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• Campaign Finance

• Privacy, Consumer Protection, Ethics, and a Budget

• Elections

• Artificial Intelligence

Campaign Finance

By Norman Turrill

HB 3392 is said to be the vehicle for a gut and stuff of the technical fixes for HB 4024 (2024). This bill is currently a study of campaign finance by the Secretary of State. Complex amendments are under discussion among Honest Elections, the Secretary of State’s Election Division, the Attorney General’s office, Oregon Business and Industries, Oregon unions and legislative staff. However, no amendments are yet posted on OLIS.

Privacy, Consumer Protection, Ethics, and a Budget

By Becky Gladstone 

HB 2008 A had a May 5 public hearing in the Senate Judiciary, after unanimous House Commerce and Consumer Protection support and then also on the House Floor. This personal data bill is detailed, basically about protecting personal data for teenagers. League testimony in support.

Testimony this week is for bills being heard in the second chamber. Hearings are being scheduled without agendas, to cover for deadlines: “This agenda may be populated with any measures that have been carried over from previously posted agendas.” 

This week’s testimony forecast:

• HB 3766 A is up for a second public hearing in the Senate Judiciary, May 12, after passing unanimously from the House Floor. It would allow civil action against an adult who, unbidden, digitally sends intimate images (cyber-flashing) with the intent to harass, degrade or humiliate, League testimony in support. Updated testimony was requested to address amendments.

• SB 430 -1 is up for a second public hearing in House Commerce and Consumer Protection, May 12, for online transaction cost disclosure to improve transparency. It passed in Senate Labor and Business on partisan lines, similarly, passing on partisan lines on the Senate Floor, 18 to 11. As reported earlier, the League anticipates submitting testimony in support. 

• HB 3167 A is up for a third public hearing in Senate Labor and Business on May 13 to address pricing transparency for admission ticket purchases. The League is researching testimony.

• HB 2930 is up for a second public hearing on May 14 in Senate Rules, for conflict of interest of public officials’ household members. 

• HB 2932 is also up for a second public hearing on May 14 in Senate Rules, to allow public officials to get paid for teaching at certain post-secondary institutions, as an exception to public officials’ prohibition against using an official position or office for financial gain or avoidance of financial detriment. The League is researching testimony.

Reviewing:

• HB 5017, the State Library budget bill, has a first work session on May 15, after a February 11 public hearing. The League testimony was the only one filed and is in support of our partnership for League Voter Service information. They share our Voters’ Guides in the Talking Books and Braille Library, here for the 2024 general election. 

• SB 470 A: work sessions had been scheduled on April 24 and May 7, bounced to subsequent agendas, none currently listed for this popularly supported bill. League testimony supported the original bill to protect lodgers’ privacy from illicitly taken videos.

• SB 238 modifies provisions of law enforcement use of drones. We have not addressed this committee bill and are watching for developments on this new surveillance technology. The bill is passing on partisan lines, from Senate Judiciary and the Senate floor, with a public hearing in House Judiciary. 

• HB 2006 would limit long session bill requests to 25 bills from legislators to legislative counsel. We are watching for a public hearing to be scheduled in House Rules.

Elections

By Barbara Klein

The Senate Interim Committee on Rules requested SB 44 related to elections. There was a hearing for SB 44 on May 7 and it is scheduled for a work session on May 14th (in Senate Rules). There are two amendments that would completely replace this bill. Details of the staff analysis of the amendments and background can be viewed here. In summary, -2 changes statutory references of voter registration “cards” to voter registration “applications.” During testimony the SOS office did not note fiscal impact; the analysis states it is unclear (at this time) whether there will be a fiscal impact. 

Amendment -4 to SB 44 changes the statutes related to Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) electing either multiple or single winners. Current law is either silent or does not work with RCV elections in relationship to vote recounts, tallying or write-in votes. The amendment also adds an official definition of Ranked Choice Voting (“Ranked-choice voting means a method of conducting an election in which electors may rank candidates in order of the electors’ preference”). The League’s testimony can be read here. 

SB 580-2 had a third reading in the Senate on May 7th, and a first reading on the same day in the House. The bill, which originally required each city or county filing officer “to make publicly available on the county or city website within two business days certain election documents that are filed with the filing officer,” was amended to accommodate the different challenges between counties.

Some small counties have no webmaster and work more easily with physical copies of information than digital, whereas in larger areas (like Portland) the opposite is true. The amendment allows longer time for more verified information (aside from posting name and office for the candidate, or withdrawal). Additionally, there are exceptions for candidacy declarations for precinct committee persons. The sponsor of the bill, Senator James Manning, explained it as a response to requests from voters for more transparency.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

By Lindsey Washburn

HB 3936 bans the use of AI on state assets if the AI is owned or developed by a foreign corporate entity. Passed from the Joint Committee on Information Management and Technology with a 6-0 vote and includes the -1 amendment to remove "country of origin". Senator Sollman referenced the League's testimony to this bill during her remarks.

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