Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The fifth and final week was a mad dash to the finish line, bringing the 2024 Legislative Session to a close late last night.
The 35-day short session focused on tackling Oregon’s most urgent issues related to our state's drug and addition crisis, housing production/supply, public safety, campaign finance reform and relief to wildfire victims.
I am proud of the bipartisan work we were able to accomplish to meet these challenges head on. Stay tuned for a more in-depth overview of the session to come.
Until then… Enjoy the beginning of spring - it’s just around the corner!
Sincerely,
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 Rick Lewis
State Representative
House District 18
Oregon’s Christmas Tree District
In this issue:
View previous newsletters here.
HB 4045 – This workforce stabilization policy makes adjustments to benefits for public employees who work in high-risk environments.
As Vice-chair of the House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans, it was my honor to co-carry with Chair Grayber, HB 4045 (a committee bill) to its passage on the House floor on Monday.
I appreciate that we were able to arrive at a bi-partisan solution to not only help State Hospital workers and 911 telecommunicators in this bill, but also address some disparity for other public employees in their retirement benefits.
The bill brings those in the Oregon Public Service Retirement Plan (in effect Tier 3) serving in the Police or Fire profession in line with the retirement age of those who are Tier 1 or Tier 2, allowing them to retire with full benefits at age 55 rather than the current age 60. Being a retired police officer with nearly 40 years in the profession, I can tell you that career police officers should not have to work until age 60 in order to be eligible for full benefits. Nor should fire fighters. The nature of the work they do is such that it really takes its toll on health and well-being. In fact, it came as a shock to learn that the current retirement age for police officers and firefighters is 60.
The bill also includes District Attorneys in the Police & Fire units for retirement. Last session deputy DA’s were added, but elected DA’s were not. As a result, deputy DA’s who are the most experienced and knowledgeable when it comes to the job, will lose their Police & Fire units in PERS should they become the elected DA through attrition. In most counties, the elected DA may well be responding to the crime scenes and performing the same duties as deputy DA’s, if they even have deputy DA’s in their organization.
HB 4045 with the -5 adds Oregon State Police forensic scientists and evidence technicians to the Police and Fire units for PERS. There was a separate House bill proposed to make this addition. The -5 merely incorporates the other bill in an effort to bring only one PERS bill this session.
The provisions in the bill related to State Hospital workers and 911 telecommunicators are not scheduled to become effective until 2030. All other provisions should become effective in 2025 or 2026.
The measure passed out of the Senate on Wednesday and the bill moved to the Governor’s desk for her signature.
Watch a replay of my floor speech here.
HB 4153 A – Creates a task force to identify terms and definitions related to artificial intelligence that may be used in laws.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) presence in our lives is everywhere and privacy as well as cyber security is critical. Currently, there are no definitions in state statute for AI. Advances in technology are sure to continue and our policies must keep pace. This measure brings industry experts, researchers, consumers, and other stakeholders to the table to establish terms and definitions for effective AI policy. I also spoke in favor of HB 4153 A on the house floor. You can watch a replay of my floor remarks here.
HCR 202 - Honoring Dick Tobiason – Back to the House for Concurrence
The resolution honoring Dick Tobiason underwent changes in the Senate to reflect his work to pass legislation in designating the Oregon Nisei Veterans WWII Memorial Highway and the Purple Heart Trail, as well as a date and other minor changes. This required the measure to return to the House for a concurrence vote which I carried on the floor this week.
HB 4156 B – Anti-Stalking Modernization Act
The measure modifies definitions pertaining to stalking orders and stalking offenses and expands the circumstances in which the crimes of stalking and violating a court's stalking protective order in certain circumstances constitute a felony offense.
I am a proud sponsor of this legislation and pleased to vote in support of HB 4156 that will fix gaps in the law that cause victims to be further victimized. A big thank you to Ms. Oregon and those who came forward to tell their personal stories in support of this important piece of legislation.
Catch a replay of my floor remarks here.
Courtesies are a part of our daily floor session agenda. This is a time where members recognize groups or individuals for their work and achievements or welcome specific visitors to the Capitol. Today, I gave courtesies to the Oregon State Police officers to express my gratitude for their work to provide daily security and safety to the public, staff, and legislators during our sessions. Watch a replay of my courtesy here.
Policy committees completed their work for the session following the second chamber deadline last week. My work in the Full Ways and Means committee met twice this week to finish our work for the session.
 
The Joint Ways and Means Committee, one of the last standing committees of the session, was busy this week on Monday and Wednesday to move the final slate of budget bills through the legislative process. A list of those measures can be found here and here.
Calling on Students Grades 3-8!
Every two years, the Oregon Blue Book looks at our state through data, government listings, images. and stories. The Oregon Secretary of State would like to hear from students about why they love Oregon.
Students can approach the essay in the way that best describes what they love about Oregon. Contest winners’ written essays essays/drawings will be included in the print 2025-2026 Oregon Blue Book. Video essay winners will be featured prominently on the digital version of the Oregon Blue Book.
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The Oregon Employment Department (OED) launched a new, easy-to-use online system for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits. The system is called Frances Online.
Frances Online offers features that will provide a better online customer service experience for you. It’s also mobile-friendly and available in Spanish and English. You will be able to do a lot more things online. You can use self-serve features like checking your claim status and actions you need to complete instead of waiting for a letter in the mail or calling.
Action Required for Current Claimants
Current claimants need to take two important actions to use the new system:
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Create a Frances Online account at frances.oregon.gov/claimant. If you have an active claim or already applied but your claim is still being reviewed, information about your claim will appear in your new Frances Online account. If you have an account in Frances Online because you claimed benefits from Paid Leave Oregon, you do not need to set up a new account.
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File your weekly claim at frances.oregon.gov/claimant. You can now file for the week of February 25-March 2. If you did not already file a weekly claim for the week of February 18-24 and you are seeking benefits for that week, you can still claim that week using Frances Online until 11:59 p.m. on March 9, 2024. You can file all future weekly claims using Frances Online.
Customer Service Tips
We expect high call volumes at the UI Contact Center as customers get used to the new system. We encourage you to use self-serve features through Frances Online. This includes things like checking the status of a claim, viewing new documents, uploading documents and providing requested information online, or making a payment. Here are other tips:
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Check your mail and email daily and respond quickly to requests for information. Check email spam filters. We will still have to send you some information by U.S. mail, even if you ask to get email alerts. Letters and emails may have due dates for responding. If you miss due dates, your benefits could be delayed or denied. Uploading documents is easier in the new system.
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Check online before calling the UI Contact Center. Many questions can now be completed through new self-serve features in Frances Online.
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Review and continue to follow UI eligibility rules. This will help you avoid a delay or eligibility issue in receiving benefits.
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View tutorials and how-to guides about Frances Online. Go to oregon.gov/frances.
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Know where you can get help. Customer service is available at Frances Online (oregon.gov) via secure messaging, live chat, chatbot, and a Contact Us form. All of these services are available in Spanish and English, and free assistance in other languages is available upon request. General help with the UI program is available at unemployment.oregon.gov.
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Protect against fraud. If you get a suspicious piece of mail, call or text, or see a questionable website or link, please report it to our fraud page. Be sure to include as much information as you can, such as the website URL, phone number, screenshots, notice photo or the body of a text message so that we can investigate and stop fraud and identity theft.
Thank you for your patience as we launch our new system. We are excited about the modern features of this new system. Learn more about Frances Online for UI benefits at unemployment.oregon.gov/frances. We look forward to serving you better with these improvements.
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I have enjoyed the sunny days this week and the longer daylight we are gaining as we head into spring. This week, I leave you a beautiful Sine Die Sunrise that I took on my way into the Capitol on Wednesday morning. A fitting way to welcome the end of the extremely fast pace 35-day short session. Happy Sine Die!
All the best to my colleagues as you travel back to you your districts and reunite with your families. My sincere gratitude to everyone who emailed, called, and visited with me this session to let me know where you stand on the issues before us. Your voice matters and active citizen involvement makes a difference. Thank you!
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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