Big Deadlines Mean Bills Are Living and Dying
Week three of session is wrapping up today, as our first Friday Floor sessions are upon us! And today is the second chamber post-work session deadline, meaning bills must have a work session scheduled in most policy committees in their second chamber.
This deadline meant a lot of bills came across the floor in both chambers this week, including several controversial bills being rammed through by the majority party, which resulted in Republicans strategizing to slow the entire legislative process down--including Senators walking out on Wednesday. This is an effort to take advantage of the looming deadline, the backlog of bills waiting to be passed out of their first chamber to stay alive in the process, and build leverage to negotiate with Democrat leadership into outright killing bad bills, and watering down others. Sadly, not all bills that die in this slow down are bad, and we will likely recap some of the collateral damage in next week's newsletter when we know for sure which will squeak by in time to get to their second chamber ahead of the deadline, and which Democrats choose to keep alive by sending them to each chamber's Rules Committee (exempt from deadlines).
A big topic this week that went quite viral online was the passage of HB 4145 out of the House Committee on Judiciary, chaired by Rep. Jason Kropf (D, Bend). HB 4145 is a hugely controversial anti-2nd Amendment bill that expands many of the provisions in Ballot Measure 114, and was introduced by Kropf himself. Drama unfolded when Democratic Representative Thuy Tran (D, Portland) initially broke with party lines and voted "no" on the bill, effectively killing it. Immediately following, Rep. Kropf asked the committee to stand at-ease, spoke to Rep. Tran out in the hall, and when they reconvened, she changed her vote to a "yes" with witnesses stating that Rep. Tran looked "visibly shaken".
This event was not unique, but really demonstrates how in lock-step members in the majority party are expected to be on the big agenda items to appease those in leadership. We've seen major consequences before, which included Senator Mark Meek (D, Gladstone) being removed from the Joint Committee on Transportation over his stance on last Session's transportation proposal, followed by being stripped of his Senate Finance & Revenue Committee gavel by Senate President Rob Wagner (D, Lake Oswego). With Sen. Meek being vocal in his commitment to honor voters' wishes about holding the gas tax referral on November's ballot, and plans to vote no on SB 1599 (the effort to switch the vote to May's Primary ballot), more retaliatory acts for those not willing to tow the party line may be in the future here in Salem.
 
HB 4145 - Amends Measure 114 by maintaining a permit-to-purchase system and extending the permit issuance timeline from 30 to 60 days, increases application and renewal fees, and establishes a searchable database of permit holders. Heading to House Floor.
HB 4098 - Allows 3rd party lawsuits for insurance, a policy which drove up insurance premiums by 32-53% in California. Died on the House Floor.
HB 4114 - Makes federal law enforcement agents personally subject to lawsuits, a policy that will impact federal enforcement efforts beyond immigration activities, risking future cooperation. Passed the House along party lines.
SB 1593 - Enshrines "recreational immunity" into law, protecting our outdoor spaces for public use and against unfair lawsuits. Died.
HB 4088 – Establishes that it is a state priority to protect organizations and providers administering abortions and gender affirming care, an interesting deviation from the “truce” we saw during long session, but it’s an election year. Passed the House along party lines.
This week we're extremely excited to spotlight Lebanon High School Cheer and Sweet Home High School Cheer, as they both took home state titles in Oregon City! The Lebanon Warriors took home the title in the 5A Small Traditional category, while the Sweet Home Huskies took the title in 4A Small Traditional. Both teams put in incredible effort this year, so please join us in celebrating these ladies and in wishing the Huskies the best of luck today at Nationals in Anaheim, California!
 Do you know of anyone in House District 11 who deserves to be acknowledged? Send us your nominations at Rep.JamiCate@oregonlegislature.gov
PJ Movie Night for Teens in Lebanon Next Friday
The Boys and girls Club of the Greater Santiam invites 6th to 8th graders to their Lebanon center for a pajama movie night! The Minecraft Movie will be showing next Friday, February 27th, so don't miss out!
Questions? Contact Lucy at Lucy@BGCGreaterSantiam.org
 Free Trees at Sweet Home Library Reminder
56 free trees have already been claimed, and the goal is to see 100 new trees planted in Sweet Home this year! Families are encouraged to sign their child up to receive a free tree sapling for Earth Day through Neighborhood Forest here. The trees will arrive at the Sweet Home Public Library during Earth Day Week (April 22nd) and must be picked up by those who registered. This program is completely free, and children do not need to live in Sweet Home to participate!
LCSO 2026 Citizens Academy Applications Open
Ever wondered what the difference between a Police Department and a Sheriff’s Office is? What happens when a 911 call is made? Want to know how the jail operates and what does it look like in there? Happening this spring, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office is launching its 9-week Citizens Academy--an exciting opportunity for community members to get an inside look at how local law enforcement really works.
From 911 response and patrol to corrections, investigations, and specialty teams, participants will experience engaging classroom instruction and hands-on learning led by Sheriff’s Office professionals. The academy runs Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., April 1st through May 27th, and includes a special Sunday field trip to the firearms range and Animal Control. Open to qualified Linn County residents ages 18 and older (with limited consideration for 16–17-year-olds attending with a parent or guardian), this is a unique chance to meet the people behind the badge and see the work up close. Learn more and apply here or contact Community Services Specialist Michael Mattingly at mmattingly@linnsheriff.org for details.
 Read to a Dog at Jefferson Library Every 4th Saturday
The Jefferson Public Library invites aspiring readers and dog-lovers to read to a therapy dog named Shasta from 2:00-3:00 p.m. every fourth Saturday, which this month falls on the 28th! Questions? Contact the library at 541-327-3826.
 
Week three is wrapping up, which means we are past halfway! This week was defined by the longest days in the office yet of session, including one "night floor" session that gaveled out just before 7:00p.m. on Wednesday. As you read in Rep. Cate's intro, these long floor days happened because of the large number of bills coming across the floor, and also because of Republican efforts to slow the entire process down amidst tight deadlines in an effort to negotiate the hottest-button legislation.
Don't get me wrong, the Capitol is a very serious work environment--especially during a tense 35-day legislative session. But all-day floor sessions can mean some after (or before) hours fun. You might recall in last week's newsletter me spotlighting our office's Capitol Quest scavenger hunt. Well, one of the stops on that quest is in Representative Ricki Ruiz's office (D, Gresham). Unbeknownst to us, Rep. Ruiz's chief of staff, Omar, had taken home their office's acoustic guitar over the long interim, which contained one of the quests' answers. This destruction of our scavenger hunt was unacceptable--and necessitated some good-natured office shenanigans. Many sticky notes were left on Omar's monitors late one evening, which lead to many more in the shape of a guitar being left on our office door the following morning.
|
Rep. Cate and I are not ones to go down easily, which meant that even after the guitar had been returned, we struck back hard. Wednesday night, Omar's keyboard, mouse, and phone were not-so-mysteriously covered in rubber bands. He promises more retaliation, which we hope is brought with at least some degree of creativity this time. All our demand consists of is a public acknowledgement of the guitar thievery, but so far that has not been met by either him or the Representative.
|
Petition to ban hunting in Oregon gains traction for November ballot
KOIN
A petition to ban hunting in Oregon is picking up steam. Animal rights advocates are fighting to change the law in Oregon, including banning most hunting, fishing and animal research. One of the people leading the charge of getting this petition out there says they have been trying to get this on the ballot for years, getting more and more signatures each time, though he knows it won’t likely pass.
Oregon bill would increase firearm permit fees, wait times
Statesman Journal
House Bill 4145, another contentious firearms bill being debated before the Oregon Legislature, aims to modify the firearm permit provisions of Ballot Measure 114. Measure 114 was narrowly approved by 50.65% of voters in 2022, but has since been embroiled in legal challenges over its constitutionality in both state and federal courts.
Did Bend lawmaker ‘verbally abuse’ his colleague after her vote on gun bill? Refuse to accept ‘no’?
The Oregonian/OregonLive
A gun-rights advocate has filed a conduct complaint against Democratic Rep. Jason Kropf, claiming that the Bend lawmaker appeared to “verbally abuse” and “intimidate” another lawmaker after she voted “no” on an amendment to his gun control bill Monday. The complaint alleges that Kropf left Portland Democrat Rep. Thủy Trần “visibly shaken” and with “tears in her eyes.”…
Oregon bill rejecting some Trump tax cuts clears state Senate
OPB
With Oregon set to lose out on nearly $900 million due to congressional tax breaks, state senators offered profoundly different takes Monday on what a bill rejecting some of those breaks would mean. For majority Democrats, Senate Bill 1507 was an opportunity to reject Trump administration policies that favor the rich.
A Union Asks Lawmakers to Repeal a Ballot Measure the Same Union Passed at Great Expense
Willamette Week
Selvaggio, the political director for United Food & Commercial Workers Local 555, Oregon’s largest private-sector union, asked lawmakers to repeal a ballot measure his union persuaded state voters to pass in 2024. The backstory of the ballot measure is equally unusual.
Democratic Oregon lawmakers advance bill to move up transportation tax referendum to May
KTVZ
More than 4,500 people submitted written testimony against the bill and more than 200 registered to speak against it at two public hearings this week, arguing it ignores the will of more than 200,000 Oregonians who signed referendum petitions expecting the vote to take place in November. Just 65 people submitted testimony supporting it.
Week Two of Session Recap
Session is Underway: 5 days down, 30 to go!
Short Session Starts Monday!
Gearing Up for Session!
Kicking Off the New Year!
| 
