Legislative Report - Week of 6/23
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
Please see Governance Overview here.
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Campaign Finance and Initiatives
By Norman Turrill
We are still waiting for urgently needed technical amendments to HB 4024 (2024) on campaign contribution limits, which are expected to be amended into HB 3392. Since we are nearing the end of the session, we fear that this will not happen or will happen haphazardly. The last we heard, there may be no bill or only a minimal bill to delay the Secretary of State’s HB 4024 implementation deadlines.
General Governance, Privacy, and Consumer Protection
By Becky Gladstone
It is time for a bill status review, with two weeks or less remaining in the session.
HB 3954 was revived last week after a League letter called for action on the bill, for the Adjutant General to not allow the Oregon National Guard to be called to active service, except for certain reasons. It passed from a first work session on partisan lines, and then from the House floor, and is scheduled for reading on the Senate floor. We wrote to the Governor’s staff, the Attorney General, Chairs and House Rules Committee members, and bill sponsors. This bill became more relevant with the California National Guard being called to action by the President in Los Angeles, overriding the Mayor and California Governor. LWVOR followed with an Action Alert to members. We anticipate revising the letter and submitting as testimony to Senate Rules, including comparisons of work done in other states, including Washington state’s “Defend the Guard” bill, HB 1321, signed by Governor Ferguson in April. We are standing by as requested, for updates. See HB 3954 sponsor’s presser and Oregon House votes to protect Oregon National Guard from being deployed by Trump, future presidents, Oregon Capital Chronicle.
SB 1191 Enrolled has been signed by the Governor. League testimony supports SB 1191 which excludes the act of informing another person of their civil or constitutional rights from statute defining “commits the crime of obstructing governmental or judicial administration”. This is relevant as League voter service activities and advocacy issues are newly vulnerable to Executive Order classification as domestic terrorism if not aligned with recently changed federal preferences. The League will continue to support legislation for DEI, climate change, immigration, access for voter registration and election process information, natural resources, and more.
HB 2008 Enrolled has been signed by the Governor, relates to protecting consumer data for those under 16, to targeted ads, and to geolocation exposure. See League testimony in support.
HB 2341 Enrolled, to add veterans’ email addresses to shared information, League testimony in support, was signed by the Governor.
SB 1121 Enrolled to create a new Class B misdemeanor crime of unlawful private data disclosure, has been signed by the Governor. League testimony was filed and presented, supporting the bill, including the amendment relating to data broker issues.
HB 2930 Enrolled has been signed by the Governor, for conflict of interest of public officials’ household members. League testimony supported this bill brought by the Oregon Ethics Commission.
SB 224 Enrolled, is awaiting the Governor’s signature, to keep from posting campaign committee addresses on the SoS website, League testimony supports.
HB 3569 Enrolled is awaiting the Governor’s signature, to invite a sponsoring legislator, committee chair or designee onto the bill’s Rules Advisory Committee, as a non-voting member. Our testimony opposes for myriad reasons.
HB 5017 Enrolled, is awaiting the Governor’s signature, for the State Library budget. League testimony remained 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.
HB 5012 A: Ways and Means Committee members (bipartisan!) expressed a desire to see increased salaries for our judiciary and encouraged the Co-Chairs to consider additional funding in the end-of-session bill for the Oregon Judicial Department budget bill. League testimony in support was requested.
HB 2570, for PII (personally identifiable information) confidentiality when working with OSHA inspections, got League testimony support, was scheduled for a February 19 work session, but was apparently dropped, not reflected on the bill overview, probably a session casualty.
Elections
By Barbara Klein
On 6/16 a public hearing was held for HB 3908, the following day on 6/17 a work session was held. On 6/20, this House bill passed a vote on the Senate floor 19 to 9. Filed at the request of the Independent Party of Oregon (IPO), HB 3908 relates to party membership and registration requirements. The bill increases the percentage of state voters from 5 to 10 percent required for a party to obtain major political party status. Other minor parties wrote in support of HB 3908. Last week we mentioned that the opposition to this bill submitted a Minority Report Recommendation disallowing minor parties to cross nominate major parties; that recommendation did not pass. At the public hearing, IPO representatives explained that currently the IPO stands at 5.03% (only slightly over the 5% level) and that IPO bounces back & forth between major & minor party status (being a major party in 2016 and 2020). They described the struggles for their party since rules for candidates of major parties differ from those for minor parties, making it more difficult for them to recruit candidates. They also attested that the counties and state will have higher costs if IPO is considered a major party.
HB 3390-2: This bill was one of those often referred to as “gut and stuff,” differing from or expanding on the original title. This last-minute bill establishes a joint legislative committee and prescribes the method for creating a ballot title and explanatory statement for any amendment to the Oregon Constitution. Technically, it involves any bills that pass both houses of the Legislative Assembly during the 2025 regular session and are referred to the voters by either the Legislative Assembly or by referendum petition. The League submitted testimony opposing this bill, in part because it minimizes the minority party voice, and also gives more power to the legislature for ballot issues than to the people. We state “the normal process based in the offices of the Secretary of State and Attorney General has greater impartiality than this proposal grounded in the legislative branch. The latter (under HB 3390-2) could more likely jeopardize transparency and understanding for voters.” Despite our opposition, the third reading passed the House 31 to 19. The bill sunsets on January 2, 2027.
SB 580 Enrolled provides more timely transparency to voters showing online declarations – or withdrawals – of candidates. On 6/13 it passed a House third reading 41 to 0. The bill awaits the Governor’s signature. There were concessions made previously for various counties, big and small, rural and urban. (It also exempted precinct committee persons.) The League submitted testimony on this bill based on the needs of our work producing League Voter Guides and Vote411 publications.
Artificial Intelligence
By Lindsey Washburn