New Laws, Kids Tax Credit, Women of Achievement Awards & More

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Dear friends,

   With 2023 in the rear-view mirror, many of us are taking a moment to reflect on the previous year's accomplishments and to consider the challenges and opportunities ahead. The same is true in the Legislature. I find myself reflecting on achievements and missed opportunities during 2023's legislative session while looking forward to the 2024 "short" session.

    Next week from Wednesday-Thursday, I'll be in Salem for "Legislative Days" in preparation for the 2024's session, which convenes Monday, February 6. Committees will meet for informational hearings and to preview concepts of possible bills for 2024. Agendas, live streams of meetings, and materials will be available for review on the Legislature's website.

    During the 2024 short session, I will continue to serve as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and of the Senate Conduct Committee (and co-chair of the Joint Conduct Committee). I'll also continue to serve on the Senate Natural Resources & Wildfire Recovery Committee and Senate Human Services Committee, as well as on the Joint Committee on Addition & Community Safety Response and the Joint Committee on Legislative Counsel. While my assignments mean an especially busy schedule, I look forward to engaging with constituents about their views on topics that come before these committees.

    While historical spaces are currently closed for construction, multiple options for experiencing your state capitol are available using this link. I invite constituents to visit Salem during short session (2/6/24 - 3/10/24). There's a lot to see and I'd enjoy meeting you! Additionally, the Senate welcomes honorary pages from throughout Oregon to assist the Senate during session. The Senate's Honorary Page Program is for students 12-years-old and over and is available during regular sessions of the Oregon Legislature. E-mail secretaryofsenatesoffice​@oregonlegislature.gov for more information on participating during an upcoming convening of the Senate. Interested students are welcome to combine their honorary page experience with an internship in my office during any free time they may have that day.

                                             
                        (Historic photo of former pages from the Secretary of Senate's webpage.)

    Below you will find information on:

        - New Year, New Laws
        - Department of Revenue: Oregon Kids Credit
        - ODVA Awards Nearly $1 Million to Local Veteran Service Providers
        - Women of Achievement Awards
        - Community Development Block Grants to Fund 10 Projects in Rural Oregon

    I hope this information is helpful and informative for you or someone you know. As always, feel free to share your comments, questions or concerns with me by phone, mail or e-mail. Happy New Year!

                                                              

New Year, New Laws

    While many bills passed during the 2023 Legislative Session took effect earlier (please refer to my 2023 e-bulletins), some important new laws became effective January 1, 2024. The following is a listing of new laws — by issue area as assembled by the Senate Majority Office — that went into effect at the start of the new year:

Drug Crisis

    HB 2513 - Improving Implementation of Voter-approved Measure 110: This legislation, the bipartisan "Hope and Recovery Bill," strengthens and improves implementation of Ballot Measure 110 (BM 110). HB 2513 is intended to help connect Oregonians struggling with addiction with the care they need and put them on a path to recovery by:

• Bolstering staffing and streamlining application processes to speed up approval and get funds out the door;
• Centralizing the support hotline to get people connected to services more efficiently; and
• Ensuring accountability by improving collection and accuracy of BM 110 program data.

    SB 238 - Educating Oregon Youth About the Dangers of Fentanyl: This legislation directs the Oregon Health Authority, State Board of Education, and Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission to develop curricula that teaches students about the dangers of synthetic opioids and laws that provide immunity or other protections related to drug or alcohol use.

    SB 1043 - Preventing Opioid Overdose Deaths: This legislation requires health care and drug treatment facilities to provide two doses of opioid overdose reversal medicine and related medical supplies upon discharge to patients who were there for treatment for opioid abuse. SB 1043 also establishes civil liability protections to people who administer opioid overdose medication to a person experiencing an overdose.

    SB 529 - Increasing Access to Addiction Treatment While In-Custody: According to the Oregon Department of Corrections, 63 percent of Adults entering custody report having a substance use disorder, and 50 percent are classified as having a "severe" need for treatment. This bipartisan legislation modifies the procedures of accepting participants into the current alternative incarceration program, requires intense addiction programs that address chronic disease, and includes a range of treatment services.

Public Health & Safety

    SB 340 - Preventing Organized Retail Theft: Under this legislation, individuals convicted of organized retail theft will face harsher penalties. The new law will also amend and strengthen current statutes to allow law enforcement and prosecutors greater flexibility to detect, deter, and hold accountable those who commit organized retail theft. SB 340 will create more accountability for people who threaten retail workers while committing theft. The new law, introduced by the Senate Judiciary Committee, which I chair, was developed by the Organized Retail Crime Task Force, made up of labor and industry stakeholders negatively impacted by organized retail crime.

    HB 3426 - Mental Health Support for First Responders: This legislation requires the 9-8-8 crisis hotline centers to have policies and train staff on serving firefighters and other first responders. First responders face some of the highest rates of suicide in Oregon, and across the nation. In fact, more police and firefighters die by suicide than die on the job. To address this disparity, it is vital that first responders have access to trauma-informed services delivered by providers who understand their unique challenges. HB 3426 will ensure that Oregon's statewide crisis line has trained and qualified staff ready to assist our emergency response personnel.

    HB 2316 - Expanding DUII to Include Influence of Any Impairing Drugs: This legislation keeps Oregon's roads safe by expanding our Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants (DUII) laws. Currently, laws regarding convictions of DUII are treated differently depending on which statute you are charged under. HB 2316 amends multiple statutes to reconcile felony DUII statutes governing repeated offenders and expands the offense of DUII to include the influence of any impairing drugs.

Housing

    HB 2984 - Converting Commercial Buildings to Housing Within the UGB: To continue expanding our housing production, this legislation allows local governments to convert commercial buildings within the UGB to residential housing without requiring a zone change or conditional use permit.

    HB 2761: Improving Financing of Affordable Housing: Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) is responsible for the planning, development, and management of affordable housing projects. This legislation expands OHCS's ability to finance certain housing development portions for households earning at or below 120 percent of median area income.

Economy, Affordability & Child Care

    HB 2504 - Reducing Barriers for Early Learning Workforce: A report by the OSU's College of Public Health and Human Services released in 2019 found that early childhood professionals whose first language is not English are less likely to participate in the Oregon registry professional development system. This legislation directs the Department of Early Learning and Care to develop standards and processes that reduce barriers for international early childhood professionals to enter the workforce.

    HB 3235 - Putting Money Back in Families' Pockets with the Oregon Kids Credit: This legislation delivers much-needed relief to Oregon families struggling to make ends meet. HB 3235 creates Oregon's first-ever state-based child tax credit — a fully refundable $1,000 tax credit per child between the ages of 0 and 5 for families earning $30,000 or less. More than 55,000 children across Oregon will benefit from this credit, with a higher representation in rural communities and communities of color. (See below in his bulletin for information on how to take advantage of the Kids Credit.)

Education

    HB 3031 - Upgrading School HVAC Systems: This legislation works to improve air quality and eliminate airborne pathogens in schools around the state, keeping Oregon students and teachers safe and healthy. HB 3031 will help Oregon schools receive federal funds to upgrade their HVAC systems, assess ventilation systems, place carbon dioxide monitors in each classroom, and submit a report on ventilation and carbon dioxide levels to a mechanical engineer for review. The districts will then implement any improvements recommended by the engineer.

    SB 3 - Increasing Students' Financial Literacy: In 2022, a study from the Oregon Department of Education studied high school graduation requirements and made a recommendation that future planning credit requirements be added. This legislation adds a half-credit for higher education and career path skills and a half-credit for personal financial education to graduation requirements starting in 2027.

    SB 523 - Training More Nurses: This legislation expands the number of institutions that can offer nursing degrees, especially in rural Oregon. SB 523 permits community colleges to offer Bachelor of Science, Nursing degrees in addition to applied bachelor's degrees. Community colleges may apply to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission for approval of the proposed BSN degree program.

    SB 1041 - Eliminating Costs for Breast Cancer Screenings: This legislation makes medically necessary breast cancer diagnostic imaging tests and supplemental breast exams free to patients by requiring commercial insurance plans to cover those costs. While the total cost of a mammogram is usually covered by insurance, further diagnostic testing such as an MRI or ultrasound is not. These diagnostic tests can cost up to thousands of dollars to patients, even though they are absolutely essential to identifying breast cancer.

Environment & Wildfires

    SB 543 - Banning Use of Hazardous Polystyrene Food Containers: This legislation prohibits use of polystyrene foam containers and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in sales of prepared food. The ban was introduced in response to the significant negative impact that polystyrene has on the environment. Polystyrene manufacturing is the fifth largest source of industrial hazardous waste. Polystyrene takeout containers are non-biodegradable, meaning they can take hundreds of years to decompose. They are also a significant source of litter, and can easily break down into small, hazardous pieces that harm wildlife and pollute waterways.

    SB 82 - Protecting Homeowners Impacted by Wildfires: This legislation makes clear that insurance companies may not cancel policies or increase premiums for homeowners based on the statewide wildfire risk map. SB 82 will also improve transparency on policy renewals and premium decisions related to wildfires by requiring insurers to tell homeowners how they can lower their premiums through home hardening or other wildfire mitigation.

    HB 2294 - Funding Firefighter Apprenticeships: This legislation appropriates $20 million to the Bureau of Labor and Industries to establish a grant program for local service districts and local joint committees to administer firefighter apprenticeship training pilot projects. HB 2294 requires a report to the legislature by December 31, 2026.


Department of Revenue: Oregon Kids Credit

    In 2023, the Legislature created the Oregon Kids Credit, which is a refundable credit for low-income people with young dependent children. Families with $30,000 or less in annual income can claim up to $1,000 per child, for up to five children aged five and below. Since the credit is refundable, the portion of credit that is more than what a person owes will be refunded to them.

Who Qualifies

    The amount of credit is based on age and number of dependent children, and modified adjusted gross income (MAGI), but even people who don’t owe any tax can claim the refundable credits. For those with a MAGI of $25,000 or less, the full credit is $1,000 per child for up to five dependent children ages 0 to 5 at the end of the tax year. The credit is reduced when MAGI is more than $25,000 and is eliminated at $30,000. All filing statuses are eligible for the credit except for Married Filing Separate.

How to Get Credit

    Eligible families need to file an Oregon state income tax return, something many of them may have never done because their low incomes mean they haven’t had a filing requirement. Families may need help with filing a return can learn more here about Oregon Kids Credit and other programs. Click here for free tax preparation assistance and resources.


ODVA Awards Nearly $1 Million to Local Veteran Service Providers

    The Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs (ODVA) announced the award of nearly $1 million in grant funding to support a range of innovative local veteran service efforts and key projects to help improve veteran outcomes and provide critical services across Oregon. The Legislature approved $947,556 for the Veteran Services Grant program during the 2023-25 biennium, which was established following the passage of Measure 96 in 2016 dedicating 1.5 percent of Lottery net proceeds to fund veteran services in Oregon. ODVA received proposals from across Oregon totaling more than $3.5 million in requested funds. Of these, 14 organizations were selected to receive awards, which range from $16,400 to $123,385 for the one-time grants.

    The awards include projects and services focusing on veteran homelessness and housing insecurity, transportation access, education and training, employment opportunities, and other critical services in communities across the state. The grant awards will benefit veterans and their families living in both rural and urban communities. Projects were evaluated and selected by an evaluation committee composed of members of the Veteran Advisory Committee to the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs, representatives from veteran service organizations, as well as other provider partners from across the state.

    Veteran Services Grant recipients for the 2023-25 cycle are as follows:

• American Military Encouragement Network
• Central Oregon Veterans Ranch
• Clatsop Community Action
• Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde
• Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
• Do Good Multnomah
• Linn County Veteran Services
• Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency
• NeighborWorks Umpqua
• NW Veterans in Technology
• Polk County Family and Community Outreach Department
• Andrew Legal Clinic
• Washington County, Disability, Aging and Veteran Services
• Yamhill County Health and Human Services

    To learn more about the Veteran Services Grant or other grant opportunities available through ODVA, click here. Veterans and families seeking claims and benefits assistance are encouraged to contact their local county or Tribal Veteran Service Office. Veteran Services are accessible in all 36 counties and Tribes. A full listing of Veteran Service Offices can be found at www.oregon.gov/odva.


Women of Achievement Awards

    The Oregon Commission For Women (OCW) is accepting nominations of Women of Achievement Awards until January 22, 2024. Anyone can nominate trailblazing or emerging leaders who are working to establish economic, social, legal, political and/or health equity for women and girls in Oregon. Nominate them for one of these three awards:

• Emerging Leader Award (fewer than 5 years of service)
• Professional Achievement Award (between 5-15 years of service)
• Lifetime Achievement Award (15 or more years of service