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To contact me, please click here: Rep.VirgleOsborne@oregonlegislature.gov
Hello Friends,
Here are some moments from the past week and valuable community insights to help you stay informed.
~ Virgle
Oregon lawmakers move closer to prohibiting student cellphones in schools statewide
OPB
Oregon House Bill 2251, which House representatives passed Tuesday on a 36-21 vote, requires school districts to ban student cellphone use during the school day. The bill received bipartisan support on the House education committee, with Rep. Emily McIntire, R-Eagle Point, as the lone dissenting vote. But it only passed the House on Tuesday after a lively half-hour floor debate that showed a split among Republicans. The bill now heads to the Senate side...
...Rep. Kim Wallan, R-Medford, is a chief sponsor of Oregon’s bill. She explained that under HB 2551, local school boards would still have a say on how the ban is implemented. The bill requires that each district has a policy, and there have to be consequences when students break the rule. But “how you do your bell-to-bell ban is up to you,” she told lawmakers on the House floor Tuesday. “How you enforce it is up to you as a district.”
Wallan said Oregon has some of the poorest-performing schools in the country, and she doesn’t see a lot of legislation aimed at addressing that. But this could be a pivotal step. “None of the states that have enacted legislation, and none of the districts that I have heard about who have enforced or introduced a policy have reversed course,” she said. “That tells me a lot about the need for this bill. It tells me a lot for the need to get the phones out of the kids’ hands during school so they can learn...”
...Bill sponsor Wallan wasn’t the only Republican speaking in favor of the bill. Rep. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, pointed out that no one was arguing that phones make kids do better in school. The point of tension between the two sides was largely over who should get to decide whether schools need to ban phones. Drazan shared testimony that resonated with her to show why she felt it was time lawmakers stepped in. “‘I remember the smoking lounge in my high school. I’m that old,’” Drazan read from the testimony. “Me too,” she added. “I’m that old. There used to be a smoking spot at my high school. Shocking. Today, we would never in a million years create a space for underage, minor smoking on our high school campuses. And yet, when I was growing up, that was common.”
She continued sharing the testimony, saying that, in time, those lounges were shut down. “We made the appropriate assessment that the impact on students’ health, the co-dependence of the school enabling youth smoking and nicotine addiction, far outweighed any reason to offer this privilege to students,” Drazan read. “Let’s not be complicit with the addiction that our students have to social media. Let’s no longer turn a blind eye to the serious damage that cellphone content is wreaking on our youth. Let’s help our students thrive and our schools climb out of the academic and mental health holes that we are in. We cannot continue doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome,” she read. “It just makes no sense...”
... “If I was president of the world, no child would have a cell phone, an iPad, or anything else until they’re 18. Just that simple,” said Rep. Boomer Wright, R-Coos Bay. But then he said he reflected on ideals of America’s founding fathers, concluding: “Government should never do what the people can do themselves...”
...Rep. Virgle Osborne, R-Roseburg, argued it was hypocritical to restrict students’ cellphone use when lawmakers are allowing what he argues to be inappropriate materials to be circulated in school libraries.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS VOTE FOR TAX CUTS & LOWER COSTS
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HB 3753 – Income Tax Cut
- Increases the Oregon standard deduction allowed for personal income taxpayers.
- By cutting taxes for working families, nearly tripling standard deductions, HB 3753 is a direct way we can help the most tax-burdened Oregonians keep more of their paycheck.
- While House Democrats look for ways to take more money from Oregonians to fund an ever-growing and inefficient government, me and my colleagues stand with families desperate for relief.
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HB 3914 – No Tax on Tips
- Creates an Oregon personal income tax subtraction for tips received by the taxpayer during the tax year.
- Eliminating taxes on tips helps thousands of Oregonians working in the hospitality and service industries keep more money in their pockets as they face inflation and rising costs.
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HB 2234 – No Tax on Overtime
- Creates an Oregon personal income tax subtraction for overtime pay received by a taxpayer during the tax year.
- Oregonians who work extra hours to support their families deserve to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks.
- No Tax on Overtime is a great way to give working Oregonians real, tangible, relief from rising costs.
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HB 2033 – Corporate Activity Tax Repeal
- Eliminates Oregon’s $2 billion hidden sales tax on businesses and consumers.
- Oregon has become a hostile place for businesses, and we are seeing investment, tax revenue, and jobs leave our state.
- Repealing the CAT will help businesses grow and create good-paying jobs, while Oregon’s hidden sales tax on consumers concerned with the cost of living.
- A recent poll commissioned by House Republicans found that:
- 79% of Oregonians favor cutting taxes to make Oregon more affordable
- 70% favor eliminating state income taxes on tips and overtime pay
- Oregonians see the cost of living as the top issue they face
- 56% of Oregonians saying that taxes are too high
- These numbers reflect a bipartisan call from Oregonians to lower the cost of living in our state and an opportunity for the Legislature to be responsive to the urgent needs of our constituents.
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Yours Truly,
 Virgle Osborne, State Representative, House District 2
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1402
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-375, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.VirgleOsborne@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/osborne
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