Legislative Update from State Rep. Anna Scharf

If I look defeated, disappointed, and very upset - that's because I am. The House Committee on Labor and Workplace Standards voted on HB 2548 this week at the final meeting before the deadline, sending the bill, without recommendation, to the House Committee on Rules. The only reason for the vote was to keep the bill alive until the end of session. 

HB 2548 is one of the worst ag bills I have seen in all the years I have advocated or worked in the building.

Oregon agriculture already has some of the strictest safety regulations in the nation and other employment regulations are the exact same as those that govern all other areas of employment.

So why should there be a special interest labor board with authority above and beyond any government's authority which will be able to dictate how Oregon family farms are run?

I've spoken numerous times about the destruction this bill will cause. Read more here for a refresher. However, this week when we prepared to take the vote I was fed up and had to speak my peace. You can watch my comments in committee here and it will take 1.5 minutes of your time. 

HB 3075 – THIS BILL MOVES TO JOINT WAYS & MEANS

The bill puts in place a cumbersome permit process for obtain a firearm permit by increasing the requirements passed in Ballot Measure 114 before those are even implemented.  The bill adds additional eligibility requirements, fees, and doubles the wait time to issue permits to 60 days.

In addition, the bill will grow government by 32 employees and cost $14M+.  While most of the positions are intended to be covered by charging application fees for the permits and renewals, what it does not take into consideration is what if firearms owners “sit out” and what fluctuations in income off the revenue from?  Even the Legislative Fiscal Office noted that: “The number of potential applicants for a permit is indeterminate. OSP cannot predict the cash flow for the PTP program……if there is not enough fee revenue to support the program, given that permits are valid for five years, a request to increase the statutory fee amount or a supplement of General Fund may be required.”

HB 3076 – This bill creates a state licensure program by the Department of Justice (DOJ), adding additional unnecessary additional oversight to approximately 2,000 firearms dealers in the state of Oregon who already follow extensive Federal Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms regulations, including background checks, licensing, and strict compliance laws. The fees will be based on volumes of sales by the dealer and range from $50 to $1,500 annually. 

The registration fee, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. The real meat of the bill is in the requirements the dealer must go through which includes approved training courses for employees which include training employees to identify when people may be intending to purchase a firearm for unlawful purposes or self-harm. It also says that the department will adopt rules around safe storage of firearms AND ammunition by the retailer. Including where those items may be stored, how they can be stored, how the building where the business is, including doors and windows must be secured, and the use of security alarm systems. 

All of these requirements will be inspected annually by the DOJ and their new 23 positions created by the bill. Each violation will come with very hefty fines. Some of these gun dealers are small businesses and these requirements could put them out of business and that is the exact intent of the bill.  

Again, it should be noted that the Legislative Fiscal office stated that, “the number of applicants for a license and the revenue DOJ will collect is indeterminate. DOJ cannot predict the cash flow for the license program, and if passage of the measure would result in a significant early surge of applicants that initially builds up fee revenue but then tapers off into relatively few per year it could be substantively different than if the applicant requests remain lower but relatively consistent over time. In either scenario, it appears that the fee revenue is unlikely to cover the costs of the program without significant fees being assessed…General Fund may be required in future biennia to support the programs.”

In other words, the program will start and then the taxpayers will be supporting more government jobs OR the fees will get so high that the dealers left will not be able to pay them.

House Republicans celebrated a major victory for rural Oregonians this week when SB 83 passed out of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire.

SB 83 is similar to HB 3944, which House Republicans introduced. The bill fully repeals the disastrous wildfire hazard map and all the costly mandates.

These bills empower rural homeowners to protect their homes without the threat of government interference, and focuses on practical solutions for wildfire prevention, while ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent where they have the most impact—supporting local efforts like defensible space, forest thinning, and wildfire readiness programs.

This week I sat down with ODOT representatives to talk about the upcoming OR 22 Center Street Bridge Seismic Retrofit Project. The project is a major seismic upgrade for the bridge as well as a project to protect the main water line that runs under the bridge carrying water from the East side of the Bridge to West Salem residents. 

There was a recent in-person open house information session held, but no future ones are scheduled at this time. However, there is an online version available at all times to answer many question that you may have.    

As we get closer to summer and construction / road impact dates are confirmed, my office will try to share additional information to help you navigate you commute to Salem for work, shopping or play. 

Highlights of what we know so far on the project include:

• Closure of all lanes for 2 weekends; detour for all traffic will be through Corvallis. Emergency vehicles will have a dedicated lane 24 hours a day over the Marion street bridge to help ensure the safety of the public and access to Salem hospital for Polk County residents being transported by ambulance.
• 2 lanes of the 4 lanes will be closed for 4 months during the construction project. This is anticipated to cause backups especially during peak commute times. ODOT is working with the City of Salem to run shuttles for four of the major events that are held at the waterfront park over the summer to help get people to the events. 

CHANGES COMING TO OR 22 AND OR 51

Please review the above photo - ODOT has a planned and fully funded a project to improve the safety immediately at the intersection of OR 22 and OR 51.  Construction will begin in June. (Notices will be sent out to property owners in the surrounding area within the next week). While this in not the long-term solution, it is an immediate, cost effective solution that will hopefully add safety to an intersection that has claimed way to many lives.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. Children are our most vulnerable population, and we all want to keep them safe, and help wherever we can. Below are some community resources for you or anyone you know that may need help with child abuse.

We want everyone to know that prevention is possible. One of the most important things we can do to help children thrive is to support families before they reach a crisis. Make the commitment this month to explore new ideas and share resources available in your community to strengthen support for children and families.

• Liberty House 503-540-0288
• Juliette's House 503-435-1550
• Child Abuse Network (CAN) 541-926-5432
• Department of Human Services (DHS) 541-967-2078