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To contact me, please click here: Rep.DarinHarbick@oregonlegislature.gov
Dear Neighbors,
It’s been a busy couple of weeks here at the Legislature. I wanted to share a few updates on what’s going on in Salem. My focus this session continues to be fighting to get Oregon back on the right track by empowering communities and families and focusing on the challenges that impact your day-to-day life.
Best,
Darin
On Thursday last week, House Republicans forced a vote on HB 3551, a bill which would require local governments and law enforcement agencies to enforce federal immigration laws for anyone convicted of a violent felony, Class A misdemeanor, or a felony sexual offense. We were forced to do this because Democrat Leadership refused to give the bill a public hearing. I was proud to join my fellow Republicans (and a few Democrats) in voting for the bill to be heard.
As co-chief sponsor of the bill alongside Representatives Yunker and Skarlatos I spoke about how I was disappointed that Democrats blocked such an important piece of legislation from passing. You can see my speech about it below.
Last week, federal authorities announced one of the largest fentanyl busts in U.S. history when over 400 kilograms of fentanyl, including three million pills, were seized from the Sinaloa Cartel.
Sixteen people were arrested across five states, including Oregon. Among them was cartel leader Heriberto Salazar Amaya, an illegal immigrant living in Salem, whom authorities say had been removed from the U.S. twice already.
Illegal drug cartels like the Sinaloa Cartel are killing Oregonians with fentanyl at rapidly increasing rates. In 2022, illicitly manufactured fentanyl contributed to 65% of all overdose deaths in Oregon, making it the deadliest illicit drug in our state.
In 2023, Oregon law enforcement officials seized over 3 million counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. Nearly all these drug seizures occurred along the I-5 corridor within Oregon counties designated as high-intensity drug trafficking areas (HIDTA).
Oregon shouldn’t be a sanctuary for criminals who flood our communities with deadly drugs and violent crime. This should be a wakeup call that if we don’t modernize our sanctuary state laws, Oregon will continue to be a haven for dangerous criminals instead of allowing local law enforcement to take them off our streets.
To help protect yourself from an accidental overdose, do not take a pill that has not been prescribed by your doctor. Assume anything you receive elsewhere is counterfeit and contains fentanyl.
Resources are available if you or someone you know is in a crisis. Click on the links below for more information:
For more information about illicitly manufactured fentanyl or counterfeit pills, contact the Injury and Violence Prevention Program at IVPP.General@odhsoha.oregon.gov.
Senate Bill 83, which repeals the state’s wildfire hazard map and removes the strict regulations that came with it, is one step closer to passage! The legislation closely mirrors House Bill 3944, which was introduced on the House side, and would be a huge victory for rural Oregonians who have fought fervently against these unfair and costly mandates.
The bill had a public hearing in the House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment on Tuesday. The immense bipartisan support gives me hope that Oregon is ready to ditch these terrible maps and restore property rights for rural Oregonians.
Back in 2013, the Legislature passed House Bill 2549 to establish rules for registering and classifying sex offenders on the state’s online sex offender registry. Since then, the Legislature has been modifying those requirements.
Currently, individuals who are required to register as a sex-offender in Oregon are categorized into three levels — Level 1 have the lowest threat of reoffending, and Level 3 have the highest threat of reoffending. Current law only requires that Level 3 sex offenders be added to the state’s online sex offender registry.
The State Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision oversees the process of registering and categorizing sex offenders. The board claims insufficient funding has caused a massive backlog. There are currently about 12,500 unclassified sex offenders living, working, or going to school in Oregon.
To come up with the funding to clear the backlog, House Republicans proposed HB 3952, but Democrats sent it to a dead committee. The Board now has to come up with the funding from somewhere else. This hurts Oregonians who have no way of knowing if a sex offender lives in their neighborhood until that backlog is complete.
I will always stand with survivors, and I will continue to advocate that this backlog is sorted and added to the publicly available registry as soon as possible.
Last week Pastor Kirk Stickler from Calvary Open Bible Church gave the invocation on the House floor before we carried out our business for the day. Pastor Stickler is not only my constituent, but also family. My son was lucky enough to marry his daughter and we now share two granddaughters. It was great to have him give the opening prayer as well as spend the morning with him.
Register to testify!
- If there is a bill you are particularly passionate about, you can register to testify either in support or in opposition to the bill.
- Advance registration is required! Registration closes 30 minutes before the hearing is scheduled to begin.
- To register, go to https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1, select the “Bills” icon on the top right corner of your page, enter the bill number, and select “Register to Testify.” Or, call 1-833-588-4500.
- You will want to fill out the “Public Testimony Registration Form.”
- You will receive an email confirmation with an option to join Microsoft Teams if you can not testify in person.
Submit Written Testimony!
- If you prefer not to testify in person, you can also submit written testimony in support or opposition to a bill.
- To submit written testimony, follow the same steps as you would to register to testify in front of the committee, but you will select “Submit Testimony” and fill out the “Written Testimony Submission Form.”
- Written testimony must be submitted up to 48 hours after the committee meeting start time.
Testifying on a bill gives you a voice in Oregon’s legislature. The voice of the people is the cornerstone of democracy! Let yours be heard today.
I am honored to serve you and our community at your State Capitol this session. Please stay in touch and reach out if there are any issues you would like us to work on.
Reach my office!
- Office Phone: 503-986-1412
- Email: Rep.DarinHarbick@oregonlegislature.gov
- Office Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-376 | Salem, OR 97301
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