February 23, 2024 - Newsletter

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We are halfway through the 2024 Short Session. Today brings us to the second chamber “post work session” deadline. This means that bills that made it to their second chamber policy committees must be posted for a work session in order to inch closer to the February 29^th deadline for bills to move out of those committees to stay alive. From there, the remaining bills in play will be those measures in the Rules, Revenue/Finance, joint committees, and Full Ways and Means, which are not subject to the chamber deadlines.

As the House waits to receive bills from the Senate chamber there has been a bit of a lull in my policy committees. Subsequently, the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee On Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans did not meet this week.

Hold on to your seats! The final two weeks of session begins on Monday, and it will be a mad dash to the finish line. Legislators in both chambers will spend a lot more time in floor sessions and my work in the Joint Committee on Ways and Means will intensify as we rebalance the state’s budget.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office if you have questions about the legislative process or have an opinion on a bill that you are passionate about. Your voice matters! I want to hear what you are thinking about what’s happening in Salem. Until next week, enjoy a relaxing weekend.

Sincerely,

Rick Lewis
State Representative
House District 18
Oregon’s Christmas Tree District  

In this Issue: 

• IN THE CAPITOL – SHORT SESSION WEEK THREE
• On the House Floor
• Opening Ceremonies
• Measure 110 Floor Remonstrance
• Rep. Lewis’s Sponsored Bills – What’s Dead or Alive?
• Rep. Lewis’s Committee Highlights
• House Committee On Judiciary
• House Committee On Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans
• Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Public Safety
• Joint Committee On Transportation Special Subcommittee On Transportation Planning
• Joint Committee On Ways and Means
• A Visit with Rep. Lewis
• Oregon AFSCME
• Happy President’s Day

View previous newsletters here.

IN THE CAPITOL – SHORT SESSION WEEK THREE

On the House Floor

Click on the following links to view the House Floor agendas to see what measures moved and listen to the floor debates and remonstrances that took place in the House chamber this week:

• Monday – February 19, 2024
• Tuesday – February 20, 2024
• Wednesday – February 21, 2024
• Thursday – February 22, 2024
• Friday – February 23, 2024 – No Floor Session

Opening Ceremonies

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

Engaging our youth in government and fostering their learning about civic responsibilities is crucial for a vibrant democracy. This week, we were joined by two remarkable youth. Five-year-old Bradly opened Monday’s floor session with a lively fiddle and singing performance. My constituent, JaeLee from rural Canby, spent her President’s Day off from school to join me on the House floor to observe the session. Welcome to your Capitol Jaelee and thank you for spending the day with us!  Watch a replay of Bradley’s performance here and my courtesy introduction of Jaelee here.

Measure 110 Floor Remonstrance

We are on the countdown to final two weeks of session, and we have yet to find a path forward to address Oregon’s drug and addiction crisis and the failures of Measure 110.

Tuesday, I gave a remonstrance on the House floor to highlight the need for action that will save lives and keep our communities safe. There is no doubt that we are in the midst of a drug crisis. Overdose deaths are off the chart and increasing. Oregon is at or near the top in the nation in meth use, decriminalization has opened the door to cartels who are eager to meet the demand for drugs on our streets, drug addiction has significantly exacerbated the homeless problem and the impacts on community safety are a constant visual reminder in the news.

Oregonians are demanding action and legislators came into this session vowing to come up with a solution to reform Measure 110. What we do in these next two weeks will either be a successful outcome - or it will define the session as one of missed opportunities.

Legislators on both sides of the aisle began their work on Measure 110 reforms with different ideas about the goals to accomplish and what is needed to fix the problem. For many of us, the goal is to get the addicted population into treatment and recovery to create the pathway for that to happen. I believe that is what many Oregonians thought would happen when they voted to pass Measure 110. We are now here to fix the problem because that obviously didn’t happen.

We talk frequently about the need for more mental health/behavioral health services. This isn’t anything new.  In 1991, I served as President of the Oregon Association Chief’s of Police (OACP). During the early 90’s law enforcement came to the Legislature pleading for more mental health services. Those of us on the front lines in the fight against drug use and addiction clearly recognized that the gap in services was due to the State’s failure to address mental health services. In those days, we in law enforcement had the tools that were needed to address the manufacture and delivery of drugs and reduce the demand for drugs on the street - but there were no services for those in need. We were able to reduce the number of meth labs in one year when the Legislature gave us the additional tool to target labs, but we were not able to get the resources needed to get users into treatment. Now here we are, more than 30 years later, no better off when it comes to getting those services to those in need. In fact, in the mid-90’s the State actually went in the opposite direction and closed one of the two State hospitals. Today, law enforcement has lost many of the tools they had to combat the problem and keep our streets and our communities safe.

I am committed to being part of the solution, to stop the suffering and provide help and healing with meaningful and balanced reforms to address Measure 110’s failed policy outcomes. I hope we can make that happen this session.

Watch a replay of my floor remarks here.

Rep. Lewis’s Sponsored Bills – What’s Dead or Alive?

I am sponsoring the following bills this session. Below is a brief description of what those bills do and where they are in the legislative process:

HB 4003 A 
Directs the Department of State Police to study the causes of and ways to address the medical examiner shortage, and to provide the results of the study to the appropriate interim committees of the Legislative Assembly no later than May 1, 2025.
Status: (Alive)
Passed unanimously out of Senate Health Care. In route to the Senate Floor for a vote. ________________________________

HB 4036 This is my priority bill for the session.
The measure addresses the use of drugs within this state and is aimed to address Oregon’s drug and addiction crisis and fix the failures of Measure 110.
Status: (Alive)
Currently in the Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response. The bill received a public hearing on February 7th. This committee is not subject to the chamber deadlines and the measure has the ability to move forward at the Co-Chair’s discretion.

________________________________

HB 4037
Prohibits a medical health care professional from referring a minor for, or performing on a minor, a sex alteration procedure.
Status: (Dead)
Referred to House Behavioral Health and Health Care. Did not receive a public hearing or work session before the first chamber deadline.  
________________________________

HB 4046 
Allows rural residents to build an extra house for their families.
Status: (Dead) Referred to House Committee on Housing and Homelessness. The bill will not move forward this session. I am hopeful to convene a work group in the interim to move this concept forward in the 2025 Session.  
________________________________

HB 4054
Requires each athletic association, conference, or organization with authority over intercollegiate sports, post-secondary institution of education and school district to designate athletic competitions and extracurricular sports according to biological sex.
Status: (Dead)
Referred to House Behavioral Health and Health Care. Did not receive a public hearing or work session before the first chamber deadline.
________________________________

HB 4055
Increases the exempt amount and the filing threshold for purposes of the corporate activity tax. Applies to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2025.
Status: (Alive)
Referred to the House Revenue Committee. Although this committee remains open until the end of session, there has been no public hearing or work session scheduled to indicate this bill will move forward.
________________________________

HB 4056
Allows former owner, or their heirs or successors, to claim from the county any surplus from a property tax foreclosure.
Status: (Alive)
Referred to the House Revenue Committee. A public hearing was held on February 15^th. Although this committee remains open until the end of session, the chair has yet to schedule the bill for a work session to move the measure forward.
________________________________

HB 4062
Creates the crime of using a controlled substance in public and is also designed to fix the failures of Measure 110 and the issues associated with Oregon’s drug and addiction crisis.
Status: (Dead)
Referred to House Behavioral Health and Health Care. Did not receive a public hearing or work session before the first chamber deadline.
________________________________

HB 4073
Increases the biennial appropriation to the Department of Justice for the purpose of funding positions for the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Status: (Dead)
Referred to House Judiciary with subsequent referral to Ways and Means. Did not receive a public hearing or work session before the first chamber deadline.
________________________________

HB 4095
Requires a student to meet reading, writing and math standards before getting a diploma. Changes the law for diplomas in 2025.
Status: (Dead) 
Referred to House Education but did not receive a public hearing or work session. A motion to withdraw the bill from committee for an immediate vote on the House floor failed.
________________________________

HB 4107
Provides that compensation for loss or injury to livestock or working dogs under the wolf depredation compensation and financial assistance grant program must be based on certain multipliers of fair market value.
Status: (Dead)
Referred to House Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water. An informational hearing was held on February 20^th. Did not receive a public hearing or work session before the first chamber deadline.
________________________________

HB 4108
Requires a health care practitioner to exercise the proper degree of care to preserve the health and life of a child born alive after an abortion or an attempted abortion.
Status: (Dead)
Referred to House Judiciary. Did not receive a public hearing or work session before the first chamber deadline.
________________________________

HB 4111
Removes the requirement that farm machinery and equipment be tangible personal property for the purposes of exemption from ad valorem property taxation.
Status: (Alive)
Referred to House Revenue. A public hearing was held on February 8th, followed by an informational hearing on February 20th. Although this committee remains open until the end of session, the chair has yet to schedule the bill for a work session to move the measure forward.
________________________________

HB 4140 A
Appropriates moneys to the Department of Justice to fund certain programs that assist victims of crime.
Status: (Alive)
Referred to House Judiciary with subsequent referral to Ways and Means. The bill passed out of the Judiciary committee unanimously on February 15th. It was Referred to Ways and Means by prior reference, made a quick stop in the Joint Subcommittee On Public Safety, and was return to the Full Committee on Ways and Means for further consideration. 
________________________________

HB 4146 A
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.
Status: (Alive)
The bill passed out of the House Judiciary Committee, was voted off the House floor and is before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a public hearing on February 26th and a work session scheduled for February 27th.
________________________________

HB 4156 A
Modifies definitions pertaining to stalking orders and stalking offenses.
Status: (Alive)
The bill passed out of the House Judiciary committee on February 15^th and is before the Full Ways and Means committee for further consideration.
________________________________

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.
Status: (Alive)
The measure passed out of the House Judiciary Committee and off the House floor. It had a public hearing before the Senate Education Committee on February 22^nd and is scheduled for a possible work session on February 27^th.
________________________________

HB 4161
Increases the limitation on the percentage of students in a school district who may enroll in a virtual public charter school that is not sponsored by the student's resident school district without first receiving approval from the school district.
Status: (Dead)
The bill was referred to the House Education Committee where it received a public hearing on February 14th. A motion to withdraw the bill from committee for an immediate vote on the House floor failed.

________________________________

HJR 203 Proposes amendment to the Oregon Constitution to provide that parents have the fundamental right to direct the upbringing, education, and care of their children.
Status: (Dead)
The bill was referred to the House Rules Committee but has not received any action. A motion to withdraw the bill from committee for an immediate vote on the House floor failed.

________________________________

SB 1555 This bill also makes changes to Ballot Measure 110 to address Oregon’s drug and addiction crisis.
Status: (Alive)
The bill is currently in the Joint Committee On Addiction and Community Safety Response. This committee is not subject to the chamber deadlines and the measure has the ability to move forward at the Co-Chair’s discretion.
________________________________

SB 1572
Requires the Department of Transportation, after consulting with the Westside Express Advisory Committee, to study extending the Westside Express Service commuter line to Salem.
Status: (Alive)
The bill is before the Joint Committee On Transportation with a subsequent referral to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means. This committee is not subject to the chamber deadlines and the measure has the ability to move forward at the Co-Chair’s discretion.
________________________________

SB 1579 A
Establishes the Children's Advocacy Center Fund.
Status: (Alive)
The bill passed out of the Senate Human Services committee on February 14^th and is before the Joint Committee on Ways and Means for further consideration.
________________________________

SB 1588
This is yet another bill aimed to address Oregon’s drug and addiction crisis to fix Measure 110. The measure increases penalties for possession of a controlled substance. 
Status: (Dead)
The bill was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee but did not receive a public hearing or work session before the first chamber deadline.

Rep. Lewis’s Committee Highlights

House Committee On Judiciary

The House Committee on Judiciary did not meet this week as we are waiting to receive bills that are coming over from the Senate chamber.

Stay tuned for the committee agendas to post on OLIS here.

House Committee On Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans

The House Committee On Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans is also waiting to receive bills from the Senate and did not meet this week.

Stay tuned for the committee’s agendas to post on OLIS here.

Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Public Safety

On Tuesday, the committee held work sessions to acknowledge receipt of the Department of Corrections Report on Institution Staffing and Mandatory Overtime and the Department of Corrections Report on the Substance Use Disorder Pilot and Drugs in Prison to move them to the full committee on Ways and Means.

The committee also held an informational meeting to hear an update from the Oregon Department of Emergency Management on Emergency Preparedness and Response.

On Thursday the committee held two work sessions to move the following bills to the full committee on Ways and Means.

Work Session HB 4140 A    Relating to victims. SB 1503 A     Relating to public health.

An information meeting with presentations from the Oregon Youth Authority, Department of Corrections, Oregon Military Department, Oregon State Police provided us an update on Legislatively Approved Capital Construction Projects.

View a replay of the meetings and access meeting materials on OLIS here.

Joint Committee On Transportation Special Subcommittee On Transportation Planning

Today, the Joint Committee on Transportation, Special Subcommittee on establishing tolling rates (usage fee) Transportation Planning took a fifth deep dive into tolling with a presentations from  ODOT and WSP USA on establishing tolling rates (usage fee).

Joint Committee On Ways and Means

Today, the Joint Committee on Ways and Means held a work session on SB 1531 and approved the following Federal Grant Applications and Agency Reports:

Work Session
SB 1531 Relating to the American semiquincentennial

A Visit with Rep. Lewis

Oregon AFSCME

A warm welcome to members of Oregon AFSCME who came to the Capitol to talk with me about healthcare and private non-profits.

Happy President’s Day

I hope each of you had a Happy President’s Day on Monday. Presidents’ Day, celebrated on the third Monday in February, honors the contributions of past U.S. presidents. It’s a time to reflect on leadership, history, and the enduring impact of those who have held the nation’s highest office.  More on President’s Day here.