Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Today closed out “week two” of the 35-day 2024 short session. As the legislative calendar advances policy committees are working diligently to move bills that are posted for work sessions out of their first chamber committees on or before the Monday February 19th first chamber deadline. Bills that do not move out of committees, with the exception of those measures in the House Rules, Senate Rules, House Revenue, Senate Finance and Revenue, Joint Committees, and Ways and Means, are considered “dead” for the session.
From here, the second chamber deadlines will approach quickly. February 23rd marks the second chamber work session “posting” deadline, followed by the “work session” deadline on February 29th. At that point policy committees will begin to conclude their business and the remaining bills in play will either make their way through the Rules, Revenue/Finance, joint committees, and/or the full Ways and Means committee before the last gavel falls to close the session “Sine Die” on March 10th.
Thank you for taking the time to read this week’s update to get a snapshot of what’s happening in your Capitol and in each of the committees I serve on.
Sincerely,
 Rick Lewis
State Representative
House District 18
Oregon’s Christmas Tree District
In this Issue:
View previous newsletters here.
Click on the following links to view the House Floor agendas, see what measures moved, and listen to the floor debates and remonstrances that took place in the House chamber this week.
On Monday this week, it was my great honor to co-carry the first measure of the session to its adoption on the House Floor.
HCR 202 recognizes the work of Retired Lt. Colonel Dick Tobiason. Dick has been involved in nearly every session over the past 14 years promoting legislation to honor veterans and their families. His work includes the designation of veteran highways across the State and now across the nation with the National Medal of Honor Highway that extends from Newport Oregon to Boston Massachusetts. Due in large part to Dick efforts, nine Oregon border-to-border veteran highway designations have been adopted by the Legislature.
Dick is an authority on veteran issues and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to understanding veteran’s needs and he has worked tirelessly to make sure our military veterans and their families receive the honor and the recognition they deserve. He is truly a hero among us and he is an inspiration to all who have the honor of knowing him.
The resolution moves to the Senate for further consideration. The bill will have an amendment in that chamber to include the Nisei veterans highway which was inadvertently omitted in the Resolution. You can watch a replay of my floor speech and reading of the Resolution here.
White Lotus of Portland performed the House Opening Ceremony on Wednesday with a centuries old art form of dance to celebrate the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Dragon.
Click here to watch their spectacular performance.
The House Committee on Judiciary met twice this week and moved the following 12 measures out of committee before the first chamber deadline.
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HB 4145 Creates the crime of using an animal in a display of animal crushing.
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HB 4146 Provides that a petition for a Family Abuse Prevention Act order, Elderly Persons and Persons with Disabilities Abuse Prevention Act order or sexual abuse restraining order may be filed in the county in which the abuse occurred.
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HB 4001 Establishes the Task Force on Specialty Courts.
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HB 4121 (This is a committee bill and is the Cannabis Omnibus Bill for the 2024 session that carries forth the provisions of HB 3000 (2021) that have sunsetted. It directs the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission, in consultation with the State Department of Agriculture, to create a map of locations of premises licensed to produce marijuana or industrial hemp.
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HB 4140 Appropriates moneys to the Department of Justice to fund certain programs that assist victims of crime.
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HB 4043 Creates the crime of interfering with an investigation into an offense against an animal.
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HB 4156 (Lewis Chief Sponsor) Modifies definitions pertaining to stalking orders and stalking offenses.
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HB 4088 Requires hospitals to take certain actions with respect to protecting hospital employees from workplace assaults.
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HB 4160 Modifies the length of time by which a person is considered a student for purposes of determining if conduct is prohibited sexual conduct.
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HB 4122 Provides that a person’s participation in the Department of State Police’s fingerprint retention program authorizes the department to submit the person’s fingerprints to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s rap back system.
The following measure received a public hearing but did not move forward:
The following measure was sent to the Rules committee for more work:
View a replay of the meetings and access the meeting materials on OLIS here.
 
The House Committee On Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans met twice this week and moved the following three measures out of committee before the first chamber deadline:
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HB 4094 Authorizes the State Treasurer to issue Article XI-Q general obligation bonds to finance expansion of courthouses.
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HB 4155 (Rep. Lewis -1 Amendment Adopted)
Directs the Oregon Business Development Department to study infrastructure financing in Oregon by considering and evaluating tools the state may use to have a positive effect on infrastructure and housing costs in Oregon.
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HB 4083 Directs the Oregon Investment Council and the State Treasurer to make efforts to eliminate certain investments in thermal coal companies.
The following measure received a public hearing but did not move forward:
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HB 4093 Requires at least one of the commissioners of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission to have a background in public health.
View a replay of the meetings and access the meeting materials on OLIS here.
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The Department of Administration Services Office of Economic Analysis also provided an update on the Prison and Youth Forecast.
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On Thursday, the committee held work sessions to acknowledge receipt of the Department of Justice Report on Legal Tools Replacement 3.0 and the Public Defense Commission’s Report on Financial and Case Management System to pass the reports to the full Ways and Means Committee.
Lastly, the committee held an informational meeting to hear the Secretary of the State Department of Justice Advisory Report relating to domestic violence.
View a replay of the meetings and access meeting materials on OLIS here.
Today, the Joint Committee on Transportation, Special Subcommittee on Transportation Planning took another deep dive into tolling with a presentation by ODOT on the logistics of collecting tolls and gantry locations. Next week we expect to cover information on establishing tolling rates (usage fee). In my view, there are still a number of unanswered questions related to the idea of tolling, including options to tolling, toll rates, payment options, locations where I-5 and I-205 will be tolled, impact on congestion on other roads, public education and much, much more.
View a replay of the meeting and access meeting materials on OLIS here.
Today, the Joint Committee on Ways and Means held work sessions and approved the following agency reports:
Work Session
The following Federal Grant Applications received approval:
- Federal Grant Applications
- Department of Agriculture - Invasive Grass Management Department of Energy - Grid Resilience
- Department of Fish and Wildlife - McKay Creek Dam
- Department of Fish and Wildlife - Rogue Fish District
- Department of Forestry - Fuels Management
- Oregon Health Authority - Housing Interventions Department of Human Services - Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer
- Department of Human Services - Youth Homelessness
- Judicial Department - Domestic and Sexual Violence Training and Pretrial Release Program (Representative Lewis, carrier)
- Parks and Recreation Department - Neacoxie Corridor Acquisition
The committee acknowledged receipt of the following agency reports that were moved out of various joint sub-committees earlier this week:
Agency Reports
- Department of Agriculture - Japanese Beetle and Emerging Pests
- Oregon Business Development Department - Economic Development Management System
- Department of Education - School Funding Transparency
- Department of Education - State School Fund Modernization Project
- Department of Fish and Wildlife - Hatchery Assessment
- Department of Geology and Mineral Industries - ePermitting
- Oregon Health Authority - Disproportionate Share Hospitals
- Oregon Health Authority - Medicaid and Non-Medicaid Appropriations
- Higher Education Coordinating Commission - Apprenticeship Utilization
- Higher Education Coordinating Commission - Technical and Regional Universities Financial Sustainability
- Housing and Community Services Department - Shelter and Rehousing Investments
- Department of Human Services - Humanitarian Mission
- Public Defense Commission - Internal Audit and Activities
- Public Defense Commission - Quality Management Plan and Key Performance Measures
- Public Defense Commission - Remediation Plan
- Public Employees Retirement System - 2023 Preliminary Earnings Crediting
- Public Employees Retirement System - Health Insurance
- Public Employees Retirement System - SB 1566 (2018) Statutory
- Department of Public Safety Standards and Training - Basic Police Course Pilot Program
View a replay of the meetings and access meeting materials on OLIS here.
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with Dale, a constituent from Molalla and FFA District Vice President, who came to visit and share information about Oregon Future Farmers of America (FFA).
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Oregon FFA is dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through agricultural education. (Learn more about Oregon FFA here. ) |
It was my pleasure to meet with this passionate group of advocates from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. During their State Advocacy Day we discussed the issue of suicide and how it impacts the countless lives and how my work in the legislature can help support prevention efforts in Oregon.
Thank you to my constituent, Rebecca from Molalla, and members of the Oregon Trails Coalition for taking the time to visit and share your work in the preservation, development, and stewardship of a statewide network of sustainable trails that provide access to outdoor recreation and active transportation for all. A bill to ensure recreational immunity and protect volunteers from liability is making its way through the Legislature.
It is always my honor to visit with President Jessica Howard and students from Chemeketa Community College to discuss community college priorities for the session. Hearing student stories of success, as well as the ongoing educational needs our students and their families face is immensely helpful in my work in Salem.
Thank you to OSPIRG students and the Oregon Student Association for meeting with me on your lobby day at the Capitol to share issues affecting students across Oregon.
Oregon is home to 18,000 ranches and 1.1 million head of cattle. The Cattle Sector is unique because there are cattle in every county, both urban and rural.
It was a pleasure to meet with this hard-working group of ranchers who made the trip to Salem to meet with me to discuss key issues impacting Oregon’s ranching and farming industry.
Wednesday this week was an exciting day to welcome so many constituents to the Capitol. The soul and heart of House District 18 beats to the tune of agriculture. A visit from members of the Oregon Association of Nurseries is always welcomed and informative.
Thanks to all who came to share with me what literally “keeps you up at night.” Ag. Overtime, the Corporate Activities Tax, environmental challenges, land use issues, and government over-reach and regulation. These are just a few of the crushing challenges our nurseries, agricultural, and farming community are facing that have increased the cost of doing business in our state.
Every day is a great day to celebrate Oregon’s birthday. Brought to you by the OREGONLIVE/The Oregonian here is an informative article on 7 ways to celebrate Oregon’s 165th birthday this year – check it out here.
Have a great weekend everyone! Until my next update, I leave you with a snapshot I took of Oregon’s iconic Mt. Hood as seen from House District 18.
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1418
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-385, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.RickLewis@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/lewis
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