|
|
Follow
Key Bills
The
League's bill matrix,
which lists key bills that we are following this session, is updated
weekly. The matrix includes legislative action taken, League action
taken, and links to our testimony.
|
|
LWVOR Action Committee
|
|
Chair:
Norman Turrill
Vice Chair:
Marge Easley
Citizen Access Coordinator:
Paula Krane
Governance Coordinator: Kappy Eaton
Natural Resources Coordinator:
Liz Frenkel
Social Policy Coordinator:
Karen Nibler
Legislative Coordinator:
Brena Lopez
Portfolio members and committee representatives:
Bob Adams
Debbie Aiona
Jane Baumgarten
Diana Bodtker
Anna Braun
Barbara Browning
Sarah Chaplen
Anita Francis
Barbara Fredericks
Norma Jean Germond
Gail Holmes
Peggy Lynch
Ellen Maddex
Janet Markee
Erin Miller
Margaret Noel
Barbara Ross
Nancy Stevens
Pam Vavra
Intern:
Terra Ashford
Legislative Report Editor:
Rebecca Smith
|
|
Campaign Finance Reform Barely Hanging On
HB 2060, to establish a commission
on campaign finance, was heard in House Elections, Ethics and Rules June
14 and is expected to be sent to the House with a "do pass"
recommendation. There is doubt that Senate Rules will deal with the issue
before sine die, although the chair could consider some campaign
finance reform options for the Special Session.
Kappy Eaton, Governance Coordinator
|
|
Donate to the Legislative Report
Thank you to those of you who have generously contributed funds for the Legislative
Report. The Legislative Report costs money to produce,
yet we don't want to limit who can receive it by charging a subscription
fee. Please support the volunteer Action Team's efforts to share
the happenings at the Capitol with you and others. You can send a
donation, marked "Legislative Report" to the LWV address
below.
Thank you.
|
|
Double Majority Gets Double-Take
A not-too-funny thing happened to HJR 14, the revision of the double
majority requirement, when a minority report was adopted in the Senate
substituting a trust fund for the Government Standards and Practices
Commission (see Ethics Reform Makes Progress) for the original
bill. It was passed and then immediately referred to Ways and Means to
die.
Senate Rules has now gutted HJR 15 and stuffed it with the
50/50 revision from HJR 14. With literally no discussion or testimony
from the audience, the bill was moved to the Senate floor. It will
be referred to voters next year and will allow simple majorities to pass
property tax measures at any elections held in May or November.
Kappy Eaton, Governance Coordinator
|
|
Impatient for Initiative Reform
We are waiting, but not patiently, for the Senate Rules Committee to
finish its consideration of HB 2082, revisions to the
initiative process, which we feel will improve it substantially. It is
not scheduled so far this week. So far, we are able to support the many
amendments that have been sprouting like dandelions.
On June 13 the House Revenue Committee considered
amendments to SB 125, which would allow the
Attorney General to change ballot title language IF the law which the
petition addresses changes during the legislative session prior to
qualification.
Kappy Eaton, Governance Coordinator
|
|
You are
receiving this email from League of Women Voters of Oregon because you
have subscribed or you are a League member. To ensure that you continue
to receive emails from us, add lwvor@lwvor.org
to your address book today. If you haven't done so already, click to confirm
your interest in receiving the Legislative Report from us.
|
|
|
June
14, 2007
Dear
Rebecca,
Welcome to issue
17 of the Legislative Report.
Note: the Legislative Report will
be arriving on Thursdays until the end of the session.
Sincerely,
Norman Turrill, Action Chair
Marge Easley, President
|
5 MINUTE
ACTIVIST
A formidable group of
high powered lobbyists have been pushing HB 3525 since January (coined
"Oasis"). This horrible bill would permanently withdraw
500,000 acre feet of water annually from the Columbia River.
Oregon Conservation Network groups, including the LWV, have been
successfully fighting this bill all session, and the Governor has sent
two letters voicing his opposition, but it just won't die.
Now a hearing for HB
3525 has been scheduled next
Tuesday in the Natural Resources Subcommittee of Ways
and Means - so
we urgently need to take action today!
Link to the Oregon Conservation Network's action
page for more information and to take action.
|
|
The Session So Far
This legislative session has been the most open we have seen in at
least a decade. And this session we have seen compromise and
legislation on issues that previously never made it past
committee. Much of the League's agenda has been supported by the
majority party.
However, as we get down to the final weeks, there have been a few
problems. One of the biggest has been the notification for
hearings. We realize that if the committees continued with
three-day notice, we would be in session forever; however, one-hour
notice does NOT allow time for most of us to get to the Capitol.
One-hour notice is acceptable for the last few days or hours of the
session for a timely sine die, but not for the whole last
month.
Another big problem has been amendments. Following are examples of
frequent conversations we have been having with committee
administrators and committee chairs or friendly committee members:
"Are there amendments? Can I have a copy? Well, do you have the
concepts? When will it be heard again? Will you email them to me?
Thanks!"
Amendments can be brought to committee meetings without any notice and
without anyone seeing the text. You would have to be physically in
attendance at a committee meeting to see many amendments, and then the
amendments could be adopted without further public hearing or comment.
Fortunately, some committee chairs are sensitive to this problem and
will ask during a work session if anyone wants to comment on an
amendment. However, we never know ahead of time if this will be
allowed during a work session.
Many compromise decisions have been made behind closed doors, but that
may be the only way to get compromise.
Nothing is permanent but change, and that goes underlined for the bills
we want to get passed these last two weeks - some stalled in
committees, some being gutted and stuffed, some waiting in the wings of
the pages-long agendas for the House or Senate. A reporter asked Kappy,
"What would the worst scenario be for you on June 29 (sine die)?"
Her answer: "Too many critical proposals left on the cutting room
floor."
Paula Krane, Kappy Eaton, and Norman Turrill
|
|
Schools:
Construction and Land Use
This
week the Legislature has taken two steps related to school
facilities. SB 1036A allows school districts
to enact an excise tax on new residential, commercial and industrial
construction. Since this is only an "opportunity,"
school districts will still need to take local action to enact
the new tax. The monies will only be a small part of
the total cost of new schools, but it is a step toward recognizing the
link between new construction and the need for new school
facilities. It has passed the Senate and was amended by House
Revenue. It still needs full House approval and Senate concurrence.
Also, almost ready for the Governor's signature is SB 336, which is a direct link
between schools and land use actions. School districts of over
2,500 students must prepare a school facilities plan. That plan
can then be used as a basis for consideration in land use
applications. Again, passed by the Senate and amended by the
House, this bill must return to the Senate for concurrence. The
League supported SB 336.
Peggy Lynch, Action Committee Member
|
|
HEALTHY OREGON ACT LEAPS NEXT HURDLE
The Ways and Means Human Services Subcommittee heard testimony on SB 329A, supporting universal
heatlh care, on June 11, and passed the bill the next day at a work
session. SB 329A was developed in the Senate Health Reform Committee
and has been the favored implementation plan. The universal
health care planning bill was sent to the full Joint Ways and Means
Committee with a "do pass" recommendation. Votes on the
floors of the Senate and House will be the following steps. SB 27A, the Oregon Better Health
Act, was not heard.
Other House health reform bills, such as HB 3097 and HB 3368, remain comatose in Ways
and Means. HB 3088 had hearings this month
in House Rules, and HB 3558, the new Healthy Kids
Plan, has not moved from House Revenue. HB 3559 on funding Healthy Kids
has not been heard in House Rules. HB 2946, which requires the Department
of Human Services to authorize pilot programs for health care systems
has passed the Senate and will become law.
Several Senate health care bills, such as SB 519 concerning telemedicine,
are sleeping in Ways and Means too. Senate Bills which have moved
are SB 183B, relating to malpractice
insurance in rural health, which will come to the House floor, and SB 188A, including dentists in
Rural Health Program, which has passed both chambers. SB 364B, which proposed a Mental
Health Ombudsperson and Consumer Advisory Council, was set on the house
calendar but was referred back to House Rules.
Karen Nibler, Social Policy Coordinator
|
|
 Funding Bills Do the Shuffle
HB 2001, relating to tax
expenditures, was amended to provide for a Tax Accountability
Commission, which would establish criteria and outcomes for reviewing
tax expenditures and begin the process. It is now being gutted and
stuffed into HB 3260 to remove the reference
to the Secretary of State and auditing, which should not be in the
bill. The House Revenue Committee approved the putting of the essence
of HB 2001 into HB 3260 and moved it to the House floor with a "do
pass" recommendation.
As reported in the past few Legislative Reports, the beer and
tobacco tax proposals have changed bill numbers and been shuffled
around in committees and on the House floor, but they are still alive.
See Tobacco Bills Fail;Pass for more information.
The reactivation of the Public Officials Compensation Board, SB 700, is receiving its final
amendments this week, and we believe it will survive. The Senate has
passed the legislation, and the House Revenue Committee is tweaking it
lightly. The League submitted an amendment to ensure that the coupling
of salaries for district court judges and legislators would be removed
by July 1, 2008.
Kappy Eaton, Governance Coordinator
|
|
Affordable Housing Projects Preservation
Advocates for affordable housing made an impact on the Transportation
and Economic Development Subcommittee. On June 11 and 12, the
Oregon Housing and Community Services (OCHS) Department Budget was
heard and Chair Betsy Johnson said that advocates made clear the needs
for housing options for low-income families and special groups, such as
people with mental illness, people with developmental and physical
disabilities, and homeless people. The budget priorities were to
restore the Housing Trust Fund and to preserve existing housing
projects and rental units with a subsidy program.
The Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO) recommended that the General Fund
be increased 44.2% over the 2005-07 budget, but other priorities will
reduce the funding level in 2007-09. Energy and
Weatherization programs will have a slight increase in both state and
federal funds. Emergency assistance, including rental assistance,
homeless and food programs, has been allocated increased staff and less
than 10% increase in funds. These programs are administered by
Community Action Agencies.
Homeownership and Affordable Rental Housing Development is the largest
program within the OHCS agency. The General Fund and Lottery
funds in this budget were increased to make up for funds taken during
the last biennium. The Housing Trust Fund of $15.5 million will be
restored with the addition of $2.4 million. Preservation of
existing housing will require 2.6 million to keep 300 units within 84
projects. The Governor asked for 8 million, but LFO recommended 5
million for this section.
Lottery funds of $16 million would be targeted for the development of
150 units of supported housing for homeless populations. Social
services would be contracted out to non-profit agencies. The
Community Incentive Fund was eliminated with funds going to the
Preservation Program. The Outreach Budget was changed to allow $2
million to be available for financing site acquisition and
predevelopment costs including the preservation of manufactured
dwelling parks. Staff reductions were made in administration.
HB 3551 proposed an additional
$15 fee for document recording in County Records Offices; this bill was
written to replace SB 38. The additional fee
revenue would raise approximately $36 million, which would be directed
to housing programs within the OHCS. The largest program is
rental housing, then home ownership, homeless programs and
staffing. The bill was heard on May 16 and 17th in the
Transportation and Economic Development Subcommittee of Ways and
Means.
In the OHCS Budget hearing, department heads reported that many housing
projects were waiting for subsidy funding that could come from the
passage of HB 3551. County Clerks objected to the new fee and
requested administration costs. Association of Oregon Counties
asked for the same formula that is presently used in document recording
fees, giving 5% to counties and 5% to county clerks for
administration.
LWVOR testified in earlier OHCS Budget hearings to support affordable
housing options, especially for families with children to maintain
family unity. The OHCS administrators said there were 11,000
homeless in Oregon and most of them were families with children.
The primary reason for homelessness was presented as financial, followed
by social factors, family and individual dysfunction in their
data.
Karen Nibler, Social Policy Coordinator
|
|
Ethics Reform Makes Progress
HB 2595, the administrative
revisions for the operation of the Government Standards and Practices
Commission (GSPC), has passed the House and waits for consideration in
Senate Rules. SB 10A contains critical pieces
of reform including: additional and separate funding for GSPC's
oversight of all state and local government officials, a $50 gift limit
(exempting food and honoraria, etc), enhanced and regular reporting by
lobbyists (with plans for electronic filing of statements by officials
and lobbyists by 2010), allowing for legal defense funds for public
officials, and a two-year hiatus from being a legislator to being a
lobbyist. Ways and Means subcommittee on General Government passed SB
10A June 12 to the full committee where passage to the Senate floor is expected.
Together, with HB 2595, the Legislature will have enacted real ethics
reform. There is more to do, but the path has been established.
Kappy Eaton, Governance Coordinator
|
|
TOBACCO BILLS FAIL; PASS
HB 2967 proposed an additional
tobacco tax, which was intended to fund Healthy Kids Programs.
This bill passed out of Ways and Means June 1 and was scheduled for a
vote on the floor in early June and failed. Rep. Kotek
asked for a reconsideration of the vote on June 12. The vote to
reconsider was 42 ayes to 15 nays. Greenlick, Kotek, Boone and
Gelser spoke in favor. Flores spoke against. The vote on
the bill was 35 ayes to 22 nays with 3 excused. Merkeley ruled
the measure failed. Rep. Barnhart objected to the 3/5 vote
requirement and said it should pass with the majority vote.
Barnhart appealed the decision of the chair. Richardson was appalled
that this strategy was attempted by the supporters. Merkeley had an
opinion from Legal Counsel that supported his decision. A vote
was taken to uphold the chair's decision, which resulted in 46 ayes to
11 nays.
SB 3A and SJR 4B were passed with
amendments on June 14 and will be sent to the Senate floor for a
vote. SB 3A is the Senate Healthy Kids bill and SJR 4B proposes
an amendment to the Oregon constitution imposing specific tobacco
taxes. The revenue is dedicated to children's health care,
low-income adult health care, medically underserved and to tobacco use
prevention and education. The amendment will be sent to the voters.
Provisions within SB 3A require that SJR 4B pass in order to go into
effect. These two bills will require only a majority vote.
Karen Nibler, Social Policy Coordinator
|
|
|
|
