2024 Session Reaches Halfway Point
This week was a reminder of why even-numbered year’s Legislative Sessions are called "Short Sessions", as they really go by in the blink of an eye! As we cap off our third week and another set of deadlines has passed, we are experiencing a mini-lull, as many committees have run out of bills to process, and the few Senate Bills we’ll receive haven't quite had the time to make it our way yet. But with bills having moved out of committees, things are getting busier on the House floor! And with it, some contentious bills that are stirring more debate—making floor sessions longer and livelier!
You may have noticed that we did not cover anything related to Measure 110 in last week’s newsletter—the topic that was supposed to be the top priority of this year's Session—and that is because there really wasn’t much of an update to offer. It has felt like many Democrats in Salem still haven’t resigned themselves to needing to address M110, while others are frustrated by the inaction and unwillingness to truly prioritize this issue. It is seeming a very divisive issue, especially in regard to recriminalizing possession, and to what degree.
It is worth noting that more than 3 Oregonians die each day we fail to course-correct on Measure 110, making time of the essence on this issue. Yet it wasn’t until Wednesday that a tentative “deal” was made, and only after widespread media criticism of Democrat leadership’s proposed "fix" (HB 4002) by the Oregon Judicial Department as inadequate to truly fix M110. This deal is aimed at bolstering HB 4002, providing some added tools to law enforcement for accountability for users refusing treatment options, and some harsher penalties for dealers; but so far it is seeming like not nearly enough to get Oregon back on track, and remains to be seen if the deal will even garner the support to move forward.
I also want to give a brief update on the devasting drawdowns of our dams and the round-table discussion we were able to have with regional leaders last Friday. State Legislators, County Commissioners, Mayors, City Managers, and public works personnel gathered at the Lebanon Community Library for a presentation given by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the status of our waterways, how drawdowns work, and what our communities can expect from future drawdowns that the Corps are mandated to conduct. The conversation was constructive, and served as an opportunity for our local communities across the central Willamette Valley to network with each other and discuss their future strategies and opportunities for collaboration moving forward. We are very appreciative for the City of Lebanon hosting us all, and very appreciative for the leadership we have throughout the Willamette River Basin for their proactive efforts on protecting our waterways in future years.
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Written Testimony Needed on HB 4007!
One of the highlights this week was having the opportunity to testify on one of my bills, HB 4007, which we covered in an earlier newsletter. This bill protects the settlements of wildfire lawsuits from being taxed at rates of up to 70%—helping keep those dollars in our impacted communities to directly help recovery efforts. We had a strong turnout at the hearing, which included other members of the Legislature, attorneys, and actual wildfire victims, and we are cautiously optimistic the resounding support will lead to the committee passing some form of tax relief for victims during this session. But we never want to assume passage and let our foot off the gas, so we encourage you to please help advocate for HB 4007’s passage by submitting written testimony on OLIS. Here is a link to my testimony.
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HB 4079 - SPED cap bill update
I'm happy to report that our bill, turned committee bill, aiming to remove inequities in school funding by allowing all Special Education students to receive appropriate funding support had a hearing Tuesday in the House Committee on Revenue! We are cautiously optimistic that it will receive a work session and move to Ways and Means. Here is a link to my testimony.
HJR 202: Changing Quorum Requirements
With Measure 113 proving not enough to eradicate walkouts aimed at forcing Democrats to compromise on their extreme policies, this resolution proposes an amendment to the State’s Constitution to lower the quorum requirement, and achieving what Measure 113 came up short of accomplishing: ending walkouts for good. As of now, it has not even received a public hearing, but we have been hearing a lot about it this week and will continue to monitor it.
SB 1593: Severance Tax for Timber Industry
The timber industry already pays a higher tax burden than any other business sector in Oregon, but this bill is yet another push to raise that burden even higher—to force timber to pay for forest management and fire suppression efforts. SB 1593 would be referred to voters if passed. It had a public hearing scheduled this week, but was cancelled.
SB 1548: Ditch the Switch
Aimed at side-stepping the need for Congressional approval to stay on Daylight Savings Time year-round, this bill proposes staying permanently on Standard Time. Polling has shown that over 77% of Oregonians support this concept, but opponents have come out strongly this week, and caused the bill to fail on the Senate floor. After some quick negotiations, the bill was sent to Senate Rules to receive an amendment requiring California and Washington to also pass their proposed bills before it could go into effect. It is awaiting a Work Session.
This week we would like to honor the Sweet Home Police Department for not only their bravery, but also for making the trek up to Salem to visit their Capitol! SHPD was given a courtesy speech on Tuesday by Senator Hayden (R-Fall Creek) for efforts made in corroboration with the FBI to thwart a potential mass hooting. Captain Cummings, Chief Ogden, and Detective Potter were humbled to represent the entire SHPD team involved with this case.
Their visit also happened to be the same day that students from Sweet Home Junior High School were on a field trip at the Capitol, and joined the kids for a photo (along with Mayor Susan Coleman) on the 3rd floor of the House office wing!
Do you know of anyone in House District 11 who deserves to be acknowledged? Send us your nominations at Rep.JamiCate@oregonlegislature.gov
Harrisburg Lego Club Today
Consider bringing the little ones out to the Harrisburg City Library this afternoon from 3:00pm-4:00pm to meet and greet Harrisburg FFA members! Legos will be on site, and the FFA members will be helping build some Lego farms!
Lebanon FFA Fundraiser Tomorrow
Join Lebanon's FFA state soils team at their hot dog fundraiser tomorrow, Saturday the 24th at Wilco Farm Store! The hot dogs will hit the grill at 11:00am, and all proceeds will go to help send our soils judging team to nationals in Oklahoma at the end of April.
Bake Sale in Lebanon Tomorrow
Come out to the Lebanon Senior Center tomorrow, Saturday the 24th to enjoy some baked goods and meet 38 Oregon authors all while raising money for teen programs at the library! The event runs from 9:00am to 2:00pm.
Scio Potluck This Sunday
On Sunday at 2:00pm, bring your favorite dish to share and mingle with the community at ZCBJ Hall! If you have never been, this building's rich 100 year history is enough of a reason to visit on it's own!
Desert Donations Needed!
The City of Sweet Home is still requesting dessert donations for their 80th annual awards banquet in two weeks! You can sign up using this form: Complete this form: https://forms.gle/QuZsUQYWDHh9mQpK9. We will talk more about the banquet itself in next week's newsletter, as it is certainly not an event you will want to miss!
5K in Halsey This Spring
This event is not until April 13th, but we wanted to give everyone more than our usual heads up for events, as a 5K run certainly requires some training for most of us! It will be $35, and the proceeds go toward funding library programs and events, primarily this year's summer reading program. You can register at the library, city hall, or using the link below!
Sweet Home Visits the Capitol!
Following Tuesday morning's SPED bill hearing in the House Revenue Committee, I had the pleasure of meeting with a whopping 38 students from Sweet Home Junior High School's Leadership Class! For most—if not all of the students—this was their first time visiting their Capitol, and they certainly dressed up for the occasion!
They asked some great questions at my office about what my job is like before Floor Session commenced. Sadly, there was not room on the balcony for the class to physically be in the chamber (with reduced seating due to construction, we’ve been filling up quickly!), but they were able to watch from the monitor in the hallway. I gave a short courtesy speech celebrating their visit, and Conner toured them around the building for a bit before they had to depart at noon. It isn’t the same as when the Capitol is fully open and not cordoned off for construction, but makes it even more special when kids make the trip to come visit!
A special thank you to their amazing teacher, Ali Gardner for reaching out to set this up!
Advocating for Our Communities
Despite Governor Kotek refusing to accept the State of Oregon's responsibility for the drawdowns of our dams, this week I was proud to join a bipartisan and bicameral group of legislators asking the Ways and Means Committee Co-Chairs to give serious considerations to the emergency funding requests of Lebanon, Sweet Home, and Lowell totaling nearly $30 million. Simply put, if our communities have no say in the managements of their waterways, they should at the very least not be on the hook for the financial damages in the fallout of these decisions.
 
Week Two of Session -- Bills Are Dying!
The 2024 Legislative Session Begins
Interim Newsletter: January
Interim Newsletter: December
Interim Newsletter: November
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