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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 2024 in the rear-view mirror, many of us are taking a moment to reflect on the previous year's accomplishments and to consider the challenges and opportunities ahead. The same is true in the Legislature. I find myself reflecting on our achievements and missed opportunities during 2024's "short" legislative session and looking forward to the 2025 regular session. Legislative Organizational Days begin next week with the session formally convening on Tuesday, January 21.
During the 2025 session, I will continue to serve as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and as co-chair of the Joint Committee on Addiction & Community Safety Response. I'll also continue to serve as a member of the Senate Natural Resources & Wildfire Committee and the Senate Human Services Committee. While my assignments mean a busy schedule, I look forward to engaging with constituents about their views on topics that come before these committees. If you plan to visit your state capitol while the Legislature is in session, feel free to send my office an e-mail in advance so that we can reserve time on my calendar for a chat.
Please mark your calendars for a legislative town hall tomorrow, Saturday, January 11, from 2-4pm at Eugene City Hall, jointly hosted by Senator James Manning, House Speaker Julie Fahey, Representative John Lively, Representative Nancy Nathanson, Representative-Elect Lisa Fragala and me for a preview of the upcoming legislative session. We'll discuss local and state issues and take questions. If you plan to join us, please consider RSVP'ing using this registration link.
Below you will find information on:
- New Years, New Laws
- 2025 Oregon Civics Bee: Essays Accepted Until February 4
- Deerhorn Community Water Association Receives State Award
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.
New Year, New Laws
On January 1, new laws went into effect aimed at making Oregon safer, cleaner, and more affordable. These changes, listed below by Senate/House bill and in numerical order, cover everything from stopping drug use on public transportation and lowering the cost of prescription drugs to making it cheaper to repair electronic devices and increasing transparency in public education.
Senate Bills
SB 1502 - Improving Transparency in School Boards: This legislation requires education boards of public school districts, community colleges, and universities to video-record their meetings and upload those recordings for the public to view online. The bill exempts school districts with fewer than 50 students and provides that school districts that lack adequate internet access can comply by uploading an audio recording instead. The requirement to record does not apply to meetings that aren't already public under Oregon's public meeting law, such as executive sessions.
SB 1553 - Stopping Dangerous Drug Use on Public Transit: Drug use on public transit has been significantly impacting Oregonians across the state. Portland's TriMet reported a 30 percent drop in riders feeling safe on buses and trains. The Tillamook County Transportation District was forced to close their transit center to the public because of drug use and drug smoke exposure incidents. Schools reported students finding drug paraphernalia on transit vehicles provided by ride connection partners. This legislation expands the existing crime of Interfering with Public Transportation to include drug use on public transit, creating a drug-designated Class A misdemeanor that opens access to state-funded treatment for those convicted of the crime in many cases
SB 1596 - Lowering Costs, Protecting Consumers with Right to Repair: This legislation makes repairing electronic devices more fair and affordable in Oregon. It requires original equipment manufacturers to provide repair tools and information to owners and independent repair providers so consumers have more choices when it comes to fixing their electronic devices.
House Bills
HB 4083 - Safeguarding Oregon’s Economic and Environmental Future: This legislation directs the Oregon Investment Council and the State Treasurer to make efforts to eliminate investments in coal companies and funds containing coal companies. HB 4083 requires that these divestments must be accomplished without monetary loss to the investment funds. It incentivizes emissions reductions, by requiring divestment from such emitters, unless they demonstrate they are transitioning to clean energy within a reasonable timeline.
HB 4012 - Preventing Insurers from Mandating How Patients Get Prescription Drugs: This law prevents health benefit plans from requiring that physician-administered drugs, like chemotherapy, be dispensed at specialty pharmacies. Traditionally, physicians have been able to "buy-and-bill" physician-administered drugs for patients, but in recent years, insurers have sought to reduce costs by requiring that physician-administered drugs be purchased from a specialty pharmacy. This practice sparked safety concerns from providers because it made it difficult for them to adjust dosages and could cause delays in care due to drug shipping issues.
HB 4113 - Making Prescription Drugs More Affordable for Oregonians: This legislation helps people reach out-of-pocket maximums easier, bringing down overall costs that Oregonians will have to spend on their prescription medications. By including all amounts paid toward prescription drugs in the calculation of an enrollee's out-of-pocket maximum, this bill ensures that individuals aren't unfairly burdened by high drug costs.
HB 4127 - Ensuring Safety and Fairness for Oregon Workers: Warehouse work can be dangerous, with workers facing higher injury rates than coal miners, lumberjacks, trash collectors, and police officers. Advocates for warehouse workers cite the use of productivity quotas and productivity metrics as a contributing factor to the elevated injury rate in warehouse distribution centers. This legislation requires transparency about productivity quotas, giving workers the information they need to perform their work safely and effectively, and to advocate for themselves. The bill also protects workers from discipline or dismissal for failure to meet a quota that was not adequately communicated by an employer.
HB 4147 - Protecting Kids Getting On and Off School Buses: When school buses extend their stop-arm and turn on their red flashing lights, motorists are supposed to stop and allow kids to safely get on or off the bus. However, bus drivers report thousands of instances of motorists illegally passing stopped school buses every day, putting students in danger. This legislation allows schools to install cameras on buses to record drivers who fail to stop for bus safety lights and enable law enforcement to cite those who fail to stop based on those recordings.
2025 Oregon Civics Bee: Essays Accepted Until February 4
Our schools, communities and state are built on the foundation of civic engagement. The 2025 National Civics Bee is an initiative aimed at encouraging more young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. Organized in partnership with The Civics Trust of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, the Oregon Civics Bee inspires middle schoolers to become better informed about American democracy, to engage respectfully and constructively in the community and to build greater trust in others and institutions.
Middle school students (sixth, seventh and eighth grades) from across the state are invited to take part in the first-round civics essay competition. Each participating student must submit an essay that identifies a community problem and proposes a solution using founding principles and civic virtues. A panel of judges will select finalists to participate in local civics bees to be held in a few locations around the state. The top performers in the local bees will win cash prizes and be invited to participate in the State Finals, which will be held in Salem in the late spring of 2025, for the chance to win additional cash prizes. The first-place winner of the State Finals will be invited to participate in the National Civics Bee in Washington, D.C. in fall 2025 with a chance to compete for prizes worth up to $100,000.
The Oregon Civics Bee allows students to share their thoughts, ideas and voices about their community while also increasing their civics knowledge. Student essays will be accepted through February 4, 2025. For more information and for students to submit essays, please click here.
Deerhorn Community Water Association Receives State Award
Congratulations to the Deerhorn Community Water District in Springfield on its successful application for funding from Emerging Contaminants Fund to support its response to PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals." This award is administered by Business Oregon with funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
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