2024 Short Session Wrap Up
And that's a wrap! This year’s Legislative Session concluded late Thursday night, clocking in at 32 days—meaning we were able to conclude business three days ahead of Sunday’s Constitutional Sine Die deadline, which is something the Legislative Assembly was not able to accomplish last year. Just 291 bills were introduced in this year's short session due to each lawmaker being limited to bringing forward just two bills--a far cry from the nearly three thousand bills we saw in last year’s long session!
I will say that this session had its ups and downs, but ultimately there was a fair amount of bipartisanship which led to constructive policy work and the passage of nearly half of the legislation introduced at the start of session. Furthermore, two major wildfire victim tax relief bills (SB 1520 & SB 1545) that I was a proud co-chief sponsor of passed with flying colors, which was anything but expected going into session! There were also some bad bills that happily didn't make it across the finish line such as SB 1583, which would have further stripped away power from parents and local school boards.
Another small victory this session was securing $60,000 from the general fund for the City of Sodaville’s water needs. Sodaville is in the process of converting its well to municipal use, and in the meantime, they are hauling in water from Lebanon to meet demand at the cost of roughly $60,000 for 2024. While we are thrilled with this allocation, disappointingly, our other project requests to support the infrastructure needs of our communities were not selected by the Ways & Means co-chairs, and we will have to continue advocating for them next year.
As our newsletters return to being sent out on a monthly basis during the interim, please remember that our office is always here to answer your questions, comments, concerns, and is willing to help get answers from a government agency that you are having issues with! We will do our best to keep you informed on issues happening in House District 11 and at your Capitol.
The closing moments of the 82nd Legislative Assembly ahead of the adoption of HCR 205, the Sine Die resolution.
My Two Priority Bills
SB 1520/HB 4007 - Wildfire Tax Relief: Passed!
If you've been reading our newsletters this session, you probably recall our efforts to protect the settlements of wildfire lawsuits from being taxed at rates of up to 70%, thus helping keep those dollars in our impacted communities to directly help recovery efforts. HB 4007 simply ran out of time to make it through the legislative process this year, but SB 1520 was amended to make it identical, meaning whichever one could make it through both the House and Senate Chambers first would be victorious, and we're happy to report that SB 1520 made it in time! Here is a link to watch me carry HB 4007 on the House Floor. It is such a relief to know the State will not being taxing more in taxes from victims than they would have if the fire hadn’t happened!
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HJM 201 - Solidarity with Israel: Died in House Rules Committee
My other priority bill this session was actually a memorial, HJM 201, and would have urged Congress to continue to support Israel in their war against Hamas. Despite bipartisan interest, HJM 201 sadly was not even granted a hearing in the House Committee on Rules and died.
Notable Bills That Passed
SB 1545 – Property tax relief for wildfire victims
This bill allows counties to gradually increase tax bills based on the pre-fire valuations of properties before homes were lost, and avoid the devastating sticker shock victims have when they receive their adjusted tax bill after a rebuild. This bill happily cleared both chambers and is headed to the Governor's desk! Senator Girod (R-Stayton) introduced this legislation again this year, and I was proud to carry it on the House Floor.
HB 4024 – Campaign finance reform that creates an uneven playing field for elections
After many failed attempts since 2020, the Legislature finally passed HB
4024 as a last-ditch effort to avoid two different competing ballot
measures that were offering their own plans for campaign finance reform. Neither party is overly fond of the “compromise”, but it avoids worse plans offered up by
the ballot measures. My main concern is the more regulations we place on
donations, the more it drives “dark money” with zero transparency of
who is actually funding our candidates.
SB 1537 – Governor’s Housing production bill with one-time UGB expansions
After dying in the Senate last session, Governor Kotek's housing production bill easily passed both chambers this time around. This bill allows a one-time expansion of urban growth boundaries, and cuts red tape for many communities who have available land but have thus far been unable to utilize it.
SB 1553 – Elevated crime for using drugs on public transit
One victory this session was the passage of SB 1553, which made the use of illicit drugs on public transit a Class A misdemeanor. With more and more people feeling unsafe in cities all over the state, this seemed like a no-brainer, and I was thrilled to see to see it sail through the Legislature with flying colors.
SB 1576 – Fixes “Recreational Immunity” for towns
This bill is a prime example of the kind legislation "short" sessions were intended for. SB 1576 is a simple fix that redefines “recreation” to protect local governments from lawsuits when they open public land to recreation—re-establishing recreational immunity.
SB 1596 – Consumer’s “Right to Repair” Act
One of the hottest topics this session was right to repair, and we received countless emails from constituents urging our support. SB 1596 requires manufacturing companies to make the diagnostic tools, information, and replacement parts and tools available to consumers and third party
repair shops, so Oregonians can more easily and affordably repair their gadgets.
SCR 211 – Resolution in memory of long-time Linn County Clerk, Steve Druckenmiller
I was proud to honor the life of Linn County's longtime Clerk, Steve Druckenmiller by carrying SCR 211 on the House Floor last week. Please—if you have a few minutes—listen to my own hopefully humorous but poignant story about Steve which highlights his immense dedication to public service.
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Notable Bills That Died
HB 4079 – Removing cap to fund all Special Education students
A bill near and dear to me was HB 4079, which would have eliminated the cap on state funds for our special education students and also would've added a homeless weight into the existing inequitable school funding formula. While this bill did not line up with the Legislature's current funding priorities this time around, we are cautiously optimistic that it will have a real chance of becoming a reality in 2025.
SB 1548 – Eliminating Time Change with “Ditch the Switch”
Another hot topic this session was the "Dith the Switch" bill, which would have kept Oregon on daylight saving time year-round. It was amended late in the session to require passage of similar bills in California and Washington for the time change to go into effect, but simply ran out of time in the final week and ultimately died in a Senate committee.
SB 1583 – Limits School Board authority to remove inappropriate course materials
A major victory this session was the death of one of the worst bills introduced, SB 1583, which aimed at eliminating schoolboards’ ability to remove inappropriate course materials and books from their classrooms and libraries. This bill was delayed in the final week due to a minority report being filed, and ultimately ran out of time before we adjourned Thursday night. It is worth noting that if leadership truly prioritized this bill, they could have brought us back three more days to ensure it passed through the House Chamber.
SB 1577 – Expands “motor-voter” to students’ college applications
This bill would have expanded motor-voter registration to students applying for college, but died in committee. It is already incredibly easy to vote in Oregon, and we should not continue to give concerned Oregonians reasons to cast doubt on our electoral process by automatically registering college applicants.
SB 1588 - Full Repeal of Measure 110
In addition to the Measure 110 "fix" bills introduced this session (HB 4002 and HB 4036), there was also a straightforward repeal bill that I sponsored, which would have reassigned M110's treatment dollars to our counties to manage treatment options directly. Sadly, this bill was not even given a hearing and died in committee.
SB 1593 – Creates a severance tax on gross timber sales
This bill would have added a crushing new tax on our already burdended timber industry. Happily, it received a hearing but died in a Senate Committee this session.
This week we would like to honor the Junior Court for this May's 89th annual Linn County Lamb & Wool Fair! This event in Scio brings folks from all around the region, and is a celebration of our rural way of life and the things that make the central Willamette Valley great. I can't wait to see these young ladies shine, and I know that they will represent the fair well!
Do you know of anyone in House District 11 who deserves to be acknowledged? Send us your nominations at Rep.JamiCate@oregonlegislature.gov
Free Movies at Sweet Home's Public Library
Every Wednesday at 3:00pm this month you'll have an opportunity to bring the kids to a free movie at the library in Sweet Home! Below is the full roster of what will be showing in the three remaining weeks.
OSU Extension Service in Scio
Are you a new farmer in Linn County, or even just a little bit interested in the way of life that is agriculture? The City of Scio invites you to join the OSU Extension Service for a presentation and Q&A opportunity at the public library this Thursday from 6:00pm-7:00pm, so don't miss out!
Central Linn Booster Club Benefit
Central Linn High School will be hosting a dinner and silent auction benefitting the Cobra Booster Club this Saturday at the CLHS Cobra Dome! The program does so much for our students in the Halsey area, so please consider attending by purchasing tickets in advance or at the door.
Soupathon at Central Linn High
This is yet another great benefit coming up at Central Linn High School, a $5 all you can eat "Soupathon" at the school's cafeteria benefitting the Sharin Hands Food Bank! Show up any time on March 21st from 5:00pm-7:00pm to support a truly great cause.
Free Easter Egg Hunts in Lebanon
Join KC Lebanon at Lebanon High's football stadium for two free Easter egg hunts on March 23rd at 10:00am and March 30th at 2:00pm! These events are rain or shine, and a whopping 20,000 eggs will be up for grabs! Plus, pre-register with the link below to have a chance at winning a hoverboard!
https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLScTcnpbwFknx8.../viewform
Linn County Sheriff's Office Visit
Earlier this week, Linn County Sheriff's Office joined the Willamette Vocational Resource Community in Lebanon for a lunch time visit!
The Willamette Vocational Resource Community aims to provide the best professional vocational services to those adults in our community who, by virtue of their physical or mental limitations, are negatively impacted in their ability to attain or maintain employment.
These officers met a lot of amazing men and women and had fun passing out stickers, spoke about their jobs and took pictures, lots and lots of pictures!
Thank you LCSO for taking the time out to visit with members of our community!
Habitat Conservation Plan Passes
Last week, the State Board of Forestry Passed the Western Habitat Conservation Plan. This is 70-year plan that will reduce timber operations on about 630,000 acres of state-owned timberland in the state of Oregon, and is yet another example of single-species prioritization by the State of Oregon. Linn County is devastatingly projected to lose over $1.6 million in tax revenue from its implementation. Prior to the board's vote, the entire House and Senate Republican Caucuses sent out the following letter urging the plan's reconsideration.
  
New System for Unemployment Benefits
It is very common for folks to reach out to our office having difficulty with the Oregon Employment Department. Typically, the issue is claimants not receiving their benefits in a timely manner. This has been exacerbated since the rollout of Paid Leave Oregon. Last week, the Oregon Employment Department (OED) launched a new online system for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits. The new UI system is Frances Online, the same system already used for employer contributions and Paid Leave Oregon benefits.
The following information is from the Oregon Employment Department:
Action Required for Current Claimants
We are asking partners to help spread the word about what current claimants need to do to use the new system:
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Create a Frances Online account at frances.oregon.gov. If they have an active claim or applied but their claim is still being reviewed, information about their claim will appear in their new Frances Online account. If they have an account in Frances Online because they claimed benefits from Paid Leave Oregon, they do not need to set up a new account.
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File their weekly claim at frances.oregon.gov/claimant. Claimants can now file for the week of February 25-March 2. If they did not file a weekly claim for the week of February 18-24 and they are seeking benefits for that week, they can still claim that week using Frances Online. They can file all future weekly claims using Frances Online.
Customer Service Tips
OED expects the Unemployment Insurance Program will receive high call volumes for at least the first couple of weeks after going live in the new system. We are encouraging customers to use self-serve features available through Frances Online such as checking the status of a claim, uploading documents online, or making a payment online. Go to unemployment.oregon.gov/frances for more customer service tips.
We value your partnership; thank you for helping us serve the people of Oregon. We are excited about the enhancements with this new system. We are pleased we can follow through on our commitment to modernizing to better serve Oregonians. Visit unemployment.oregon.gov/frances to learn more.
 
One Week Left in 2024 Legislative Session
2024 Session Reaches Halfway Point
Week Two of Session -- Bills Are Dying!
The 2024 Legislative Session Begins
Interim Newsletter: January
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