|
If you're having trouble viewing this message, please visit my legislative web page at http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/prozanski/, click "News and Information" on the left.
Dear friends,
With the 2024 general election nearly in our rearview mirror, Oregon must focus on how national results will impact our state going forward. I have already received inquiries about states' rights under the 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and what, if any, protections we have as a state. Specifically: whether federal authorities can preempt state statutory laws and/or provisions of state constitutions. As you can imagine, this is a complex issue that has been debated and litigated for decades.
The following excerpt is from an article I found that will hopefully offer some perspective and understanding of the issue:
"In establishing American government’s power-sharing system of federalism, the Bill of Rights' 10th Amendment holds that all rights and powers not specifically reserved to Congress by Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution or to be shared concurrently by the federal and state governments are reserved by either the states or by the people.
"In order to prevent the states from claiming too much power, the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause (Article VI, Clause 2) holds that all laws enacted by the state governments must comply with the Constitution, and that whenever a law enacted by a state conflicts with a federal law, the federal law must be applied."
(Longley, Robert. "Understanding States' Rights and the 10th Amendment." ThoughtCo, Jun. 27, 2024, thoughtco.com/states-rights-4582633.)
The article referenced above provides examples that may give guidance on what have been determined as protected states' rights and points out issue areas that have been determined to be preempted by the federal government. Bottom line: These issues usually have to be decided through our judicial system.
Let's remember that Veterans Day is Monday, November 11. More than 325,000 veterans call Oregon home. I believe we have a responsibility to support our service men and women. Details on local Veterans Day events are included below.
Below you will find information on:
- ODVA Statewide Veterans Day Ceremony at Oregon State Capitol Park
- Session Accomplishments: Elections, General Government & Accountability
- OHCS invests $165 million to Build 550+ Affordable Homes Across Oregon
- Water Investment Survey
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.
ODVA Statewide Veterans Day Ceremony at Oregon State Capitol Park
The Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs (ODVA) will honor all veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces during its Statewide Veterans Day Ceremony on Monday, November 11, in view of the Oregon State Capitol Building.
This event will feature remarks by dignitaries and special guests along with ceremonial elements including a color guard, singing of the national anthem, a wreath laying and the playing of "Taps."
The celebration will honor Oregon veterans of all eras and will be hosted at the Oregon State Capitol State Park located on Court Street Northeast in Salem — directly in front of the main entrance of the Oregon State Capitol Building.
The event is open to the public and uncovered seating will be provided for attendees. Accessible pathways and seating areas for those needing accommodations will also be provided. Attendees are reminded to plan accordingly for Oregon weather.
For those unable to attend, the event will also be live-streamed on ODVA's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/odvavet. If you have any questions about this event, please contact ODVA at (800) 692-9666 or visit www.oregon.gov/odva.
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 Voters' Pamphlet: 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 commonly 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 10.
SB 1538 - Elections Omnibus: This legislation improves election administration by making several changes to current election laws. SB 1538 will make 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 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 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: 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.
OHCS invests $165 million to Build 550+ Affordable Homes Across Oregon
Oregon's Housing Stability Council has approved a $165 million investment to help address the affordable housing crisis. This funding will support the construction of eight new housing developments, including one in Lane County, delivering more than 550 affordable homes to communities statewide. These projects will include 465 new rental homes, 87 homes for low-income home-buyers, and offer rental assistance and support services for residents at The Commons on MLK in Eugene.
These developments address a critical need for affordable housing and community resources. Many of the rental developments will include spaces for resident services, such as community rooms, playgrounds, and on-site programs.
OHCS is Oregon's housing finance agency. The state agency provides financial and program support to create and preserve opportunities for quality, affordable housing for Oregonians of low and moderate income. OHCS administers programs that provide housing stabilization. OHCS delivers these programs primarily through grants, contracts, and loan agreements with local partners and community-based providers. Visit the OHCS website for more information.
Water Investment Survey
The Legislature's Water Caucus, of which I'm a member, is asking Oregonians to submit their current and future water investment needs via a statewide survey to help inform budget requests and strategic planning. In the time since the Statewide Integrated Water Resources Strategy was initially adopted in 2012, the state has been incrementally increasing its attention to critical water priorities, but the Legislature does not have a comprehensive inventory of water investments needs. To fill that gap, the Water Caucus invites water managers, users, stewards, advocates and members of the public to submit water investment needs by December 15 via a statewide survey: https://bit.ly/2024waterinvestmentsurvey. In doing so, Oregonians can help the Water Caucus understand investment-ready water projects. In addition to physical projects, water investment needs can include data, planning, and other needs that benefit the environment, communities, and economy. The survey is for informational and planning purposes only and does not guarantee funding or replace other legislative processes.
|
