Legislative Update from State Rep. Anna Scharf

Dear Friends,

As you can see in the below update - it's been a busy week at the Capitol. Unfortunately, more and more bad policy is working its way through the process and heading to the House and Senate Floors to be voted on. From child welfare to transportation taxes, from education to second amendment rights, it feels like it's all coming out of committees at once…and during the final days of session. 

Despite the rosy view being projected by some of my colleagues, the reality is, private businesses in Oregon are not thriving. In fact, those who can, are leaving our state. Just this week, Dutch Bros announced they are relocating to Arizona. As you can see in the graphic comparison, there isn't much of a reason to stay in Oregon. Yet, we continue to see legislation that is not business friendly and that continues to grow the government - overgrowing the private sector.

Even though it is getting more challenging to stay positive in these last few days of session, I am not giving up. I will continue to do the one thing I can in the super minority, and that is show up every day and fight for you. 

I hope you find the below update helpful. As always, please reach out to my office with any questions or concerns.

SB 243B had a public hearing this week with less than 24 hours’ notice. Despite the last minute notice, OLIS was flooded with written testimony in opposition to the bill, and passionate people like Derek LeBlanc, President at Kids SAFE Foundation who dropped everything to be in Salem to be the voice of honest law abiding citizens.   

Even though the bill has been amended and trimmed down, it still is a bad bill aimed at law abiding Oregonians. The two provisions that remain in the bill say:

• Ban on rapid-fire devices like bump stocks.
• Expansion of local government authority to regulate firearms in public buildings and surrounding grounds.

I testified against SB 243 (watch here) where I voiced my opposition to the bill, but specifically to the section regarding municipal corporations being able to adopt policies as to who is allowed to concealed carry in the special districts.  Special districts include cemetery districts, water districts, Transit districts, etc.  There are over 1,000 special districts in the state, all of which could declare the “buildings” they control to be established as gun free zones, including legal concealed carry permit holders. 

 HB 3835A  proposes to substantially revises Oregon laws related to the safety, placement, and wellbeing of children in the care of the Oregon Department of Human Services and those privately placed in residential care by their parents.

The bill was first heard in the House Early Childhood and Human Services Committee (ECHS) where I am the Vice-Chair, so I am very familiar with it. While I completely agree that our child welfare system is broken and the most vulnerable kids in our state are the ones paying the price, this bill is NOT the answer. From the beginning I have raised concerns about the bill and voted to move it from the ECHS Committee to the House Rules Committee when we hit the first chamber deadline. It was my hope that in buying more time we would be able to get the bill right. That has not happened. 

There are four different areas this bill attempts to correct in our child welfare system - there should have been four separate bills. Sweeping changes such as this should not be bundled in an omnibus piece of legislation.   

The first time the bill was heard by the committee, the Chair of ECHS, Rep. Hartman (D-Gladstone) and the Chair of the Senate Human Services Committee, Sen. Gelser-Blouin (D-Corvallis) spoke out about their concerns.

I spoke about my concerns with this bill in the House Committee on Rules this week, please watch my testimony here. While I understand the intent and importance to make some of the changes in this legislation, there is a better way.

Earlier this session, the Independent Party of Oregon (IPO), not to be confused with Non-Affiliated Voters (NAV’s) requested a bill that would change the percentage requirement to achieve major party status in Oregon from 5% to 10%.

Why? According to the IPO’s testimony in support of HB 3908, the party is on the brink of exceeding 5% of all registered voters. Raising the cap to 10% would allow them to stay a minor political party and be exempt from major party requirements “until they are ready”. They have had a 20-year glide path to be ready and the cap has already been raised once for them. How much longer do they need?   

The issue with HB 3908 is that under the current statute, minor parties can endorse another party’s candidate instead of electing their own through a primary. In practice, this means that a small group of people decide what candidates their party will support, dodging a democratic, primary election where members of that party can choose their nominee. I spoke to this practice on the House Floor, because the small group of IPO members are not really “in the middle” between Democrats or Republicans, they are IPO members endorsing Democrat candidates. In the 2024 election for House and Senate races, they endorsed 22 Democrats, 1 Republican and put up 1 Independent candidate. In the 2022 election for House and Senate races, they endorsed 45 Democrats, 1 Republican and had NO Independent candidates. 

Cross-nomination allows a candidate to be listed on the ballot as endorsed by multiple parties. This process may appear harmless, but it blurs party lines and confuses voters. More importantly, it grants minor parties’ major power without the accountability or broad support of the electorate. 

When a minor party lends its name to a major party candidate, it bypasses the accountability mechanisms built into our democratic system, and allows a select few to amplify a candidate beyond the numbers in their party.

Unfortunately, the minority report failed on a party-line vote. 

The Perennial Ryegrass Bargaining Association (PRBA) was incorporated on August 16, 1994 by a group of ninety (90) growers representing 28,000 acres, and 40,000,000 lbs. of turf type perennial ryegrass seed. My father-in-law was one of the founding members. One of the main reasons for forming the association was from 1991 to 1994 grass seed growers felt that they were subsidizing the seed companies.

In 2001, House Bill 3811 created the authority for Oregon farmers and seed dealers to negotiate price under the supervision of ODA which followed the Federal provisions of the Capper-Volstead Act. It was originally only for perennial ryegrass but was later expanded to include tall fescue in 2005.  At this point in time the PRBA became the Oregon Grass Seed Bargaining Association (OGSBA). 

BY 2022, OGSBA membership was holding consistent with its original membership of around ~150 members. Grass seed crops were grown widely in the Willamette Valley, and Oregon was producing more cool-season forage and turf grass than anywhere else in the world. It was listed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture as the 5^th largest commodity in the state with value of $639M. 

Yet, the industry, just 3 years later, is facing a cliff with no real solutions on the table. There are millions and millions of pounds of grass seed in warehouses from 2024 and even 2023 harvest. The markets have declined, there is competition from other states and internationally for lower priced produced seed, and price negotiations for 2025 crop are all but dead. 

Layer on top of that, the Oregon Department of Ag and the Oregon Department of Justice are currently navigating how to enforce the “slow pay no pay laws” that were put into law in 2011.  At this point, there are two grass seed companies with multiple pending claims against them for failure to pay growers by the May 1 deadline the year following harvest (May 1, 2025 for grass seed harvested in summer of 2024), and 2025 crop price negotiations are on hold because no companies are wanting to negotiate due to market conditions, unknowns with the ODA/DOJ “slow pay no pay” litigation, and a variety of other reasons. To say the industry is struggling is an understatement. 

So, last Wednesday night I met with 50+ farmers at an OGSBA meeting to listen to their concerns and offer Legislative insights as to bills that were attempted this session. I also talked to the farmers in attendance about the Speaker of the House not allowing my request to hold an informational hearing on the current situation facing the grass seed industry, the 5^th largest ag commodity in the state.  I have now asked for it to be a part of the September Legislative days. I will not know if that will happen until we get closer to the date. 

Dallas Chamber presents annual community awards June 20
The Dallas Area Chamber of Commerce presents the 68th Annual Community Awards Banquet from 5:30-7:30 p.m. June 20 at BeckenRidge Vineyard, 300 Reuben Boise Road, Dallas. Join the Dallas Area Visitor Center for a night of fun as they give back to the leaders in the community. Dress up in your best 80s prom attire, enjoy dinner and a cash bar. To purchase tickets, go to https://bit.ly/4dm2FOI.

Dance Studio hosts Dance in the Park June 21
Lora Michele Dance Studio presents Dance in the Park, 6-8:30 p.m. June 21 at Seibert/Frederick Memorial Shelter, 266 SW Academy St, in Dallas. Cushioned dance floor and instructor provided at this free event.

County museum hosts presentation on Voyager 1 June 21
The Polk County Museum presents Voyager 1 and The Pale Blue Dot, June 21, at 1 p.m. at 670 S. Pacific Highway. Donn Anderson presents the tale of Voyager 1, the first spacecraft ever to escape the influence of our Sun. The spacecraft took photos of six planets on its way out of the solar system which have impacted our awareness of our place in space. Learn about Voyager 1’s amazing mission, see the pictures, and hear how after 47 years and many challenges, Voyager 1 is still sending back data to Earth.

4-H Polk County hosts Junior Master Gardener Day Camp June 23-25
Oregon 4-H Polk County and OSU Extension - Polk County present Junior Master Gardener Day Camp, June 23-25 at 289 E Ellendale Ave., in Dallas. Youth in grades K-5 can dig in, get creative, and explore the wonders of flowers, gardening, and wildlife.

Summer meals available for Oregon
Oregon youth ages 1 to 18 can receive free summer meals at schools, libraries, parks and community centers as the Summer Food Service Program begins for the season.

Nearly 700 sites across Oregon are participating in the summer meals program, and many have already begun serving a mix of breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Some sites will begin serving meals later this month and continue into July or August.

Each site has designated meal times, with some offering a to-go option, games and reading activities. Meals are open to all families without paperwork, income verification and regardless of immigration status.

To find a meal site, call 2-1-1 or go to the USDA’s Summer Meals Site Finder.