Happy New Year from Senator Diane Rosenbaum
Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin at 12/30/2014 11:36 AM PST
 On Wednesday, January 7th, from 6:30-8:00 pm at SEIU Local 49 (3536 SE 26th Ave), Representative Rob Nosse and Representative-Elect Kathleen Taylor and I are hosting an environmental town hall featuring expert panelists from the Oregon League of Conservation Voters (OLCV), Oregon Environmental Council (OEC), and Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA). We will discuss the important issues facing our environment in the coming legislative session, and I hope to see you there! Please RSVP here or at (503) 453-0868! Environmental Town Hall with Sen. Rosenbaum, Rep. Taylor & Rep. Nosse Wednesday, January 7, 2014, 6:30-8:00 PM SEIU Local 49, 3536 SE 26th Ave, Portland, Oregon 97202 Indroducing Calli...
Calli and I with Leader Nancy Pelosi at Family Forward Oregon's #WhenWomenSucceed Forum
With the coming New Year and Legislative Session my office also has new staff. I am pleased to introduce you to my new legislative assistant, Calli McDermott. A native Oregonian, Calli is a graduate of Portland State University where she obtained bachelor’s degrees in Public Health and Women’s Studies. She is also a graduate of the New Leadership Oregon, a program that encourages young women to become involved in political leadership. Calli has done work with organizations such as Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon. I am excited to have Calli on board, and know she will fit right into our progressive, politically involved district!
2015 Committee Assignments
The 2015 Legislative Session kicks off with opening ceremonies and organizational days on Monday, January 12th. We will welcome the newly elected Senators and Representatives as they are sworn into office, and Governor Kitzhaber will deliver his annual State of the State speech. Committee meetings and the official start of the 2015 Session will follow a few weeks later on Monday, February 2nd. Committee assignments for the 2015 Legislative Session were recently released by the presiding offices. In addition to my duties as Senate Majority Leader, I will again have the pleasure to chair the Committee on Rules and Executive Appointments. I will no longer be serving on the Committee on Finance and Revenue, as I have an exciting appointment as a member to the newly created Senate Committee on Workforce, Chaired by Senator Michael Dembrow.
I look forward to the important issues affecting working and middle class families that these committees will discuss in the coming Session. For a full listing of Senate and House committee assignments for the upcoming Session, please see the following press releases:
New Year, New Laws
As 2014 quickly comes to an end, many of us are taking a moment to reflect on the past year’s accomplishments and thinking of the challenges and opportunities ahead. The same is true in the Legislature, and this time of year I can’t help but reflect on the good things we’ve done.
As Oregon’s economy grows and recovers from unprecedented challenges, I worked with my fellow state legislators to move Oregon forward. We delivered an impressive list of accomplishments in 2014 that put Oregon families and small businesses first, reinvested in public education, improved job creation, and made college more affordable and accessible. While many bills passed during the 2014 Legislative Session have already become law, there are some important new laws that will take effect on January 1st. Among these are laws that will improve higher education opportunities, support Oregon’s renewable energy, ensure injured workers get treatment, and preserve affordable housing in manufactured home parks.
Here are a few legislative highlights from 2014 that will become Oregon law on January 1st, 2015:
SB 1506 - Military Children Education Compact
Senate Bill 1506 enables Oregon to join the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children and establishes the State Council for Educational Opportunity for Military Children. The Council will provide a central point of contact for military families moving to Oregon to help transfer student records from the originating school district to the new school district. Previously, Oregon was one of six states not in the compact.
SB 1574 - Dual Credit for College-level Coursework in High School
Current law indicates that a student may, upon completion of a course, earn credit both for high school and for a community college or public university. Senate Bill 1574 extends dual-credit options to students in any grade from 9 through 12.
HB 4058 - Allowing Apprenticeships to Count Toward Education Goals
Apprenticeship programs offer unique workforce development training and play a strong role in strengthening our communities and creating well-paid jobs. House Bill 4058 amends Oregon’s 40-40-20 education goals to include apprenticeship programs registered with State Apprenticeship and Training Council as part of the “Middle 40.”
HB 4120 - Scholarship Opportunities to Children of Reserve Officers
Existing law requires the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to award scholarships to children of public safety officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. The student can use the scholarship at any state public university or community college, at the Oregon Health and Science University, or any Oregon-based regionally accredited independent institution. House Bill 4120 expands eligibility for the scholarship to children of slain or disabled reserve officers and volunteer firefighters in honor of slain Oregon City Reserve Officer Robert Libke.
HB 4104 - Ensuring Injured Workers Get Treatment
When a worker is injured at work and needs treatment, it can take months to confirm that the employer’s worker’s compensation insurance will accept or deny the claim. This red tape can delay treatment for the injured worker despite existing laws designed to ensure that urgent treatment needs are met. House Bill 4104 requires the employee’s health plan to expedite treatment authorizations through the employee’s health insurance, then work out payment with the worker’s compensation insurance later. This change will help ensure that injured workers get treatment first instead of waiting to determine details of insurance reimbursement.
HB 4042 - Renewable Marine Energy
Net metering enables utility customers to offset some or all of their energy use with onsite renewable energy generation and be billed for only the net energy consumed. House Bill 4042 adds renewable marine energy to the types of energy for which availability of net metering is required, placing renewable marine energy on equal footing with other renewable energy types.
HB 4038 - Preserving Affordable Housing in Manufactured Home Parks
Manufactured home parks across Oregon provide affordable housing for seniors, new families, and low income Oregonians. The current process by which the owner of a manufactured home park may sell the park to its tenants is complex and cumbersome. House Bill 4038 streamlines the process, providing better notice to tenants and greater flexibility for owners. This bill will allow tenants of manufactured home parks a greater opportunity to buy their park and preserve their investment in their home.
Holiday Giving and Avoiding Scams
The holidays are a time of thanks and giving back to your community. While there are many great charities in our community that do tireless work for those in need, there are also organizations that take advantage of this same generosity. Lots of new laws take effect on January 1st, including HB 4081, which gives the Attorney General more authority and oversight over bad acting charitable organizations. This new law will ensure that Oregon’s charitable organizations are spending donations on program services, rather than administrative overhead. To learn more and keep your family informed, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum recently released an annual list of the 20 worst charities.
As always, please feel free to contact me or my Legislative Assistant Calli McDermott with your concerns. We can be reached at 503-986-1721 (Capitol), 503-231-9970 (District), or by emailing sen.dianerosenbaum@state.or.us. All the best,  Senator Diane Rosenbaum Senate Majority Leader District 21 Need Help Finding Help? Dial 2-1-1 !
Oregon provides a wide range of services to help citizens with everything from foreclosure to health care, but sometimes it's hard to find what you need. 211info is the resource center for anything from SNAP (food stamps) to mortgage counseling. They are here to connect you to the resources you need! Please clickhere to find their Community Resource Directory. |
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