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Hello Friends,
On Thursday March 7 at approximately 8:15pm, the House adjourned the 82nd Legislative session. The last few days of session were a full of marathons votes and floor sessions. As I’ve talked about in the last few newsletters there was some important legislation that went through the capital this session.
One significant bill was the Measure 110 fix or House Bill 4002. I did struggle throughout the development of the policy and the conversations, but at the end I did support and voted in favor of the bill. The main reason for my vote of support was we recriminalized of the possession of drugs, and provided potential for more pathways for treatment in Oregon. Through a companion bill we put more money into our communities to set up treatment and deflection programs. I am concerned moving into the future we have not put enough resources in either treatment or deflection programs counties and law enforcement can opt in to. After multiple conversations with my communities, county courts, service providers, and law enforcement in my district this bill was a very good first step.
House Bill 4024, known as the Campaign Finance Reform bill, was hastily passed during the final week of session. The issue of campaign finance reform holds significant importance for me and the majority of Oregonians. There remains much to be accomplished with this bill to steer towards the goal of reducing the influence of money in Oregon politics. While there is still more work ahead, the passage of this bill signifies that, with external pressure, we, as a collective body of legislators, can tackle crucial issues such as campaign financing that are vital to the people of Oregon.
Senate Bill 1537 and Senate Bill 1530 represent the Governor's initiatives concerning housing policy and infrastructure funding. Across Oregon, in every community I visit and within House District 60, the challenges of workforce housing and housing shortages are recognizable. The provisions outlined in Senate Bill 1537 aim to address obstacles hindering housing construction in Oregon, offering potential relief. Meanwhile, the funding outlined in Senate Bill 1530 holds promise in empowering communities to explore avenues for reducing housing production costs.
In a previous newsletter, I highlighted the importance of House Bill 4133, which aimed to fix fire funding issues. If passed this session, it would have significantly reduced landowner offset within Fire Protection districts. Regrettably, we were unable to advance HB 4133. However, Senator Findley and I have engaged in discussions with Senator Steiner regarding the possibility of requesting the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) to seek funding from the Emergency Board. This request aims to alleviate the substantial increase in landowner offsets witnessed over the past year. We remain hopeful for a successful outcome in this endeavor.
As we close on a successful legislative short session, I want to thank my constituents in House District 60 for giving me the opportunity to represent you in Salem, my family for allowing me to continue to serve you during the past five weeks, and my legislative staff who keep me on the straight and narrow.
Be safe,
My end of session video, after sine die. Click here to watch.
Each session, an omnibus “Christmas Tree Bill” is passed out of the Joint Ways & Means process. This year, nearly $88 million was allocated to agencies and projects around the state in SB 5701. Our advocacy this session led to additional statewide funds including the well abandonment and repair program and grasshopper mitigation. Although we weren’t as successful in reaching our capital construction asks for this short session, we will be bringing them back for the 2025 long session.
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During this legislative short session, projects and communities in House District 60 received nearly $9.7 million in funding. These funds will be distributed to the following areas:
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- $1,250,000 to Grasshopper Suppression for ODA to have county block grants
- $5,000,000 to the Oregon Ag Heritage Program
- $1,000,000 to the Well Abandonment and Repair Fund
- $600,000 to New Directions NW in Baker City for the Recovery Village Crisis Stabilization and Detox Center
- $5,570,000 to Lifeways Inc. in Ontario for the Ontario Medical Plaza
- $3,000,000 to the City of Burns for stormwater improvements
- $500,000 to the Painted Sky Center in John Day
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HB 4002: Measure 110 Reform bill.
- Recriminalizes possession of hard drugs in Oregon
- Specifies payments for Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatments with CCOs
- Authorizes pharmacists to dispense early refills on medications for SUDs
- Requires Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission (ADPC) to conduct study of barriers and best practices for youth SUD, increasing medication-assisted treatment (MAT), and increasing SUD providers in the state
- Establishes certified community behavioral health clinic (CCBHC) program in Oregon Health Authority (OHA)
- Establishes 26-member Joint Task Force on Regional Behavioral Health Accountability to make recommendations on improving governance of behavioral health systems and strengthening evidence-based funding decisions
- Establishes 16-member Task Force on Improving the Safety of Behavioral Health Workers and specifies membership
- Establishes United We Heal Medicaid Payment Program in OHA to provide supplemental payments to eligible behavioral health care providers to enable the providers to access enhanced apprenticeship and training programs and opportunities
- Changes crimes related to drug possession and delivery
- Encourages law enforcement agencies and district attorneys to divert a person to a deflection program
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SB 1537: Governor’s housing policy bill. Establishes a housing office to support and enforce housing laws; lets home builders use updated local rules; awards lawyer fees for more housing appeals; assists with infrastructure for housing; creates a fund for grants to developers of affordable housing; makes cities approve changes to housing rules; makes cities expedite applications to build housing; lets cities change their growth boundaries; and gives money to DLCD, BO and OHCS for this Act.
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SB 1530: Housing funding package. Allocates moneys to:
- $112 million to the Housing and Community Services Department
- $30.25 million to Oregon Department of Administrative Services
- $33.7 million to the Oregon Health Authority
- $4 million to the State Department of Energy
- $2 million to the Department of Human Services
- $89.37 million to the Oregon Business Development Department
- $4 million to the Department of Transportation
- $1.5 million to the Water Resources Department
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HB 4024: Campaign Finance
- Caps individual contributions at $3,300, same as federal limits for State House, State Senate, circuit court judges, district attorneys and local candidates.
- Caps individuals and businesses to $10,000 to state parties and caucus committees.
- Bipartisan and bicameral support
- Takes effect in 2027, allowing time to work on the bill further in the next session.
This session was a bad year for natural resource legislation and funding. Bills with bipartisan and bicameral support failed to get across the finish line, leading to a large gap in services for the coming year. With limited funds available for this short session, priority was given to Measure 110 reform and affordable housing support. Although these bills didn’t find success during this session, I hope to support them again in 2025.
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HB 4049: Directing OSU to study PFAS found in biosolids applied to agricultural fields that do not produce crops intended for human consumption.
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HB 4061: Establishes the elk damage prevention and compensation pilot program.
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HB 4106: Establishes sustainable harvest levels for harvesting timber on state forestland and directs the development of a timber inventory model to inform sustainable harvest levels.
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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.
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HB 4133: This Act makes changes to the forest products tax, creates a new fund related to wildfire costs, changes fees for fire protection, and makes changes to forest protection districts.
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HB 4148: This Act directs ODFW to expand programs related to wildlife illness, establish a program for living with wildlife on paths and roads, and directs the Invasive Species Council to review current programs and activities.
As a friendly reminder, the legislature is prohibited from sending official office newsletters during certain portions of the election cycle, known as blackout dates. This will be the last official newsletter until after May 21. We will post community events, constituent coffees and town halls on Facebook.
 The Oregon Employment Department (OED) has launched a new online system for Unemployment Insurance benefits called Frances Online.
Current claimants need to take two important actions:
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Create a Frances Online account at frances.oregon.gov. 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 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. You can file all future weekly claims using Frances Online.
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Rulemaking advisory committee on update to statewide wildfire hazard map meeting series starting March 7 via Zoom
A series of three meetings of a rulemaking advisory committee on updating the statewide wildfire hazard map have been scheduled.
The committee’s focus will be to provide input on whether irrigation for farmland and agricultural crops might be incorporated into the calculations for wildfire hazard assessments.
The first meeting is set for Thursday, March 7 from 9 a.m.–noon via Zoom. Two additional meetings are scheduled for March 28 and April 18—also from 9 a.m.–noon. All meetings will be held virtually and are open to the public.
Anyone can access the Zoom meeting at the following link: https://odf.zoom.us/j/8829567607?omn=94409353162. A post-meeting recording will be posted on the ODF YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/oregondepartmentofforestry. For special accommodations, please contact ODF Public Affairs at least 72 hours prior to the meeting at 503-945-7200 or by email at forestryinformation@oregon.gov.
Public outreach meetings will soon be scheduled and announced to discuss the mapping process and related wildfire programs. Outreach will occur during the months of April through June.
To subscribe to information related to updates on the statewide wildfire hazard map, visit the ODF website at https://www.oregon.gov/odf/aboutodf/Pages/email-updates.aspx.
Background: The 2021 Legislature passed Senate Bill 762 that required the Oregon Department of Forestry to develop and maintain a comprehensive statewide map of wildfire risk that included wildland-urban interface boundaries and five fire risk classes by June 30, 2022 in collaboration with Oregon State University. After the initial version of the map was rescinded August 4, 2022, ODF and OSU began gathering feedback and incorporating it into future mapping efforts.
The 2023 Legislature passed Senate Bill 80 that made several changes to the map including changing the name from a “risk” map to a “hazard” map, reducing the number of hazard classes from five to three, and changing the appeal and notification requirements. The current rulemaking effort is to address policy tradeoffs about irrigated agriculture, and how irrigation may affect wildfire hazard designations.
Written comment or questions about any aspect of the implementation of Senate Bill 762 and Senate Bill 80 may be submitted by email at any time to odf.wildfirehazardmap@odf.oregon.gov. All rulemaking advisory committee meetings have an opportunity for public input.
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 Upcoming Oregon State Government Career Fairs
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Thursday, March 14th
9 AM – 1:45 PM
Career Connect
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Pendleton Convention Center
1601 Westgate
Pendleton, OR 97801
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Thursday, March 21st
9 AM – 3 PM
Baker County Job Fair
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Baker City Armory
1640 Campbell St,
Baker City, OR 97814
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Friday, March 29th
2 PM – 6 PM
State of Oregon - Community Engagement
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Isobel Edwards Hall
720 E 3rd Street
Fossil, OR 97830
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North Fork John Day Ranger District offers summer job opportunities for local youth
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PENDLETON, Ore. (March 12, 2024) — The North Fork John Day Ranger District is recruiting four students between the ages of 15 and 18 for summer employment in the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC). Work can include noxious weed removal, fence removal and construction, trail maintenance, meadow restoration, campground maintenance, slash piling, marking timber, removal of tubing from tree seedlings, cone surveys, Tussock moth trap installation, stand exams, seedling survival surveys, aspen fence maintenance, office work, cultural heritage surveys, geology work, and fire line construction around logged units on the North Fork John Day Ranger District.
The program will last six to eight weeks beginning June 24, 2024. Youth will be paid $15 per hour. No previous experience is required. No housing or transportation is provided. Applicants must live in the local area; non-local applicants who have a parent or legal guardian in the local communting area, are eligible to apply.
To apply, all interested candidates must complete and submit a signed application. Hardcopy applications can be picked up at Forest Service offices in Ukiah and Pendleton and at the Ukiah High School. Additionally, the application is available online at https://tinyurl.com/5fvwfj85. Applications will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on April 5, 2024.
Completed applications can be emailed to stacie.schock@usda.gov or delivered to the North Fork John Day Ranger District office via mail or hand delivery at 401 W. Main St., Ukiah, OR 97880.
Applicants must:
· Be at least 15 years old years of age and not reach the age of 19 during the term of employment in the program,
· Valid social security number, or proof of application to obtain one
· Obtain parental or legal guardian consent to enroll in the program
· Able to fulfill the essential function of assigned work with or without a reasonable accommodation.
Selections will be made based on a review of applications and interviews. All applicants will be notified by mail of their selection status no later than May 1, 2023.
For more information about the YCC program, please contact the North Fork John Day Ranger District at (541) 427-3231 or Diane Shirley at (541) 427-5315.
For more information about Forest Service YCC programs and jobs near you, please visit Forest Service YCC at https://www.fs.usda.gov/working-with-us/careers/youth-conservation-corps.
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