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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.
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LWVOR Action Committee
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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
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Women's Issues: Almost There
Thus far, the 2007 session has been an upbeat and uplifting one for the
women's issues for which we have been advocating for many years. Several
bills are almost there: an increase to $4.5 million in funding for
domestic violence and sexual assault victims (with $3 million more being
considered) and HB 2469, and increased funding to
$25.5 million for temporary assistance to needy families (TANF). Nike has
now joined the 29 groups which support HB 2575, paid family leave. It was
heard in Ways and Means June 14. Hopefully, these will
soon join our list of successes for women: now in law is HB 2372, breast feeding in the
workplace; HB 2700, access to contraception;
and SB 946, workplace leave for
victims of domestic violence.
Kappy Eaton, Governance Coordinator
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Tidbits
Signs of the times: The House Human Services and Women's Wellness
Committee has scheduled an informational meeting this week to discuss
issues for the interim with invited testimony only.
Capitol Renovation: The renovation of the legislative office wings will
begin as soon as the session ends. The Secretary of State offices
(administration, elections, HAVA, etc) must vacate space by October
1. As of June 19, their new location was not yet determined, but
the closest building being considered is two long blocks away with little
parking. That poses a problem for the public.
Kappy Eaton, Governance Coordinator
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Brief Citizen Access Update
Good News: Conference committees have been giving advance
notice of when they are meeting and bills they are considering, plus they
also include the membership of the committee.
Bad News: For some committees we are not getting all the
updated electronic notifications until after the meeting is over.
With others, we walk into the committee meeting with no idea what
amendments will be heard and in many cases little or no advance notice of
which bills are on the agenda for that day. It is hard for the
League Action Team to camp out at the Capitol or to get timely notices to
you for help.
Paula Krane, Citizen Access Coordinator
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Campaign Finance Reform Reaches House Floor
HB 2060, which establishes a
Campaign Finance Reform Commission, was passed in its original form by
the House Rules Committee June 14. The League supported amendments
which would have enlarged the legislative representation on the
commission and requested a report by the 2008 Special Session with some
recommendations. As moved to the House floor, the commission would
prepare a report for the 2009 legislative session and has only four
legislative representatives among the 11 member commission. Its
fate is uncertain.
Kappy Eaton, Governance Coordinator
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June
21, 2007
Dear
Rebecca,
Welcome to issue
18 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
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5 MINUTE
ACTIVIST
Yes on
Ethics Reform!
Your calls and e-mails will make a difference! Senate Bill 10 and House Bill 2595, the two
comprehensive ethics reform bills currently in the Legislature, are on
their way to becoming laws. We're not at the finish line yet, but
things are looking good for ethics reform.
HB 2595 is nuts-and-bolts legislation to help Oregon's ethics
commission (Oregon's watchdog organization) do its job. It
includes authority for the commission to audit ethics reports.
SB 10 is a
comprehensive ethics reform package that creates independent funding
for the ethics commission, puts strict limits on gifts to legislators
from lobbyists, and greatly improves transparency of lobbying dollars
with a public, searchable on-line database.
(See article below about Ethics Reform.)
Take 5 minutes to
contact your Representative and Senator to ask them to support
these bills.
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The Stage Is Set
One week out, (IF the June 29th deadline holds firm) will it be
"Macbeth," "Much Ado About Nothing," or "All's
Well That Ends Well" as the final scenario? Can they get
everything hanging on the line discussed and passed? Probably
not. The weekly status reports for each house are not up to date
nor are the amendments done by the committee work sessions immediately
reflected on the affected bills. Hearings are being scheduled
with short notices, but the frustration grows as some of our important
bills are not yet heard by the second house. Depending on who you talk
with, there may be optimism, hope or deep dismay.
Kappy
Eaton, Governance Coordinator
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Ethics
Reform Is Very Close
Senate Rules has
passed out both SB 10B and HB 2595A, with the former
scheduled for a Senate floor vote June 20. SB 10B funds the
Government Standards and Practices Commission (GSPC) through an assessment
process for all state and local government entities. It also
provides for a legal defense fund process for public officials, a
waiting period until after sine die of the next Legislature for any
legislators seeking to be paid lobbyists after leaving the Legislature,
new gift definitions and limits, and more frequent lobbyist reporting
along with planning and implementing an electronic reporting system for
lobbyists and legislators by 2010. There may be some
"tweaking amendments" when the bill gets to House Rules.
HB 2595A has been amended to change all references to the GSPC to its
new name - the Oregon Ethics Commission (OEC). Incidentally, that
was its original name after voters passed the basic legislation in
1974. The bill provides for the administrative operations of the OEC
and includes the authority to carry out its mission of oversight of all
public officials in Oregon. It is not yet scheduled for a Senate
vote. It passed the House 54-6 on June 7, passed Senate Rules
June 19, and is expected to pass the Senate.
Kappy Eaton, Governance Coordinator
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 Budget Bills Fund Safety, Education, More
The Joint Ways
and Means Committee has the primary task of approving budgets for the
agencies of the State of Oregon along with approving additional costs
of new bills. This is a time to look at which budget bills have
passed and which are on hold. Often those budgets left until the
end are being added to or cut before they are passed.
Public Safety budgets that have been passed by both chambers are
the Oregon State Police, Public Defense Services Commission, Oregon
Youth Authority and Department of Corrections. The Department of
Justice and the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training have
passed the Senate. The Criminal Justice Commission has been
approved and is scheduled for a Senate floor vote.
District Attorneys' and the Oregon Judicial Department Budgets
were approved by the Subcommittee and have yet to be approved by the
full Ways and Means. The Public Safety Subcommittee heard two
related bills for the Oregon Judicial Department on June 19: SB 456 relates to judicial
salaries and HB 2331 relates to increased
legal aid filing fees. Surcharges on court filing fees will fund
a Court Facilities Planning Commission.
Department of Education budget bills passed the House floor on
June 15 granting the full $6.245 billion and waiting for Senate floor
scheduling. The Oregon Health Sciences University Budget passed
both chambers and awaits signatures. The Oregon Higher Education
Budget has been approved by the Education Subcommittee and passed the
Senate on June 18. The Community Colleges Budget lags behind and
remains in the Ways and Means process.
The Department of Human Services Budget has four sections:
Children, Adults and Families; Health, Addictions and Mental Health;
Seniors and People with Disabilities; and Department Wide
Support. This budget has had work sessions in the past week on
each section but has not been approved by the full Joint Ways and Means
Committee yet. It has been one of the last budgets passed in the
past two sessions.
The Human Services Subcommittee has been considering other bills
related to this budget along with the section it would impact.
Recent considerations have been SB 282A for relative foster care
payments and SB 414A for placements with
siblings. HB 2469A to restructure the
financial welfare program was heard in Human Services Subcommittee on
June 12 but has not been approved by the full Joint Ways and Means
Committee. Look for additional articles on these proposed bills.
Karen Nibler, Social Policy Coordinator
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Initiative Reform Moves from Committee
The long-awaited movement of HB 2082A from Senate Rules
occurred June 16, and we are awaiting action on the Senate floor.
This is the first major revision of the Oregon initiative process in
decades. It recognizes the fraud possibilities within the paid
signature gatherer system and provides for mandatory registration,
picture ID, and training by the Secretary of State for all paid
petition passers. It also provides for payroll review of the
signature gathering industry by the Secretary of State, Bureau of Labor
and Industry and the Attorney General offices as well as the ability of
a single petition sheet signer to do so via an electronic process.
Regulations for chief petitioners are tightened, requiring some
oversight of petition passers. HB 2082A passed the House April 18
on a party line vote - 31-27, with two Rs excused. It is expected to
pass the Senate, and for the House to concur with Senate amendments.
Kappy Eaton, Governance Coordinator
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 Health Bills Make Progress
Healthy Kids Has Legs: SB 3B and SJR 4C were passed out of the
Senate Finance and Revenue Committee last week and were passed on the
Senate Floor on June 15. These bills were amended and passed by
the House Elections, Ethics and Rules Committee on June 20. SJR
4C will be referred to the voters for approval of tobacco taxes and SB
3B will not take effect unless voters pass SJR 4C. See
"The Constitution Is Not the Place..." for more information.
SB 183B and SB 188A, relating to rural
health, have passed both houses and have been signed by the
President of the Senate. SB 183B grants malpractice insurance
subsidy for physicians and SB 188 A includes dentists in the rural
health program. SB 519 concerning telemedicine
has not come out of Ways and Means.
SB 364B for a Mental Health
Ombudsperson and Consumer Advisory Council was referred to
House Elections, Ethics and Rules. HB 3088 on hospital billing of
the uninsured has had hearings in the Rules Committee in June. HB 2221 to regulate discounted
medical plans has been passed and signed. HB 2918 for coverage for pervasive
developmental disorders was assigned to Transportation and Economic
Development. HB 2946A which requires the
Department of Human Services to authorize pilot programs for
health care systems has been passed and signed.
Karen Nibler, Social Policy
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Double Majority to Be Decided by Voters
On June 20, the Senate passed HJR 15, the gutted and stuffed
bill (formerly HJR 14) to revise the double majority with a
constitutional amendment. Today, June 21, the House concurred, so
voters can expect to see this on the ballot in 2008.
You will recall that the Senate adopted the Minority Report on HJR 14,
which wiped out the double majority bill, and then sent the Minority
Report to Ways and Means to die. The House originally passed HJR 14,
46-11, on April 5. No one has yet to offer a satisfactory explanation
for these parliamentary shenanigans, but at least this one has made it
through the maze.
Kappy Eaton, Governance Coordinator
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The Constitution Is Not the Place for Fiscal Policy
Totally inappropriate public fiscal policy has been enacted by the
Oregon Senate. Strictly on party lines, the Senate has approved a
Healthy Kids Act (SB 3) to provide basic health
services for an additional 117,000 Oregon children - considered to
cover all children through age 18. This part is good. The
funding, through SJR 4, is by an 84.5 cent
increase in the cigarette tax, which will be sent to voters in November
2007 as an amendment to the Oregon Constitution. Using the
state's basic legal framework for statutory material is wrong.
However, with the continued failure of the House to pass the children's
health care funding, it is seen as the only way to provide the necessary
health care. This one probably will go to the sine die wire.
On a more enlightened fiscal policy note, the Senate Finance and
Revenue Committee is seriously considering HB 3201, which deals with both additional
tax expenditures and eliminating some tax credits, and thus is
essentially revenue neutral. This gets by the hurdle of a 3/5
vote on any perceived increase in taxes. Individuals with incomes
of more than $156,400 and couples with joint incomes of more than
$234,600 would have their individual state tax credits phased
out. This would generate about $19 million to cover such
increased tax credits as doubling the amount married couples can deduct
(to $4000) for putting funds in Oregon's College Savings Program, for
TV and movie producers who film in Oregon, and for a credit for
truckers who clean up their sulfur-belching diesel engines. Other
credits are being considered along with some other credit
removals. Legislative leadership is working with both the Senate
and House Revenue chairs. Maybe there will be a break-through!
The House Revenue Committee is still considering HB 3260 which is the new version
of HB 2001, creation of a Tax Accountability Commission to
review tax expenditures and make recommendations. Its fate is still up
in the air, but the League supports it.
Kappy Eaton, Governance Coordinator
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