Legislative Update from State Rep. Anna Scharf

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To contact me, please click here: Rep.AnnaScharf@oregonlegislature.gov

Dear Friends,

My speech focused on the both the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War era, the 80th anniversary of the conclusion of World War II, and how Memorial Day is a solemn day for remembering those who laid down their lives in service to our country.  However, I also reflected on how important it is that we take the time to remember those who have served in every conflict on behalf of our country and honor them and their sacrifice as well. Every conflict large or small is memorialized today, as is every soldier’s sacrifice.  Witnessing the vast volunteer effort it takes to make this event happen and the amount of community members who attended this ceremony was inspiring. Thank you to the Dallas Post for putting this event together, for all that you do every day for our veterans and their families, and for allowing me to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to our Nation. Sincerely,

Anna Scharf
State Representative - HD 23

We finally reached the second chamber deadline last week! Below you will find a brief update on a couple of the dead/alive bills of particular interest. While policy committee deadlines have now passed only a few committees remain open with extended deadlines (Rules, Revenue, Ways & Means and a few Special appointed Committees). They have now become the focus for the remainder of session and will hold not only the budget bills, but the extremely controversial bills or the ones that simply needed more time. It is also the place of last resort if a new bill needs to be introduced, but those are rare with just a few weeks left in session.

I will continue to keep you updated throughout these final weeks of session as anything that appears to be dead could be resurrected in the Rules Committee. For the time being, we are in the "hurry up and wait" phase of session. As always, please reach out to my office with ANY questions or concerns you may have.

Dead Bills

HB 2251 – In a last-minute move, the Senate Education Committee chose not to do a work session on this bill and killed it.  The bill would have implemented a consistent statewide policy on banning cell phones in K-12 schools instead of allowing school districts to adopt their own policies at the local level.  The bill had passed the House on a 36 to 21 vote with a mix of Democrats and Republicans both opposed and supporting the bill.  The Governor came out the next day with a statement saying she may sign an executive order banning cellphones in schools. 

SB 711 – This bill would have had the State Police and the Department of Transportation develop a program to install photo radar systems around construction sites on state highways. The program would be used to enforce speed limits and mail violations to those who have allegedly been caught violating speed and traffic laws in state highway work zones. The bill had proposed four locations for the 2025-27 biennium at a cost of $7,858,409 mostly in new positions at ODOT and the Department of Justice to process these claims.  These costs simply make the program untenable and were the major reasons as to why this bill was killed this legislative session.

SB 947 – Introduced as a measure that would replace the term “militia” throughout Oregon statues with the term “National Guard.” Furthermore, it would remove the term “unorganized militia” with the term “general public.” Over 260 people submitted testimony, overwhelmingly against this bill, questioning the need for this change. It moved through the Senate without any Republican support and only received a courtesy hearing in the House.  No work session was held prior to the deadline, killing the bill for this session.

Live Bills

SB 1182 – This bill came out of a resolution adopted by the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) which formalized a partnership between ODOT and Albina Vision Trust, Inc.  The bill would authorize ODOT to lease or sell surplus real property associated with the construction of the I-5 Rose Quarter Project directly to the Albina Vision Trust.  A process that is outside the normal process agencies must follow when disposing of property owned by the State.  The Albina Vision Trust is a non-profit which is working to rebuild the neighborhood of Albina, which was a predominantly African-American neighborhood broken up as Portland developed and specific to the Rose Quarter, as I-5 was pushed North directly through the middle of the neighborhood An amendment was adopted to the bill as it passed out of the joint-transportation committee. If a sale or lease should occur, it must be done at fair market values and the money collected must go to the State Highway Fund. Learn more about the Albina Vision Trust here.

SB 916 – This measure allows public employees who are striking to be eligible to collect unemployment benefits for the periods of time they are striking.  If the striking workers receive back pay as a part of collective bargaining settlement, the payments from the unemployment benefits must be reimbursed to the Employment Department. Opponents of this bill, myself included, have raised concerns that this will have financial impacts on local governments like schools and municipalities. Despite those concerns, and concerns that the Unemployment Funds are being used beyond their original purpose, the bill has continued to move forward. Read more on this bill in the news here and here.

SB 426 – A bill that would make a property owner and their general contractor jointly and severely liable for designated construction workers’ unpaid wages, it also authorizes those workers to file a civil action to recover the unpaid wages. This bill has received large amounts of testimony both in support and opposition. This bill was pushed by the unions to solve human trafficking in the construction industry, yet it does nothing to actually help people being trafficked. Human trafficking in the construction industry is mostly by contract labor companies.  Yet there are only 2 registered with the State and no regulations or licensing requirements on them. If they are the problem, then this bill does not solve it. In addition, the Department of Justice only has one person assigned to investigate human trafficking in the state, so claims made about human trafficking, if it is as widespread as testified to on this bill, will be impossible for the DOJ to investigate and this bill lends no resources to help sole that issue as well.   I have concerns about the impacts and unintended consequences of shifting liability for unpaid wages from the general contractor to the property owner and the industry problems that will continue despite this bill. Read more here.

BAD Bills Passed on the House floor  

(Headed to the Governor's Desk for Signature)

SB 906 – This bill intends to strengthen wage transparency so employees can easier understand their paychecks. While this is a great concept, the policy is poorly written. Instead, the bill mandates employers provide a written explanation of earnings and deductions shown on itemized statements. However, the information being provided is nothing new. It’s something employers already have on paychecks so now they just have to provide that info upfront before the first paycheck is received. Bottom line, this bill does nothing new, it just gives the Bureau of Labor and Industries one more way to fine businesses. 

SB 914 – While this bill is well intended, requiring the State Lottery to provide the gambling helpline phone number on billboards is a waste of taxpayer dollars. The phone number to seek help for gambling addiction is already listed widely throughout the Oregon lottery system. Mandating this phone number be provided on billboards that people only see while driving, is not helpful. With the amount of distracted driving laws Oregon has in place, I don't think having a driver trying to write down a number on a billboard while driving is necessarily a good addition.  Ironically, the gambling addiction hotline number only applies to Oregon lottery billboards, not casino billboards. 

GOOD Bills Passed on the House floor  

(Headed to the Governor's Desk for Signature)

SB 1086 – This bill seeks to address the shortage of housing inspectors which is just one of the contributing factors to our state housing shortage. By establishing an apprenticeship program for building inspectors, it will hopefully draw more people to the field of work and fill this need quicker. This legislation received overwhelming bi-partisan and unanimous support. 

SB 9 – This bill offers a commonsense solution to a persistent challenge facing rural Oregonians—access to DMV services, specifically behind-the wheel driving tests. SB 9 directs DMV field offices in 20 designated rural counties to prioritize drive test appointments for individuals who live either within the county or within 50 miles of that field office. This legislation is both practical and necessary for rural residents to be given priority access to the limited services available in their area.

Opposing unfunded Mandates

Is your KICKER safe???

Last week, Governor Tina Kotek publicly declared she supports using $1 billion of your kicker to help pay for wildfire suppression. The Oregon Constitution says the kicker money belongs to you. The only way the governor can steal your kicker is if two-thirds of lawmakers go along with her plan. For my colleagues and I, it’s a hard no. Lawmakers for months have discussed existing revenue streams and proposals to consider that help fund wildfire suppression and don’t involve raising the cost of leaving or taking from the kicker. The kicker belongs to Oregonians who are feeling the crushing weight of the high taxes and regulations that make our state unaffordable. There are other plenty of ways to fund wildfire costs that don’t involve taking from the pocketbooks of tax-burdened Oregonians.

Oregon Promise Info

The Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC) has started awarding Oregon Promise grants with tentative eligibility criteria for new applicants due to a high volume of applications, but it’s still not too late for all seniors to apply (deadline June 1).

HECC is continuing to accept applications for Oregon Promise from the High School Class of 2025 until the final deadline of June 1. The agency has announced a tentative eligibility criteria update due to high applicant volume, a strong renewal retention rate, and projected available budget for the program. Oregon Promise is a state grant that helps cover tuition costs at any Oregon community college for recent high school graduates and GED® test graduates. Students must apply during their senior year or immediately after GED® test completion. Most Class of 2025 students must apply by June 1.

George Fox Pre-College Summer Program

George Fox University is hosting a summer program for several different fields of interest, including; nursing, interior design, engineering, video game design, and more. Do you have a high schooler going into 10th grade or a student who just graduated? These programs are available to you. Learn more here. 

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1423
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-387, Salem, OR 97301
Email: Rep.AnnaScharf@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/scharf