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To contact me, please click here: Rep.AnnaScharf@oregonlegislature.gov
Dear Friends,
I hope everyone enjoyed ringing in the New Year! Ready or not, 2025 has arrived - and with it brings the 83rd Legislative Session. The swearing in ceremony is the 13th of January and the official first day of session with committee meetings is the 21st.
I hope you will follow along with my newsletters throughout the next six months as I attempt to keep you updated on critical issues in the legislature.
More than 1,200 bills have been pre-session filed with the Chief Clerk's Office. In comparison, in 2015 there were 795 pre-session filled bills. These bills represent the bills that will be First Read on January 13th. The deadline to introduce unlimited amounts of legislation for each member ends on January 17th. Therefore, that number is expected to grow even larger. After that, each member will most likely have five "priority" bills left to utilize.
Our office has been very judicious and realistic on the number of bills that we pre-session filled. Considering the makeup of the House and the Senate with both holding super majorities, many legislative concepts from our office were put on hold until future sessions. This does not mean they were not good ideas, it just means that the chances of them even getting a hearing was challenging.
However, we are working with law enforcement representatives on increasing penalties for individuals who commit crimes while intentionally concealing their identities and also removing the restriction that was put in place in 2021 that no longer allowed law enforcement to perform traffic stops for broken taillights which often lead to other more serious offenses such as drug possessions. We are working with the business community and others on legislation that would increase transparency in agency rulemaking, and we are also looking at ways to hold the Human Services Department more accountable in the areas of elder services, serving people with disabilities and foster care, just to name a few. Our office will be busy.
To help with the extra workload of long session, our office will be joined by Ben Schimmoller. Ben most recently worked as a District Representative for Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer but has also worked in the Oregon Legislature. He is a graduate of Oregon State University and will be a great addition to the office.
As always, my office is here to help. Please contact us with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
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 Anna Scharf
State Representative - HD 23
SB 1553 - Drug use on public transit
Public drug use is not itself a crime in Oregon, but the recent recriminalization of simple drug possession means that drug use can once again be punished under the law. People who use illegal drugs on public transit will be subject to the class A misdemeanor of interfering with public transportation. This is a heavier consequence than the class C misdemeanor charge for using drugs in other public spaces.
Effective Jan. 1, the use of illegal drugs on public transit will fall under an existing criminal statute for "interfering with public transportation." The charge is a drug-designated Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to 364 days in jail, a $6,250 fine, or both.
SB 1596 - Right to repair
Oregon is now the fourth state to require tech manufacturers to give consumers and independent repair shops access to the tools, parts and manuals required to repair their gadgets. The rule applies to consumer electronic devices sold on or after that day.
HB 4113 - Prescription drug costs
Insurers and health care companies will have to count the full amount that patients pay for prescription drugs toward meeting their maximum out-of-pocket payment.
HB 4147 - School bus safety cameras
Allows schools to install cameras on school buses. This law is intended to capture evidence of drivers illegally passing a bus with the stop arm extended, which will then to be referred to law enforcement for citation.
SB 1502 - School board transparency
Unless a school district has fewer than 50 students, its school board must record video of its public meetings and post those online for people to view. Same goes for the boards of community colleges and public universities. A district that has bad internet access is allowed to upload an audio recording instead.
If you notice your power bill increasing this month, it's because the rates increased. The Public Utility Commission (PUC) approved a 5.5 - 7.7% residential rate increase, depending on who your service provider is. If you receive power from PGE, your rates have increased almost 50% since 2020. Read more here.
According to a recent report, in 17 years, Oregon sees a 91% spike in homelessness - bringing Oregon to the 8th largest state of homeless population.
Oregon continues to pour billions into homelessness and the crisis continues to grow. The legislature already invested almost $600 million in a housing and homeless package in the 23-25 biennium. Governor Kotek's recommended budget proposes $2 BILLION to address our homeless crisis.
Before we invest this type of money, the legislature needs to hold agencies and non-profits accountable for money already spent, reverse disastrous policies that have grown our homeless crisis, and look at new approaches to solving homelessness.
Read more here about the Governor's Recommended Budget (GRB).
 Click the image above to learn more about the process and to stay involved throughout the legislative session.
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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