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Dear friends,
From September 23-25, the Legislature met for "Legislative Days" in preparation for our 2025 session. Committees conducted informational hearings to receive updates on recently passed legislation and to learn about new bill concepts that might be considered in the upcoming session. Agendas, meeting recordings and materials are available for review on the Legislature's website (OLIS). The Senate also met to consider confirmations of the Governor's appointments to various boards and commissions. That floor session is available to watch on OLIS, as well.
During September's Legislative Days, the Senate and House Judiciary committees met jointly. We heard updates about Oregon's public defense services, among other topics. As chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I found this information instructive since I'm also a non-voting member of the Oregon Public Defense Commission. The Joint Committee on Addiction & Community Safety Response, which I co-chair, met to hear an update on implementation of HB 4002, which rolled back parts of Ballot Measure 110 and reestablished criminal penalties for certain drugs, effective September 1, 2024. The Joint Committee was updated on deflection programs and legislative "fixes" that might be needed during the 2025 session.
Below you will find information on:
- Session Accomplishments: Elections, General Government & Accountability
- Homeowner Assistance Fund Accepting Final Applications Online
- Matching Grant for Recipients of Federal SBIR and STTR Program Awards
- Halloween Traffic Safety Tips
I hope this information is helpful and informative for you or someone you know. As always, feel free to share your comments, questions or concerns with me by phone, mail or e-mail.
Session Accomplishments: Elections, General Government & Accountability
Following the 2024 short Legislative Session, I'm sharing in-depth summaries of bills passed by subject area. Below is a comprehensive listing of accomplishments related to elections, general government and accountability — by Senate/House bill and in numeric order:
Senate Bills
SB 1531 - America 250 Oregon Commission: This legislation creates the 27-member America 250 Oregon Commission charged with coordinating and providing guidance for Oregon's official observance of the 250th anniversary of the United States, as marked by the Declaration of Independence in 1776. In addition to coordination and planning, the Commission may engage in and encourage fundraising efforts. The Commission must solicit input from Oregon’s nine federally-recognized tribes and members of Oregon’s Black, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and Hispanic communities. The bill directs the Oregon Historical Society to provide staff support to the Commission and specifies that voting members of the Commission are entitled to compensation and expenses.
SB 1533 - Additional Languages on Voter Pamphlets: The Oregon voters' pamphlet is produced and distributed by the Secretary of State Elections Division. A voters' pamphlet is produced for each primary and general election, as well as for any special statewide election. This legislation increases the number of the most spoken languages in each county, other than English, into which the Secretary of State is required to translate state and county voters' pamphlets from the top five to the top ten.
SB 1538 - Elections Omnibus: This measure improves election administration by making several changes to current election laws. This legislation makes it easier to file translations of the Oregon voters' pamphlet and help ensure those translations meet county-by-county linguistic needs. It also adjusts certain campaign filing thresholds for inflation.
SB 1562 - Stabilizing the Rainy Day Fund: The Rainy Day Fund was created by the Legislature in 2007. Funding sources include the end of the biennium balance and the amount of corporation income/excise taxes attributable to any tax rate above 7.2 percent. This legislation increases the Rainy Day Fund cap and requires a transfer if monies in the fund are below 12.5 percent of the revenue collected during the prior biennium.
SB 1571 - Regulating Artificial Intelligence in Elections: As the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes more prevalent, this legislation requires campaigns to disclose the use of AI in campaign communications materials. Failing to disclose the use of AI can result in a fee of up to $10,000.
House Bills
HB 4024 – Campaign Finance Reform: This legislation sets campaign contribution limits for candidates running for non-federal office in Oregon. It also sets disclosure and reporting requirements for candidate campaign independent expenditures, establishes complaint investigation requirements and deadlines, creates civil penalties for contribution limit and disclosure requirement violations, and requires the Secretary of State's office to create a campaign finance dashboard to promote accountability and transparency. The bill also requires an incumbent to file for office at least seven days before the filing deadline.
HB 4153 – Task Force on Artificial Intelligence: AI is an emerging technology that continues to evolve and develop new practical applications. This legislation creates a task force to identify terms and definitions related to AI that may be used in future laws. The bill directs the task force to report its findings on or before December 1, 2024.
Homeowner Assistance Fund Accepting Final Applications Online
Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) is reopening the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) online application portal to accept final applications directly from homeowners. Applications must be submitted by October 31, 2024. New applications will be put on a waitlist and prioritized for homeowners most at risk of foreclosure or loss.
Homeowners can now review application criteria and apply directly online via the HAF website, https://oregonhomeownerassistance.org. If homeowners need or would like assistance with an application, they can contact a HAF intake partner. A list of intake partners can be found at https://www.oregon.gov/ohcs/homeownership/Pages/Homeownership-Assistance-Fund.aspx.
HAF offers federal temporary COVID-19 pandemic relief to help homeowners who experienced financial hardship due to the pandemic. HAF can help homeowners become current on their mortgages, county taxes, homeowners' (HOA) or condo associations, land sale contracts, secured manufactured home or floating home loans, and lot rent or moorage fees associated with homeowners in manufactured home parks or marinas. Financial hardship includes a reduction in income or an increase in housing costs resulting from the pandemic.
Homeowners are eligible to apply if they meet the program's general eligibility criteria and are facing foreclosure, involved in a court case that threatens their home, in property tax foreclosure, in collections with their HOA, or in other high-risk situations identified by a housing counselor. Homeowners in foreclosure may have already received outreach letters from OHCS or their county assessor.
OHCS will make its final HAF payments in February 2025, limiting total assistance available to new applicants. OHCS encourages homeowners to explore all other options with their servicer or a housing counselor before applying for HAF. Applying for HAF does not guarantee approval or that a foreclosure will be postponed. HAF is administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury.
Matching Grant for Recipients of Federal SBIR and STTR Program Awards
Business Oregon, through the Oregon Innovation Council, has opened the application period for eligible businesses to apply for matching grants if they have won a federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) award. Oregon companies that have received federal SBIR/STTR awards after January 1, 2023, can apply for Business Oregon’s SBIR/STTR Matching Grant awards.
The mission of the federal SBIR/STTR programs is to support science and technology innovation to build a strong economy. In 2023, Oregon companies were awarded nearly $54 million in federal SBIR/STTR awards, often referred to as "America's Seed Fund." The SBIR/STTR programs provide funding that doesn’t dilute ownership, preserving control and flexibility for entrepreneurs. Business Oregon’s SBIR/STTR Matching Grant program is designed to leverage this federal investment in innovation in Oregon, encouraging businesses to develop new technologies and grow their companies locally.
The Matching Grant program helps address gaps in the federal SBIR/STTR federal funding and supports companies trying to get their product into the marketplace. The Matching Grants can also help better position the companies for future fundraising and growth after the federal grants have completed. Earlier this year, Business Oregon awarded nearly $1 million in SBIR/STTR Matching Grants to 14 Oregon companies—leveraging over $10.8 million in federal grants that those companies received between 2022-2023.
Read more about the SBIR/STTR Matching Grant program and apply at www.oregon.gov/biz/programs/SBIR-STTR/. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Monday, October 21, 2024.
Halloween Traffic Safety Tips
The Oregon State Police (OSP) reminds you to watch for trick-or-treaters when driving in neighborhoods or going to a party on Halloween night, October 31. OSP encourages parents to:
- Dress children in bright costumes. Use reflective tape or stickers on dark costumes.
- Apply face paint or cosmetics appropriate for children directly to the face. It is safer than a loose-fitting mask that can obstruct a child's vision.
- If a mask is worn, cut the eyeholes large enough for full vision.
- Have children carry flashlights or glow sticks to improve their visibility.
- Secure hats so they will not slip over children's eyes.
- Remind children to cross streets only at intersections.
- Teach children to stop and look for cars, looking to the left, right and left again before crossing, and then to keep looking both ways for cars while they cross.
- Teach children to never dart into a street or cross a street from between parked cars.
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