Rayfield asking for an equal bipartisan and bicameral Joint Committee on Oversight and Accountability. The letter includes the names of those who would serve as Republican and Independent members of the 12-person equal committee.

Oregon House Republicans Vote to Protect Oregon from Environmental Hazards Northwest Observer “We cannot simultaneously claim to be moving towards a renewable energy future while having no plan to mitigate the potentially hazardous waste caused by these energy sources. We should be doing the responsible thing and understanding the ramifications of the policy we set,” said Co-Vice Chair of the Climate, Energy, and Environment Committee, Representative Bobby Levy (R-Echo) on the House floor. “I am disappointed that we had the option before us today to study the impacts of this growing energy sector and chose to disregard it.”

La Mota CEO Rosa Cazares Remains on Cannabis Policy Team at City of Portland Willamette Week After WW published its March 29 cover story detailing the chain’s issues, the political training academy Emerge Oregon removed Cazares from its board, where she served as vice chair. Two elected officials, U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle and Oregon Labor Commissioner Christina Stevenson, said they wouldn’t accept future campaign contributions from the couple or the companies they control. A state agency that granted $554,000 to a nonprofit co-founded by Cazares abruptly terminated the grant and demanded the remainder of the unspent money back. Portland officials, however, have so far kept Cazares on the city’s cannabis policy team, which also advises the city on marijuana sales taxes.

Phil Knight gives $400M to benefit Black Portlanders OPB Phil Knight, the billionaire co-founder of Nike, is contributing $400 million to a new investment fund to support Black residents of Portland. The gift from Knight and his wife Penny Knight to the 1803 Fund – an initiative revealed Monday – is meant to fund education services, art programs and other projects for Black Portlanders in the inner North and Northeast Portland neighborhoods once known as Albina.

Laws protecting gender surgeries for children advance in Washington, Oregon over Republican objections Fox News In Oregon, House Bill 2002 appears on its way to passing and becoming law. It requires Medicaid and private insurance companies to cover so-called gender-affirming care, including the cosmetic procedures laser hair removal and facial feminization surgery. The age of consent for medical care in Oregon is 15 years old, which means teenagers that young do not need their parents’ consent to receive the procedures. The bill requires insurance coverage for "any combination of gender-affirming treatment procedures" -- which would include serious genital surgeries and mastectomies. ... "They are driving a state-mandated wedge between the parents and the child," said Republican lawmaker Ed Diehl. "I believe they just disagree with the way the children are being raised, they want to change the paradigm, the narrative those children grow up with."

Interstate Bridge Replacement and Highway Tolls Move Front and Center in Salem Willamette Week Although the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation is grappling with whether and how to fund two megaprojects on Interstate 5 in Portland (the proposed $1.45 billion expansion of the freeway at the Rose Quarter and the $6.5 billion replacement of the Interstate Bridge), the committee has held limited discussion of those projects or the tolls the Oregon Department of Transportation plans to use to pay for them.

FAMILY CAMPING TRIP

From our friends at Link Up Vets:

Join us for a family camping trip at the Rocky Top Group Campsite located near the Rocky Top Bridge and Moose Creek on The Quartzville arm of Green Peter Reservoir.

JUN 23 AT 12 PM – JUN 25 AT 5 PM

This site can accommodate tent camping in addition to a limited number of RV/trailers. If you have any questions about this trip, please message us.

To learn more about the campsite please visit, here.

To RSVP for this camping adventure, please follow this link to sign up, here.

We hope to see you there!

UPCOMING TRAFFIC CHANGES: HWY. 20

Between North Albany and Corvallis, U.S. 20 is a rural two-lane highway with heavy commuter traffic of more than 18,000 vehicles per day. In addition to motorists, many bicyclists use this corridor.

This portion of the highway has a high volume of crashes and poor visibility for travelers turning on and off U.S. 20. In 2016, we completed the U.S. 20 Highway Safety Study and recommended a variety of safety improvements along this corridor, some of which are being implemented as part of this project.

Full details, dates, and other links, here.

CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION AWARENESS

From our friends at the Linn County Sheriff's Office:

As Child Abuse Prevention Month continues, we wanted to share with you the sad reality in our own county. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office received over 1,250 calls of child abuse in 2022.

The calls range from reports of neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence with children present, and any concern in general for children. We receive calls directly to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office from the Department of Human Services, parents, grandparents, schools, concerned family members and citizens when there is a suspicion of abuse. Fortunately, most calls are not found to be abuse, but deputies did take 170 cases last year. One case is too many. Sexual abuse against a child was the most prominent type of crime, representing 25% of the total cases taken. For comparison, the next highest percentage was physical abuse of a child at 6%.

Child abuse of all kinds is happening in our own backyard. Prevention is possible, and together we can all play a role in helping children in our community!

For information on how you can get involved, please go here.

REMINDER: CYBER SAFETY CLASSES

From our friends at the ABC House:

Kids can spend a lot of time on social media or connecting with friends through online gaming. There's a lot to be said about the harms and benefits of socializing online—but that's a different conversation...

Today, we're going to focus on a specific safety practice to help protect kids in these social spaces. By paying attention to just one thing, you can keep kids safe from hackers, scammers, and others who might do them harm. You can help protect your child online by focusing on PRIVACY. This can be done when you help your kids:

Consider what they put out there

When gaming, keep the conversation to the game

Check account settings, and

For young kids, keep their circle to real-life friends

If you want to learn more tips for keeping your kids safe online, us May 31st from 3-5 PM for a FREE training session of SafetyNet: Smart Cyber Choices.

Sign-up, here.

FTRN DIAPER DRIVE ENDING SOON!

From our friends at Family Tree Relief Nursery:

We are on the countdown as these last days of April are also the last days of our 2023 Diaper Drive.

Help make this year a success by bringing in your donations to any participating business or to our Hill Street office.

Short on time? We gotcha covered! Just go to our Amazon Wishlist and send diapers and wipes directly to our office! Link here.

KENTUCKY DERBY DAY - MAY 6TH!

From our friends at The Historic Carousel & Museum:

Just ONE WEEK LEFT to get your tickets to Kentucky Derby! How many excuses do you have to put on a fancy dress or a dapper bowtie as an adult in Albany? Plus, a DELICIOUS dinner by Sybaris Bistro, "bets" on our carousel horses, and a chance to win some FABULOUS raffle prizes that are all about Albany?

You'd better race on over to get tickets and we'll see you on May 6th!

Tickets, here.

NEWBORN CARE CLASSES

From our friends at Samaritan Health Services:

Learning how to care for a newborn can be a little bit overwhelming at first. You are a brand new parent, and there is a lot to learn, but it can also be a fun and exciting process.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 2023 AT 11:30 AM – 2 PM

This newborn care class is a 2.5 hour stand-alone class that will help ease your anxieties or confusion about caring for your new little one. It will answer your most pressing questions while building your new parent skills and confidence.

We will cover:

What to expect immediately after birth.
Holding and swaddling techniques.
Feeding your baby; when, how much, burping.
Umbilical cord care; bathing, dressing.
Diapering.
Crying and soothing techniques.
Baby wearing.
Safe sleep.

This class is $40 and the price includes two parents.

For more information or to register, contact Mary Jackson at 541-768-6908 or Pollywog at 541-917-4884 or pollywogfamily.org.

This class is offered virtually on the first Wednesday of every month. Registration is required and a minimum of at least three participants are needed in order to hold the class. A link to join the class will be provided upon registration.

RIVERFRONT OPEN HOUSE

From our friends at the City of Albany:

Now that construction has begun, here’s the latest opportunity to speak with the project managers, contractors, and engineers about this project that will reconnect our community to the river; attract visitors; improve public safety; generate private investment; and restore a safe, healthy, and diverse habitat along the riverfront for generations to come. There is no set program, just drop in any time from 4:30-6:30pm.

Please remember that this is near a working construction zone. Parking is temporarily limited around the center. Please park and enter through the rear lot and door.

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2023 AT 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM

Riverfront Community Center, 489 Water Avenue NW, Albany, OR 97321

THE 'IF I WERE MAYOR' CONTEST WINNERS!

From our friends at the City of Albany:

Mayor Alex Johnson II is proud to announce the local winners of the If I Were Mayor contest:

Noah S. from Timber Ridge (4/5th poster category)

Jacella W. from West Albany (HS video category)

They will both move on to the Oregon Mayors Association statewide competition later this year!

The hard work put into these submissions by students shows! Students, teachers, and parents should all be proud of the many different ideas to make Albany a better place for everyone in our community.

Starting May 1 all of this year's official poster entries from the 4/5th category will be displayed at City Hall in the Great Hall outside of Council Chambers, viewable during normal business hours.

More information will be posted here for next year's contest.

AWARENESS, SUPPORT, AND PREVENTION

From our friends at the Boys & Girls Club of Albany:

Our BE GREAT and FEEL GREAT project aims to improve mental health and the ramifications of adverse childhood experiences (ACES) in 100 youth over 12-months. The Club will provide access to mental health support, address risk factors in youth with ACEs and intervene early with prevention and support for children and teens in an effort to avoid negative consequences while arming them with social support from mentors and steps towards preventative healthy habits. Thanks to a proposed collaboration with therapists from Old Mill Counseling Center, we will help meet the unmet behavioral health needs of Club members by providing onsite counseling access to mental health support.

Thank you Pacific Power for awarding us this grant and supporting these efforts for our kids!

YOUTH POLICE ACADEMY SUCCESS!

From our friends at the Albany Police Department:

We are still catching our breath! On Saturday, we hosted 39 middle school kiddos for our 1st ever Middle School Youth Police Academy Day!

It was a day packed with a lot of hands-on activities & learning about law enforcement in our community! The kids got to see our K-9's in action, try out the virtual reality shoot/don't shoot scenarios, learn about the drug and fentanyl epidemic, run the Oregon physical ability test, apply a tourniquet, see the Bearcat and other SWAT tools, shoot a taser, discuss social media vs reality and learn about what cops do all day.

We learned some stuff too!

Middle schoolers ask some great questions!
Middle schoolers can really put down the food. We mean really.
Middle schoolers like constant action. No need to rest. Ever.
Some middle schoolers never stop talking.

FUNDRAISER TRIUMPH!

From our friends at ECLB:

Thank you to everyone who attended the Spirited Gala & Benefit Auction on Saturday! We had a fantastic evening celebrating the work of Every Child Linn Benton Lincoln, recognizing some of our amazing resource parents and dreaming for the future!

We were blown away by your generosity.

The grand total raised Saturday evening is....$18,763!!!!!!!!!

These generous donations and support will help us continue to support the needs of children and families impacted by foster care in Linn Benton and Lincoln counties.