One Week To Go: Sine Die is Imminent!
35 days sure does go by fast! Just in case we weren’t all tracking session’s progress on our calendars, we received notice on Monday from the Speaker's Office that Sine Die has been declared imminent, meaning that the typical deadlines are slashed and most committee work can be scheduled with only an hour notice. With that, committees have started to shut down and we anticipate final items of session to be hitting the Floors of both Chambers next week.
The most controversial bills of session normally wait until the very end to come through their second chamber amidst negotiations, and this year has been no different. The passage of SB 1507A (raising taxes on small business despite the narrative that it's only closing tax loops for billionaires), was the first of the hugely controversial bills to pass this session, but the fight is not over now that opponents have already announced their intention to refer it to the ballot in November--the same process that effectively killed the gas tax and fee hikes of last year's special session.
SB 1599 is another hot button bill we've watched closely all session. This week, House Republicans negotiated to push it back until next Monday's calendar, which is well beyond the deadline that Secretary of State Tobias Read had previously stated would be workable, leaving some serious uncertainty about if the SOS will actually move up the vote, or honor his concerns about limiting the voice of Oregonians due to the tight timeline to get arguments qualified on the ballot. Regardless, multiple entities have already stated they plan to launch legal challenges seeking an injunction if the SOS does plan to move forward, so everything is very up in the air, and whatever happens on the House Floor next Monday likely won't be the end of this story.
The most egregious anti-gun bill of session--HB 4145--passed out of the House earlier this week and is on to the Senate. There has been continued frustration about the hypocritical seeming use of Rule 27 (safe and respectful workplace in the Capitol), and the stated desire by members in the majority party of wanting to put an end to behaviors like this, only then to sweep them under the rug when it benefits the agenda. Instead, Rule 27 just seems to be a weapon leveraged against the minority party. Unsurprisingly, no action was taken against Rep. Jason Kropf (D, Bend) on this front, nor was any action taken against Senator Chris Gorsek (D, Gresham) for his antics last session.
Let's end things on a positive vote! The first of my two pieces of Legislation this session--HJM 201--passed the Senate Floor with unanimous support yesterday. In case you missed it, this Memorial urges Congress to bring back the federal tax exemption on wildfire related settlements, which is an exemption that sun-setted at the end of last year. This exemption ensures that more awarded dollars actually go toward wildfire recovery in our wildfire impacted regions. It was fantastic to see my colleagues support wildfire victims in a bicameral and bipartisan way, and now all eyes are on Congress to act!
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SB 1507A - Strips $311 million in tax relief from local businesses and working Oregonians in the rest of the 2025-27 biennium. Awaiting Governor's signature.
SB 1599 - Moves date of gas tax & fee referendum from November's general election to lower turnout May primary election. Passed the Senate and now stalled in the House.
HB 4079 - Directs school district boards and governing bodies of institutions of higher education to adopt policies that address how the school district or the institution of higher education will respond when a federal immigration authority enters school property or a campus. Passed the House along party lines.
HB 4138 - Requires law enforcement officers operating in Oregon to visibly identify themselves, who they work for, and to unmask. Passed the House along party lines.
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. Passed the House, with two Democrats joining in opposition.
This week we want to extend a huge congratulations to the Sweet Home Huskies Cheerleading team, who finished 6th in the nation at Nationals last weekend! These ladies had an outstanding season and took Sweet Home all the way to finals in Anaheim to battle the toughest teams in the country. In the days after the competition, they got to kick off their post-season at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park before returning back home!
 Do you know of anyone in House District 11 who deserves to be acknowledged? Send us your nominations at Rep.JamiCate@oregonlegislature.gov
Line Dancing Hosted by Jefferson Parks & Rec Tonight
Grab your boots and head to the Jefferson Events Center (the old middle school's gymnasium) tonight at 6:30p.m. for a fun night of line dancing! All levels of experience are welcome. The cost of the class is just $5, so bring a friend and come on down! This class is for ages 14 and over.
 Game On Event in Downtown Lebanon Next Friday
The Lebanon Downtown Association is excited to invite you to its "Game On" event next Friday, beginning at 4:00p.m.! Shop late downtown and find a spot to play all sorts of games, enjoy cotton candy, and meet new friends!
This week can be summed up by the great relief of realizing that our office had a pretty successful session! As you read in the intro, HJM 201 made it through both chambers with flying colors, and our other bill, HB 4137 (which was on life-support a time or two earlier in session) is on its way to the Senate Floor with unanimous support out of committee. Needless to say, this has been my favorite session yet working in the Legislature, and its so rewarding seeing our work pay off this time around when it often feels so much is out of your control in this crazy environment!
This week consisted of the usual meetings, constituent outreach, as well as drafting three letters of support to communities in House District 11 seeking federal grant money--but a couple of things that stood out were the open house of the now re-opening of the old treasury vault in the Capitol, as well as the re-opening of the Governor's Capitol office. Treasurer Steiner and Governor Kotek both attended these respective ceremonial milestones, and it greatly satisfied the history nerd in me to see even more of our Capitol's original spaces being available to access again after years of being hidden away by construction. And yes, I absolutely did take the opportunity to sit in the Governor's chair as you can see above.
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PacifiCorp pays $575M to federal government over 2020 Labor Day Fires
Statesman Journal
PacifiCorp agreed to pay $575 million to the federal government for damages and expenses arising from the 2020 Labor Day Fires in Oregon and California as well as a 2022 fire in California. The settlement covered six wildfires, which U.S. attorneys said were negligently ignited by the utility's power lines during a historically powerful windstorm and burned large swaths of national forest
Oregon lawmaker resigns from conduct committee after vote-pressure allegation
KPTV
A Democratic state representative has resigned from the Oregon House Joint Committee on Conduct after an ethics complaint alleged he pressured a colleague to change her vote on a gun control bill.
Rep. Jason Kropf of Bend stepped down Monday as co-chair of the committee. The House accepted his resignation, and Rep. Tawna Sanchez was appointed to replace him.
House Republicans boycott Oregon Legislature over workplace complaint, gas tax vote
OPB
House Republicans boycotted a floor session in the Oregon Legislature on Monday, protesting both the Democratic party’s handling of a hostile workplace complaint against a representative and an upcoming gas tax vote.
The minority party appeared on the House floor Monday morning, prepared to make a statement about Democratic Rep. Jason Kropf’s conduct. A Democratic colleague said last week that Kropf created a “hostile working environment” during a vote on a gun bill.
Oregon Democrats’ plan to end 3 Trump tax breaks heads to governor; Republican threatens to seek voter veto
The Oregonian
The Oregon Legislature gave final approval Wednesday evening to Democrats’ plan to remove three new Trump administration tax breaks from state tax code and increase a separate tax credit for low-income working families.
The plan is designed to net $312 million for the current state budget to help stave off cuts to programs and services following what would have been a nearly $900 million hit from President Donald Trump’s sprawling tax and budget cutting bill.
PacifiCorp now owes over $1B in Oregon wildfires class-action lawsuit
OPB
An Oregon jury has awarded $305 million to 16 wildfire survivors harmed by the Santiam Canyon wildfire that burned across hundreds of thousands of acres in 2020.
This is the largest jury verdict issued in relation to the James v. PacifiCorp class-action lawsuit, pushing PacifiCorp’s total liability past $1 billion.
Big Deadlines Mean Bills Are Living and Dying
Week Two of Session Recap
Session is Underway: 5 days down, 30 to go!
Short Session Starts Monday!
Gearing Up for Session!
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