Hello Friends,
Despite our best efforts, House Bill 2002B passed the house floor. It was a difficult day for those of us that value parents' rights and protecting our kids and young adults. But the fight is not over. I will continue to expose the harm to youth in Oregon. And assist in any way I can to assure this bill dies in the Senate.
WATCH my full floor speech by clicking the image below.
Here's our floor speech on House Bill 2005 B, the omnibus gun bill that attacks our 2nd Amendment rights. The bill passed the House along party lines. But the fight is not over, it is headed to the Senate. Constitutional attorneys believe several elements of this bill are unconstitutional.
Click the Image below to WATCH. "This bill is UNCONSTITUTIONAL! Vote NO, or see you in court."
In honor of National Nurses Week, the Representative from The Timber District (Representative Goodwin) and I felt it urgent to share a bill that is overwhelmingly popular with Oregon nurses but has failed to get a work session in the Behavioral Health & Health Care Committee. House Bill 2408 would enact the Interstate Nurse Licensure Compact here in Oregon. 38 other states, plus the Virgin Islands, have benefitted from this compact. And just one month ago, Washington State became the 39th state to join the compact.
Under the Nurse Licensure Compact, also called the NLC, nurses have the option to obtain a multistate license, which would allow them to practice in their home state as well as all other states that are part of the NLC. If a nurse decides to reside in another compact state, that nurse must then obtain a license in that new state after a short period of time.
Once part of the NLC, Oregon will have a system in place to easily and seamlessly onboard qualified nurses, both in normal times AND in times of crisis.
The Oregon State Board of Nursing is fine with the NLC. They have testified that joining the NLC will have an insignificant fiscal impact. It will also mean that a nurse who comes to practice in Oregon from another compact state can get to work on DAY 1, and not wait weeks, sometimes months, for their licensing paperwork. Currently, the Nursing Board is facing a backlog of licensing approvals, which means that nurses ready to serve are unable to do so. Joining the NLC would alleviate some of this backlog.
In December of last year, the Oregon State Board of Nursing surveyed Oregon’s nurses to gage their interest in joining the compact. An overwhelming majority of respondents, 90.59%, were in favor of Oregon joining the NLC!
Rep Goodwin and I pulled this bill to the floor on May 9th, forcing a vote. Despite the bill failing to pass on the floor of the House, I am optimistic that we can find common ground and pass this in the interim 2024 session!
WATCH my remonstrance HERE
I argued in support of pro-business legislation that encourages business development and good paying jobs. This includes the extension of our successful enterprise zone law (original HB2199) and the Strategic Incentive Program (SIP) (original HB3457). These two bills were hijacked with amendments that drastically weakened them. These bills are key to our semiconductor industry package as we pursue CHIPs act funding - we must pass them as originally written! Click here to hear my testimony in support.
While the House has continued with business as usual, the Senate Republicans have denied quorum, essentially bringing the Senate to a standstill. Some blame the Republicans for "walking off the job". Others blame the Democrats for forcing a highly partisan agenda. The truth is, both parties share responsibility for the walkout.
I believe we should be working to find common ground. We should not be forcing a highly partisan agenda that is opposed by a huge part of the state. True, the democratic process in Oregon allows the majority to pass whatever partisan agenda it wants, with or without the cooperation of the minority party. But should it? Is that good leadership? Is that how Oregonians expect their government to work?
As Plato said, a democracy without constraint against the worst impulses of the majority becomes a tyranny. And the ONLY protection the minority party has in such a situation is to deny a quorum. Which is exactly what the Senate Republicans have done. Whether we like it or not, a walkout is part of the democratic process. It is intended as a tool of last resort to force the two parties together, find common ground, and work for the good of ALL Oregonians, not just the radical desires of a small portion of the majority party.
Unfortunately, the Democrats do not appear willing to compromise. In particular, they are pushing 3 extreme bills without input from the Republicans who represent nearly half the state: HB2002B (an extreme abortion and gender-affirming care bill which denies parent's rights), HB2005 (an unconstitutional gun bill), and SJR33 (enshrining gender-affirming rights in our constitution). These 3 bills attack our foundational beliefs in liberty, protecting our children from harm, and the rights of parents to direct the care and upbringing of our children.
We need to remember that the Democrats won a majority in the House by about 5,000 votes. The Senate majority was decided by a similar margin. This is a deeply divided state politically, and our leadership must respect that and lead by seeking common ground.
I urge the Senate to come back together, drop the extreme bills, and focusing on a common ground agenda. This is what all Oregonians expect. It does not serve the people of Oregon to ram through purely partisan bills with an extreme agenda at the expense of good bipartisan bills that would help all of Oregon.
Representative Kevin Mannix and I pulled several public safety bills to the floor recently, forcing a vote. Unfortunately every bill failed along party lines. Increasing public safety is a priority in every neighborhood in my district. Listen to my public safety remonstrance here.
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It's no secret that Oregon has a serious drug problem. Measure 110 has left thousands of Oregonians behind by increasing access to dangerous drugs, while failing to get those struggling with addiction into treatment. A recent analysis from Willamette Week showed that the system has helped only five people in Multnomah County get into drug treatment and only 37 statewide.
According to a recent statewide poll, 63% of Oregonians support reforming Measure 110 to reinstate criminal penalties for drug possession while still funding services. HB 2310 would have done exactly that. I was proud to support the bill, but unfortunately, it failed on a vote of 30-30.
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Take a look at just a few of the headlines from last week in the media:
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As always, I urge you to write your State Representatives and ask them to support safer communities. We need your voice!
Yours truly,
 Representative Ed Diehl
House District 17
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1417
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-378, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.EdDiehl@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/diehl
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