Dear Friends,
I wanted to wish you all a Happy 4th of July! I hope you have a safe and fun day celebrating our freedom. I will be out and about in the community participating in different local events - maybe I will see you around!
Below is a quick update on some important issues in our state, and some upcoming summer events throughout House District 23.
As always, please reach out with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
 Anna Scharf
State Representative - HD 23
Last Friday, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled on the Grants Pass v. Johnson case, supporting the City of Grants Pass's right to enforce ordinances that prevent public spaces from becoming unsafe and unsanitary. This decision recognizes the critical need for local governments to manage public spaces effectively, ensuring safety and order for all citizens. By upholding these regulations, the Court has validated the efforts of municipalities to protect their communities.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, in a recent KGW interview, emphasized the need for legislative action: “Unless the legislature decides to revisit the law that HB 3115 enacted, no one in Portland is going to see sweeping policy changes after the Supreme Court issues its decision.”
HB 3115 was passed on a party-line vote in 2021. The bill essentially affirmed the rights of homeless persons to challenge local ordinances in court, while unfortunately suffocating local jurisdictions' efforts to keep their communities safe. It is essential the Legislature acts promptly to ensure state laws align with the Supreme Court's decision, allowing for sensible, community-focused solutions that maintain public safety and health without infringing on individual rights. I suspect we will be visiting this topic during the 2025 Legislative Session.
Earlier this year, the Legislature passed several pieces of legislation to address the housing and homelessness crisis. I supported SB 1530 and HB 4134, which was part of the Emergency Housing Stability and Production package. With that being said, I hope we can find a better balance to providing housing while protecting our communities.
Serving as Vice-Chair on the House Committee of Early Childhood and Human Services (ECHS), we hear a lot from the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS). Although, we don't hear from them nearly as much as I think we should. ECHS has been primarily focused on the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) as it is a new state agency established in July 2023.
ODHS was sued along with Governor Kotek by children who had experienced unnecessary trauma while in the child welfare system. The outcome of the Wyatt B. v. Kotek settlement will involve a comprehensive review to be preformed by a neutral party. Out of the review will come overdue changes to the child welfare system. I anticipate may of those changes will resemble legislation I proposed in 2023 that the agency and the committee refused to hear. I will keep you updated throughout this process.
In addition, ODHS also oversees the management of adult homes and care facilities. Governor Kotek recently requested that the Secretary of State do a complete audit of that department after the unnecessary death of an elderly woman at a Sandy senior living facility last winter.
I am pushing for ECHS to be split into two committees - one focusing just on ODHS and human services issues and one focusing just on early childhood issues for the 2025 Legislative session. It is more than evident that ODHS needs more legislative oversight.
In 2023, the Legislature passed HB 3610, which created an alcohol task force. Seeing this bill for what it really was, a way to increase taxes, I opposed the legislation.
Since the beginning of this year the task force has met 12 times with the goal of giving final recommendations regarding addiction and suggested increases in taxation levels.
I will not be supporting any increased taxes on alcohol, especially when our state's budget is the largest it's ever been. I am closely watching this task force to see what the final outcome and recommended legislation is.
Oregon Business Industries (OBI) recently submitted an Op-Ed begging Oregon lawmakers to help make Oregon competitive again in the workforce. "Oregon cannot support stable government services, much less growing government services, with a withering private sector," quoted OBI.
The problems underlying this trend are many and include Oregon's high taxes and its unfriendly regulatory environment. Partisan policies that have been created by the legislature, must be addressed in 2025 to encourage businesses to invest in the state rather than see them fleeing to other states.
A prime example of this is Rogue Valley Microdevices - an electronics manufacturer in Medford. They are expanding their business to Florida. Why? Florida is affordable and has a business-friendly environment. Florida, like Oregon, received CHIPS funding from the federal government. Oregon passed SB 4 in 2023, which also leveraged CHIPS funding, but what Oregon didn’t do was roll back any of the unfriendly business practices put in place over the last 10+ years. I voted against SB4 for this reason and others. I was only one of ten that voted against the bill, but I knew that the promises made in the bill would not be enough for Oregon to retain and attract new business to our state. We must do better if we are going to create and retain any jobs.
There's a reason the private sector has lost nearly 8,000 jobs in Oregon since May of 2023. We need to cut government red tape and support our private businesses, not punish them with some of the highest corporate tax rates in the nation among other unfriendly business practices unique to Oregon.
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Dallas Days are July 26th-27th! Join the community and help celebrate the City of Dallas's 150th birthday!
More information here.
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Free concerts throughout this summer at the Rotary Amphitheater. Enjoy music, local craft beer, and other vendors.
More information here.
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Tunes on Tuesday in Newberg is a free outdoor concert held every Tuesday evening in July and the first week of August. Come on out from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM for music, food, and vendors!
More information here.
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Music in the Garden at The Allison Inn & Spa
Free summer concert series returns for four Mondays in July! Enjoy beautiful music performed by talented musicians from the great Pacific Northwest and a limited picnic-style menu.
More information here.
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For a full list of events this summer hosted by the Chehalem Valley Cultural Arts Center - click here.
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Friday Nights in Dayton, every Friday from 5:30-8:30pm. Food, wine, shopping around the park at local businesses and restaurants.
More information here.
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Free event in Dundee on July 18th - live music, art demos, locally made goods, more.
More details here.
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Replies to this message are sent to an unmonitored mailbox.
To contact me, please click here: Rep.AnnaScharf@oregonlegislature.gov
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1423
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-387, Salem, OR 97301
Email: Rep.AnnaScharf@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/scharf
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