Fire and Ice, and Birthday Hearts!
What a combination of topics dominating our week! But to start, it's Oregon's 166th birthday!!! It’s also Valentine's Day, and a snow/ice day all in one! The week came and went rather quickly, as it was truncated yesterday with a Capitol closure due to the inclement weather—postponing some public hearings and work sessions we’d been anticipating, but the week still offered some other hearings, meetings, and rallying to keep our bills "alive" as the first chamber deadline looms.
I know we get further from September, 2020 all the time, but it always amazes me to realize how few legislators really understand the ongoing suffering of our wildfire victims. It’s a continued fight to keep this issue from being “out of sight, and out of mind.” One of our top priorities for this session has been figuring out how to balance the need for quality energy providers with the expectation that they will be held accountable when they fail to act in ways that keep our communities safe.
We’ve been continuing our conversations around House Bill 3161, as we see it as an important step toward that goal. It would ban a utility provider from being granted any rate increases if they have outstanding liabilities from wildfire lawsuits for three or more years—creating a financial incentive to keep them from dragging their feet in court proceedings. We've been pushing very hard on getting additional sponsors on this bipartisan bill to hopefully convince the committee chair to grant it a hearing in the crucial weeks ahead. Though the stories are heart-wrenching, I'd encourage you to read Willamette Week's After the Inferno article to fully digest how severe the history of Pacific Power’s negligence really was leading up to the 2020 Labor Day fires, and what victims have been up against in their fight for accountability. Advocates of HB 3161 left copies of the paper in every legislator’s office as a reminder that there is still more work to be done for victims.
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On a much different (and rather unexpected) policy front, Monday evening saw a hearing on one of my bills that I hear frequently about from constituents, House Bill 3155, which would allow certain ATVs to become registered and road legal. We were both amazed by and truly appreciative of the more than 800 people across the state who submitted written testimony in support the bill. That level of grassroots activism is not all too common! We know it is a challenging path to try and find a balance of the differing interests at play on this issue in order to alleviate the patchwork of regulations, especially when the transportation space is really being dominated by the need for another major transportation package this session, but we’ll continue to work on finding workable solutions. To watch the hearing, click here!
This week also saw the completion of a side project we’ve been working on since the start of session. We love finding ways to engage our youth in the Legislature in the hopes they will be more involved citizens in the future (and having a little fun while we do it!), and have been working with a bipartisan, bicameral group of Legislators to put together a Capitol Quest scavenger hunt! This is an educational activity for kids visiting their Capitol in the midst of ongoing construction, where they will have a chance to visit different portions of the building, all while learning about Oregon's history and government. If you plan on bringing any kids for a visit this session, please feel free to swing by our office and check it out!
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HB 2037 - Ensures that only biological women can enter women’s locker rooms and bathrooms and participate in women’s sports in school.
HB 2727 - Closes a loophole in Oregon’s law that prevents former lawmakers from taking paid lobbying gigs for a private industry for a year.
HB 2995 - Establishes a task force on racial reparations.
HB 3163 - Allows counties to opt-in to a property tax freeze for seniors (Hearing Thursday!)
HB 3551 – Revokes Oregon’s sanctuary status for illegal immigrants who commit felonies.
SB 769 - Allows each county to choose if dogs can be used to hunt cougars.
SB 916 – Forces employers to pay unemployment benefits for workers on strike.
This week we want to honor Harrisburg High School's three robotics teams under the direction of teacher Doug Ellis! These kids are putting their technological knowledge to the test--and doing amazing things! Code Raiders will be participating in their 2nd chance playoffs for state in 2 weeks, whereas Eagle Tech and Metal Heads will be going to State Robotics Competition on March 15th, in Hillsboro.
Metal Heads have especially been rocking it, earning three trophies at their district meet including being the overall winners, the control award for best code, and the innovative award for most creative design. They'll be heading up to Hillsboro ranked number four in the state and 232nd out of 7,746 in the world, so please join us in wishing them the best of luck!
Code Raiders, Eagle Tech, and Metal Heads posing for a group photo.
Do you know of anyone in House District 11 who deserves to be acknowledged? Send us your nominations at Rep.JamiCate@oregonlegislature.gov
Business After Hours in Lebanon Next Week
Lebanon's Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Center invites you to join them at Pineway Golf Course next Thursday from 5:00-7:00pm for their FREE Business After Hours event! This could be a great networking opportunity, or simply a chance to see what's happening with businesses in the city.
Adulting 101 Class in Linn County
Do you know a high school student in need of general life skills? Consider sending them over to the Adulting 101 class in Tangent! This workshop series is open to high school students in Linn County, and will start on February 26th, and the last class will be March 19th. There will be a total of 7 class sessions that cover a variety of topics to help students as they transition into adulthood!
Contact Cassi Hyde at Cassi.Hyde@oregonstate.edu, with any questions regarding this workshop series!
 Tiny Tots Storytime at Harrisburg Library
If you live in the Harrisburg area and have little ones, consider making the trek to the Library for their Tiny Tots Storytime event Wednesdays at 11:00am! This event is for kids up to three years old, and will consist of songs, rhymes, stories, and playtime. The best part? It's completely free!
 
The following write-up is by Brownsville's City Manager S. Scott McDowell
Why Recreational Immunity Matters
Recreational immunity is a legal protection that shields both private and public landowners from lawsuits if people are injured while using those lands for recreational purposes.
Oregon Governor Oswalt West served between 1911-1915. West promoted the idea of public beaches while in office. He is credited for creating the perception the beaches were part of the public domain. After leaving the governorship, West championed the idea of public use writing, “No selfish interest should be permitted, through politics or otherwise, to destroy or even impair this great birthright of our people.”
The Beach Bill (HB 1601) passed in 1967 making the beaches accessible to the public. This bill paved the way for the passage of the Oregon Public Lands Act of 1995 that provided recreational immunity to private and public lands to allow public use of land for recreation while preventing costly lawsuits from being brought against landowners.
Over the years, recreational immunity has been challenged by special interest groups who would like to bring lawsuits against both private and public landowners who provide recreational opportunities. In 2023, the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled on a case known as Fields vs. the City of Newport that ended this immunity. The Oregon Supreme Court refused to review the Court of Appeal’s decision which forced the State Legislature to write a temporary bill (Senate Bill 1576) re-instating recreational immunity during the 2024 short session with the intent of introducing a permanent fix during the 83rd Assembly, which is in progress.
HB 2295 and SB 179 have been introduced for consideration this session.
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Why is this important to me?
Insurance rates continue to rise for small cities for a variety of reasons, but two main reasons are, 1) natural disasters, and 2) tort limit changes made by the State Legislature. Losing recreational immunity protections will result in cities and counties, even the State, having to close parks to the public.
Some folks may react to that comment with the sentiment, “Now you’re just scaring people.”
Well, I can tell you that cities moved to close park facilities due to the Fields case in 2023. Small cities like Brownsville cannot afford major lawsuits that could be brought against the city if someone were to drown in the river, be seriously injured while playing youth sports, break an ankle walking in the park, or any other kind of injury sustained by the public while using public lands. Not only are lawsuits very expensive to defend, but insurance premiums for such coverage would prove to be unaffordable if they would even be available. Private landowners will not buy coverage, they will close their property to public access.
Just think of all the beautiful parks you have visited in Oregon. In many cases, one false step could lead to catastrophic injury. Oregon has operated with this immunity so that every Oregonian can enjoy the amazing scenic beauty of Oregon. Why would we as Oregonians allow that to be erased due to lawsuits?
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Nighttime I-5 Closures in Southern Linn County
ODOT would like you to be aware of nighttime closures beginning later this month as part of their I-5 paving project. Expect to see the southbound and northbound on and off-ramps at Exit 216 and Exit 209 closed for work on guardrails and replacement of signs as necessary.
See below for a more detailed schedule of the work:
I-5 Exit 216
Southbound on and off-ramps to/from OR 228 nightly from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.:
Feb. 27 - Mar. 4
Mar. 10 - Mar. 14
Northbound on and off-ramps to/from OR 228 nightly from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.:
March 3rd to March 5th
March 10th to March 14th
I-5 Exit 209
Southbound on and off-ramps to/from Diamond Hill Drive nightly from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.:
Mar. 4 - Mar. 7
Mar. 12 - Mar. 14
Mar. 17 - Mar. 19
Northbound on and off-ramps to/from Diamond Hill Drive nightly from 7 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.:
Mar. 5 - Mar. 7
Mar. 12 - Mar. 14
Mar. 17 - Mar. 19
To detour around the closures, stay on I-5 until the next exit, take the off-ramp, then get back on I-5 going the other way. Take the next exit from there. ODOT asks that you please use caution when driving through the area.
 
It had its moments, but overall, week four of Session was a rousing success! In addition to her ongoing duties, Ali began sending congratulatory letters to House District 11's Honor Roll students from the first semester. Sending these always has been one of my favorite parts of the constituent-focused side of the job, but with only one of me, it was important to hand over the keys so to speak and offload this project to her. Every year, our office sends out thousands of these kinds of letters, so you can imagine how time consuming that can be!
Monday through Wednesday was business as usual at the Capitol, as the days were filled with meetings, a hearing on our ATV Bill, an informational meeting with Mike Wiltfong of the Oregon Department of Education, behind the scenes strategizing to keep our bills alive, and exploring what we want to do with our unfinished "placeholder" bills with deadlines looming. Speaking of meetings, some of my favorite folks to visit with at the Capitol are Michelle & Dominic Fernandez of the Pacific Northwest Bleeding Disorders organization. They fight hard every session to raise awareness of rare bleeding disorders such as hemophilia, which has resulted in some major successes on the policy front!
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Whatever normalcy we experienced early in the week came crashing down Thursday with a bonafide snow day in the Willamette Valley! With the Capitol completely closed, I worked from the home office--which can seem like a nice treat, but it doesn't come without its distractions! My place in Monmouth saw nearly three inches of snow in the morning hours, and I managed to snap this photo of my roommates' Dachshund, Oliver before he bravely retreated back inside after less than five seconds out in the snow. Quite pathetic, but he is cute.
Stay tuned for future weeks when we will continue to give you a behind the scenes life on the 2025 Legislative Session from a Capitol Staffer's perspective!
- Conner
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$5.3B Oregon transportation bill touted accountability measures but failed to deliver
Statesman Journal
Eight years after Oregon lawmakers approved a multibillion-dollar transportation bill to fix roads and improve infrastructure, key projects remain unfinished, funding is running short and an audit has uncovered major financial missteps. A Statesman Journal investigation of implementation of the 2017 legislation found ODOT and lawmakers failed to:
Oregon’s near-worst-in-nation education outcomes prompt a reckoning on school spending
The Oregonian
Late last month, when newly released national test scores showed Oregon elementary and middle school students ranked near the bottom of the barrel in math and reading, the silence was palpable. The state Department of Education did not issue any press releases about the results of what’s known as the Nation’s Report Card, scores that were otherwise scrutinized from coast to coast for any sign that students were recovering from pandemic setbacks.
Oregon ‘most frightening place to die,’ with nation’s most expansive estate tax, Republicans say. They hope to change that.
The Oregonian
The details, like most tax matters, are complex. Oregonians who die with estates worth $1 million or more are subject to the tax. The $1 million threshold is the lowest of 12 states that levy such a tax, and that’s what’s prompting Republicans’ push to raise the point at which the tax kicks in to $7 million...
Oregon elections officials refer cases of possible noncitizen voting to state DOJ
OPB
Several people who were added to Oregon’s voter rolls because of errors by state employees could face prosecution for voting despite not being U.S. citizens. Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read’s office last week forwarded three cases of suspected voting by noncitizens to the state’s Department of Justice for further investigation. Elections officials are still looking into seven additional people who might have voted illegally after they were registered to vote in error, the office said Monday. It’s illegal for people who aren’t U.S. citizens to vote in Oregon. And voting despite knowing you’re not allowed is punishable by up to a year in jail.
Oregon cities tap into utility fees for police and transportation funding, often bypassing voter approval
KGW
A growing number of Oregon cities are adding fees onto water and utility bills to pay for anything from police officers to street repair. The fees aren't taxes, they're typically not approved by voters, and they can be adjusted and increased at-will by city leaders — all part of a legal revenue-generating process that cities use to make up for budget shortfalls.
Applications Open for Lebanon Fire Volunteer Academy!
Ready to serve your community? The Lebanon Fire District is excited to announce that they are now accepting applications for their Spring Volunteer Fire Academy! This is your chance to gain hands-on training, learn life-saving skills, and be part of a dedicated team.
 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Visit www.lebanonfireoregon.gov/Jobs for more details and the application packet.
𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞: Applications are due by February 23rd.
𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: Email recruitment@lebanonfireoregon.gov or call (541) 451-1901.
Take the first step—apply today!
 
Mandates To Defy Trump Administration?
Resuming the Fight for Volunteer Firefighters
First Official Week of Session Complete
The 2025 Legislative Session Begins!
Gearing Up for Session!
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