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I hope all of you were able to take yesterday to reflect on Dr. King’s work, be in community, serve your community or recharge! I started my day at the 38th Annual Skanner MLK Day Breakfast!
It was great connecting with other State Representatives at the breakfast.
My 2024 Legislative Priorities
Now that the January Legislative Days are behind us, we stand on the brink of an important juncture: the 2024 short session. This February, we embark on a 35-day legislative sprint, where the rapid pace of the Capitol truly comes to life. The short session is a critical time for swift and impactful legislative action, reflecting our commitment to addressing Oregon's most pressing issue. Each member will face the challenge and opportunity of passing up to two bills during this period.
This past week's legislative days were crucial. They afforded us the additional time needed for engaging with stakeholders, constituents, and fellow legislators. These conversations are vital for gathering support and sponsorship for our initiatives. I'm thrilled that I will continue to serve as the Vice-Chair of the House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care, and as a member of both the House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services and the House Committee on Business and Labor. I will continue to leverage my experience and insight to drive meaningful change and provide valuable contributions in these roles.
I'm particularly proud to present two bills this session.
Hospital Transparency and Worker Protections Bill
This legislation aims to enhance financial transparency for hospitals’ finances and improve working conditions for healthcare workers. Key provisions include:
- Mandatory quarterly reporting by hospitals of their cash reserves to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).
- Annual disclosure of hospital’s top 10 highest-paid employees and their compensation.
- Requirement for hospitals in multistate systems to report how profits move in and out of Oregon to other states.
- Strengthen predictable scheduling for nursing staff.
- Fair compensation for on-call/standby shifts for healthcare workers.
Hospital Workplace Violence Bill
This bill arises directly from the lived experiences and urgent appeals of healthcare professionals. In light of a revealing 2022 survey, where a staggering 70% of emergency room nurses in our state reported experiencing work-related assaults, the bill seeks to address this critical issue head-on. By doing so, it strives to create a safer and more secure working environment for those in the healthcare sector. This bill aims to:
- Implement heightened penalties when assault is intentionally inflicted on hospital workers while still protecting vulnerable Oregonians.
- Mandate specific signage in and around hospitals to aid in violence reduction.
- Initiate a pilot program for statewide training in hospital staff assault prevention.
- Require annual reports from hospitals to the Legislative Assembly on assault prevention programs and incident data.
To be clear, our objective with the Hospital Workplace Violence bill is providing comprehensive protection for healthcare workers while also addressing the spectrum of potential violence in hospital settings. I have first-hand experience understanding that there is an array of situation and violence that can occur in the hospital setting. We're actively collaborating with stakeholders and colleagues to refine the bill, ensuring it provides necessary protections while accommodating specific exemptions where appropriate.
I am proud to say these bills have acquired a lot of support and we gained valuable feedback. I look forward to speaking more on it as we move into the session.
 I want to thank the students from the Oregon Student Association for sharing their stories and advocating for the needs of their peers.
Additional Highlights from Legislative Days:
House Interim Committee on Business and Labor
Here we heard from the Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI). BOLI aims to cultivate a skilled workforce, ensure fair wages, and promote discrimination-free workplaces, while also helping employers comply with labor laws and enforcing civil rights legislation. Discussion on the 2024 Legislative Concepts were on unlawful employment of minors, highlighting the need for reform in penalty structures related to child labor law violations.
You can learn more and watch this hearing HERE.
House Interim Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services
This informational meeting focused on discussing legislative concepts for the 2024 session, with a list of invited speakers who are experts in various fields relevant to the proposed legislation.
Key topics include the scope of child abuse investigations (House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services), legal aid for citizenship and immigration (Representative Ruiz), and an emergency initiative for high acuity youth (House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services).
The discussion also extended to committee members' personal legislative concepts, addressing issues like creating a culture of YES (Senator Gelser Blouin), humanitarian investment for newcomers and expanding rural and culturally responsive childcare infrastructure (Representative Hoa Nguyen). Additional concepts such as the Nurse-Family Partnership (Representative Reynolds) were also introduced.
You can learn more and watch this hearing HERE.
House Interim Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care
Meeting on Wednesday
During the first meeting of the week, we experienced a dynamic exchange of ideas as committee members presented their legislative proposals. I had the opportunity to introduce my bills and received valuable feedback.
Highlights included Representative Grayber's EMS Modernization proposal for Oregon, aimed at overcoming historical challenges and instituting comprehensive reforms. Representative Diehl brought forward a bill on temporary licensing for healthcare professionals, while Representative Hai Pham revisited a previous health insurance mandate review advisory bill. Representative Emerson Levy discussed her cost pay accumulator program legislation. Representative Nathanson focused on enhancing healthcare system efficiency, particularly in Lane County, and refining nurse licensing processes. She also presented legislation for transparency and fairness in pharmacy and Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBM) operations. Lastly, Representative Nosse presented his initiative to bolster Community Mental Health Programs through improvements and the establishment of a dedicated task force.
You can learn more and watch this hearing HERE.
Meeting on Friday
Testimony was given in this meeting with reference to a common drug dispensing term known as “white bagging”. White bagging refers to a practice where prescription drugs are dispensed by a specialty pharmacy directly to the healthcare provider, rather than the patient receiving the medication directly. Legislation seeks to uphold current oncologist care methods, prohibits mandated white bagging and specific pharmacy dispensing for certain drugs by insurers, and prevents shifting drug coverage to costlier tiers for patients.
Additionally, there was a preview of bills slated for the 2024 session by Representatives Elmer and Representative Javadi. Representative Elmer presented a bill that would remove the certificate of need requirement for certain sectors in the healthcare industry. Representative Javadi presented legislation that may offer help to reduce drug overdoses by utilizing better practices to close the information loop.
You can learn more and watch this hearing HERE.
As always, I remain deeply committed to advancing policies that will positively impact our communities in Oregon. Your input and engagement are invaluable to this process. I encourage you to reach out with your thoughts, concerns, and ideas. Together, we can work towards creating effective and meaningful changes in our community’s healthcare system and beyond. Let's continue this important conversation and continue to turn our collective vision into legislative action.
Best,
 Travis Nelson
State Representative
House District 44
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1444
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-275, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.TravisNelson@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/nelson
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