|
Friends and neighbors,
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a good holiday season. And I hope you have been able to navigate the recent ice storm safely.
With a new year, comes new laws that go into effect. Earlier this month, the final increase to the gas tax passed in 2017 went into effect. Continually increasing taxes is frustrating, especially when people are already struggling with inflation.
I was proud to support House Bill 3632 during the last session, and on January 1st, it went into effect. It will expand the statute of limitations for rape from 12 to 20 years. This will offer greater access to justice for those who have been the victim of horrible sexual abuse.
Under HB 2095, all Oregon cities will be permitted to operate photo radar for traffic enforcement. So make sure you are going the speed limit, because you may see more flashing lights at intersections to catch those who aren’t. The bill also allows cities to set speed limits for some residential streets, so double-check those speed signs because they could be changing.
As we approach the upcoming Legislative session in February, much attention will be paid to Measure 110. More on that below.
As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with comments, questions, or concerns at 503-986-1432 or Rep.CyrusJavadi@oregonlegislature.gov.
 Representative Cyrus Javadi
House District 32
Hampton Lumber recently announced the closure of the Banks sawmill, which employs 58 people, due to timber supply restrictions.
This is just the tip of the spear if the Department of Forestry moves forward with the current draft of the Habitat Conservation Plan,” Representative Javadi said. “Job losses will only mount – not just in our logging sector – but also in law enforcement, education, and other critical local services.
I introduced legislation last session to bring more accountability to the Department of Forestry and will again this session. This bill would require ODF to calculate a sustainable harvest level every five years and would require that they develop plans to make up for lost revenue should they fall short of the estimated harvest levels.
Clatsop and Washington counties are projected to be hit hardest by the current HCP, with more than $13 million in lost revenues that fund schools, police, fire, and other county services like elections.
According to the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, 11 jobs are created for every 1,000,000 board feet of timber harvested. The HCP could instantly kill up to 275 family-wage jobs, putting local businesses that serve those forestry workers at risk.
This month, the Oregon Department of Forestry will host two listening sessions to hear public input on the HCP. In December, the Orgon Department of Forestry released modeling data showing that harvest volumes would fall by as much as 33 percent. This could cost the Department of Forestry and the surrounding counties, like Washington and Clatsop, up to $44 million in lost tax revenue.
The listening sessions are opportunities for members of the public to share thoughts or concerns specific to this new information with State Forester, Cal Mukumoto, before he makes his recommendation to the Board as to how to move forward with the HCP.
Here are the details on the listening sessions:
- Virtual - Jan. 29 @ 1pm - Advance registration is required. There are limited spots, so make sure to sign up ASAP.
- Astoria—Jan. 31 @ 5pm - The Loft at the Red Building, 20 Basin St.
For the in-person sessions, doors open for comment signup at 5 p.m., and the meeting starts at 5:30 p.m.
If you can't make it, you can submit your comments in writing. All written comments must be received by Feb. 2. Email comments to forestryinformation@odf.oregon.gov or mail them to State Forester Cal Mukumoto, Building B, 2600 State St., Salem, OR 97310.
As we approach the upcoming Legislative session, much attention will be paid to Measure 110 and the Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response. We expect that any changes that will be made to Measure 110 will start in this committee.
At the beginning of December, they held a meeting to hear testimony and gather information about the drug crisis. Unfortunately, over 2 hours were dedicated to “invited” testimony, which limited the time for members of the public to voice their concerns to only 45 minutes. I hope the committee will take more time to solicit input from the general public.
One instructive piece from the invited testimony was from the Oregon Society of Addiction Medicine. It cited national data that showed 97.5% of those who struggle with addiction don’t think they need treatment. 2.5% thought they needed treatment but made no effort to get it, and a mere 0.5% thought that they needed treatment and made an effort to get it. This shows the fatal flaw in Measure 110. Those struggling with addiction rarely make the best decision for their health. We need tools to get people into treatment, even if they don’t think they need it themselves. But luckily, data suggests that treatment still works as well, if not better even when it's not voluntary.
 I continue to believe Measure 110 has been a failure. And we continue to get more data that proves that point. Drug decriminalization has failed by allowing thousands of Oregonians to poison themselves with no intervention. The way Measure 110 is funding treatment now isn’t working. A new audit from the Secretary of State reveals that much of the $261 million in Measure 110 money that has been allocated is yet to reach those who need it. Service providers have only spent $95 million (or 36%) of that money. The audit also shows that people aren’t accessing services that Measure 110 is funding.
House Republicans recently rolled out a plan to end Measure 110 once and for all. The proposal will 1) recriminalize hard drug possession and public drug use while still prioritizing treatment over jail, 2) replace voluntary with mandatory drug treatment, 4) crackdown on drug dealing, and 5) create a better system of funding for treatment services.
Enabling people to live on the streets and poison themselves is not compassionate, but that is exactly what Measure 110 is doing. As a father, the rate at which hard drugs are infiltrating our schools is extremely concerning. And it's causing overdose deaths among our teenagers to skyrocket to nearly 700% and third in the nation in teen addiction. A new report shows that the majority of our school districts don't use drug prevention curriculum that is effective.
We cannot settle for doing the bare minimum. Some simply seek to ban public drug use. That's a step forward for sure, but we will just be sweeping the problem under the rug.
The Department of Education (ODE) recently released the Statewide Report Card for the 2022-2023 school year.
Buried in the 85-page report was another reminder about the failures of our education system. At no grade level were a majority of Oregon students proficient in reading and writing, math, or science. This graph below produced by Christine Drazan's A New Direction illustrates the shocking reality.
Just weeks after suggesting a 3-year pause on new taxes, Governor Tina Kotek’s own Housing Production Advisory Council released new recommendations calling for more than $3 billion in new taxes. The list was exhaustive, including establishing a sales tax, increasing personal income taxes, doubling the gas tax, and more.
Kotek has tried to distance herself from the recommendations, but given Kotek's history of supporting tax increases, Oregonians have good reason to be concerned.
Take a look at their recommendations:
Thank you, League of Oregon Cities, for the shout-out in their most recent publication. It's an honor to work with our cities and local leaders to come up with practical solutions. I look forward to continuing that work in this upcoming session.
 |
|
I recently got to visit the Cloverdale/Pacific City Lions Club! It's great to get out into every corner of the district to learn about the unique needs of each community. Thank you for having me!
|
Just before Christmas, I went to a performance of Miracle on 34th Street at the Coaster Theatre Playhouse with my wife, Mollie. Awesome show - support local theatres! |
|
 |
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1432
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-373, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.CyrusJavadi@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/javadi
| 
