Legislative Report - Week of 2/3
Governance Team
Coordinator: Norman Turrill
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Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill
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Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone
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Election Systems: Barbara Klein
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Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey
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Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley
Jump to a topic:
Social Policy, Immigration, Hate Crimes
By Becky Gladstone
We are following numerous bills relating to immigration, discrimination, bias and hate crimes, including as they relate to privacy. We are following national executive orders and memos that relate to our December action alert, anticipating developments. See the LWVOR alert and the LWVUS press release.
HB 2341: The League’s was the only testimony filed. We supported adding email address access for certain veterans and service member correspondence, based on “efficiency in government”. The bill passed unanimously in work session, from H Comm On Emergency Mngmt, Gen Gov, and Veterans.
SJM 1: We are preparing testimony on this bill, urging Congress to protect rights of armed forces and their families. It mentions bias and hate crimes. A work session is scheduled in Sen Comm On Vets, Emergency Management, Fed and World Affairs on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 1pm to return the bill to the Senate President for committee reassignment.
SB 5535: Time allowing, this DAS agency budget bill may be addressed, public hearing Wed, Feb. 5.
New LWVOR Action Committee volunteers have joined to work on artificial intelligence and other cyber issues.
Government Ethics
By Chris Cobey
The House Rules Committee heard five bills from the Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC) on Jan. 27. The OGEC Director Meyers said that these bills are “simply efforts to clean up inconsistencies and eliminate confusion with respect to the application of the statutes.”
HB 2923 specifies some business roles that must be included on a Statement of Economic Interest disclosure form.
HB 2927 permits the OGEC to prolong an investigation into alleged ethics law or lobbying violations by no more than 60 days. The current 30 days allowed is ineffective since it would not extend to the next OGEC meeting.
HB 2928 removes the prohibition on offering gifts in excess of $50 per calendar year to a public official, candidate, or to a relative or member of their household. This is the OGEC’s most controversial proposal since they justified it with a 2009 court case that overturned this statute. However, later written testimony said that a 2020 court case “abrogated” the 2009 decision. See Oregonian, Should special interests get to offer Oregon officials luxury gifts? Four people opposed this bill, and the League will also likely oppose it.
HB 2930 applies conflict of interest laws to people who live in the same house as a public official. The only two witnesses (OGEC executive director and another OGEC employee) were in favor of the bill. Two public comments were received (one from Dan Meek on behalf of the OR Progressive Party), both in support of the bill.
HB 2932 allows a public official to get paid for teaching at certain schools, even when related to their public office.
Election Systems
By Barbara Klein
A bill related to Open Primaries (HB 3166) on which LWVOR has been working, has not yet been amended. The anticipated amendments may change LWVOR support (or no support) status. It has been moved to the Rules committee.
HB 2876 seeks to conform all county election structures statewide, making every county commission a nonpartisan board of five (5) commissioners (unless voters of the county choose not to do so). It is currently in Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans.