Last Update of the 2023 Session

Hello Friends,

If you have followed the legislature, then at some point you have probably seen the phrase “sine die”. In Latin it means “without day”. It is the legal way to say a meeting is adjourned indefinitely (Merriam Webster). All this to say that Oregon’s 2023 Legislative Session was adjourned sine die on Sunday.

The session had a lot of ups and downs. Good bills and bad bills. Exciting committee meetings and… less exciting committee meetings. But, for the last six months I’ve worked with 89 other elected Representatives and Senators to improve Oregon on behalf of our constituents. In this newsletter I will provide a recap of the session and the work I did for Senate District 30.

While the 2023 Session is over, the work goes on. Interim committees will be assembled, task forces and work groups will be convened. The time between sessions is crucial for workshopping legislative ideas. In that spirit, please attend my upcoming events. I look forward to these opportunities to hear from constituents and the problems they deal with.

Coming Soon - Events

July 12

Representative Owens and I are hosting a Joint Virtual Town Hall. We have learned a lot from you in these town halls and they help us serve you better as your voice and advocate in Salem. We want to hear from you and give you an opportunity to ask questions, share what's on your mind and help us learn how we can help represent you. Registration is required for participation. You can register here.                                             

Holding Democrats Accountable

It wouldn’t be possible to fully recap the session without talking about why I joined my fellow Republicans and Independents in denying quorum. The Senate Democrats unwillingness to follow the law deeply troubled me. I swore an oath to uphold the Constitution and laws of the state. It crucial that the Legislature follows all laws, regardless of how old they are or if they were forgotten. Unfortunately, it took six weeks for Democrats to agree.

I’m grateful for the messages of support I received from constituents and citizens across the state. I also heard from some constituents who wanted me to help restore a quorum. To that end I participated in negotiations and crafting a deal to put the session back on track. Not all Republicans agreed to come back. I chose to because Democrats participated in good faith negations, agreed to follow the law, and comprised on some extreme legislation. This resulted in major wins for the state and allowed us to finalize the 2023-2025 budget.

To follow the spirit of the readability law and complete the session, Legislative Counsel and staff wrote new summaries for all bills that met the readability standard. Each Senator read the new summary when carrying the bill. Senate Republicans also filed the new summaries as vote explanations. Starting next session, Legislative Counsel will draft all bill summaries in a way that meets the readability requirement in statute. This may seem trivial to some, however it’s important that the legislative process is accessible to the average person.

Budget Allocations to Senate District 30

The primary constitutional duty of the legislature is to set the state budget. During that process I worked hard as a member of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means to advocate for Eastern Oregon. Let’s look at some budget packages that were passed and the direct allocations to Senate District 30.

First, we’ll breakdown SB 5506. This is the end of session omnibus spending bill, affectionately called the Christmas Tree Bill. Due to the May budget forecast being larger than expected, there was a bit more money at play than originally thought.

• $2.25 million for infrastructure improvement projects (water, sewer, road, broadband) in Baker County.
• $3 million for renovation of Harney County Courthouse annex.
• $1.5 million for the High Desert Partnership to deliver and spread water in Harney County.
• $2.25 million for Harney County Industrial Improvements, B Street Extension.
• $580 thousand for Klamath/Lake County Food Back renovations.
• $5 million for the Treasure Valley Reload Center in Malheur County.
• $100 thousand for the Boys & Girls Club of Western Treasure Valley in Malheur County.
• $15 million for renovation of Deschutes County Courthouse.
• $4.05 million for Central Oregon Community College, Early Childhood Education and Health Careers Center in Jefferson County.
• $2 million for Infrastructure Modernization Project in North Unit Irrigation District in Jefferson County.

Next, we’ll look at HB 2010 which was referred to as the Drought Package. As an omnibus bill it contains many legislative components. It has a lot of important funding for water conservation and policy that will benefit Eastern Oregon. Thanks to Rep Owens and his fantastic staff for being the legislative water gurus and working hard to secure this funding for our districts. Below are the direct appropriations from the Drought Package to Senate District 30.

• $850 thousand for a soil and water conservation district grant in Crook County.
• $300 thousand for a soil and water conservation district grant in Harney County.
• $125 thousand for a soil and water conservation district grant in Lake County.
• $1 million for the High Desert Partnership for water conservation in Malheur Lake and Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
• $125 thousand for a soil and water conservation district grant in Deschutes County.
• $325 thousand for a soil and water conservation district grant in Jefferson County.

Finally, we’ll go over HB 3410—also known as the Rural Economic Development Package. This is likewise an omnibus bill that has many components to it. Within there is funding to support businesses and economic activity in rural Oregon. The following are appropriations that will most benefit rural Oregon and Senate District 30.

Through the Department of Administrative Services:

• $10 million granted to the Regional Rural Revitalization Strategies Consortium to support public-private partnerships for housing development in cities with populations under 50,000.

Through the Higher Education Coordinating Commission:

• $1 million to Oregon State University’s Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy. This will go to communities affected by wildfire to support their economic recovery.
• $500 thousand to OSU-Cascades to support new product prototyping by outdoor recreation entrepreneurs in rural and central Oregon.

Through the Oregon Business Development Department:

• $3 million for maintenance and repair of county fairgrounds.
• $3 million for services and training to small businesses and entrepreneurs through the Small Business Development Centers program.

Through the Oregon Department of Agriculture:

• $9 million for infrastructure and capacity building grants for meat processors and sellers.

Legislative Recap

This was one of my busiest sessions. I served on Senate Committees on Energy and Environment and Finance and Revenue; and the Joint Committees on I-5 Bridge, Transportation, Tax Expenditures, and Ways and Means. During committee meetings legislators hold votes to move bills and adopt amendments. In the 2023 Legislative Session I voted 442 times in committee.

Additionally, during this year’s Senate Floor Sessions I cast 774 votes on legislation. This includes typical votes for or against the passing of bill as well as motions to postpone, withdraw, or rerefer bills.

I don’t take any votes lightly and carefully consider each one. That’s no easy task as things can move quickly. It takes diligent work to review bills, amendments, and budgets before every vote.

I sponsored 158 pieces of legislation, a personal record for me! Of those bills, 21 passed both chambers and are in the process of becoming law. They are as follows:

Farmers and Ranchers

• SB 57 – Helps farmers and ranchers by allowing them to voluntarily vaccinate female cattle for brucellosis (Bang’s disease).
• SB 498 – A major victory for family farmers, foresters, and fisherman by creating a $15 million exclusion from the estate tax for natural resource properties.
• SB 718 – Aids ranchers and farmers by changing it so declared droughts in a county do not count towards water right forfeiture time periods.
• SB 955 – Supports agricultural workers’ mental health by providing funds for an AgriStress Helpline in Oregon.
• HB 2509 – Assists family farmers and ranchers by improving the brand transfer process.
• HB 2689 – Empowers small-scale farmers by providing a licensing exemption for on-site rabbit processing.

Rural Oregon

• SB 70 – Increases rural housing supply. Allows rezoning in the Eastern Oregon Border Economic Development Region by fixing a technical error in SB 16 from the 2021 Legislative Session.
• SB 644 – Further increases the housing supply in rural Oregon. Permits the development of accessory dwelling units that meet certain criteria when no statewide map of wildfire risk has been adopted or if the parcel is in an area identified as high wildfire risk.
• SB 864 – Protects voluntary wildfire fighters from civil liability from injury to person or property resulting from the good faith performance of their firefighting efforts.
• SB 1068 – Advances rural fire protection by fixing an unintended affect where properties could be located outside of a fire district while still receiving protection.
• HB 2010 – Drought package with a litany of water policy and funding items. See the budget breakdown earlier in the newsletter for the money that was appropriated to Senate District 30.

Improving Government

• SB 53 – Strengthens the integrity of our elections by prohibiting the members of a candidates’ household or their domestic partner from being employed to process ballots.
• SB 931 – Improves the rulemaking process for community or area-wide sewerage systems.
• HB 2411 – Reduces unnecessary government spending and fees by dissolving the Oregon Alfalfa Seed Commission.
• HB 2420 – Refines government accessibility by creating a workgroup to propose options for increasing access to birth and death certificates.

Health and Education

• SB 420 – Supports individuals with traumatic brain injuries. Funds the Department of Human Services to provide services to affected individuals. Also, creates a Brain Injury Advisory Committee to report to the Legislative Assembly.
• SB 424 – Assists students of higher education by prohibiting colleges, universities, and career schools from withholding transcripts or penalizing students with outstanding account balances.
• SB 523 – Expands access to education and health care in rural Oregon by allowing community colleges to offer Bachelor of Science degrees in nursing.
• HB 2609 – Supports teachers by reducing barriers to certification and licensure. This is accomplished by removing fees for Education Preparation Providers from the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission.
• HB 3068 – Works toward giving high school student alternative options for receiving a diploma by having the Department of Education study the possibility of creating a high school equivalency diploma.
• HB 2725 – Helps pharmacies by clarifying allowable practices by pharmacy benefit managers regarding retroactive payment denial, claim reduction, and fees imposed after sale.

Conclusion

It is an incredible privilege to work on your behalf in the legislature. These bills represent some tremendous victories for Senate District 30 and the state. As I said before, the 2023 session has ended. But the work goes on. The interim will allow me to spend more time in the district, workshopping new legislative concepts to improve the district and the state. I look forward to meeting some of you at my upcoming town hall and Fall Tour. During the interim my office in Salem will be closed so please contact or stop by my district office in Vale instead. My email will remain the best way to get a hold of me.

Respectfully, 

Lynn P. Findley

State Senator

Senate District 30

Email: Sen.LynnFindley@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1730
Address: 150 Longfellow St. N, Vale, OR 97918
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/findley