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To contact me, please click here: Sen.SuzanneWeber@oregonlegislature.gov
Join us for this week's discussion as we go over the conclusion of committee meetings and the increase in legislative floor activity. We chat about the concerns over Oregon's education budget despite significant funding, questioning accountability and the lack of improved outcomes. We touch on the DOJ investigation into Oregon's transgender athlete policy and potential loss of federal funds, Job Corps closures, and the development of a transportation package, urging public engagement on these key issues.
You can listen in on SoundCloud or watch on Youtube.
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 House Bill 3522 Anti-Squatter Bill
There are few bills that come through the legislature that have unanimous support, but HB 3522 is one of those bills! It will give individuals the legal right to evict squatters from their homes. It passed in the House last month and has had its second reading in the Senate this past week and with the third reading and vote expected today!
This bill is especially important because I hear from not only my constituents but people across Oregon all the time about having issues with squatters on their properties. Recently I was contacted by the mother of someone who has had a squatter in his house for six months and has only now been able to get the squatter out. In that time, they have done thousands of dollars in damage that he cannot afford to deal with at this time, and will likely have to sell his property, losing what should have been a stable source of passive income.
Had this bill been passed a year ago he could have gotten the squatter out of his rental home within two days. HB 3522 states that an owner or landlord may take back control of their property after giving the person 24-hours written notice of the termination of the occupancy, and that notice does not create a right of occupancy or tenancy for the squatter.
This bill is giving property owners their rights back, and ensures that people can’t take advantage of loopholes in the law.
This article from KATU 2 shares the sad reality of why this bill was necessary.
 Senate Bill 812 Landowner Preference Program
SB 812 Removes the sunset clause on the Landowner Preference Program. The bill moved out of the legislature on May 15 and was signed by the Governor. With the sunset clause removed, the department does not need to come back to the legislature every few years for permission to continue the program. Any necessary changes to the established program may be made through the rule-making process by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Commission.
At the request of Governor Kotek; ODFW, Landowners, and sportsmen came together to support this bill as it moved through the legislative process.
For those of you that are not aware the Landowner Preference (LOP) program allows the landowner and eligible applicants to hunt on the landowners’ registered property if all the procedures below are followed:
• NEW landowners with a minimum of 40 contiguous acres must register by completing the ODFW Landowner
Preference Registration Form and paying the $35 registration fee.
• Only one representative landowner, or stockholder of a corporation, or Limited Liability Company (LLC), or
representative partner of a partnership may register.
• An LOP Renewal form must be submitted if there is any ownership change affecting the registered property.
There is no charge to renew a LOP registration except renewals that include paper copy Tag Distribution forms
that are sent in with any changes require a $2 processing fee, per form (not including the Renewal form).
• The landowner must complete the Tag Distribution forms if there is any change in hunters or hunt numbers.
There is no charge for Tag Distribution forms submitted through the Electronic License System. There is a $2
processing fee for each paper copy Tag Distribution form with any changes. If an updated Tag Distribution
form has not been received by May 15, then the previous year Tag Distribution form will rollover with no
changes to hunters or hunt numbers.
• LOP deadline dates and LOP tag allowed per series can be found on page 22 of the Big Game Hunting
Regulations.
• Half of your total tags (rounding up if you have an odd number of tags) allowed for hunting One Deer, Antlered
Deer, One Elk, or Antlered Elk bag limits may be issued to non-family members.
• All of your total tags allowed for hunting Antlerless bag limits may be issued to immediate family members or
to non-family members of your choosing.
House Bill 3478 Eligibility for Fuel Cardlock
I am pleased to share that another bill that I had the honor of Co-Chief sponsoring alongside Representative Javadi has passed. HB 3478 is a bill that will remove the need for a nonretail customer to buy at least 900 gallons of fuel to be eligible to use the cardlock system. HB 3478 says that cardlock license holders will now need to renew every three years instead of every year. And eliminates gallonage requirements for eligibility for non-retail cardlock dispensing of motor vehicle fuel.
Prior to this bill, card lock holders were required to purchase at least 900 gallons of class 1 flammable liquids or diesel fuel. This requirement prevented many people from using cardlock. This bill also alleviates the administrative burden to card holders and sellers because they no longer have to track their fuel consumption to ensure they are meeting the criteria.
Overall this bill will help retail and non-retail customers potentially save thousands of dollars in fuel every year!
Senate Bill 467 Tax Credit for Child Care Workers
I am still working on advancing Senate Bill 467 which would give Child Care workers a tax credit and the ability to invest that credit into the Oregon Retirement Savings Plan.
Finding creative ways to encourage more people to join and stay in the profession of child care is one of the ways we as legislators can help. We need to support these important careers in our community. Without childcare many other professions would also suffer. Similar to incentivizing nurses, and physicians to come to an area, SB 467 incentivizes staying in the child care profession. It would apply to current owners, operators, and employees of child care facilities by giving them a tax credit of up to $2,000 that could be applied to the Oregon Retirement Savings Plan.
 Reminder about Unclaimed Property!
I just wanted to reach out again to remind you all about the unclaimed property program.
The Oregon State Treasury’s Unclaimed Property Program: “Checks Without Claims.” This effort proactively returns unclaimed funds to Oregonians. Individuals in every Oregon county will receive payments as part of this initiative, reinforcing Treasury’s commitment to reconnecting Oregonians with their unclaimed property. We want to ensure that Oregonians recognize this program as legitimate and keep an eye out for their incoming payments.
Your help in spreading the word will increase awareness and credibility, ensuring more people understand that these checks are real and meant to benefit them. Please consider sharing this initiative with your constituents and networks. You can find more details in our press release: Treasury Proactively Returning $11 Million in Unclaimed Funds. We’ve also included some digital assets for use in your newsletters or on social media.
You can also encourage your constituents to check for their unclaimed property in our online database at Unclaimed.Oregon.gov. Nationally, 1 in 7 people have unclaimed property!
Thank you for your support in helping Oregonians reclaim what’s rightfully theirs. Please let me know if you have any questions or need additional information.
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1716 District Phone: 503-300-4493
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, S-405, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Sen.SuzanneWeber@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/weber/
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