Search Results

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 3/13 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone and Chris Cobey Artificial Intelligence: Lindsey Washburn Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill Conflicts of Interest/Legislative Ethics: Chris Cobey CEI - Critical Energy Infrastructure : Nikki Mandell and Laura Rogers Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone Election Systems: Barbara Klein Emergency Preparedness: Cate Arnold Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum: Claudia Keith Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey State Audit Working Group: Sheila Golden Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley Election Methods Cybersecurity and Public Records Rights of Incarcerated People Government Ethics By Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator, and Team Election Methods By Barbara Klein Another Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) bill was added to the March 16 House Rules hearing. This bill, HB 3509 , is sponsored by Rep Farrah Chaichi and appears to be an augmentation of bill HB 2004 below. The official summary of HB 3509 is that it “ Establishes ranked choice voting as voting method for selecting winner of nomination for an election to nonpartisan state offices and county and city offices except where home rule charter applies. Establishes [RCV] as a voting method for selecting winner of nomination by major political parties for federal and state partisan offices .” HB 3509 is listed as “may have fiscal impact.” The bill’s sponsor may be hoping to take advantage of the same monies noted by supporters of HB 2004. Namely, this is $2 million allocated by a previously passed bill (SB 5538 in 2021 regular session) to provide grants to counties to modernize their election offices, technology and equipment (including updating voting machines and purchasing new processing equipment). For any scenarios in which HB 3509 would eliminate the need for a runoff, it could save money. As of this writing, the League has not determined the need for weighing in on HB 3509. However, based on established positions LWVOR would have no reason to oppose this bill, and currently supports the HB 2004 RCV bill. Before the March 16 House Rules hearing, LWVOR provided testimony and encouraged members (as individuals) to write their legislators in support. Cybersecurity and Public Records By Rebecca Gladstone SB 166 We support with comments, our testimony . This three-part bill would codify that actual ballots votes are not revealed (never have been). Elections workers would be protected ( offending substances shall not be thrown at them ), and elections should have cybersecurity plans. We recommend further amending, with extensive references to our earlier relevant testimony for related bills, including current ones. Technical harassment definitions should be expanded, as we note, for example to doxing, with extensive privacy issues, and extended to protect all involved in elections, even voters, from harassment and intimidation, as reported last fall by OPB . We anticipate valuing having these protections in place before the 2024 elections. We link to our other testimony supporting elections as critical infrastructure, for cybersecurity, and for protecting our cyber defense plans, as mentioned in the bill below. HB3201 We have supportive testimony prepared for this federal funding broadband bill, public hearing scheduled for March 15. A diverse, inclusive work group has been negotiating for this since last summer, posting two amendments. A surprise amendment appeared March 14, negating the content of the earlier -1 and -2 amendments, without consulting the sponsors or advisory group, a concerning omission. Numerous updated amendments have followed it. We have signed a coalition letter in support of the original bill and have written to relevant legislators with process concerns. SCR 1 This bill calls for election worker support and applause, passed the Senate on partisan lines, scheduled for a March 14 work session in House Rules. It lacks any action in statute. We urge again, our 2023 testimony for expanding election privacy and harassment protection, citing our League 2022 testimony from HB 4144 Enrolled (2022) . HB 3111 Passed from the House with no opposition votes, and was scheduled for a public hearing March 16 in Sen Rules. This privacy protection bill exempts some personal information for some public employees, focusing on retirees. As we advocated for SB 293 Enrolled (2021), we urge for less piece-meal privacy protection. See our HB 3111 testimony in support, repeating our previous calls for improvements. HB 2112 A Passed from the House floor and Rules unanimously, and was scheduled for a March 14 work session in Sen Rules. This public records bill updates technical and inclusive terms, particularly for our tribes. The League supports ( our testimony ). HB 2490 This bill was scheduled for a work session on March 16 in House Emergency Management, General Governance, and Vets. It addresses Oregon’s growing cybersecurity vulnerability, by protecting our defense plans, devices, and systems from public disclosure, also echoing our call to balance public records disclosure transparency and privacy. The League urges for maximum protection of public health, safety, and the environment. Defending our critical infrastructures is at stake ( our testimony ). SB 417 The Task Force convening to review this public records request fee bill had a third meeting, including public records staff from the Attorney General. We hope to complete technical review with Legislative Counsel and propose an amendment in the next week. See League testimony in support. Watch for upcoming budgets and other bills and progress in W&Ms: SB 1073 to be heard in J Information and Technology, directs the State Chief Information Officer and state agencies to appoint Chief Privacy Officers. It directs the Secretary of State and Treasurer to adopt privacy requirement rules. Rights of Incarcerated People By Marge Easley A bill to reduce the time a person in custody can remain in “segregated housing” was heard on March 14 in House Judiciary. The League submitted supportive testimony on the -1 amendment to HB 2345 , which authorizes a reduction of time that adults in custody can be confined in “segregated housing” (solitary confinement) and sets a limitation of 14 days. It also appoints a committee to study the implementation of this new Department of Corrections (DOC) policy. The League strongly supports ongoing DOC efforts to humanize and change the culture of the prison environment, consistent with the 2015 United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. Government Ethics By Chris Cobey SB 207 : Authorizes the Oregon Government Ethics Commission to proceed on its own motion to review and investigate, if the commission has reason to believe that a public body conducted meetings in executive session that were not in compliance with laws authorizing executive sessions. The bill was reported out of Senate Rules with a "do pass" recommendation on a 4-0-1-0 vote. Campaign Finance By Norman Turrill No bills on campaign finance have yet been scheduled for a hearing. Redistricting By Norman Turrill There has been no movement on redistricting in the legislature. People Not Politicians has started collecting signatures on IP 19 petitions downloadable from its website. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED. Worthy causes go unaddressed for lack of League volunteers. If you see a need and can offer your expertise, please contact our staff at lwvor@lwvor.org .

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 1/20 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone and Chris Cobey Artificial Intelligence: Lindsey Washburn Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill Conflicts of Interest/Legislative Ethics: Chris Cobey CEI - Critical Energy Infrastructure : Nikki Mandell and Laura Rogers Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone Election Systems: Barbara Klein Emergency Preparedness: Cate Arnold Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum: Claudia Keith Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey State Audit Working Group: Sheila Golden Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley Jump to a topic: Campaign Finance (CFR) Redistricting Election Systems By Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator Campaign Finance A CFR workgroup called by Rep. Fahey that began in June is still working to identify technical adjustments needed to ensure successful implementation of HB 4024 (2024) , to recommend legislative fixes for 2025, and to consider broader policy improvements for future sessions. The workgroup includes representatives from the legislature, business, labor and Honest Elections that negotiated on HB 4024. Since such a technical fix bill would likely be introduced by the House Rules committee, it could happen at any time during the coming legislative session. Redistricting Both SJR 08 and SJR 21 have been introduced to create independent redistricting commissions. SJR 21 is the same as the initiative proposed by People Not Politicians . However, neither is expected to even get a hearing. HB 2250 and HB 2704 would both require that census population counts be adjusted for the most recent address of prisoners for use in redistricting. Election Systems By Barbara Klein The Legislative Concept that the League has worked on with the OERC (Oregon Election Reform Coalition) has been introduced as bill HB 3166 . Due to timing, the original language of the bill (which included ranked choice voting) was used in HB 3166, but it is clearly expected to be amended. Other amendments may follow as well. The Oregon Secretary of State (SOS) office has given notice of administrative orders to update rules and statutes to comply with the Federal Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Act. Included are security measures and change of date to 1st Tuesday after 2nd Wednesday in December for Presidential Electors to meet in Salem (OAR 165-010-0005 ,). The orders define terms, requirements and pledge of candidate-electors ( 165-025-0100 ). 165-025-0110 d evelops security features for identifying electors and safeguards through certificates of ascertainment, for authenticity. It is OAR 165-025-0120 that establishes the time, place and manner of electors official duties and aligns Oregon with the national act. Further, the SOS orders include requirements for transmission of original documents to authorized officials of the US ( 165-025-0130 ), again aligning Oregon with the new act. A reminder that Oregon is one of the states to sign onto the (League-supported) National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. If that law were to go into effect (reaching compacting states representing 270 electors), the above orders would remain in effect as the NPV compact works with the Electoral College. Currently introduced, SB 213 would repeal Oregon’s agreement with the NPV compact.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 3/10 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone and Chris Cobey Artificial Intelligence: Lindsey Washburn Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill Conflicts of Interest/Legislative Ethics: Chris Cobey CEI - Critical Energy Infrastructure : Nikki Mandell and Laura Rogers Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone Election Systems: Barbara Klein Emergency Preparedness: Cate Arnold Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum: Claudia Keith Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey State Audit Working Group: Sheila Golden Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley Please see Governance Overview here . Jump to a topic: Initiatives Courts and Privacy Government Ethics Initiatives HJR 3 (require signatures in every county) and HJR 11 (greatly increase the number of signatures required) were both heard in House Rules 3/10. Either of these constitutional amendments would have to be voted on in a general election. However, either would destroy the initiative process as we know it by making it much, much more difficult to get an initiative on the ballot. The legislature would, in effect, be insulating itself from being second-guessed by the voters. However, the whole purpose of the initiative process is for voters to have a say in issues that the legislature has failed to deal with. The League strongly opposes both these bills. Courts and Privacy By Becky Gladstone This week’s Joint Legislative Council Public Records committee hearing had more background for panelists, noting that cybersecurity and IT support are like plumbing, you don‘t think about them unless they don’t work. Tuesday’s Future of FEMA: Perspectives from the Emergency Management Community , hearing video highlighted an additional 800 in staffing cuts projected on top of 300 already cut. Anticipate urging to protect FEMA. HB 3012 calls for 16 and 17 year olds who are registered to vote, being able to cast ballots soley for their school districts. The League lacks a position for a specific optimal voting age. We have Strongly supported learning to vote, both with repeated legislative advocacy and for decades with our Mock Elections and Civics Education curriculum. See League COMMENTS filed , including in the hearing video , at time stamp: 1:14:49 to 1:15:58. Verbal testimony was limited to one minute. HB 2581 to coordinate expanded resiliency services with the State Resiliency Officer (SRO), is scheduled for a Senate side work session after passing a House floor vote last week, League testimony . HB 2341 , to add veterans’ email addresses to shared information, has a Senate side public hearing scheduled, after passing a House floor vote with 58 in favor, two excused, League testimony . SB 470 is scheduled for a work session, League testimony filed and presented in support. This bill to protect lodgers’ privacy from illicitly taken videos, seemed likely to generate amendments from discussion in the public hearing but none have been recorded. Upcoming SB 414 is an AI bill, making disclosing fake intimate images a crime. It was slated for a public hearing, removed and rescheduling is anticipated, with League support. HB 5537 We anticipate speaking to this SoS budget bill, during the week of April 7. Government Ethics By Chris Cobey SB 983 to be heard 3/17 in the Senate Education committee, would allow a local public official to discuss, debate and vote on a local budget that includes compensation for the public official or their relative after announcing an actual conflict of interests. This would be a major change in ethics laws . Small local jurisdictions are where most of the conflicts of interest arise. HB 2330 would create a task force to come up with ideas to address fraudulent schemes that target the elderly. The bill passed out of House Commerce and Consumer Protection to the House floor with a 10 to 0 vote. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Legislative Report - Week of 6/26 Social Policy Team Coordinator: Jean Pierce • After School and Summer Care: Katie Riley • Behavioral Health: Trish Garner • Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice: Marge Easley / Sharron Noon • Education: Jean Pierce / Stephanie Engle • Equal Rights for All Ballot Measure: Jean Pierce Kyra Aguon • Gender-Related Concerns, Reproductive Health, Age Discrimination: Trish Garner • Gun Safety & Gun Issues, Rights for Incarcerated People: Marge Easley • Hate and Bias Crimes: Claudia Keith/ Becky Gladstone /rhyen enger • Health Care: Christa Danielsen • Housing: Debbie Aiona and Nancy Donovan Jump to topic: Housing Gun Safety Immigration, Refugee, and Other Basic Rights Criminal Justice Healthcare Housing By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona The consequential results of the 2023 Legislative session underscore the urgency of Oregon’s housing and homeless crisis. Near the end of the session, it was clear that legislators were committed to taking substantive steps to address the overwhelming need. They allocated resources to provide shelter for unhoused Oregonians, assist tenants in paying their rent, help lower-income households afford a home purchase, and develop and preserve affordable housing. In the House Policy Bill Passed SB 611 modifies state law related to residential rent increases. This legislation limits maximum allowable rent increases to the lesser of either 10% or 7% plus the September annual 12-month average change in the Consumer Price Index. It also limits rent increases to no more than once a year, except for units rented on a week-by-week basis. Budget Bills Passed HB 5005 limits the maximum amount of bonds and third-party financing agreements that state agencies may issue, and the amount of revenue state agencies may raise from such issuance. The proceeds from issuance of bonds are included as revenues in agency budgets (see below). HB 5006 allocates $600 million of Article XI-Q bonds for OHCS’s Local Innovation and Fast Track (LIFT) Housing and Permanent Supportive Housing programs to acquire, construct, remodel, repair, equip or furnish real property, in which the department will take an operational or ownership interest to provide affordable housing for Oregonians with low- incomes and citizens in historically underserved communities and communities of color, as well as affordable housing that will be combined with supports to tenants and other services for low-income citizens with high needs, including persons with disabilities and persons coming out of chronic homelessness. HB 5030 authorizes the issuance of Lottery Revenue Bonds to OHCS totaling $50 million for affordable housing preservation. Omnibus Budget Passed SB 5506 is the omnibus budget reconciliation bill that implements the remaining adjustments to state agencies’ legislatively adopted budgets for the 2023-25 biennium. It includes $21 million in funding for affordable homeownership development and long-term rent assistance. In the Senate Policy Bills Passed HB 3042 provides protections for residents of housing with expiring affordability restrictions, such as limiting terminations and rent increases for three years after a tenant’s housing is withdrawn from publicly supported housing. The bill is effective on passage. HB 3309 directs OHCS to study and incentivize accessible units in OHCS-funded affordable housing units by providing financial support and increasing the quantity and quality of accessible units. HB 3395 is an Omnibus spending bill that allows affordable housing on lands zoned for commercial uses within urban growth boundaries. Local governments can extend their decision-making to develop residential structures within the urban growth boundary or to reconsider land use decisions to develop residential structures. Local governments also can site certain emergency shelters, conditioned on the latest estimates of the percentage of individuals experiencing homelessness. HB 2761 will allow OHCS to fund only the portion of mixed-use or mixed-income housing developments affordable to households earning at or below 120% of area median income. The bill grants OHCS rulemaking authority regarding the allocation of the affordable housing portion of project’s shared costs. Bills adopted by both the House and Senate HB 3215 authorizes OHCS to support the replacement, reconstruction or rehabilitation of residential units damaged or destroyed by disaster and to support the recovery of the residents. It establishes the Disaster Housing Recovery Fund to provide funding to the department for specified purposes. HB 2071 extends the sunset provisions for various tax credits and allows qualified borrowers to use the loan proceeds in connection with tax credits for affordable housing lenders, to include limited equity cooperatives under certain conditions. It also creates credit against income taxes for selling publicly supported housing to preserve as affordable housing. Applies to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2024. HB 2080 is an Omnibus property tax bill which authorizes a city or county to approve or terminate a property tax exemption for a multiple-unit housing project. It authorizes a city or county to exempt from property tax the entire structure of multiple-unit housing converted from another use. Extends the low-income rental housing property tax exemption to housing units owned by limited equity cooperative corporations. Authorizes city or county to establish a schedule in which, for 10 years, the percentage of property tax exemption granted to affordable multi-unit rental housing increases directly with the percentage of units rented to households with annual income at or below 120 percent of area median income. HB 3462 requires the Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM), Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS), or Department of Human Services (DHS) to ensure that temporary housing provided in response to emergencies is safe and in compliance with state and federal nondiscrimination laws. It also allows these agencies to assist community members who are otherwise ineligible to access federal resources due to their immigration status. HB 3151 limits improvements that landlords of manufactured dwelling parks may require of tenants. It expands affordable housing that is developable on nonresidential lands. It also expands the manufactured dwelling park preservation loan program to allow loaned funds to be used to develop new parks. HB 2680 requires residential landlords to refund applicants for screening charges within 30 days, subject to certain conditions. The measure requires landlords to promptly notify an applicant once the screening has taken place, their right to a refund of the screening charge, and recovery of damages if the landlord fails to provide the refund within 30 days. It also increases the damages an eligible applicant may recover to twice the amount of the screening charge plus $250, which is a total increase of $100 from current law. SB 5511 is the Oregon Housing and Community Services budget bill. The total funds budget is $2,558,608,558 and 441 positions. This is a 28.5% increase from the 2023-25 current service level. OHCS’s budget from the General Fund includes the following: · $111.2 million to continue shelter and rehousing services that were funded in HB 5019 in response to the Governor’s emergency declaration on homelessness. · $24.1 million to provide operating support to existing shelters. · $55 million for rental assistance. · $6 million for services to tenants. · $10 million in down payment assistance. · $2.5 million for the decommissioning and replacement of manufactured housing. · $9.7 million capitalizes a predevelopment loan program within the Department, and expenditure limitation and position authority were added to revamp the process the Department will use to approve affordable housing finance applications from developers. · $136.8 million is allocated for wildfire recovery efforts, supported by a $422 million federal grant. Gun Safety By Marge Easley The compromise version of HB 2005 , limited to prohibiting the sale, manufacture, and possession of undetectable and unserialized firearms, frames, and receivers (“ghost guns”), passed the Senate and will soon be signed by the Governor. Violations are punishable as a Class A Misdemeanor for possession and a Class B Felony for the sale and manufacture. According to the Oregon Department of Justice, ghost guns are the weapons of choice for gun traffickers, and recent data from California states that 50% of guns used in crimes are ghost guns. HB 2572 , which defines and places severe restrictions on paramilitary activity in Oregon, will also soon be signed into law. The bill, strongly opposed by the Oregon Firearms Federation, will allow the Oregon Attorney General to bring civil action against those who engage in any of the paramilitary activities listed in the bill. SB 348 , which set out the implementation process for permit-to-purchase under Measure 114, unfortunately died in committee this session. However, the end-of-session Christmas Tree bill did include an allocation of $7.6 million to the Oregon State Police (OSP) to conduct background checks for people who are purchasing firearms. This would presumably be used to deal with the increased OSP workload to set up a new permit-to-purchase system with safety courses for applicants purchasing firearms. Immigration, Refugee and Other Basic Rights By Claudia Keith HB 2905 : Approved: Expands the list of individuals whose histories, contributions and perspectives are required to be included in social studies academic content standards and in related textbooks and instructional materials. House Speaker and Senate President signed this bill June 24. Passed unanimously. SB 610 A : Did not move from JW&Ms. It would have Established Food for All Oregonians (regardless of documentation status) Program within Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Fiscal, Staff Measure Summary. The fiscal may show up in the end-of-session budget balancing bill. Recent News: ‘ Dozens of advocacy groups disappointed food assistance bill fails’ – Oregon Capital Chronicle End of Session Full JWM Budget Reconciliation Bill HB550 A tentative list of Immigration/Refugee + related line items: - $2M OHA Healthcare Interpreter - universal representative fund / Oregon worker relief $8.6M DAS. Section 264 and 265 - Universal rep (legal) and legal services…. $4.8M section 85 & 86 - Language interpretation services $.5M section 76 - Latino Comm Ctr Pdx/Gresh. $4.1M - Immigration legal Services Oregon State Bar $800K - Migrant Bilingual educ team $2.2M - Afghan Refugee $2.5M Supreme Court immigration ruling allows Biden's deportation policy | Washington Post, https://wapo.st/430UGzQ League of Women Voters of the US on social media - June 23, 2023: “This SCOTUS decision rightly leaves in place guidelines that do not target undocumented immigrants for arrest & deportation if they don't threaten public safety. LWV stands with immigrants & partners to support policies to provide a path to citizenship.” Criminal Justice By Marge Easley and Karen Nibler Criminal justice bills that passed during the last week of the session include: · SB 212 maintains confidentiality of communications during peer check-ins at the Oregon Youth Authority or county juvenile facilities. · SB 339 requires sex offender treatment as a probation condition if the offense involved a touching offense. · SB 473 requires the Department of Education to integrate the identification and prevalence of sex trafficking into academic standards. · SB 321 establishes the process for post-conviction relief for those convicted by a nonunanimous jury. · SB 337 creates the Oregon Public Defense Commission under the jurisdiction of the judicial branch. · HB 2372 adds several goals for the Youth Development Council, including prevention of justice system involvement, respect for culturally specific and traditional practices, and prevention of and intervention in gang community violence and involvement. · HB 2635 increases penalties for fentanyl possession. · HB 2719 requires certain defendants to submit to testing for HIV and other communicable diseases. · HB 3275 provides that supervision of certain misdemeanor offenders reverts to the Department of Corrections if a county is unable to provide services. Healthcare By Christa Danielson HB 2395 Allows specified person to distribute and administer short acting opioid antagonists and distribution kits. Will expand the ability of these life saving medications to get to the people who need them. Also known as the Opioid harm reduction bill. Passed both houses. Will go to the Governor’s desk. SB 420 Sets up an area in the Department of Human Services for Navigation and support of those who have had a Brain injury. LWVOR testimony provided . Passed both houses and signed. Will go to Governors desk. SB 1089 (changed from SB 704) Sets up a Governance board for Universal Health Care. The board would create a plan to finance and administer Universal Health Care for Oregonians. LWVOR testimony .

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 3/24 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone and Chris Cobey Artificial Intelligence: Lindsey Washburn Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill Conflicts of Interest/Legislative Ethics: Chris Cobey CEI - Critical Energy Infrastructure : Nikki Mandell and Laura Rogers Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone Election Systems: Barbara Klein Emergency Preparedness: Cate Arnold Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum: Claudia Keith Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey State Audit Working Group: Sheila Golden Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley Please see Governance Overview here . Jump to a topic: Redistricting/Prison Gerrymandering Broadband, Vote-by-mail, Privacy Elections Government Ethics Rulemaking Redistricting/Prison Gerrymandering HB 2250 was heard in House Rules 3/19. The League submitted written testimony . The federal Census Bureau unfortunately counts prisoners where they are incarcerated rather than where they reside. This inflates the population counts where prisons are located and deflates the population counts for prisoners’ residence districts. Therefore, the representation of these districts and jurisdictions is skewed. HB 2250 corrects this injustice by requiring that the Department of Corrections determine prisoner residence addresses, as best that it can, and give the addresses to Portland State University Population Research Center. The Center will then correct the population counts that it receives from the Census Bureau and provide the corrected counts to the Legislature, the Secretary of State, or the various other jurisdictions that perform redistricting. Some Rules committee members asked about students residing at college or patients in care institutions. However, college students and patients can choose where they want to reside and be registered to vote; prisoners have no choice and don’t get any representation from public officials where they are incarcerated. Broadband, Vote-by-mail, Privacy By Becky Gladstone HB 3228 had a public hearing March 2, with League verbal and written testimony presented with committee permission by two League members together, Rebecca Gladstone in support of this bill’s cybersecurity insurance study and resilience fund, welcoming new League advocate Lindsay Washburn, who added significant AI modification comments. HB 2581 passed a Senate work session with one excused, on March 18, to coordinate expanded resiliency services with the State Resiliency Officer (SRO), League testimony in support. SB 473 , to create a crime of threatening a public official, will have a first work session on April 2, see verbal and written League testimony in support. HB 3148 has a work session scheduled for March 26, to extend broadband funding. We support equitable statewide broadband as a fundamental need, signing group letters for HB 3148 (2025) and HB 3201 Enrolled (2023). HB 2341 , had a Senate side work session, March 20, passing with one excused, to add veterans’ email addresses to shared information, League testimony in support. Watching SB 1121 : We will speak to this bill which c reates the crime of unlawful disclosure of private information, with a public hearing and possible concurrent work session vote on April 8. Elections By Barbara Klein The Open Primaries amended bill HB 3166-2 , which LWVOR strongly supported in its original form, had a hearing on March 19th in the House Rules Committee (video can be seen here around minute 19). LWVOR submitted testimony as a neutral comment , neither in support nor opposition. LWVOR strongly supports the idea of “unified” primaries, but the amended bill contains points we have historically not supported (specifically a top-two election system). There was much interest in the bill both in support (especially to encourage youth and independent voters) and in opposition (regarding protection of parties, although much of that was directed toward the original bill). Government Ethics By Chris Cobey SB 983 permits local public officials to participate, discuss, debate and vote on the adoption of a local budget that includes compensation for the public official or one of their relatives. This is a clear conflict of interest for a local official and should be avoided. However, we can understand that in small jurisdictions it can be awkward when some members cannot vote. The bill is supported by the Oregon School Boards Association and the League of Oregon Cities. HB 2330 A would establish a 21-member Task Force on Law Enforcement Interdiction Against Financial Scams on Older Oregonians. The bill passed out of the House Commerce and Consumer Protection committee 3/4 on a 10 to 0 vote and is now in the Ways and Means committee. Rulemaking By Peggy Lynch The League continues to follow the bills listed on the March 17 agenda of the Senate Committee On Rules since some of the bills relate to the process of rulemaking. After legislation is passed, agencies are required to implement those laws. That action often requires rulemaking to clarify the details around that implementation. But the League is concerned when legislators “get a second bite at the apple” by relitigating the legislation when rulemaking is only meant to implement, not change policies. Separately, the League was invited to a conversation among state agency rules staff on addressing concerns of the Governor and in an attempt to standardize the process statewide. The Governor has provided Rulemaking Guidance to state agencies : This document includes questions received from agencies since the Governor’s letter This document includes additional resources for agencies including direction to post updates to the Transparency site, a website template that agencies can use (if they choose) to develop their pages, and links to other comprehensive agency rule making sites to review. The League will also attend a separate rules process discussion being led by the Dept. of Land Conservation and Development. See the Land Use section for more information on this issue. We continue to watch a series of bills related to rulemaking which we might oppose: HB 2255 , HB 2303 , HB 2402 and HB 2427 . We are also concerned with HB 3382 , since the requirements of the Secretary of State to gather ALL the state agencies’ rulemaking, including all materials would be overwhelming. Individual state agencies provide that information on their rulemaking websites. We may sign on to a letter explaining our concerns to legislative leadership. Because the League is often engaged in rulemaking, we regularly comment on legislation that would affect changes in Oregon’s current Administrative Rules. We have provided testimony in opposition to HB 2692 , a bill that would create complicated and burdensome processes for agencies to implement legislation with their rulemaking procedures . Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Sine Die Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone and Chris Cobey Artificial Intelligence: Lindsey Washburn Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill Conflicts of Interest/Legislative Ethics: Chris Cobey CEI - Critical Energy Infrastructure : Nikki Mandell and Laura Rogers Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone Election Systems: Barbara Klein Emergency Preparedness: Cate Arnold Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum: Claudia Keith Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey State Audit Working Group: Sheila Golden Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley Jump to a topic: Campaign Finance Redistricting Cybersecurity and Privacy Election Methods Rights of Incarcerated People Government Ethics Access Governance By Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator, and Team Campaign Finance In the final days of the legislative session only one bill, SB 166 , the SoS’s omnibus elections bill, passed that included any campaign finance provisions. It included an aggregate annual contribution limit of $100 cash. We understand this was a result of huge contributions being given to the Democratic Party of Oregon and others in cash. Cash is, of course, untraceable. See also IP 9 below. Redistricting SB 166 also included a provision that will help all initiative campaigns, requiring that single signature e-sheets only need to be signed once. Previously, these petitions had to be signed a second time to certify the same signature above. This bill was effective immediately upon the Governor signing it. People Not Politicians has started collecting signatures on IP (Initiative Petition) 14 petition sheets that are downloadable from its website. This petition would institute an independent redistricting commission. Thousands of signatures have already been collected and more donations are needed. The petition is due July 5, 2024, requiring some 160,000 valid signatures of Oregon registered voters. Elections, Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Public Records By Rebecca Gladstone Many bills passed in the final hectic flurry after the 43-day Senate walkout. We worked on several of these over numerous legislative sessions. They all reflect privacy and cybersecurity. Elections SCR 1 : Early in the session the League condemned (citing SCR 1 text), “in the strongest possible terms, violence and threats of violence against election workers, and we call on all leaders to denounce these dangerous occurrences; and be it further Resolved, That we applaud the Oregon Association of County Clerks and all election workers for their professionalism and dedication to upholding fair and safe elections.” The SCR passed on partisan lines. League SCR 1 testimony respectfully urged for the protective legislation that we called for in 2022, with our testimony for HB 4144 . The protections in SB 166 omit the coverage we called for, extending to anyone subject to election harassment: candidates, lawful protesters, public servants, and volunteers. See further protections in HB 3111 below. SB 166 clarifies protections for election workers, ballot secrecy, the right to vote, and cybersecurity defense plans. Our elections are critical infrastructure and merit the League’s priority rating. We urged amending to expand protections to address privacy and harassment concerns. Our early session testimony predated a transparency amendment that we supported to limit cash “physical currency” contributions to directly address dark money concerns, of $100 annually, for aggregated campaign contributions. HB 3073 protects candidate and incumbent home address privacy. Certifying candidate filing depends on verifying in-district residence with a home address that needn’t be publicized and will still be available through public records request. See League support . HB 2107 extends Automatic Voter Registration to Oregon Health Plan patients. The League supports this improvement in government efficiency, expanding Oregon #MotorVoter . This brings the No Wrong Door health care concept of safety nets, networking services to support individuals, a step closer to “you’re in the right place and we are here to help you”. We opposed HB 2585 , to end “Motor Voter” voter registration. Now we should work on the underperforming party registration postcards. HB 5035 , the SoS’s budget bill, passed with League support focused on election issues of replacing filing and contribution software, risk-limiting audits, and election security. SB 167 : This extensive elections issue adjustment bill was heard but failed to receive a committee vote, possibly relating to concurrent Secretary of State’s resignation. Our testimony addressed many of the issues raised, including calling again for establishing an efficient electronic filing system. Cybersecurity HB 2049 establishes the Cybersecurity Center of Excellence to defend our critical infrastructures ( our testimony ). It passed with severely short funding, despite a concurrent global cyber-attack. (See LWVOR Newsroom, Oregon DMV Data Breach could affect 3.5 million Oregonians ). This effort had full committee support during this and the 2022 session. HB 2490 endeavors to defend our cybersecurity plans from public disclosure. League support . HB 2806 passed to support updating statute for cybersecurity, privacy and safety of executive sessions, public meetings, and our critical infrastructures. See League support . HB 3127 : This “TikTok” bill relates to security of state assets and social media access. We plan to develop coverage with a growing League youth perspective. Privacy These privacy bills passed after two sessions with strong committee urging and League attendance for the Consumer Privacy Task Force since 2019, this from the DoJ on AG Rosenblum’s efforts . ● SB 619 will protect consumers’ personal data. This was listed as “ A possible walkout casualty: a privacy law for Oregonians ”. See our testimony in support . ● HB 2052 This data broker registry bill is a first in the nation, passing with strong support this session. See League testimony in support. We spoke for the public right to know, for broadband access, juror pay, and with a DEI lens to adequate funding of our understaffed and funded Judicial Department. Balancing privacy and transparency are addressed together in our positions. ● SB 5512 , the Judicial Department budget, passed unanimously despite absences. Our testimony . ● HB 3201 for broadband assistance, allocated federal funding and passed, initially on partisan lines. The League signed a coalition letter in support . ● HB 2224 this juror pay bill passed unanimously from committee, but died in W&Ms. League testimony . SB 1073 , to establish a Chief Privacy Officer, failed to progress in W&M despite League support . Public Records HB 3111 addresses information privacy, clarifying disclosure exemption for state employees, volunteers, and retirees. Our testimony also referred to our 2022 HB 4144 testimony . SB 510 : This relatively unnoticed Public Records Advisory budget bill passed with League support . HB 5032 addressed funds related to the Public Records Advocate. League support cites our extensive 2017 public records law work. Two bills from the Public Records Advisory Council addressed public records requests, both failing. Progress was stymied despite League support as the Senate Rules Chair requested stakeholder Task Force met for months to refine references to “media”, set fee waivers, and reasonable response times. ● SB 160 would have reduced fees for public records requests made in the public interest, League testimony . ● SB 417 would have addressed trending public records request campaigns observed trying to overwhelm public agencies, including Elections offices ( press ). Election Methods By Barbara Klein On the last day of the legislative session, the final version of HB 2004 for Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) was passed as a referral to voters. The Senate voted 17-8 and the House 34-17. The Senate president and House speaker signed the bill on June 29; filed with the SOS on 7/6, and the bill was referred to the ballot on July 18. HB 2004 establishes RCV as the voting method for selecting the winner of nomination for, and election to, offices of US President, US State Senator and Representatives in Congress, Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and Attorney General. The Bureau of Labor and Industries Commissioner will be included, but that election is held during the primary. It does not include the Oregon state legislature House or Senate seats. The bill is referred to the November 2024 general election ballot, and with much input from county election officials, would be implemented in 2028. LWVOR has been a strong supporter of RCV and of this bill, one of 39 Oregon organizations working in coalition towards its passage. This is a historic win for the state, and is the first time that any legislature in the United States has referred a statewide RCV bill to the ballot. The League, along with the coalition and other allied groups or interested leaders, will continue to support, and most importantly educate voters as they make their 2024 choice. Ballot Measures continue. The League will continue to follow several proposed ballot measures (in numerical order). IP 9 measure regarding Campaign Finance Reform, entitled (by petitioners) as Honest Elections: Fight Political Corruption and Require Disclosure and Transparency. The League endorsed, and petitions are circulating. IP 11 measure requires statewide use of STAR -Score then Automatic Runoff voting. The measure includes all statewide, county, city or special districts elections offices, including State Senators and State Representatives, Circuit Court Judges and District Attorneys. Also covered are federal offices of President, Senator, and Representative. (There is an exception for any county, city, district, special district, and metropolitan service district office that has already adopted an alternative system such as approval or ranked choice voting). Measure has received a certified title. IP 14 See elsewhere in this report People Not Politicians (peoplenotpoliticiansoregon.com) . The League has endorsed. IP 16 (see IP 26) IP 19 Oregon Election Reform Act. From the Oregon Election Reform Coalition, this statutory measure is described as a Final Five Open Primary, using RCV or STAR in the general. LWVOR has endorsed IP 19, now by way of a new League position on Open Primaries adopted by concurrence at our May 2023 convention. IP 26 measure from All Oregon Votes “Amends Constitution: Changes election processes. All voters/candidates for certain partisan offices participate in the same nomination procedure.” (This is similar to the certified ballot title for IP 16, which organizers, All Oregon Votes, appealed to the Supreme Court, but which the Court approved without change. IP 16 is not yet listed as withdrawn.) It has received a certified title. IP 27 measure entitled The Voter Choice Act was filed late in the session. This is described as “An Initiative to Give Voters the Option to Rank Candidates in Oregon and, which would expand the terms and offices covered by the current bill above (HB 2004, which was ultimately referred to the ballot for voters to decide in 2024. Rights of Incarcerated People By Marge Easley The League’s interest in the rights of incarcerated people continued this session as we supported the passage of several bills to improve the lives and recidivism rates of those housed in Oregon’s correctional facilities. These bills facilitate the provision of a wide array of drug treatment programs in correctional facilities ( SB 529 ); require publicly accessible data on the use of segregated housing ( HB 2345 ); and authorize the Department of Correction to enter into agreements to offer higher education academic programs to adults in custody ( SB 270 ). The League was disappointed that SB 579 , allowing incarcerated people in Oregon to vote, did not advance this session. We will continue to advocate for passage in future sessions. Government Ethics By Chris Cobey HB 2038 : Amends ORS 244.060 by adding subsections (9)(a)-(e) to expand reportable sources of income for officeholders and candidates required to file Oregon statements of economic interest. HB 5021 : Effective July 1, 2023 as an emergency measure, establishes the amount of $3,926,618 for the biennium as the maximum limit for payment of expenses, as specified, with exceptions, received by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. SB 168 : Amends ORS 260.432 by expressly prohibiting public employees, while on the job during working hours or while otherwise working in official capacity, from promoting or opposing appointment, nomination, or election of public officials. It also provides that a public employee may communicate with a separate public employee or elected official about the appointment of a person to public office if such a communication is made in furtherance of the recipient's official duties relating to appointment required by Oregon Constitution or state statute. SB 207 : Adds ORS 192.685(1)(b) to expand the authority of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission by permitting it to proceed on its own motion to review and investigate, if the Commission has reason to believe that a public body conducted meetings in executive session that were not in compliance with laws authorizing executive sessions. SB 661 : Effective September 2023, prohibits a lobbyist from serving as the chairperson of an interim committee, a joint interim committee, a legislative work group, or a legislative task force that is staffed by nonpartisan staff of the legislative department, with exceptions. Access By Paula Krane NO WIN SESSION - Missing Our Access This Session “Business as usual, funny business, political partisan games!! What is happening with the Legislature at the capital this session? It is really a mixture of all of these things and everyone seems to be doing something that is taking away our access to and especially slowing down the political process.” This is what I wrote in the middle of the session and nothing seemed to have changed until the last couple of days of the session when most of the bills passed without any floor debate. No one had a chance to discuss and understand the issues. The process this session was a mess. Many proposed bills did not get a hearing, a vote in committee or sent to the floor of both houses. Many of the bills that the League advocated for did get passed but without the process we also advocate for. Some of these procedural things used to slow us down this session were: Periodically over the session bills were being read completely word for word in both houses. A few bills were being sent from committee directly to the proper chamber with no public hearings on the bill and especially after amendments were added that significantly change the original bill. The information (bill description or summary) at the top of the bill was supposed to be written at an 8th grade reading level and so bills were being sent back for a rewrite (next session all bill descriptions and summaries will be written at an 8th grade reading level). The proper business protocol was not happening for many days in the capital. Too many discussions were being held behind closed doors. The public was left out for most of the session. Then we had the walkout by some Legislators in the Senate and the business we sent our Legislators to Salem to accomplish came to a complete standstill. Yes in the end many bills passed (not as many as should have been) however without public input. Because of the construction at the Capital building, there were limited hearing rooms. Many of the committees were compressed and the days they met were less than usual. This caused less true public interaction. However, even with the hybrid compressed meetings people from all over the state were allowed to participate even for only 2 minutes. Also because of the shortened time frame, there were few questions by legislators to the public who testified. The legislators, their staff, committee staff, and all the departments should be given a big hand of applause for all their hard work this session on IT. With each session it gets better. If your legislator walked out ask why and have them explain why they thought they were doing their job and representing all their constituents and the people of Oregon. Will the 2024 short session be more of the same or will we get our access back and have a working Legislature? Let’s hope so.

Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Social Policy Team Coordinator: Jean Pierce • After School and Summer Care: Katie Riley • Behavioral Health: Trish Garner • Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice: Marge Easley / Sharron Noon • Education: Jean Pierce / Stephanie Engle • Equal Rights for All Ballot Measure: Jean Pierce Kyra Aguon • Gender-Related Concerns, Reproductive Health, Age Discrimination: Trish Garner • Gun Safety & Gun Issues, Rights for Incarcerated People: Marge Easley • Hate and Bias Crimes: Claudia Keith/ Becky Gladstone /rhyen enger • Health Care: Christa Danielsen • Housing: Debbie Aiona and Nancy Donovan Note: Education reports after January, 2024, are included in Social policy reports. Education reports prior to February, 2024, can be found HERE . Please see the Legislation Tracker for 2025 Social Policy bills . Jump to topic: Afterschool and Summer School Criminal Justice Gun Safety Healthcare Educatio n Housing Legislation Afterschool and Summer School, Child Care By Katie Riley During the November Legislative Days hearings, The Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education held informational briefings on early learning as well as education regarding costs, performance considerations, and proposed cuts due to the pending loss of $880 million in federal funds. Child Care: In response to the Governor’s request to outline potential budget cuts of 5% and 2.5 %, the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) recommended that no cuts be made to the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program and the Early Learning Parent Education program at the 2.5% level. Overall, recommendations showed potential cuts to administrative functions prior to programs. Programs with Reductions at 2.5% and 5.0% Scenarios 21.0M $2.4M $36.7M These are listed in prioritized order for reductions, and most are not targeted for a full 2.5% for the first scenario. Other Early Learning Grants Child Care Supports Early Learning Hubs Early Learning Professional Development Early Learning Program Supports Oregon Prenatal to Kindergarten 5 Preschool Promise Health Families Oregon Relief Nurseries Early Childhood Equity Fund Programs Held Harmless for both 2.5% and 5% reductions Baby Promise Birth to Five Literacy Kindergarten Partnership Innovation Tribal Early Learning Plan & Fund (Early Learning Tribal Hub) Every Child Belongs (Mental Health & Behavior Supports) No decisions were made on reductions. Long-term effects, alternative funding sources, reserves, and income potential will all be considered. On the plus side, a report from Jessica LaBerge on 11-18-25 representing the Eastern Oregon Childcare Business Accelerator for the Southern Oregon Regional Solutions Exchange reported that the business accelerator has started its first cohort of 13 potential childcare providers across Eastern Oregon. This program will help provide childcare businesses with small business advising, childcare educational credits, curriculum support and ongoing assistance with the business side of childcare. The goal is for the participants to be fully licensed and opening their own childcare business to provide additional capacity for Eastern Oregon communities. She is hoping to find additional funding to start a Spanish speaking cohort and additional cohorts in the future. Afterschool Care New data on the demand and need for afterschool care was included in the report, America After 3 pm , published by the Afterschool Alliance, October 2025 Citing the most recent survey of over 30,000 parents nationwide, the Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant said “Families at all income levels want afterschool opportunities and those with resources invest heavily in afterschool programs and activities. But it’s concerning that, after adjusting for inflation, afterschool spending by families in the lowest income bracket has decreased since 2020, while spending by families in the highest income bracket has grown, exacerbating inequities. Afterschool programs give students a safe place to go after the school day ends, boost their academic achievement, help address the youth mental health and chronic absenteeism crises, provide alternatives to screen time, give working parents peace of mind that their children are safe and supervised, and more. Our country will be stronger and more successful when all children can take advantage of what afterschool programs offer – but, sadly, this study shows we’re nowhere near reaching that goal. We need greater support from federal, state, and local governments, businesses, and philanthropy. Every child deserves access to a quality afterschool program.” Oregon data shows that parents of 331,262 children want afterschool programs but 5 out of 6 children are not able to participate due to availability, access (location and transportation), and cost, the largest factor. “In Oregon, the demand for afterschool programs is incredibly high. Parents value the benefits afterschool programs provide for young people—keeping them safe, helping build life skills, and getting them excited about learning. They say that afterschool programs help them keep their jobs and provide peace of mind. Still, just a fraction of Oregon families who want afterschool programs have them…Overwhelmingly, Oregon parents are in favor of public funding for afterschool programs.” Recent surveys confirm this: 2025 89% 2020 90% 2014 83% 2009 79% Support for public funding is high across the political spectrum in Oregon Democrats 92% Independents 94% Republicans 81% However, currently, no public funding is available from the state specifically for afterschool care. Funds from the Student Success Act can be used for that purpose, but most school districts use that funding for teachers and counselors. Public funding is available for afterschool programs in some cities, e.g. Portland, Hillsboro. Summer care: The appropriation for summer school that was funded in the 2025 legislative session is probably not in danger of being cut because the appropriation was made into a special fund outside the general fund. Funding is still available for summer 2026 and 2027. These funds are designated to school districts for summer literacy and although there is a mandate to involve at least one community-based organization, the requirement does not include after school hours care. Criminal Justice By Marge Easley The Senate Judiciary hearing on November 17 provided an update on wrongful conviction legislation, SB 1584 (2022), and the need to pass additional legislation to ensure a more effective and timely compensation process for those who have been wrongly convicted. The 2025 Oregon Justice for Exonerees Act (SB 1007) failed to make it out of session. The Innocence Project and the Forensic Justice Project will also push for fixing gaps in current law that have allowed convictions based on flawed and outdated forensic science, including hair comparisons, bite mark analysis, and comparative bullet lead analysis. Education By Jean Pierce In the coming session, school funding will be a major concern. On November 19, Legislators heard a report from LPRO and LFO staff outlining deficiencies of the Quality Education Model used to determine equitable funding. This is an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed. In addition, education agencies were not immune from the request to identify potential spending cuts. Their proposals are outlined below. However. public school administrators are urging lawmakers to allocate money from the $1.2 billion education stability fund to meet the current budget emergency. K-12 Education The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) used the following guiding principles when they decided where to make cuts: Protect student-centered supports Maintain statutory compliance Preserve organizational stability Limit disruption to districts and classrooms Establish programs to hold harmless ODE is proposing partial reductions in General Funding to some programs, including Every Day Matters, which addresses barriers to attendance Career and technical Education grants and career pathways ·High School Success Further, ODE is proposing State School Fund cuts to 10 th Grade Assessment Educator Advancement Fund English Language Learners Health Schools Fund Local Option Equalization Menstrual Products Speech Pathologist Talented and Gifted Members of the Ways and Means subcommittee expressed concerns particularly about the potential loss of the Educator Advancement Fund (EAF). The EAF provides professional development, mentorship, and Grow Your Own programs for teachers. This would mean less support for teachers who are charged with implementing the recently-approved science of reading curriculum. The Grow Your Own program recruits teachers from local communities, particularly minorities. Higher Education Proposing cuts to higher education funding comes at a particularly challenging time for colleges and universities which are experiencing cuts to research and other programs from the federal government. When the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) shared their proposals for 2.5% cuts, they noted that the cuts would result in hundreds of eliminated positions, including full-time faculty and administrators. They reported using these criteria for cuts: There would be minimal impact on support for the most vulnerable students. Other programs could continue to support the affected populations. Targeted programs were new or had received a large funding increase in the past four years. Merging or consolidating programs could increase administrative efficiency. The proposal includes cuts to The HECC agency Workforce development grants Career pathways funding for community colleges Childcare grant for student parents would no longer support new students Oregon Promise would no longer support new students The proposed cuts to the HECC budget would cause universities to increase tuition by close to 7% and community colleges to increase tuition by 10%, making higher education unaffordable for a number of students. Gun Safety By Marge Easley Supporters of Measure 114, including the League, will be pushing for the passage of a bill in the upcoming session to provide implementation details and technical fixes for Measure 114, the 2022 measure that requires a permit to purchase a firearm and bans high-capacity magazines. It has been under court review since that time. The Oregon Supreme Court hearing on its constitutionality occurred on November 6, and it most likely will take several months for the ruling to come down. Last session SB 243 set the date of March 15, 2026, for implementation of Measure 114 with the condition that the Oregon Supreme Court decides in its favor. The Christmas Tree bill also allocated over $14 million to the Oregon State Police to help cover implementation costs. Healthcare By Christa Danielson Legislative meetings held last week focused on how we are going to continue to provide our current level of services for Medicaid and SNAP in light of HR.1. Speaker of the House Julie Fahey reported cuts in the Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) budgets of up to 15 billion in future years for Oregonians. In light of this, the legislators are looking at funding sources such as decoupling some taxes from the federal budget or using the reserve fund. There is also a task force convened by the governor to consider how to sustain Medicaid benefits. The system is already straining in light of new work requirements, eligibility checks and budgeting for a possible revenue shortfall from the state, i.e. the hospital tax. Enhanced premium tax credits are due to expire at the end of 2025. They were set up during Covid via the American Rescue Plan. Some families will have to pay double what they pay now for health insurance. Average premiums could increase by 12-25 %. Housing By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona Interim committees are meeting to prepare for the upcoming legislative session. They are studying policy issues, learning from invited leaders, and considering recommendations for potential legislation. Recently, the Senate and House housing committees invited agency leaders to speak on a range of housing issues as reported below. Presentations to the Senate Committee on Housing and Development, November 17, 2025 Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) Executive Director Andrea Bell presented information on the impact of federal funding and policies on Oregon. The state received a little over $530 million from the federal government for housing production and services for people accessing housing and homeless programs. That amount represents about 15 percent of the state’s housing resources. Congress has not yet finalized the Housing and Urban Development budget. OHCS serves as a pass through for federal dollars to local jurisdictions and non-profit providers. Inclusionary Zoning Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) promotes mixed income housing developments by requiring developers to include affordable units in their housing projects. The policy was banned by the Legislature in 1999. They relegalized it in 2016 (SB 1533) and required developers to include a percentage of units affordable to households at 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI). It does not apply to buildings with fewer than 20 units. LWVOR supported the 2016 legislation. Portland is the only city in Oregon that implemented IZ. It was fully funded for projects in the central city and underfunded for projects in surrounding neighborhoods. Underfunding led to developers creating projects with just under 20 units in order to avoid the IZ requirements. Portland recently revisited its policy and fully funded the IZ program throughout the city. It prioritized development of 60 percent AMI units in higher priced neighborhoods. In the first six months, 20 projects opted in to the program, fewer developers are proposing projects with fewer than 20 units. Regular check ins are essential. A Habitat for Humanity representative presented information on the potential for applying IZ to affordable homeownership in condominium projects. Presentations to the House Interim Committee on Housing and Homelessness met on November 18 Andrea Bell, Executive Director of Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS), began by saying her agency is tracking the evolving federal landscape on housing and homeless service programs. During the shutdown a majority of federal funds awarded to OHCS were accessible and obligated during the shutdown. When the furlough affected federal staff, some projects were on pause, such as contracts and project certifications. FY 2025 funding levels were sustained for the agency. Oregon is working, although homeless numbers continue to grow. The importance of a full continuum of services is essential to keep the system viable. New homelessness is largely economically driven, a problem that is decades in the making and will take time and effort to remedy. Jimmy Jones, Executive Director of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency in Salem, presented information to both the House and Senate committees. He explained that his agency focuses on reducing poverty, including housing assistance, child care and youth programs, and offers support for those experiencing homelessness. He commented on the history of federal homeless housing programs, and the importance of retaining the Continuum of Care program. He also highlighted “observables” in his presentation: 1) What we are doing in Oregon is working, 2) homeless numbers continue to grow, 3) observable 2 is not connected to observable 1, 4) a new wave of homelessness is largely driven by economics, 5) criminalization will fail, 6) we need full continuum of services and they are all interconnected, 7) the problem is decades in the making and will take time to solve. He is concerned about the July 2025 Executive Order issued by the White House on homelessness and related topics. It seeks to encourage civil commitment of individuals with mental illness who pose risks to themselves or the public or are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves in appropriate facilities for periods of time. In the past, homeless individuals were expected to work their way through a stair step into permanent housing. More recently policies have prioritized Housing First and harm reduction that do not require working through specific steps to qualify for housing, but instead place clients into housing and then provide services and support. The Trump administration will fund the older failed approach to addressing homelessness. It will focus on criminalizing homelessness, reducing funding for permanent supportive housing, incentivizing treatment first and transitional housing. It will shift funds to faith-based providers, require cooperation with immigration enforcement, and disallow racial and transgender preference policies. States will need to re-compete for federal funding grants. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED : What is your passion related to Social Policy? You can help. Volunteers are needed. We particularly need help tracking legislation concerning Criminal justice Hate and bias crimes Juvenile justice Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Governance , and Natural Resources , and Revenue report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Social Policy Team Coordinator: Jean Pierce • After School and Summer Care: Katie Riley • Behavioral Health: Trish Garner • Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice: Marge Easley / Sharron Noon • Education: Jean Pierce / Stephanie Engle • Equal Rights for All Ballot Measure: Jean Pierce Kyra Aguon • Gender-Related Concerns, Reproductive Health, Age Discrimination: Trish Garner • Gun Safety & Gun Issues, Rights for Incarcerated People: Marge Easley • Hate and Bias Crimes: Claudia Keith/ Becky Gladstone /rhyen enger • Health Care: Christa Danielsen • Housing: Debbie Aiona and Nancy Donovan Note: Education reports after January, 2024, are included in Social policy reports. Education reports prior to February, 2024, can be found HERE . Please see the Legislation Tracker for 2025 Social Policy bills . Jump to topic: Age-Related Issues Behavioral Health Education Gun Policy Healthcare Housing Legislation Immigration Age-Related Issues by Trish Garner SB 548 , a bill that sets age 18 as the minimum age for marriage, was unanimously passed by the House Judiciary Committee and now heads to the House for a vote. It has already been passed in the Senate. The League submitted testimony in support. HB 3187A , the workplace age discrimination bill, has passed the House and Senate and is heading to the Governor’s office for signature. The bill prohibits employers from asking for a date of birth or graduation date on job applications unless it is a job requirement or an offer of employment has already been made. LWVOR submitted testimony in support. Behavioral Health By Trish Garner HB 3835-A5 - A Public Hearing was held in the House Committee on Rules regarding this bill which is long (107 pages) and has undergone significant changes since first introduced. It currently attempts to address problems in providing care to children needing residential behavioral health treatment that have arisen as a result of prior legislation passed in 2021 ( SB 719 ). The Chief Sponsors of SB 219 included Senators Sarah Gelser-Blouin and James Manning, Jr. When initially filed, HB 3835 also related to school settings, but those provisions have been removed. HB 3835 arose from recommendations made by the legislatively mandated (2019) System of Care Advisory Council which is comprised of numerous stakeholders, including providers, agencies, youth, families, experts and others (See, SOCAC Bylaws, description) . Among other duties, SOCAC is charged with developing a long-term plan for Oregon’s behavioral health care. settings, including out-of-state placements of children. It notes that between 2021 and 2024 Oregon has seen a 41% reduction (from 90 to 53 facilities) in licensed residential facilities that can serve children and youth with behavioral or psychiatric treatment. Oregon has also lost more than half (from 31 to 14) of its programs that certify foster parents who provide specialized behavioral health treatment and support ( SOCAC testimony) . In sum, HB 3835 clarifies that trained staff at residential treatment facilities can intervene, restrain or seclude youth only if the behavior poses a reasonable risk of imminent “serious physical harm” to the child or others, including staff. The current standard is more restrictive and requires establishing whether the behavior is at a level to cause “severe bodily injury” before an intervention can take place. There are numerous provisions that relate to how and when abuse complaints can be brought against staff which can result in loss of a provider’s license. In addition, the bill allows for but adds rules for out-of-state residential treatment placement. These rules, for example, require a court to approve the placement, out-of-state providers must meet Oregon standards, representatives from ODHS and OHA must personally visit and approve the facilities, youth must be advised of their rights, and an in-person visit by ODHS must take place every 15 days while a child is in care. HB 3835 also establishes rules regarding licensed secure transport providers. Proponents of HB 3835 state that the current rules regarding the use of restraint and seclusion in residential child-care settings are so overbroad that any intervention to prevent suicide or assault must be reported and investigated as child abuse. These rules include, for example, that a child must be provided water and an opportunity to use the bathroom every 5 minutes. If a complaint is justified, even for minor violation of these rules, providers may be found to have committed child abuse and so lose their license. The duty to report all incidents to ODHS and OHA is burdensome to treatment facilities. Providers cannot work during the investigation period. As a result of this system, staff are unwilling to work in these settings lest they lose their licenses. Because of the current law many residential treatment centers no longer do business in Oregon, which in turn has resulted in too many of Oregon’s at-risk children waiting in emergency departments or hotels waiting to get the care they need. The Chief Sponsors of HB 3835 include Representatives Rob Nosse and Ed Diehl. Others in favor of passage include Oregon Division of Health Services: Child Division, Oregon Health Authority, Oregon Education Association, Trillium Family Services, Oregon Psychiatric Physicians Association, the Oregon Council of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, NAMI and others. Governor Kotek testified in strong support of this bill. She stated that it clarifies Oregon’s regulatory framework for child caring agencies, ensures safeguards, and guarantees access to care even across state lines when necessary. She stated that Oregon should work for a regulatory environment that protects children by preventing abuse in care while also providing clear guidance for people doing the care so they can do their jobs. Those opposed state that the bill would eliminate much needed protections for youth in care and place them at further risk. If enforcement through possible license termination is severely restricted or eliminated, compliance with rules regarding restraint and seclusion will be largely ignored. Regulations about in-person facility approval and visits while youth are in these facilities can also be delegated. The leading opponent of the bill is Senator Gelser-Blouin who also filed SB 1113 in this legislative Session. A Work Session in the Senate Committee on Human Services was held on that bill on April 3rd but under legislative rules the bill is no longer viable in this Session. Disability Rights Oregon, Our Children Oregon, parents and children also oppose HB 3835. If approved by the House Rules Committee, HB 3835 would be sent to Ways & Means for further consideration. Education By Jean Pierce Once again, the work session when the House Education committee would consider SB 1098 , the Freedom to Read bill, was postponed. Now it is scheduled for May 19. LWVOR provided testimony in support. HB 2586A has made it to the floor of the Senate. The bill would permit an asylum seeker who is a student at a public university to receive an exemption from nonresident tuition and fees. LWVOR filed testimony in support. Third reading was scheduled for May 15, but it has been carried over to May 19. Now that LWVOR has approved K-12 education positions for Assessment, Attracting and Retaining Well-Qualified Teachers, and Not Using Public Funds for Private Schools, we can report on the progress of the following bills. Our new positions permit us to support the first two and oppose the third. SB 141 directs school districts to administer and review interim assessments in math and language arts to measure student academic growth – in Ways and Means HB 3200 A Would require that a specific amount from the Fund for Student Success be allocated to the scholarship program for diverse teacher candidates – in Ways and Means. SJR 24 Would amend the constitution to establish “School Choice Accounts for non-public education – in Senate Rules since January. How Federal Actions are Affecting Education in Oregon Pell Grants Congress is currently deliberating a budget reconciliation bill that cuts $330 billion from the budget. If passed into law, the bill would make it harder for students with financial need to attend college by cutting financial aid in the following ways: Restricting Pell Grant eligibility, eliminating interest subsidies, and ending graduate PLUS loans Reducing protections against predatory schools, capping lifetime borrowing, and linking loan limits to the median cost of programs Currently, 77,275 Oregonians are receiving an average of $4,644 in Pell Grant funding. The Proposed changes could mean nearly two out of three recipients could lose some or all their federal grant aid and incur up to an additional cost of $7,400 for a bachelor’s degree and $3,700 for an associate degree. National School Voucher Program The budget reconciliation bill also contains a national school voucher program. On May 14 the US House Ways and Means Committee passed an amendment to the budget package which includes a $20 billion voucher program—$5 billion per year for four years. ( See p. 57-71 .) More details on the current version of this voucher bill are here: " Dangerous National Private School Voucher Program Included in House Budget Legislation ." It is smaller than previously proposed, and it has weak provisions requiring private schools to follow students' Individualized Education Programs. Like all voucher programs, this one would mostly subsidize families that already send their children to private schools, and, because the income limits are set so high, even families making more than $300K will be able to receive vouchers, with no limits on the size of the voucher. Moreover, because it is structured as a tax-credit scholarship program, it would also be a tax shelter for the wealthy , one that drastically changes the incentives for all charitable donations, by increasing the incentives for taxpayers to contribute to voucher-granting organizations instead of any other cause. Although the budget reconciliation bill was blocked this week by Republicans who do not believe it goes far enough in making cuts, it is expected to pass the House and the Senate, which is prohibited from filibustering that type of bill. Gun Policy By Marge Easley SB 243 A with the -9 amendment was heard in Senate Rules on May 12. The amended version still contains a ban on rapid fire devices and an expansion of the number of public areas where guns may be prohibited, but unfortunately much has been stripped from the original bill. This is largely because of fiscal impacts that would most likely endanger its passage, given the current budget crisis. No longer in the bill is an age restriction of 21 for gun ownership, a 72-hour wait period before the transfer of a firearm, and the ability of cities and counties to ban firearms in the adjacent grounds of certain public areas. The amended bill passed out of Senate Rules on May 14 on a party line vote of 3 to 2 and is now on the way to the Senate floor. The fate of several gun bills ( SB 1015 , HB 3075 A , and HB 3076 A ) that now sit in Ways and Means is still unknown, but the League concurs with other gun safety supporters on this important point: “The first and strongest argument when it comes to funding should always be that fewer deaths and injuries will save the public an average of $500,000 to $2 million per injury/death, which is much higher than the total funds for all of these bills combined.” (Based on calculations from Everytown for Gun Safety) Healthcare By Christa Danielson SB 951 A would stop Management Service Organizations from making patient care decisions. This will allow the medical professionals to decide what will be the best course of treatment for the patient. This bill received a Do Pass recommendation this week from the House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care. Housing By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona Steady progress has been made in addressing our state’s housing crisis by investing in affordable housing production and preservation. Now thousands of Oregonians have housing stability with affordable homes. Housing advocates are being encouraged to take action now by sending messages to members of the Oregon Legislature's Joint Subcommittee on Capital Construction, and top housing leaders in both the House and Senate, to invest in bond resources in the 2025-2027 state budget. Bills Passed by the House and Senate SB 814 A will be administered by Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) to expand eligibility criteria for the agency’s existing Long-Term Rent Assistance Program. Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) youth under the age of 25 would have an opportunity to access long-term rental assistance to help achieve a greater level of housing security. This measure also requires OHCS to consult with the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA), among other stakeholders. Youth assisted will be exiting a childcare center or a correctional facility. At least 14% of youth who were committed to OYA since October 2022 have already experienced some period of homelessness. Studies indicate that housing instability increases the risk for recidivism. This bill will assist youth by providing a safe and stable home so they can devote their attention to employment, education, and family. This bill passed the Senate and House on May 14. The League submitted testimony in support. SB 973 protects residents of publicly-supported housing by requiring notices from landlords when affordability restrictions are ending. This applies to tenants who are living in subsidized units, applicants, and new tenants. For existing tenants, the bill would extend the notice requirements from 20 to 30 months. It will require landlords to warn tenants that their housing will no longer be affordable. For applicants and new tenants who are entering into a new rental agreement, landlords of publicly-supported housing must provide written notice of when the affordability period will end, prior to charging a screening fee or entering into a new rental application. These tenant protections are critical to giving low-income Oregonians additional time to find stable housing they can afford. The Senate and House passed this bill on May 14. The League submitted testimony in support. Bills in Progress SB 5531 authorizes lottery bond revenue for affordable housing preservation, and infrastructure to support new housing production. There is widespread recognition of Oregon’s housing shortage, particularly for very low-income households. Thirty-six affordable housing properties in Oregon face foreclosure in the next two years. An additional 76 properties are operating at a monthly deficit due to unsustainable operating costs. Losing these homes will force even more Oregonians into homelessness or housing instability. Preservation is a cost-effective and efficient approach to address our housing crisis. Allocating $160 million for preservation of rental housing and $25 million to preserve manufactured housing parks is a sound investment. In addition, the $100 million Housing Infrastructure Fund will address one of the barriers to housing production—the lack of infrastructure needed to support development. This allocation is consistent with HB 3031 (also supported by LWVOR) that, if passed, would provide financial assistance through the Housing Infrastructure Fund for municipal infrastructure including transportation, water, wastewater, and stormwater facilities. The financial assistance program will result in affordable housing for families and individuals with very low, low, or moderate incomes. The Senate held a public hearing on May 9, and an informational hearing will be held on May 16. The League submitted testimony in support. HB 3054 would limit rent increases for homeowners in manufactured home parks and marinas and curtail other landlord practices that can threaten residents’ ability to stay in their homes. The bill passed the House and is scheduled for a work session on May 19 in the Senate Committee on Housing and Development. LWVOR submitted a letter in support. Did Not Pass HB 2735 would have raised the cap on the tax credit that funds the Individual Development Accounts program from $7.5 million/year to $16.5 million/year. The state matches participants’ savings up to 5–to-1 giving them the opportunity to put aside money for college, homeownership, or starting a business, among other things. The League submitted testimony supporting this bill. The House Revenue Committee held an informational meeting, but it did not advance to the Senate. Immigration By Becky Gladstone and Claudia Keith Highlights - News America closed: The refugee crisis at our front door - OPB: KLCC Trump administration brings 59 white South Africans to U.S ., says they’re persecuted refugees - Oregonlive.com 20 state AGs sue feds for tying transportation and disaster funding to immigration enforcement • Oregon Capital Chronicle Legislative Bulletin — Friday, May 16, 2025 - National Immigration Forum Oregon Legislature - BiPoc Press Releases Find below links to Oregon Legislature Bipoc caucus 2025 press releases. Many of the members are first or second generation immigrants. Statement from BIPOC Caucus on Revenue Forecast Statement from the BIPOC Caucus in Memory of Senator Aaron Woods Oregon BIPOC Caucus Decries U.S. Supreme Court Decision on Alien Enemies Act Oregon Senate Passes Fair Housing Protections BIPOC Caucus Co-Chairs, Senator Campos and Representative Ruiz, Advocate for Fair Housing for All BIPOC Caucus Announces 2025 Policy Priorities Click Scroll Bar on Bottom of Table to View All Columns Bill # Description Policy Committee Status Fiscal M$ Chief Sponsors+ Comments SB 149 Immigration Study JWM waiting for Fiscal Y Sen Jama -3 amendment SB 599A Immig status: discrimination in RealEstate transactions House Passed Both Chambers N Sen Campos WS 5/8 do pass SB 611 Food for All Oregonians - for undocumented JWM 8 Sen Campos Rep Ruiz amendment -1 SB 703 a bipartisan immigration status update funding bill JWM 6 Sen Reynolds, Rep Neron, Ruiz, Smith G Testimony HB 2548 Agricultural Workforce Labor Standards Board. H Rules PC: No recommen dation Rep Valderrama, Nelson , Munoz League Testimony HB 2976 funding for interpretation of indigenous languages. JWM 1.5 Rep Hartman HB2788 funding to nonprofits to assist w lawful permanent resident status / legal aid - HC ECHS - JWM dead Rep Neron, Ruiz, Sen Reynolds * likely end of session Reconcilation Bill HB 2586 A nonresident tuition exemption for asylum seekers. Sen RepHudson, SenCampos 5/7. WS do pass HB 2543 funds for universal representation and gives funds to Oregon State Bar for legal immigration matters HC Jud ? 15 Rep Valderrama, Sen Manning Jr, Rep Walters, Andersen, McLain, Sen Campos DAS - see sb 703 HB3193A Farm Worker Relief Fund JWM 10 Rep Marsh, SenPham, RepValderrama OHA HB 5002 JWM-GG ? 7 Das Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Governance , and Natural Resources , and Revenue report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Legislative Report - Week of 5/8 Social Policy Team Coordinator: Jean Pierce • After School and Summer Care: Katie Riley • Behavioral Health: Trish Garner • Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice: Marge Easley / Sharron Noon • Education: Jean Pierce / Stephanie Engle • Equal Rights for All Ballot Measure: Jean Pierce Kyra Aguon • Gender-Related Concerns, Reproductive Health, Age Discrimination: Trish Garner • Gun Safety & Gun Issues, Rights for Incarcerated People: Marge Easley • Hate and Bias Crimes: Claudia Keith/ Becky Gladstone /rhyen enger • Health Care: Christa Danielsen • Housing: Debbie Aiona and Nancy Donovan Jump to a topic: Housing Immigration, Refugee & other Basic Rights Housing By Debbie Aiona and Nancy Donovan Despite the controversy over sensitive bills and the walkout by Senate Republicans since last May 3, legislators continue to hold committee meetings with the intention of meeting their constitutional obligation to adjourn after 160 days, which is Sunday, June 25 at midnight. This past week many important housing bills were passed by both the Senate and House. SB 702 Adopts training for real estate appraisers and assistants : This bill requires inclusion of information on state and federal fair housing laws and implicit and racial bias in training for real estate appraiser certification. The League submitted testimony in support. On May 8 the House, on third reading, passed this legislation. SB 611 B Modifies the maximum allowable residential rent increase for designated units: This bill will change from 7% plus the September annual 12-month average change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), to the lesser of either 10%, or 7% plus the CPI. This will limit rent increases on tenancies (other than week-to-week tenancies) to not more than once in any 12-month period. This also applies to the rent increase limit to units from which a tenant was evicted. A May 4 work session was held by Senate Rules with a do pass. SB 599 A Allows tenants to operate home-based childcare: requires a landlord to allow a renter to use a dwelling unit for a family childcare home if it is certified or registered with the Office of Child Care. The landlord can require a tenant to pay for improvements necessary for certification and carry some form of liability coverage. House Early Childhood and Human Services held a May 8 work session and made a do pass recommendation. HB 3462 Emergency housing for all: This bill will extend access to emergency housing for all, regardless of immigration status, when the federal government declares a state of emergency in Oregon. Housing access would comply with the federal Fair Housing Act. Senate Housing and Development held a May 8 work session and made a do pass recommendation. HB 3042 Protections for residents of housing with expiring affordability contracts: will prohibit landlords from terminating a tenancy in the three years after the housing has been withdrawn from an affordability contract. It also would limit rent increases to no more than annually, and those increases could be no greater than what is allowed by law. Senate Housing and Development held a May 8 work session and made a do pass recommendation. HB 3151 Manufactured housing dispute resolution and tenant legal aid: prohibits landlords from requiring tenants to pay fees for improvements, pay system development charges, or cover the cost of repairs or improvements that cannot be removed when the tenant moves away. Senate Housing and Development held a May 8 work session and made a do pass recommendation. HB 2680 A Screening fees changes for rental applications: requires a landlord to refund screening fees within 30 days if the landlord fills the unit before screening the applicant or if the application is withdrawn before the screening takes place. If the landlord fails to return the fee, damages the applicant may recover range from $150 to $250 under the new legislation. Senate Housing and Development held a May 8 work session with a do pass recommendation. Immigration, Refugee & other Basic Rights By Claudia Keith Bills we are supporting or following: HB 2957 A in JW&Ms, -4 Staff Measure Summary . Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Fiscal. League Testimony . HB 3176 A : ‘Welcome and Reception’ program for immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, In JW&Ms with 9/1 vote. Staff Measure Summary . Public Hearing was March 8 . Fiscal . Bills moved from Policy Committee to JW&Ms: SB 627 : Funding for universal (legal) fees for non-documented individuals ($15M) Sen Lieber. In JW&Ms with a partisan vote. The League has supported this policy/funding category in the past. Fiscal Analysis . Bills of Interest or possible League support: SB 849 A Public Hearing 2/28 with -1 amendment . Preliminary SMS -1 :. Now in JW&Ms. Fiscal $20M grant fund. Requires professional licensing boards to provide culturally responsive training to specified staff members, publish guidance on pathways to professional authorization for internationally educated individuals and waive requirement for English proficiency examination for specified internationally educated individuals. Basic Needs SB 610 A : Now in JW&Ms. Establishes Food for All Oregonians Program within Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Fiscal , Staff Measure Summary . HB 2990 A : Now in JW&Ms. Resilience Hubs. Directs Oregon Health Authority to develop and implement grant programs to support resilience hubs and networks in Oregon. Fiscal Statement Other Bills SB 216 A 5/8 governor signed . Related to data collected by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), request of Governor Kate Brown. OHA set a goal of eliminating health disparities by 2030 including those based on race, ethnicity, language, or disability (REALD) and sexual orientation or gender identity (SOGI). HB 2905 : 5/9. work session, vote 5,0,0,2. Expands the list of individuals whose histories, contributions and perspectives are required to be included in social studies academic content standards and in related textbooks and instructional materials. In Senate Committee Awaiting transfer to the President’s Desk. SB 421 A Work session 3/30 moved to JW&Ms with 6/1 vote, establishes a youth advisory council. Prescribes youth standards advisory council membership and duties. ODE to establish a work group to establish member selection process. Staff Measure Summary , Fiscal SB 613 : Creates Commission for Indigenous Communities. In Senate Rules. SB 612 A Establishes Indigenous Language Justice $ 2.5M Fund . Requires nonprofit organization in this state to serve as fiscal agent to receive disbursement of moneys for purposes related to supporting Indigenous languages interpretation in this state. In JW&M. SB 911 Creates Commission for Original Peoples from South America, Central America and Mexico. Still In Senate Rules, WS was 3/28. fiscal Other Topics Oregon announces it will stockpile abortion drug – 4/20/23 - Oregon Capital Chronicle. The Washington legislature passed a bill related to this topic Governor Inslee administration submitted the request and drugs were purchased in March. Lawmakers briefed on WA plan to distribute abortion pill | The Seattle Times. Washington state purchases three-year suppl y of abortion pill | 4/4/23 - Reuters. LWVOR corresponded with Oregon Planned Parenthood on Apr 11 concerning this topic. LWVWA supported SB5768 . The Washington bill was posted 4/5 and signed by the governor 4/27.

Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Legislative Report - Week of 2/13 Social Policy Team Coordinator: Jean Pierce • After School and Summer Care: Katie Riley • Behavioral Health: Trish Garner • Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice: Marge Easley / Sharron Noon • Education: Jean Pierce / Stephanie Engle • Equal Rights for All Ballot Measure: Jean Pierce Kyra Aguon • Gender-Related Concerns, Reproductive Health, Age Discrimination: Trish Garner • Gun Safety & Gun Issues, Rights for Incarcerated People: Marge Easley • Hate and Bias Crimes: Claudia Keith/ Becky Gladstone /rhyen enger • Health Care: Christa Danielsen • Housing: Debbie Aiona and Nancy Donovan Housing Criminal Justice Gun Safety Immigration/Refugees and other Basic Rights Housing By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona Governor Kotek has underscored the need to address the state’s housing emergency, and the legislature is coalescing around bills to serve communities around the state in sheltering the unhoused, providing low- and extremely low-income housing, and serving those experiencing economic inequality. HB 2889 – Oregon Housing Needs Analysis in OHCS This bill proposes to locate the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis (OHNA) within Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) to advance comprehensive reforms to the state’s land use planning systems. The goal is to pave the way to increase housing production and enhance flexibility in housing choice and location. With state guidance, local communities must address disparities in housing outcomes with an emphasis on housing those most in need. This bill is moving forward in the Governor’s Recommended Budget for OHCS, as of February 6, 2023. LWVOR submitted testimony in support of this bill. HB 3010 – Mortgage Interest Deduction This bill would limit the mortgage interest deduction on personal income taxes available to high earners and on second homes. The resulting increase in state revenue would be deposited in a First-Time Home Buyer Account administered by Oregon Housing and Community Services. The bill calls for creation of a Task Force on First-Time Ownership that would report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature by Sept. 2024. The bill has been referred to the Housing and Homelessness subcommittee with a subsequent referral to Tax Expenditures. SB 611 – Reasonable Rent This bill would increase relocation assistance in landlord-based no fault evictions. In addition, it would limit annual rent increases to 3% plus consumer price index, or 8%, whichever is lower. It extends protections to tenants of all buildings more than 3 years-old. Buildings up to 15 years-old currently are exempt. SB 611 is a priority bill of the Housing Alliance, of which LWVOR is a member. On 1/15/2023, it was referred to Senate Housing and Development. HB 2001 – Oregon Housing and Community Services Governor’s Budget The House Committee on Housing and Homelessness has proposed an amendment to OHCS’s budget. Amendment-1 would require OHCS to study issues related to housing and report back to the Interim Committee of the Legislative Assembly related to housing by September 15, 2024. The amendment replaces the measure in six key areas summarized below. HB 2001-1 Proposed Amendment and Staff member document summary . · Homelessness Emergency . Declares homelessness as a statewide emergency in Oregon, and applies provisions of Executive Order 23-02, issued by the Governor on January 10, 2023, to the entire state. · Youth Homelessness . Expands the use of the Emergency Housing Account funds to include services and assistance to school-aged children or their families who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of experiencing homelessness. Allows the Housing and Community Services Department to award grants to organizations that provide evidence-based services for youth experiencing homelessness in underserved areas. · Termination of Residential Tenancy for Nonpayment . Extends, for residential tenancies, a 72-hour timeline for issuance of notice of intention to terminate a rental agreement based on nonpayment to 10 days and extends the 144-hour timeline to 13 days. · Modular Housing Funding . Allocates, for the biennium beginning July 1, 2023, $20 million in General Fund moneys to the Oregon Business Development Department to provide grants or loans to entities developing modular housing or related components, under advisement from a temporary advisory committee. Requires grant or loan recipients to prioritize, in order, disaster recovery, low-income, and middle- income housing construction. · Affordable Housing Predevelopment Grants. Allocates beginning July 1, 2023, $3 million in General Fund moneys to the Oregon Facilities Authority to provide financing or refinancing support for local governments or housing developers for infrastructure development and predevelopment costs for moderate income projects. A public hearing was held on February 14 by the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness. SB 599 - Child Care in Rental Homes This bill requires landlords to allow tenants to use their units for childcare purposes as long as the home is certified or registered with the Office of Child Care, the tenant has notified the landlord, and the home does not violate zoning regulations or an association’s governing documents. The childcare provider must carry liability insurance or parents must sign a liability waiver. Lack of access to childcare is a significant barrier for all parents, but particularly to women’s participation in the workforce. SB 599 removes one roadblock for tenants who provide childcare services in their homes. On 2/8/2023 the Housing and Development Committee recommended a do pass with amendments. On 2/14 it was carried over by unanimous consent. Criminal Justice By Marge Easley and Karen Nibler HB 3035 , which creates the crime of threatening a mass injury event, was heard in House Judiciary on February 13. The bill is the product of a work group convened by Rep. Courtney Neron in response to concerns about threats of violence in schools and other public settings. There is currently no law in Oregon that specifically addresses a threat of mass violence. If no loss of life occurs the crime would most likely be considered a lower-level Class B felony. This bill increases the penalty to a Class C felony, punishable by five years’ imprisonment, $125,000 fine, or both. The increased penalty allows for formal supervision and possible mental health treatment, firearm prohibition, and stricter release conditions. Juvenile offenders would be given special consideration and remain in the juvenile justice system. The League is also monitoring SB 763 , heard on February 14 in Senate Judiciary, which prohibits an employer, state agency, or licensing board to deny consideration to those who commit crimes as a juvenile. Senate Judiciary discussed SB 763 on access to juvenile records on February 14 and SB 519 on expunction of juvenile records on February 16. Both bills are in the revision process. SB 470 asks that the Oregon Health Authority request coverage of medical assistance to persons under 19 in juvenile detention facilities. The counties are responsible for medical care in county facilities, which can be very expensive. The Legislature passed SB 588 in 2017 to cover all kids below 300% of the federal poverty level, but there is an age gap under consideration. House Judiciary focused on crime victims and child advocacy centers last week. The Criminal Justice Commission and Department of Community Corrections were on this week. DOC reported a 28% decrease in law violations among the 21,000 adults on supervision in the community after the pandemic. HB 3194 granted short term transitional leave, 120 day early release, which has shown an improvement in recidivism rates. More information is available on the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission website. Public Safety W&Ms heard CJC reports on the Family Preservation Project at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. The CJC staff were optimistic about the positive effects on the women’s families. Gun Safety By Marge Easley A precedent-setting court ruling on February 15 regarding the status of two “Second Amendment Sanctuary” ordinances in Columbia County is receiving nationwide attention. The Oregon Appeals Court struck down the 2018 and 2020 ordinances, which had declared all state gun laws to be violations of the Second Amendment and would not be enforced. The ruling states that such ordinances are illegal, given that state law gives the Legislature the sole authority to regulate firearms. The League, along with many gun safety groups, have long awaited a ruling on the issue, which is sure to have repercussions across the country where these ordinances have been passed, including 16 Oregon counties. According to The Center Square , “as of June 2021 there were 1,930 counties protected by Second Amendment Sanctuary legislation at either the state or county level, representing 61% of 3,141 counties and county equivalents in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.” Immigration/Refugees and other Basic Rights By Claudia Keith Support – Public Hearing Scheduled HB 2957 : Financial assistance to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status recipients for specified purposes. (>7M$). A large portion of the source funding is Federal ARPA funds. Rep Ruiz, House EC&HS Public Hearing is 2/22 HB 3176 Requires Dept HS and Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement, to award contracts to organizations to provide support services to immigrants and refugees. Appropriates moneys from the General Fund. Directs Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement to convene representatives from state agencies, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders to coordinate policy recommendations. Representative Reynolds, Senator Jama, House ECHS then JW&M. Public Hearing 2/22 Bills moved from Policy Committee to JW&Ms: SB 627 : Funding for universal (legal) fees for non-documented individuals (15M$) Sen Lieber. Passed out of Sen Judiciary, DO Pass, Feb 7, sent to JW&Ms. The League has supported this policy / funding category in the past. Bills of Interest or possible League support: (Bills that have been posted to OLIS that may move forward via a committee public hearing. – an Incomplete list) Basic Needs SB 610 : Establishes Food for All Oregonians Program within Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (snap), unclear what the funding ask may be. Chief sponsors: Senator Campos, Representative Ruiz, Senator Manning Jr, Gorsek, Representative Bowman, Dexter, Gamba . Sen Human Services then to JW&M. May replace the ‘Workers Relief Fund’ . ‘Oregon Worker Relief measures impact in infrastructure’| Statesman Journal. SB 856 Establishes COFA Food Assistance Program to provide nutrition assistance to COFA citizens who would qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits but for their immigration status and who have incomes at or below federal poverty guidelines. Legislative Counsel has not adopted standards for drafting measures that establish exemptions from disclosure of public records. Chief Sponsor: Senator Meek, Patterson, Hansell. Posted to OLIS 2/7/23 Immigration SB 185 Requires the Department of Justice to study immigration in this state; may include legislation recommendations to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly no later than September 15, 2024. Requested by Attorney General Rosenblum. In Sen Judiciary. Sunsets January 2, 2025. SB 603 : Establishes People's Housing Assistance Fund Demonstration Program, administered by Dept Human Services, to provide 12 monthly payments of $1,000 to individuals who are experiencing homelessness, are at risk of homelessness, are severely rent burdened or earn at or below 60% of area median income. (Includes immigrant, and refugee status.) Starts with a PSU $250K study. A potential $500M program. Rep Pham K and Senator Campos, Sen Cmt on Housing and Dev, then JW&M. SB 849 requires professional licensing boards to provide culturally responsive training to specified staff members, publish guidance on pathways to professional authorization for internationally educated individuals and waive requirement for English proficiency examination for specified internationally educated individuals…. Sen L&B. Senator Jama, Dembrow, Frederick, Campos, Manning Jr, Woods, Representative Chaichi, Nguyen H . Other SB 613 : Creates Commission for Indigenous Communities. SB 216 Related to data collected by OHA. (Request of Governor Kate Brown for OHA).The Oregon Health Authority set a goal of eliminating health disparities by 2030 including those based on race, ethnicity, language, or disability (REALD) and sexual orientation or gender identity (SOGI). Sen HC, 2/8 Work Session carried over. No fiscal impact identified. 2/15 with amendment carried over . HB 2458 : Prohibits conversion therapy. Public Hearing 2/24

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 3/6 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone and Chris Cobey Artificial Intelligence: Lindsey Washburn Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill Conflicts of Interest/Legislative Ethics: Chris Cobey CEI - Critical Energy Infrastructure : Nikki Mandell and Laura Rogers Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone Election Systems: Barbara Klein Emergency Preparedness: Cate Arnold Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum: Claudia Keith Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey State Audit Working Group: Sheila Golden Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley Campaign Finance Redistricting Election Methods Cybersecurity Rights of Incarcerated People By Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator, and Team Campaign Finance No bills on campaign finance have yet been scheduled for a hearing. However, the Oregonian has published a good article explaining that Oregon Democrats say they’re serious about capping political donations, but their proposals include loopholes . Redistricting There has been no movement on redistricting in the legislature. People Not Politicians has started collecting signatures on IP 19 petitions downloadable from its website. Election Methods By Barbara Klein A Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) bill is scheduled for a hearing, currently planned for March 16 in House Rules. The bill, HB 2004, is sponsored by Rep Rayfield, Fahey, Reynolds, Marsh, Senator Sollman; and regular sponsors Rep. Pham K, Senator Dembrow and Golden. Based on LWVOR positions supporting RCV, the League has decided to endorse this bill (and allowed the use of our logo). LWVOR is represented on the steering committee for HB 2004 led by the Coalition of Communities of Color and Oregon RCV. We have encouraged members (as individuals) to write their legislators in support. Regarding the cost of implementing RCV in Oregon, transitioning to a new system will incur modest costs (for instance updating voting equipment, software and voter education). Supporters point to the advantage that in the 2021 Regular Session, SB 5538 allocated $2 million for grants to counties to modernize their election offices, technology and equipment (including updating voting machines and purchasing new processing equipment). If there are situations in which RCV eliminates the current need for a runoff in non-partisan elections, it will actually save money (and time) on taxpayer-funded elections. Cybersecurity and Public Records By Rebecca Gladstone Two major bills passing unanimously in 2022 committees, failing to progress, are moving in 2023. SB 619, for Consumer Data Privacy had a public hearing and the cyber bill, HB 2049 , is in W&Ms. Public records, judiciary, and privacy bills are moving. SB 619 : This major bill, a comprehensive protection of consumers’ personal data, had a March 7 public hearing. We encourage you to see the ( video ). LWVOR strongly supports ( our testimony ), based on our privacy and cybersecurity work . We particularly agree with Section 1 (6) (b) Consent: “The consumer’s inaction does not constitute consent.” This protects consumer data privacy rights and holds those who control and process the data responsible. Critical consumer protections include: · Right to KNOW what’s being collected · Right to Correct inaccuracies · Right to opt-out · Heightened opt-in requirements for sensitive information · Special protections for children, adding ages 13-15 HB 2052 : The data broker registry bill, which we also support ( League testimony ) relates to SB 619 and it has been sent by the Speaker to JW&Ms. HB 2112 A : This public records bill updates technical and inclusive terms, particularly for our tribes. Rules were suspended for this bill passing unanimously from the House after passing unanimously from House Rules, for a public hearing in Senate Rules, March 7. The League supports ( our testimony ). HB 2490 : This bill had a public hearing on March 9 to address Oregon’s growing cybersecurity vulnerability, by protecting our defense plans, devices, and systems from public disclosure, also echoing our call to balance public records disclosure transparency and privacy. This warrants citing the League position to promote maximum protection of public health, safety, and the environment. Defending our critical infrastructures is at stake. The League supports ( our testimony ). HB 5032 will fund the PRAC (Public Records Advisory Council) and Advocate. See League testimony in support, citing League work since 1993 and linking to our public records advocacy in 2017 and 2020. SB 417 : The public records request fee bill Task Force convening at Sen. Rules Chair Lieber’s request, has met twice, reviewing technicalities. We will probably meet a few more times before making amendment recommendations, to be inviting legislative counsel next time. See League testimony in support. SB 5512 , representing the Oregon Judicial Department budget, will have had a public hearing on March 9. The League testimony supports funding the cost of judicial services. The shortage of public defenders is dire, as covered earlier here. Chief Justice Wallace Carson, interviewed for our 2007 Overview of the Oregon Judiciary , encouraged us to work to improve pay for our judicial system workers. Fully funding these positions and supporting the system could solve our judicial labor shortage and improve many of Oregon’s judicial problems. This bill addresses costs of HB 2224, to increase juror pay, below. HB 2224 A : This bill, that would increase juror pay, passed uniformly with one excused vote from House Judiciary to JW&Ms by prior reference. See League testimony in support. HB 2049 A : This magnum opus cyber bill was sent to W&Ms by the Speaker last week. See League testimony in support. Rights of Incarcerated People By Marge Easley SB 579 , which restores the right to vote for over 13,000 incarcerated adults in Oregon, is on track to pass out of Senate Judiciary on March 9, with a subsequent referral to Ways and Means. This is the third try to pass this legislation, and although Republicans are united in their opposition, there is optimism that this time an even broader coalition of supporters under the umbrella of Guaranteeing the Right to Vote will achieve success. Endorsers include Oregon Justice Resource Center, ACLU of Oregon, Next Up Oregon, The Sentencing Project, the League of Women Voters of Oregon, and over 45 other organizations and individuals. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED. Worthy causes go unaddressed for lack of League volunteers. If you see a need and can offer your expertise, please contact our staff at lwvor@lwvor.org .

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 5/22 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone and Chris Cobey Artificial Intelligence: Lindsey Washburn Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill Conflicts of Interest/Legislative Ethics: Chris Cobey CEI - Critical Energy Infrastructure : Nikki Mandell and Laura Rogers Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone Election Systems: Barbara Klein Emergency Preparedness: Cate Arnold Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum: Claudia Keith Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey State Audit Working Group: Sheila Golden Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley Jump to a topic: Campaign Finance Redistricting Cybersecurity and Legislative Delays Rights of Incarcerated People Ethics Issues Election Methods By Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator, and Team Campaign Finance No bills on campaign finance have yet been scheduled for a hearing and are unlikely to be scheduled considering the walkout in the Senate. For campaign finance reform, the League wants true reform without loopholes for large special interest organizations. Redistricting People Not Politicians has started collecting signatures on IP 14 petitions downloadable from its website. Thousands of signatures have been collected, but more donations are needed. Cybersecurity and Legislative Delays By Rebecca Gladstone Sine die is technically imminent as the Speaker invoked House Rule 8.15(6) and the Senate President, Senate Rule 8.16 on May 23, a full month before the projected final session date, June 25. This reduces the 72-hour advance public hearing notice and 48 hours for all other meetings to 24-hours. It is hard to know what we can effectively influence with no news of the Senate walkout abating. We are standing by, watching carefully. Please contact your State Senator and Representative to encourage them to support these bills for cybersecurity and election software updates ( outdated software is a security risk) : HB 2490 : This cyber omnibus bill awaits second and third Senate floor readings, scheduled and subject to change. The League urges maximum protection of public health, safety, and the environment. Defending our critical infrastructures is at stake ( our testimony ). SB 167 includes election software updates. Outdated software is a cybersecurity risk. See our testimony in support, 2023 and 2019: “These aging computer programs are like the roof starting to leak. We see evidence of strain and do not want to wait further to begin remedial work from scratch in 2021” - League testimony , HB 2234 (2019). HB 2052 : This Attorney General’s Data Broker bill was assigned to W&Ms Transportation and Economic Development on May 22. League testimony in support was filed before the current -7 amendments. We are also concerned that these cybersecurity bills stopped for lack of a Senate quorum. HB 2107 A was re- rescheduled for Senate floor reading on May 30, after passing in the House, 34 to 25. See earlier reports for this Oregon Health Authority extension of automatic voter registration. HB 2806 , relating to public meetings and cybersecurity, was re- rescheduled to May 30 and 31, with dates subject to change. See our testimony . HB 2049 : is not yet assigned to a W&Ms subcommittee, referred March 3 Do-Pass with amendments, A-Engrossed. See our testimony in support. HB 3127 : We are following this “TikTok” bill, relating to the security of state assets. Was re- rescheduled for May 30 & 31, dates subject to change. SB 619 A : This Attorney General’s Data Broker bill had a May 24 work session in W&Ms Public Safety, no vote published. It passed Sen. Judiciary April 3, went to W&Ms April 12, with Do Pass with amendments by prior reference. See our testimony . SB 1073 A was referred to W&Ms April 10, to establish a state Chief Privacy Officer (CPO). See our supportive testimony including related bills and the hearing video , details in previous reports. Not yet assigned to a subcommittee. __________________ SB 510 Enrolled : The Senate President has signed this Public Records Advocate and Council funding bill, after passing from the House floor May 23, 45 ayes, 1 excused, and the Senate floor April 17, 28 ayes, 1 excused. HB 2112 Enrolled is an updated public records law, with League support, see our testimony . SB 216 Enrolled : We are pleased to see enrollment of this bill to protect personal data in health care business with public agencies. CURRENT CYBER NEWS: Curry CO computer system ‘starting from scratch’ after ransomware attack , OPB, May 15, 2023 Oregon’s Curry CO determined to move forward after ransomware attack , OPB, May 19, 2023 Vermont Cybersecurity Council to Extend Protection Beyond State Gov , GovTech.com , May 15, 2023 Cyberattacks on City and Municipal Governments , Cyber Defense Magazine, May 17, 2023 Utah cyber audit finds shortfalls across state , Statescoop.com , May 19, 2023 Organizations reporting cyber resilience are hardly resilient: Study , CSO Online, May 18, 2023 Oregon leads $2.5 million multi-state settlement with EyeMed over data breach affected millions nationwide . KTVZ.Com May 17, 2023 A different kind of ransomware demand: Donate to charity to get your data back , Cyberscoop.com , May 18, 2023 Dallas says it 'will likely take weeks to get back to full functionality' after ransomware attack , City of Dallas, TX, The Record, May 18, 2023 Rights of Incarcerated People By Marge Easley Adults in custody will now be afforded more educational opportunities with the House passage of SB 270 Enrolled on May 23. The bill authorizes the Department of Corrections (DOC) to enter into agreements with any community college or post-secondary academic program to offer instruction to adults in custody, as long as enrollment is consistent with DOC administrative rules and federal Pell Grant regulations. Ethics Issues By Chris Cobey HB 2038 A : Requires statement of economic interest to include certain information about sources of income for business in which public official or candidate, or member of household of public official or candidate, is officer, holds directorship or does business under if source of income has legislative or administrative interest and 10 percent or more of total gross annual income of business comes from that source of income. Prohibits candidate or principal campaign committee of candidate from expending campaign moneys for professional services rendered by certain businesses required to be listed on candidate's statement of economic interest. Creates exceptions. 5/23: House Rules work session scheduled. SB 168 B : Expressly prohibits public employees, while on job during working hours or while otherwise working in official capacity, from promoting or opposing appointment, nomination or election of public officials. 5/19: From House Rules work session 5/18; recommendation: Do Pass with amendments and be printed B-engrossed; 5/22: House second reading. SB 661 Enrolled : Prohibits any lobbyist from serving as chairperson of interim committees, or certain legislative work groups, or legislative task forces. Provides exceptions. 5/16: Passed House, 57-0-2-1; 5/18: Awaiting Governor’s signature.. Election Methods By Barbara Klein HB 2004 A (a Ranked Choice Voting bill) was scheduled for the 3 rd reading and voted on by the House members on May 23, 2023. The bill passed (35 yea, 25 nay), and was sent to the Senate. The details of the -2 amendment were summarized in the governance area of the previous LWVOR Legislative Report. The RCV coalition supporting HB 2004 A met with members and leadership of the Oregon Association of County Clerks on May 24. LWVOR took part in that meeting with praise for the clerks, and recognizing our shared interests in protecting the vote. LWVOR shared with the clerks our view that the RCV system protects the voice of voters in several ways. As Sine Die was declared imminent, and a walkout of Senate members continuing, it is unclear (but doubtful) if the bill will be voted on in this session. More input from the clerks was sought in consideration of a short-session bill early next year. Briefly discussed was the RCV initiative, IP 27 , which would expand the provisions and offices covered by the current bill above. Since our previous report, IP 26 (constitutional amendment by All Oregon Votes) received a certified title , “Amends Constitution: Changes election processes. All voters/candidates for certain partisan offices participate in same nomination procedure.” (This is similar to the certified ballot title for IP 16, which All Oregon Votes appealed to the Supreme Court, but which the Court approved without change. IP 16 is not yet listed as withdrawn. There is nothing further to report on two additional election reform ballot initiatives: IP 11 (measure on statewide STAR -Score Then Automatic Runoff voting) and IP 19 , from Oregon Election Reform Coalition (which is a Final Five Open Primary, using RCV or STAR in the general). LWVOR supports IP 19, now by way of a new League position on Open Primaries adopted by concurrence at our May 2023 convention. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED. Worthy causes go unaddressed for lack of League volunteers. If you see a need and can offer your expertise, please contact our staff at lwvor@lwvor.org .

Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Social Policy Team Coordinator: Jean Pierce • After School and Summer Care: Katie Riley • Behavioral Health: Trish Garner • Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice: Marge Easley / Sharron Noon • Education: Jean Pierce / Stephanie Engle • Equal Rights for All Ballot Measure: Jean Pierce Kyra Aguon • Gender-Related Concerns, Reproductive Health, Age Discrimination: Trish Garner • Gun Safety & Gun Issues, Rights for Incarcerated People: Marge Easley • Hate and Bias Crimes: Claudia Keith/ Becky Gladstone /rhyen enger • Health Care: Christa Danielsen • Housing: Debbie Aiona and Nancy Donovan Note: Education reports after January, 2024, are included in Social policy reports. Education reports prior to February, 2024, can be found HERE . Please see the Legislation Tracker for 2025 Social Policy bills . Jump to topic: Age-Related Behavioral Health Child Care Education Gun Policy Healthcare Housing Legislation Immigration Age-Related By Trish Garner After a number of attempts over the last six years, a bill addressing workplace age discrimination, HB 3187 , finally passed. The League wrote testimony in support of the original bill. The bill prohibits employers from asking for a date of birth or graduation date on job applications unless it is a job requirement or an offer of employment has already been made. While a move forward, the enrolled bill also struck key provisions contained in the bill as originally filed. These were the provisions that caused the bill to be filed in the first place, but the passage of HB 3187 reflects some progress. The problem that HB 3187 initially sought to address arose from courts’ interpretations of discrimination “based on age.” This language had been construed so narrowly that all employers needed to do was to point to one other reason for an action unfavorable to its employees and they would thereby avoid liability - even if age was a factor in their decision. The first version of HB 3187 sought to address this problem by clarifying that discrimination “based on age” can include factors such as salary, length of employment service, or retirement or pension eligibility or status. HB 3497 received a “do pass” recommendation from the Early Childhood and Human Services Committee but it remained in the Ways & Means Committee upon adjournment, so it did not pass. It sought to require 14-plus State agencies to consider the effects of their actions on older adult populations. The bill also sought to establish the Shared Future Oregon Task Force which would be directed to develop a multisector plan for aging that provided a comprehensive framework comprised of Oregon state government, local governments, private and nonprofit entities and philanthropic organizations in order to implement coordinated statewide strategies and partnerships which promote healthy aging and intergenerational connections and prepare for the growth of Oregon’s older population. SB 548 establishes 18 as the minimum age for marriage. It passed the Senate with only one “nay” vote (Senator Noah Robinson) and the House passed it with two “nay” votes (Representatives Jami Cate and Darin Harbick). It was signed into law by Governor Kotek and is effective January 1, 2026. LWVOR submitted testimony in support. Behavioral Health By Trish Garner While the legislative results of the 2025 Session may not have lived up to all expectations, there were significant advances in behavioral health, and in particular to serious mental and behavioral health challenges. The immediate impetus for these actions stemmed from the ongoing challenge of providing residential or involuntary mental health services. The evidence for this situation seems to be clear. At least one of the major causes for this bottleneck stems from significant overcrowding in the Oregon State Hospital and the fact that approximately 95% of these individuals are there because they were found by a court not able to “aid and assist” in their defense of criminal charges. With the OSH full of “aid and assist” patients, there was no room for other individuals needing residential mental health services. Added to this mix were problems associated with Oregon’s law regarding civil commitment or involuntary treatment. As a result of several court decisions, the standards for commitment were unclear. This situation led Oregon courts to require a significant degree of acuity before authorizing commitment. Two bills were filed at the outset of the Session which were designed to deal with these issues. HB 2481 was directed to the unable to “aid and assist” situation and HB 2467 related to civil or involuntary commitment. As the Session moved closer to a conclusion, neither bill had passed. A very strong objection to HB 2481 had come from District Attorneys and criminal defense attorneys who objected to the very specific time limits that HB 2481 prescribed for the amount of time defendants could be hospitalized or participate in community restoration services in order to restore their fitness to proceed. For example, a defendant charged with a felony other than a violent felony could be committed for a maximum 6-12 months and remain in community restoration for 6-18 months. The attorneys claimed that these limits were unrealistic. Into this mix (June 6, 2025) came a ruling in Oregon Advocacy Center v. Mink , a federal case addressing overcrowding in the Oregon State Hospital. The judge in the Mink court held that Oregon was in contempt for its failure to comply with a previously issued injunction that “aid and assist” defendants must be hospitalized within 7 days of their being determined unable to aid and assist. Because Oregon was (and continues to be) significantly out of compliance with this order, it was held in contempt of court and faced significant fines amounting to $500.00 per person per day that an “aid and assist” individual stayed in jail beyond the 7-day maximum. (See OR Adv Center v Mink ). HB 2005 Enrolled combined the provisions of HB 2467 and HB 2481 into one omnibus bill. Although speculation, it would seem apparent that there was support for changes to the civil commitment laws but less support to pass the “aid and assist” portion of the bill. Judge Mink’s contempt order increased the pressure to pass the “aid and assist” bill over and above the DA and defense attorneys’ objections, and thus the bills were combined. District and defense attorneys remain quite concerned about the impact of HB 2005. In dealing with civil commitment, HB 2005 provides that individuals can be civilly committed based on whether they are dangerous to self, dangerous to others, are unable to meet essential needs or have a chronic mental disorder. It also details specific factors courts “shall” and “may” consider in making these determinations. The bill acknowledges the importance of anosognosia which impairs one’s ability to recognize they have a mental illness, making them unlikely to seek or comply with treatment. HB 2005 also redefines the previous legal standard which required that a danger to self or others be “imminent,” to a reasonable foreseeability that a danger exists “in the near future.” This language gives more flexibility to judges making these determinations. The bill also provides that dangerousness to self requires that a person engage in or threaten to engage in behavior that is likely to result in serious physical harm, while the “danger to others” standard uses similar language but omits the word “serious.” HB 2481’s contribution to HB 2005 is an itemization of factors that courts may consider when determining whether defendants are mentally competent to proceed, or “aid and assist” in their defense. These include, for example, prior evaluations, evidence of a prior diagnosis by a certified evaluator or qualified mental health practitioner, prior commitments, and/or the defendant’s conduct as observed in court. It also requires courts to appoint counsel for these defendants and if the defendant is unable to afford counsel, the court will appoint one at state expense. HB 2005 also places time limits for involuntary commitments depending on the nature of the crime and its interface with community treatment. The Judicial Department is also mandated to study the interactions between the state and tribal entities regarding behavioral health treatment and the involuntary commitment procedures in these communities. Appropriations to the Oregon Health Authority in the amount of $5,400,000 were authorized for payments to community mental health programs regarding civil commitments and $1,100,000 to the OR Public Defense Commission to provide public defense to financially eligible persons . Other Behavioral Health Bills which Passed HB 2015 focused on the many regulatory barriers to building and operating secure residential treatment facilities and homes. On the surface HB 2015 appears to be a study bill but while it was not prescriptive about what OYA needs to do to find solutions for these barriers, it directs OYA to find them. For example, Trillium Family Services is Oregon’s sole provider of a full continuum of mental health services for youth aged 5 – 24 and has a staff of 685 employees. According to current regulations such a facility must be licensed with and provide services and documentation as both a child caring agency and an adult residential treatment provider. These processes are time consuming and take away from the provision of treatment. Another example relates to nurse staffing. Current OHA rules provide that these facilities must have one nurse on site at all times, and not just on-call, which is particularly challenging for non-urban settings. OYA also currently requires a facility to be fully licensed before it can accept patients rather than allowing admission after a certain point in the licensing process. Financial compensation for residential services is based on the acuity of an individual’s treatment which might initially seem logical, but when an individual has received an appropriate level of services, by definition the acuity decreases, and the facility is paid less. Determining “acuity” for any given patient is not always easy and is frequently a dynamic process. HB 2015 groups people in facilities by level of acuity. HB 2015 also appropriates $2,250,000 in support of its goals. HB 2024 grants permission to the Oregon Health Authority to establish a grant program designed to foster the recruitment and retention of behavioral health workers. It also appropriates $7 million towards that goal. Entities eligible to receive this funding include urban Indian health programs, qualified medical providers that offer office-based medication-assisted treatment, non-hospital entities certified by OHA to provide behavioral health care or which are contracted with Oregon Youth Authority to provide care to youth, licensed opioid treatment programs and programs that provide withdrawal management services. HB 2059 which the League publicly supported , will fund residential behavioral health facilities throughout the state by allocating $65 million from the General Fund for the 2025-2027 biennium. It is estimated that this funding will increase behavioral residential facility capacity by approximately 196 new beds. These facilities include inpatient psychiatric facilities, residential treatment homes, adult foster homes, residential substance use disorder treatment programs and crisis facilities. HB 2059 also requires the Oregon Health Authority to develop guidelines for distributing these funds, which must at least include the ability to quickly put funding to use – including the availability of service providers, the bed-to-cost ratio with priority being given to shovel-ready projects, geographic equity across the state, and local community input on projects that will serve the highest need. HB 3064 requires health plans, including that provided by the Public Employees Benefit Board, to include coverage for the treatment of perimenopause, menopause and post menopause. This includes coverage for services that include hormone therapies, antidepressant mediations and osteoporosis prevention and treatment. HB 2387 clarifies circumstances when OHA may disclose otherwise confidential information obtained in an investigation of a psilocybin training program, licensee or applicant. It also prohibits medical and other professional boards from taking disciplinary action against a licensee for providing psilocybin services. Information regarding veteran status must be collected at psilocybin service center from clients. The provision of psilocybin was authorized in November 2020 with the passage of Ballot Measure 109. HB 3294 makes changes to recently passed laws [ HB 2697 (2023) and SB 469 (2015) ] regarding hospital staffing plans and minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. For example, if a hospital nurse staffing committee has adopted a staffing plan for a unit, the hospital must comply with it and may not require a direct care registered nurse to be assigned to more patients than is specified in the unit’s plan. SB 920 directs the Oregon State University Extension Service to accelerate the promotion of behavioral health in Oregon by convening local communities to develop plans that promote behavioral health and facilitate community conversations about mental health and substance abuse. SB 834 modifies standards for certain aspects of care delivered at Oregon State Hospital, including a prohibition against treatment of patients under age 18 and allowing psychiatric nurse practitioners to evaluate patients. SB 951 attempts to close a loophole in Oregon’s Corporate Practice of Medicine law by protecting the relationship between clinicians and patients from outside monied and profit-driven interests. It restricts individuals who are not licensed medical providers from owning or controlling medical practices and prohibits noncompetition and non-disparagement agreements between practices and licensees. A management services organization and its officers are prohibited from owning, working for, managing or directing a professional medical entity. The League filed testimony in support of the bill. Behavioral Health Bills Which Did Not Pass: The most significant of these bills is HB 3835 which sought to address seclusion and restraints in child and youth residential treatment facilities and school settings and out-of-state treatment. The portion of the bill dealing with schools was removed from the bill relatively early in the Session. The bill stemmed from legislation passed in 2021 (SB 710 ), sponsored by Senator Gelser Blouin, which placed a number of limitations on these processes. Since SB 710 was enacted, Oregon has seen a 41% reduction (from 90 to 53 facilities) in licensed residential facilities that can serve children and youth with behavioral or psychiatric treatment. Oregon has also lost more than half (from 31 to 14) of its programs that certify foster parents who provide specialized behavioral health treatment and support ( SOCAC testimony) . Proponents of HB 3835 contended that these facility and program closures arose from the application of SB 719. They pointed to the overbreadth of SB 719’s requirements regarding the use of restraint and seclusion in residential child-care settings so that any intervention, however minor, had be reported and investigated as child abuse. SB 719 also required, for example, that a child must be provided water and an opportunity to use the bathroom every 5 minutes. If a complaint was justified, even for minor violation of these rules, providers could lose their licenses. The duty to report all incidents to ODHS and OHA was also seen as burdensome to treatment facilities. Providers could not work during the investigation period. As a result of this regimen, staff were unwilling to work in residential settings lest they lose their licenses. Many residential treatment centers no longer do business in Oregon, which in turn has resulted in many of Oregon’s at-risk children waiting in emergency departments or hotels until they can get the care they need. In response to this situation the legislature formed the System of Care Advisory Council (“SOCAC,” 2019) which was comprised of numerous stakeholders, including providers, agencies, youth, families, experts and others (See, SOCAC Bylaws, description) . Among other duties, SOCAC was charged with developing a long-term plan for Oregon’s behavioral health care. settings, including out-of-state placements of children. HB 3835 is the result of their consultations. Senator Gelser Blouin led the group opposing HB 3835. She had filed SB 1113 in this legislative Session which addressed the same topics but left most of the restrictions in place. A Work Session was held regarding HB 1113 in the Senate Committee on Human Services but that was the extent of its advance. Those opposing HB 3835 stated that the bill would eliminate much needed protections for youth in care and place them at further risk. If enforcement through possible license termination is severely restricted or eliminated, they argued, compliance with rules regarding restraint and seclusion would be largely ignored. HB 2202 was in the Ways & Means Committee upon adjournment and so did not pass. It identified certain redundancies, contradictions and outdated language regarding services provided by coordinated care organizations. For example, the standard for provision of CCO services must also “support an individual’s progress towards clinical goals, as defined by the individual’s service plan,” instead of the prior standard which was defined as “leading to a meaningful improvement in individuals’ lives.” HB 2056 did not pass. It would have appropriated $64,800,00 for community mental health programs. The intent of the allocation was to support early intervention instead of resorting to criminal or other last resort systems of care. It may be that at least some of this money was appropriated via the OHA budget bill HB 5025 , but there does not seem to be a clear correlation. HB 2729 was left in the Ways & Means Committee upon adjournment. It would have made a $7 million appropriation to OHA for the development and implementation of grant programs for school districts, education services districts and entities that provide physical or behavioral health services to be used to increase and improve school-based mental health services and substance abuse prevention, screening, referral and treatment services. Again, this appropriation may have found its way in the OHA budget but that is not clear. Child Care, After School, and Summer Care By Katie Riley PASSED HB 2007 which would modify requirements for the summer learning program to emphasize literacy and accountability was passed. The League submitted testimony commenting on the bill. The accompanying funding bill HB 5047 provides $35 million for summer 2025 and $47 million in 2026 and 27. It also moves the funds into a special summer learning grant fund in the Treasurer’s office outside the general fund; thereby, establishing a sustainable funding source that allows for advance planning. The bill also included provision for an advisory council to plan for future support of both summer and afterschool care. Specific provisions were not included for afterschool care but school districts were directed to partner with community based organizations. The bill was one of the Governor's priorities and she signed it during the session. HB 5002 – provides funding for the Department of Administrative Services (DAS), and included $6.3 million ($7 million was requested) in state funding for the Oregon CASA Network and Oregon’s 19 local CASA programs. It passed with $6.3 million included in the bill. SB5514 includes appropriations for the Department of Early Learning and Care but due to reduced funding for the state from federal sources and the corporate tax it includes a $35.4 million reduction to the agency budget including a 10% reduction to the Preschool Promise program that provides preschool for 3 and 4 year olds from families whose incomes are up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, and an approximately 10% reduction to Healthy Families, which provides long-term regular visits with high-need families, as well as a 2% reduction to the Oregon Prenatal to Kindergarten program. The Employment Related Day Care program, which provides subsidized child care for low-income working families and has a long waitlist was not cut. Originally, the cuts were supposed to be a $45 million or approximately a 3% reduction from previous funding for the department. DIED SB 896 would have provided funding for afterschool grants. Do pass recommendation and referred to Ways and Means. Died in committee. SB 1127 would have provided $500,000 for grants to develop and provide educational activities during recess, lunch or after school for Title I elementary schools. It was noted that school foundations might be a better source of funding for these activities. Work session held but no vote held. Died in committee. HB 2593 would have allocated $500,000 to the Department of Early Learning and Care to study the impact on student parents and working parents who are on the Employment Related Day Care subsidy waitlist (currently over 10,000). Received a do pass recommendation and referred to Ways and Means. Died in committee. HB 3162 would have provided funding for select afterschool programs. Did not receive a work session. Died in committee. HB 3008 -4 would have allocated funds to different agencies for investment in the childcare workforce, including $9 million from the General Fund to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) in the 2025-27 biennium for distribution to Portland State University to fund recruitment and retention payments to childcare providers working in Oregon through the Oregon Center for Career Development in Childhood Care and Education. The measure also included a one-time appropriation of $6.5 million General Fund to the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) in the 2025-27 biennium for distribution to childcare workforce training programs. Received a do pass recommendation and was referred to Ways and Means. Died in committee. HB 3011 would have established the Early Childhood Education Workforce Development Fund and appropriated $5 million in the fund to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to provide funding to community colleges and public universities in this state that offer early childhood education degrees and certificates. Received a do pass recommendation and referred to Ways and Means. Died in committee. HB 3039 would have allocated moneys from the General Fund to the Department of Education and Requires the Department of Education to study methods for increasing the availability of summer and after-school academic and enrichment programs. The League submitted testimony commenting on the bill. Referred to Ways & Means. Died in committee. A similar bill ( SB1113 ), also died in committee. HB3196 would have provided $3 million in backfill from the loss of federal funds to support the CASA program. Died in committee. Funding for CASA was received through HB 5002. HB 3835 would have modified rules regarding the use of restraint and involuntary seclusion for young people. This bill applies to foster children. It defines the terms and states behavior that is allowed vs behavior that is not permitted. It received a work session but died in committee. HB 3941 would have allocated $4,990,000 for a grant program to establish up to 5 community schools at $170,000 per year in matching funds. Did not receive a work session. Died in committee. Education By Jean Pierce K-12 SB 1098 , the Freedom to Read bill, was signed into law by the Governor and took effect immediately. LWVOR provided testimony in support. The law opposes book bans based on discrimination. HB2811 : Although the bill did not advance, the Imagination Library will continue to have full state coverage. League testimony is here . HB2953: This bill would have removed the cap on special education funding. It did not advance this term. The League’s testimony is here . Senate Bill 5516 has been signed by the Governor. The bill will increase the budget for Oregon’s State School Fund by more than 11% from the last biennium. Unfortunately, this increase is needed simply to keep funding at current service levels. According to the American Institute on Research (AIR) , in order to provide adequate funding for education, Oregon would need a 30% increase, with more attention to equitable spending for the education of low income and high needs students. Higher Education The Governor signed HB 2586 into law. The bill permits an asylum seeker who is a student at a public university to receive an exemption from nonresident tuition and fees. LWVOR filed testimony in support. The bill took effect immediately. HB 3183 Although the bill did not advance, the Open Education Resources program will continue to be funded, making text books and other resources more affordable. The League’s testimony is here. SB 604 : Although the bill did not advance, the Strong Start program which supports access to higher education for first generation and under-represented students, will continue to be funded. LWVOR testimony is here . The League had also supported changes in requirements for the Oregon Promise Grant, making higher education affordable for more students, but HB 2550 did not advance. SB 5525 , was signed by the Governor. For the most part, the proposed budget maintains the Current Service Level, (CSL). It is important to note that the Oregon Opportunity Grant and Benefits Navigators would at least be maintained at CSL, but legislators expressed concern that funding for the Outdoor School Program would be cut. The allocation is 6.2% below the last biennium, so this bill does nothing to address the fact that Oregon has been ranked 46 th in the nation for state investment in higher education. They recognized that in future sessions, the thinking needs to shift from CSL to setting a higher target. Gun Policy By Marge Easley To the disappointment of the League and other gun safety advocates, only one gun bill survived this session and was signed by the Governor: SB 243 . This omnibus bill bans rapid-fire devices and allows cities and counties to ban firearms in public buildings. It also sets the date of March 15, 2026, for implementation of Measure 114, with the condition that the Oregon Supreme Court decides favorably on its constitutionality later this year. The League filed testimony in support of separate bills which were combined in SB 243 and League members lobbied for SB 243. To fund the provisions of the bill, the end of session Christmas Tree Bill ( HB 5006 ) allocated over $14 million to the Oregon State Police for Criminal Justice Information Services and other associated costs. HB 3076 , which creates a gun dealer licensing program in Oregon, was killed during the final acrimonious days of the session—another instance of a gun bill being traded away at the last minute in an effort to gain votes for other legislation. Given the anticipated gutting of the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives and the loss of federal regulation of gun dealers, this bill was a session priority for gun safety advocates. Rep. Kropf, one of the bills’ chief sponsors, stated that he would reintroduce it in a future session. The League filed testimony supporting the bill. Healthcare By Christa Danielson Healthcare bills which passed: HB 2010 Extends the assessment format for funding the Oregon Health Plan otherwise known as Medicaid. The League submitted supporting testimony on February 18 and on March 10 . This funding mechanism and our state’s pledge to see all patients regardless of immigration status may reduce Oregon’s Medicaid budget by up to 10 percent threatening rural hospital viability and/or programs such as obstetrical deliveries. SB 951 Strengthens bans against a corporate entity making health care decisions by limiting the power of Management Service Organizations. LWVOR submitted testimony in support . Instead of private equity determining decisions about health care this will be the decision of the doctor/provider and the patient. HB 3134 Requires reporting of data from insurance companies to the Department of Consumer and Business services such as time from request to final determination of an prior authorization and removes requirement for surgeons to prior authorize a surgery mid procedure. Overall hope is to reduce the burden of prior authorization on physicians. The League supported the bill with testimony SB 296 - The League was also tracking SB 296. It will provide help for discharge from hospital. Most of the work centers around expanding discharge options for Medicaid patients and providing faster determination for Medicaid in the hospital. This expands work and funds work recommended from the task force on hospital discharge commissioned in summer of 2025. Housing By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona After a flurry of activity by the state legislators and the Governor’s office, supported by housing advocates, LWVOR, and many others, legislators approved three major housing budget bills. General Obligation bonds (SB 5505) Lottery bonds (SB 5531) End-of-session omnibus funding bill, the “Christmas Tree” bill (HB 5006) Below is a list of budget bills and funding allocations approved during the session. Due to declining state revenues, cuts were made across the board to agencies such as the Housing and Community Services Department, which received $2.6 billion, representing $1 billion less as compared to last year. Key session takeaways include: $204.9 million for a statewide shelter program; $468.2 million for the Local Innovation and Fast Track (LIFT) program to build new affordable rental housing through LIFT and Permanent Supportive Housing programs; $100.9 million in bonds to build new homes for affordable homeownership; $10 million in bonds for a new housing infrastructure fund; and $11.2 million to develop, rehab or preserve housing for older adults and people with disabilities. Most concerning is the $44.6 million for emergency rental assistance and homeless prevention services, representing a 74% cut from the $173.2 million needed to maintain the current level of statewide services. Preventing homelessness is much more humane and cost effective than sheltering unhoused people. On July 24, Governor Kotek sent a letter to Tobias Read, Secretary of State with concerns about the scale of the Legislature’s reductions in funding for rehousing, long-term rental assistance, and prevention services. Her letter details the anticipated outcomes and impacts due to decreased funding for these urgently needed services. LWVOR is a member of the Oregon Housing Alliance that includes over 110 member organizations and represents a diverse membership that spans the state . During the session they worked tirelessly to advocate for additional funding for emergency rent assistance and homeless prevention. That advocacy resulted in an additional $11 million, which was included in HB 5006 (Christmas tree bill). These funds will prevent evictions for an additional 1,400 households and increase funding for legal aid and other services by about $4 million. The Legislature is funding only 26% of what is needed to maintain the current level of homeless prevention services. Housing remains a huge issue statewide with rising homelessness, thousands facing eviction and not enough affordable housing being produced. Housing bills which the League supported and were passed this session: SB 814 A will be administered by Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) to expand eligibility criteria for the agency’s existing Long-Term Rent Assistance Program. Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) youth under the age of 25 will have an opportunity to access long-term rental assistance to help achieve a greater level of housing security. This measure also requires OHCS to consult with the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA), among other stakeholders. Youth assisted will be exiting a childcare center or a correctional facility. At least 14% of youth who were committed to OYA since October 2022 have already experienced some period of homelessness. Studies indicate that housing instability increases the risk for recidivism. This bill will assist youth by providing a safe and stable home so they can devote their attention to employment, education, and family. The League submitted testimony in support. SB 973 protects residents of publicly-supported housing by requiring notices from landlords when affordability restrictions are ending. This applies to tenants who are living in subsidized units, applicants, and new tenants. For existing tenants, the bill would extend the notice requirements from 20 to 30 months. It will require landlords to warn tenants that their housing will no longer be affordable. For applicants and new tenants who are entering into a new rental agreement, landlords of publicly-supported housing must provide written notice of when the affordability period will end, prior to charging a screening fee or entering into a new rental application. These tenant protections are critical to giving low-income Oregonians additional time to find stable housing they can afford. The League submitted testimony in support. HB 2958 : The bill would have extended the sunset date to 2032 and increased to 25 percent the EITC for families with children under three years of age. Other families with children would receive 20 percent of the federal credit. It further extended the benefit to all childless working adults over age 18. The League submitted a letter in support. While HB 2958 did not advance, HB 2087, which slightly expands the tax credits, was signed into law. HB 2964 : Requires Oregon Housing and Community Services Department to award loans to non-profit affordable housing developers to cover pre-development costs of developing new housing. LWV testimony supported passage of the bill. HB 3054 A limits rent increases and sales constraints by a landlord in a home park or marina, which can threaten residents’ ability to stay in their homes. It fixes at six percent the maximum rent increases for rental spaces in a larger facility and limit to 10 percent the maximum increase in rent paid by the purchaser of a dwelling or home in a facility. It prohibits a landlord from requiring aesthetic improvements or internal inspections as conditions of sale of a dwelling or home in a facility. It declares an emergency, effective September 1, 2025. LWVOR submitted a letter in support. Housing Bills funded by the General Fund Homeless Prevention and Response HB 5011 Emergency Rental Assistance and Homeless Prevention Services: $44.6 million (requested $173.2M) HB 3644 and HB 5011 Statewide Shelter Program: $204.9 million (requested $217.9 million) HB 5011 Rehousing Initiative: $50.3 million (requested $188.2 million) SB 814 Modifies long term rental assistance for youth: $87.4 million (requested $105.2 million) Stabilize Existing Affordable Housing HB 5011 and HB 5006 Permanent Supportive Housing operations and resident services: $10.5 million (requested $11.1 million) SB 51 Property management and asset management staffing and training: $3.3 million (requested $7.3 million) SB 829 Insurance relief and cost-reduction study: $2.5 million (requested $5 million) Expand Affordable Homeownership: HB 5011 Foreclosure prevention: $2 million (requested $2.5 million) HB 2139 Tribal Housing Grants: $10 million ($12.8 million requested) HB 5006 Development, rehabilitation or preservation of housing for older adults and persons with disabilities: $11.2 million HB 3031 Developing manufactured homes and infrastructure: $2.5 million (requested $25 million) Housing bills funded by Lottery Bonds Housing Production and Preservation SB 5505 Local Innovation and Fast Track (LIFT) Rental: $468.2 million (requested $600 million) SB 5505 Permanent supportive housing: $80.9 million (requested $80 million) SB 5531 Rental housing preservation: $50 million (requested $260 million) SB 5531 Manufactured housing park preservation: $2.5 million (requested $25 million) SB 5531 Housing infrastructure fund: $10 million (requested $100 million) Expand Affordable Homeownership SB 5505 LIFT Homeownership: $100.9 million (requested $100.9 million) Immigration By Becky Gladstone and Claudia Keith EARLY AUGUST NEWS Fewer than half of ICE arrests under Trump are convicted criminals • Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon’s sanctuary hotline sees nearly 300% reporting increase: OregonLive Attorney General Dan Rayfield Files Lawsuit Challenging Trump Administration’s Illegal Demands that States Hand Over Sensitive Personal Data of SNAP Recipients - Oregon Department of Justice : Medi Oregon leaders decry, challenge new Head Start immigration restrictions • Oregon Capital Chronic Oregon, Washington sue Trump admin for sharing Medicaid files with immigration enforcement - OPB ICE arrests of noncriminal immigrants surge in Northwest - Axios Portland Governor Kotek Releases Statement in Response to Climate Danger Rollback | Gov Kotek Press Release Northwest states, cities targeted in latest federal threats over sanctuary laws - OPB OIRA July Newsletter (O ffice of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement Updates Asylum seeker taken by ICE outside Portland immigration court to be immediately released • Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon is on Trump justice department sanctuary jurisdictions list - Eugene Register Guard Trump Administration Targets Oregon Cities and Counties in Sanctuary Jurisdiction Crackdown - That Oregon Life How this Oregon group aids immigrants as DOJ targets sanctuary cities - KOIN Bills SB 149 A - Immigration (Support Services For Case Management), died in Committee , See HB 5006 $2 MSB SB 599A - Immigration status: discrimination in real estate transactions, e ffective 5/28/25, no fiscal, Governor signed SB 611 A - Food for All Oregonians - for undocumented, died in Committee, see HB 5006 $ SB 703 - A bipartisan immigration status update funding bill , died in Committee HB 2548 - Agricultural Workforce Labor Standards Board. Study Bill, Signed By Governor, fiscal $ .67, League Testimony HB 2976 - Funding for interpretation of indigenous languages. Died in Committee ($.8M in HB5006 ) HB2788 - Funding to nonprofits to assist with lawful permanent resident status/legal aid , Died in Committee, 10M in HB5006 HB 2586 A - Nonresident tuition exemption for asylum seekers. Governor Signed, League Testimony HB 2543 - Funds for universal representation, funds to Oregon State Bar, dead ($4.5M in HB5006) HB3193A - Farm Worker Relief Fund, died in committee, see $2M in HB 5006 HB 5002 - Oregon Worker Relief Fund, died in Committee Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Governance , and Natural Resources , and Revenue report sections.

Back to Legislative Report Revenue Legislative Report - Week of December 1 Revenue Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Please see Governance Overview here . Jump to a topic: Revenue Updates Revenue Updates By Peggy Lynch On Nov. 19, legislators received the latest Revenue Forecast . (An in-depth version is here .) Oregonlive covered the forecast helpfully. They provide an in-depth Revenue Outlook . The Oregon Capital Insider also provided a good article . However, we still have two economies: One for the wealthy and one for low-income Oregonians—the “k” economy. A Nov. 24 th Salem Reporter story provides more insights. Here is the Office of Economic Analysis (OEA) website . With concern about not only this biennium, but the next two biennia forecasted as less than needed to provide Oregonians with the services they need, the Oregon Revenue Coalition has revived. The League has participated in the past and is attending weekly meetings. For now, it is an informal group with a focus on addressing the revenue needed for services to Oregonians. We have signed on to a one-pager created by the “Protect Oregon Now” group—part of the Revenue Coalition. H.R. 1 , the federal “reconciliation” bill, was signed by the President on July 4 th , just a few days AFTER Oregon’s legislative session adjourned. Because Oregon currently “connects” to the federal tax system, the tax reductions in H.R. 1 will also reduce revenue for Oregon . A disconnect bill ( HB 2092 ) passed the Oregon House in 2025, but was not taken up in the Senate. The new Revenue Coalition and legislators are having conversations around options to increase revenue, including targeting disconnect provisions and other ideas that may be politically easier than a full disconnect. One of our partners, the Oregon Center for Public Policy, provides a YouTube video to help explain. The Legislature COULD delay the April 15 filing date should they decide to address the disconnect in the 2026 session. They have taken that action in the past. At a mtg. on Oct. 9 with the Oregon Dept. of Agriculture, League learned that agencies are being asked to provide a 5% cuts list by each fund type....so 5% General Fund (GF), 5% Lottery Funds (LF), 5% Other Funds (OF)!!! And in 2.5% increments. The 1% the Gov asked for earlier can be counted as part of that 5% number. And they are to provide a list of NEW PROGRAMS created/funded from 2025. During an OWEB mtg. on Oct. 17, we learned the New Programs list each agency is to provide are ones created from July 2021 forward. So not just the last couple of years. The Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO) is looking to see any nexus to Covid/federal programs that were created with one-time money, for instance. Some of these programs were already not funded in 2025. Oregon’s Full Ways and Means Co-Chairs have written an opinion piece about the challenges facing Oregon. The League will need to be actively engaged in helping solve these problems. See other sections of the Legislative Report about the cuts in each area and what’s being considered to address the revenue shortfall. A March 5, 2025 report by the Common Sense Institute, including former state economist Mark McMullen, provides interesting statistics on Oregon budget since 2001. As Oregon has reduced its reliance on the General Fund (income taxes), both Federal and Other Funds have grown. Yes, in spite of the revenue shortfall, Oregon still has the “kicker”. Here’s what you can expect . Remember that you can donate the kicker on your 2024 Oregon tax return. On Nov. 13, Multnomah County provided an economic forecast reported by Willamette Week. On Nov. 17, the Senate Finance & Revenue Committee received an Overview of Wealth Transfer Taxes: Estate, Inheritance and Gift. Review of Past Legislative Discussions on Tax Reform: Meeting Materials Video of meeting Learn more about Oregon’s Reserve Funds in an article by the Oregon Capital Chronicle. Oregon is better suited to address a significant downturn in the economy than the last major downturn because of Oregon’s Rainy Day and Education Stability Funds. But there are criteria that must be addressed in order to access those funds. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Governance , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 5/1 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone and Chris Cobey Artificial Intelligence: Lindsey Washburn Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill Conflicts of Interest/Legislative Ethics: Chris Cobey CEI - Critical Energy Infrastructure : Nikki Mandell and Laura Rogers Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone Election Systems: Barbara Klein Emergency Preparedness: Cate Arnold Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum: Claudia Keith Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey State Audit Working Group: Sheila Golden Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley Jump to a topic: Walkouts, Resignation, and Bills Waiting Rights of Incarcerated People Walkouts, Resignation, and Bills Waiting By Rebecca Gladstone Republican Senators walked out (press ), citing bill summary readability; see the Flesch Kincaid Calculator . The walkout prevents a required quorum and delays progress for divisive gun safety and healthcare bills. It could provide litigation grounds against Measure 113 ( press ), a constitutional amendment voters passed last fall by a wide majority to prevent legislative work halts from walkouts. League election bill positions are not affected by the SoS resignation. Here’s a status update on bills we’re watching: HB 5032 Enrolled : We supported this Public Records Advocate funding bill ( our testimony ). Work sessions scheduled: HB 2490 work session was rescheduled for May 9 in Senate committee for this cybersecurity vulnerability bill. The League urges for maximum protection of public health, safety, and the environment. Defense of our critical infrastructures is at stake ( our testimony ). Still awaiting work sessions: The May 5 agenda posting deadline for second chamber committee work sessions does not apply to bills followed here, since most are in Rules and Joint committees. SB 11 : This access and transparency bill has strong bipartisan support, requiring virtual public state meetings to record and promptly publicize recordings. We will look for data retention rules. SB 417 : This public records bill is important to the League for timely access to candidate filing information for Vote411.org and for concerns of excessive elections records requests ( press ). We have attended the Task Force since March 7, now focused on agencies bearing the burden of proof for defending staff review assignments, for choosing the most cost-effective staff records review before public release. The bill aims for the lowest records delivery cost by the lowest salaried employee. High-level legal review is necessary for 90% of requested records. Staff could redact basic data like SSNs and birth dates. But experienced attorneys could quickly include those in a single review with complex issues that could help avert much more expensive appellate litigation referrals. See our testimony , predating this work. SB 166 : We hope the scheduling delay, referred to House Rules March 7, implies amending to address privacy and harassment concerns. See our testimony and previous extensive reports. SB 167 : See League testimony in support of this elections bill to replace candidate filing software, add efficiency improvements, address some privacy and cybersecurity issues, with efficiency tweaks. SJM 6 : This DC statehood action has not moved since the April 13 unanimous referral from the Senate floor on April 13. Taxation without representation is a fundamental democratic value we support. SB 614 : We’re watching this police body cam, personal data retention / disclosure bill, after passing the Senate, 18 to 10, on not entirely partisan votes. See details, April 17 LR. Awaiting further scheduling (mostly W&Ms): HB 2049 A : This cybersecurity omnibus bill was referred to W&Ms March 3 with unanimous do pass recommendation. The League strongly supports in previous reports ( our testimony ). HB 2052 relates to SB 619 and was referred JW&Ms on Feb 13. We support the AG’s data broker registry bill ( League testimony ). HB 2806 A : This bill passed unanimously May 2 with a Do Pass to update statute for open meetings, public safety and cybersecurity. It awaits transfer to the Senate President’s desk. See our testimony . HB 3127 A : An April 27 work session for this “TikTok bill” awaits transfer to the Senate President’s desk, with a Do Pass recommendation. SB 619 : Sent to W&Ms April 12, with Do pass with amendments by prior reference. LWVOR strongly supports this AG’s consumer privacy bill ( our testimony ), now with a coalition letter. SB 510 : This SB 417 companion funding bill passed unanimously to W&Ms on May 1 without recommendation, to improve efficiency, cost estimates and budgeting, and sustainable funding for the PRAC. See our testimony in support . SB 1073 A : Referred to W&Ms April 10, to establish a state Chief Privacy Officer (CPO). See our supportive testimony including related bills and the hearing video , details in previous reports. Rights of Incarcerated People By Marge Easley A House floor vote on SB 529 was scheduled to take place on May 4. The bill, a priority bill of the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC), acknowledges that addiction is a chronic disease affecting many incarcerated individuals and creates more comprehensive drug treatment programs in correctional institutions. Another DOC priority this session is a close examination of the use of segregated housing units in Oregon’s correctional facilities. There will be a Senate Judiciary work session on May 8 for HB 2345 A , which mandates the establishment of a publicly accessible data dashboard detailing race, age, misconduct status, duration in the unit, level of misconduct causing a return to the unit, and the allowable amount of time outside of a cell. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED. Worthy causes go unaddressed for lack of League volunteers. If you see a need and can offer your expertise, please contact our staff at lwvor@lwvor.org .

Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Legislative Report - Week of 3/4 Social Policy Team Coordinator: Jean Pierce • After School and Summer Care: Katie Riley • Behavioral Health: Trish Garner • Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice: Marge Easley / Sharron Noon • Education: Jean Pierce / Stephanie Engle • Equal Rights for All Ballot Measure: Jean Pierce Kyra Aguon • Gender-Related Concerns, Reproductive Health, Age Discrimination: Trish Garner • Gun Safety & Gun Issues, Rights for Incarcerated People: Marge Easley • Hate and Bias Crimes: Claudia Keith/ Becky Gladstone /rhyen enger • Health Care: Christa Danielsen • Housing: Debbie Aiona and Nancy Donovan Jump to topic: After School and Summer Care Behavioral Health and Related Public Safety Issues Healthcare Higher Education Housing Immigration/Refugee Violence Prevention and Gun Policy Education Update Volunteers Needed By Jean Pierce, Social Policy Coordinator, and Team After School and Summer Care By Katie Riley HB 4082 Summer Learning 2024 and Beyond was passed to allocate $30 million for summer learning in 2024 and implementation of a work group to plan for future funding and administration of summer learning and afterschool enrichment. Summer awards will be made to school districts by ODE. Allocations to school districts will be prioritized to districts with the largest number of kids in need. It will be up to the school districts to implement partnerships with community-based organizations to provide enrichment activities during non-school time. ODE is developing guidelines for appointments to the work group and the work group process. Behavioral Health and Related Public Safety Issues By Karen Nibler and Jean Pierce The final version of HB4002 A , the “Oregon Drug Intervention Plan'', was passed by both chambers , and the Governor has announced plans to sign it. This extensive bill covered behavioral health treatments by pharmacists, coverage by health insurance companies, Coordinated Care Organizations, county deflection programs, expungement, Drug Enforcement misdemeanor charges for possession, court processes, and continued funding for Behavioral Health Rehabilitation Network programs, which were initiated in the last session. The bill requires an Alcohol and Drug Commission study and Task Forces on Regional Behavioral Health Accountability and Safety of Behavioral Health Workers. The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission will monitor program grants and provide reports to the legislature. OCJC will provide grants for Opioid Use Disorder medications for county jail facilities, which has been identified as an urgent need. The final version is very similar to HB 4002 (2024), for which the League wrote testimony . One major downside of the bill is that The Criminal Justice Center has estimated that the bill would disproportionately penalize people of color. However, the Governor has pledged to protect against this when provisions of the bill are implemented. Companion Bills: HB 4001 A was passed by the Ways and Means Capital Construction Subcommittee to study specialty courts for drug offenses and costs of deflection programs in the Oregon Health Authority programs. HB 5204A provide s $211M to implement HB 4002 in the community corrections programs and $4M to train behavioral health workers. HB 4151 B supports the University of Oregon work on the youth behavioral health workforce. HB 4136 A was passed to provide funds to increase health care access and to divert from emergency rooms in Eugene, which is recognized for its mobile teams for substance abuse incidents. Both Chambers passed SB1553A, which added unlawful possession of a controlled substance on a transport vehicle to the list of C misdemeanors which interfere with public transportation. Citations will be supervised by Community Corrections officers. Healthcare By Christa Danielson HB 4149 : Lawmakers in both chambers approved House Bill 4149, which seeks to rein in prescription drug costs for pharmacies and patients by mandating reporting from Pharmacy Benefit Managers about how much money is actually returned to patients to lower their drug costs. This bill also has provisions to help protect rural pharmacies. The League submitted testimony in support of the bill. HB 4130 B This bill was stalled in the last week by legislators calling for a minority report. The League submitted testimony in support of this bill, which would have limited corporations from making medical decisions about health care for patients and strengthened bills that were already law to Ban the Corporate Practice of Medicine. We expect this bill will return next year. Higher Education By Jean Pierce HB5204A includes an appropriation of $4 M to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to distribute to universities in Oregon for the purpose of expanding the behavioral health workforce in the state. The bill passed both chambers and is awaiting the Governor’s signature. The League submitted testimony for this when SB1592 was requesting $6M. HB 4162: Relating to Higher Education Affordability did not pass this session. It would have appropriated money from the General Fund to make college more affordable by creating and awarding grants for basic needs programs at public colleges and universities. LWVOR submitted testimony in support. Housing By Debbie Aiona, Nancy Donovan The legislature’s end to the 2024 session included Gov. Kotek’s top legislative priority with a $376.2 million housing package to boost affordable housing construction, expand emergency shelters for people experiencing homelessness, and help counties acquire land to develop properties. The housing package contains three bills: 1. HB 1530 appropriates $279.6 million for programs addressing homelessness and eviction prevention, with specific allocations to culturally specific organizations. Part of the package includes housing for people recovering from substance abuse disorders. The bill provides funding for infrastructure projects throughout the state aimed at supporting housing development. Also funding for home repair, air conditioners, air filters, and heat pumps is included in the bill. The League submitted a letter in support. 2. SB 1537 is a companion bill to SB 1530. The bill appropriates a total of $89.5 million General Fund to three agencies: $10.6 million to the Department of Land Conservation and Development for the Housing Production and Accountability Office; $3 million to the Oregon Business Development Department; and $75.8 million to the Housing and Community Services Department. In addition, the bill creates a Housing Project Revolving Fund to provide no-interest loans to jurisdictions for infrastructure projects for moderate-income housing developments. 3. HB 4134 appropriates $7.1 million to the Oregon Department of Administrative Services to provide grants to cities for specified infrastructure projects that will benefit housing developments. At least 30 % of the dwelling units must be affordable to workforce income qualified households. The League submitted a letter in support. Individual Development Accounts: Unfortunately, only $5 million of the $10 million needed to serve the same number of people through the Individual Development Account (IDA) program was allocated in SB 1530. IDAs are available to lower-income Oregonians who want to save for goals such as a home purchase, home repair, small business start-up or expansion, post-secondary education, vehicle purchase, and emergency savings. Their savings are matched by the state using tax credit revenue. The tax credits are not yielding what is needed to maintain current service levels. IDA advocates requested $10 million from the general fund so the program could continue to serve the same number of people. Given competing demands for limited resources, the Legislature included $5 million in SB 1530. The League submitted a letter in support of the full $10 million. HB 5201 -- Lottery Bonds for Affordable Housing Preservation: Low-income housing advocates were unsuccessful in persuading the Legislature to allocate $30 million in lottery-backed bonds for the purpose of preserving at-risk low-income rental housing and manufactured home parks. Some of these units are affordable to very low-income households, the area of greatest need with residents most at risk of homelessness. The units are operating under expiring federal contracts, being converted to market rate, or in need of significant upgrades to maintain viability. Preserving existing units is more cost-effective than developing new housing. Housing and Community Services Department estimates it would cost $200 million per biennium to retain our existing stock. The advocates will be back next session encouraging allocation of preservation dollars. The League submitted a letter in support of HB 5201. See also Land Use and Housing in the Natural Resources Legislative Reports. Immigration / Refugee / Asylum By Claudia Keith HB 4085 A – Path to Citizenship, directs DHS to give grants for legal assistance to help noncitizens get lawful immigration. Fiscal $6.3M , adds 2 positions / 1.2 FTE. League testimon y, died in J W&Ms. HB 4085 -1 Preliminary SMS . SB1578A which directs the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to establish and maintain a management system to schedule appointments and process billing for health care interpreters was amended to limit the service to Oregon Health Plan Members. The amended bill was passed ,fiscal $1.4M, It’s not clear why the bill is in Legislative Council . Staff analysis of the measure reports that these interpreters are needed to facilitate communication between healthcare providers and patients with limited English proficiency as well as the deaf and hard of hearing. According to the latest U.S. Census American Community Survey, there are 216,654 people in Oregon with limited English proficiency. Find immigration/refugee funding items at the end of the session omnibus bill SB5701 , detail list HERE . Recent News: Will Oregon help asylum seekers again? As bill stalls, advocates say ‘allow us to support more families’ - oregonlive.com Violence Prevention and Gun Policy By Marge Easley SB 1503 Enrolled, establishing the Task Force on Community Safety and Firearm Suicide Prevention passed the House on March 6 with a 35 to 22 vote and is now on its way to the Governor’s desk. The bill, strongly supported by the League, garnered expected opposition from many Republican legislators due to the inclusion of the word “firearm” in the title of the task force. The task force will consist of 17 members, including legislators and representatives from state agencies, behavioral and public healthcare groups, and communities most impacted by suicide. The bill includes an allocation of $250,000 to the Oregon Department of Justice to support the task force and provide funding for outside research. Findings will be reported back to the Legislature over the next two years. HB 4156 B , which strengthens and modernizes Oregon’s anti-stalking law, passed the House on March 7 on a vote of 54 to 2. The bill, carried by Rep. Kevin Mannix, includes much-needed provisions for the crimes of cyberstalking and internet harassment. Education Update By Anne Nesse SB 1503 B passed the Legislature on 3/6, creating a new Task Force to reduce youth suicide in Oregon. This new task force is significant for education, because our State’s higher incidences of behavioral mental illness, and depression, are known to make learning more difficult. The task force is required to report to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to health care. SB 1557 E , requiring the Oregon Health Authority to ensure that all children or youth up to age 21, who are eligible for home or community-based services in mental health receive the services to which they are entitled, passed the Legislature on 3/7. Subsidized childcare will be funded at approximately $170 M, for the Employment Related Day Care program. A program which pays almost the entire cost of child care for about 12,000 low-income families, preventing a budget deficit, noted in an article located here . Funding was allocated inside the omnibus funding Bill, SB 5701 A . SB 1552 B , creating a State Youth Advisory Board, and many other educational changes needed in an Omnibus Educational Bill, passed the Legislature on 3/7. HB 4105 The proposal for a Nurse Family Partnership was fully funded at $3.2 million in HB 5204-2, Section 12. HB 4105 is not moving forward, but the needed funding is. The following Bills which we were following did not have time, or the funding to pass the Legislature during the short session: SB 1583 A , would have prohibited discrimination when selecting instructional materials, or books used in state public schools, had passed the Senate on 2/27, but remained in House Rules without passage. This Bill had included additional language, already existing in current law, that had prohibited discrimination in selection of materials in public schools. HB 4078 A , would have directed ODE to implement a standardized method for school districts to electronically collect, and use student data, did not have time to pass during the short session. HB 4079 , attempted to remove the percentage cap on the amount of moneys that are distributed from the State School Fund to school districts for students eligible for special education. HB 4087 A , would have directed OHA to establish a pilot program for Emergency High Acuity Youth to stabilize behavioral health services. Volunteers Needed What is your passion related to Social Policy? You can help. V olunteers are needed. Social policy includes: housing, adult corrections, judiciary, juvenile justice, public safety, gun safety, violence prevention, health care, mental health, immigration and refugees, foster care, social services, and women’s issues. LWVOR actively lobbies for anti-poverty programs to help low income and those at-risk move toward financial stability. If any area of Social Policy is of interest to you, please contact Jean Pierce, Social Policy Coordinator, at socialpolicy@lwvor.org . Training will be offered.

Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Legislative Report - Week of 2/20 Social Policy Team Coordinator: Jean Pierce • After School and Summer Care: Katie Riley • Behavioral Health: Trish Garner • Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice: Marge Easley / Sharron Noon • Education: Jean Pierce / Stephanie Engle • Equal Rights for All Ballot Measure: Jean Pierce Kyra Aguon • Gender-Related Concerns, Reproductive Health, Age Discrimination: Trish Garner • Gun Safety & Gun Issues, Rights for Incarcerated People: Marge Easley • Hate and Bias Crimes: Claudia Keith/ Becky Gladstone /rhyen enger • Health Care: Christa Danielsen • Housing: Debbie Aiona and Nancy Donovan Housing By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona The Legislature is introducing bold and innovative bills to address critical issues facing our state, including homelessness, evictions, social inequities, and a severe affordable housing shortage. Both chambers are working responsively to advance bills that address the Governor’s housing emergency in order to provide for Oregonians most in need. SB 702 - Appraiser Certification - Passed! This bill proposes new educational requirements for appraisers and appraiser assistants, to comply with state and federal fair housing laws and implicit bias, including racial bias. National studies have identified race-based disparities in appraisals. In Oregon, appraisers are covered by Oregon’s fair housing statutes and the federal Fair Housing Act (1968), however, current appraiser education requirements do not specifically cover racial bias or appraiser responsibilities under state or federal fair housing laws. In 2022, the legislature appointed a Joint Task Force on Addressing Racial Disparities in Home Ownership. The Task Force proposed amending ORS 674.310 to insert language to include these new appraiser education requirements. Senate Housing and Development passed the measure on 2/20 with 24 voting yes, and 6 voting no. SB 799 - Eviction Reform and Reduction This bill would prevent a landlord from delivering a notice to terminate a tenant for nonpayment of rent for 60 days, while a rental assistance application is pending. Landlords would be required to deliver a notice specifying the tenant’s rights and available resources. It would extend the 72-hour timeline for issuance of notice of nonpayment and intention to terminate a rental agreement to 10 days and extend the 144-hour timeline to 13 days. Senate bill 799 has been incorporated into HB 2001-1 , Oregon Housing and Community Services Governor’s spending package. HB 2456 - Support for At-Risk or Homeless Youth This bill would allow the Housing and Community Services Department to award grants to organizations that provide evidence-based services for youth experiencing or at-risk of homelessness. Under the bill, the agency’s housing assistance programs would provide services and assistance to school-aged children experiencing or at risk of homelessness. It also modifies eligibility requirements for applicants for grants from homeless youth services enhancement program and host home project program. This bill has been incorporated into HB 2001-1 , Oregon Housing and Community Services Governor’s spending package. A public hearing was held on 2/23. SB 599-A - Child Care in Rental Homes - Passed! Senate Housing and Development passed this bill on 2/15, with 27 voting yes and 3 voting no. It requires landlords to allow tenants to use their units for childcare if the home is certified or registered with the Office of Child Care, the tenant has notified the landlord, and the home does not violate zoning regulations or an association’s governing documents. Lack of access to childcare is a significant barrier for all parents, but particularly to women’s participation in the workforce. Criminal Justice By Karen Nibler The House Judiciary heard HB 2405 on fitness to proceed evaluations this week. The bill stipulates that those committed to the Oregon State Hospital for an Aid and Assist evaluation be returned to the committing county for court disposition on these cases. The Marion County Commissioners and the Association of Oregon Counties supported this bill since these patients are frequently released in the Salem community. The Criminal Defense Attorney Association supported this request to return patients to the county of commitment where their legal cases can be resolved. Disability Rights Oregon was opposed and requested return back to their home county where services may be available for discharged patients. The home county may not be the county where criminal charges and commitment were ordered. The criminal charges may not be dismissed until the defendant is returned to the county of jurisdiction, and or the criminal charges are prosecuted if found able to aid and assist. The Public Safety Ways and Means Subcommittee reviewed the Oregon Youth Authority Budget SB 5541 over 3 days this week. The agency director reported that fewer youth were committed in the past 4 years. Residential facilities also closed, losing 70 beds for youth residents. The Governor’s Budget for the agency was decreased for the lower numbers of residents. The Juvenile Justice Information System, operated by the Oregon Youth Authority and used by the County Juvenile Departments, was built in 1997 and is due for modernization. This project is estimated to cost $3.4 million.

Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Legislative Report - Week of 4/17 Social Policy Team Coordinator: Jean Pierce • After School and Summer Care: Katie Riley • Behavioral Health: Trish Garner • Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice: Marge Easley / Sharron Noon • Education: Jean Pierce / Stephanie Engle • Equal Rights for All Ballot Measure: Jean Pierce Kyra Aguon • Gender-Related Concerns, Reproductive Health, Age Discrimination: Trish Garner • Gun Safety & Gun Issues, Rights for Incarcerated People: Marge Easley • Hate and Bias Crimes: Claudia Keith/ Becky Gladstone /rhyen enger • Health Care: Christa Danielsen • Housing: Debbie Aiona and Nancy Donovan Jump to a topic: Housing Healthcare Criminal Justice Social Policy Housing By Debbie Aiona and Nancy Donovan April is Fair Housing Month. This year marks the 55th anniversary of the passage of the 1968 Fair Housing Act. Fair housing includes the rights of all people to choose housing free from unlawful discrimination based on "protected class status.” Three of the bills below focus on issues related to equality of opportunity. Regardless of race, sex, national origin, religion, family situation, or level of ability, everyone has the right to a safe and stable place to call home. SB 702 : This bill would require training to be adopted by the Appraiser Certification and Licensure Board for real estate appraisers and appraiser assistants to comply with state and federal fair housing laws. At the present time, appraiser education requirements do not include provisions specifically covering racial bias or appraiser responsibilities under state or federal fair housing laws. Appraisal training can be completed online or in person. The League submitted testimony in support of the bill. A Public Hearing was held by the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness on April 18. SB 893 A : In 2021, the Legislature passed HB 2021 that directed Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) to form a Task Force on Homelessness and Racial Disparities. There are significant disparities in the homeless population in Oregon. The share of homeless Native Oregonians in 2020 was four times higher than their share of the general population. The rate of homelessness among Black Oregonians is three times higher than their share of the population at-large. In its January 2022 report, task force recommendations included identifying needs of housing-insecure individuals, understanding agency capacity issues, adjusting funding structures, and modifying contracting processes. SB 893 A requires OHCS to modify the state’s homeless programs and funding structure so that they are more culturally responsive. It allows OHCS to create committees to work on rules and a policy framework that accomplishes that goal. The bill passed out of the Senate on April 11 and there will be a public hearing on April 20 in House Housing and Homelessness. HB 3443 : Prohibits any landlord from terminating lease or taking other specified actions due to the status of a tenant as a victim of a bias crime. The bill would make changes to the bias crime laws and aspects of the Oregon Department of Justice's (DOJ) Bias Response Hotline. The measure expands the confidentiality of reports. It would make victims of bias crimes and incidents eligible for the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Address Confidentiality Program, which would allow victims to break a lease without penalty and have protected leave from work. The measure mandates automatic issuance of a no contact order against the defendant at the time of booking, release officer decision, or arraignment to a defendant accused of a bias crime. A work session is scheduled on April 24 in Senate Housing and Development. SB 976 : Mortgage Interest Deduction Reform bill has received a lot of interest because, if passed, the state’s largest housing subsidy would see some of the savings redirected away from higher earning homeowners and would instead benefit low- and moderate-income home purchasers. In addition, resources resulting from reducing the subsidy would be used for homelessness prevention. The League submitted testimony in support of the reform. Senate Finance and Revenue will hold a work session, April 19 at 3:00 PM. HB 3151 would institute several provisions related to manufactured home parks. It would limit the types of improvements or repairs a landlord could require in a rental contract. It also would allow manufactured home park loan funds to be used for development of new parks and require local governments to allow siting those parks in certain non-residential zones. Senate Housing and Development will hold a work session, April 26. Health Care By Christa Danielson SB 420 : Directs Department of Human Services to provide resource management services to Brain injury individuals and to Convene Brain Injury Advisory Committee. Testimony submitted in favor on 1/23/2023. Referred to W&Ms HB 2395 A Allows wider distribution, education and administering of short acting opioid antagonists. Passed through the house on 3/6/2023. Referred to Senate Health Care. Testimony submitted in favor for public hearing on 4/24/2023. SB 1089 Establishes a Universal Health Plan Governance Board. This is a path forward for Oregon Measure 111-right to healthcare amendment. Testimony submitted in favor to Senate Rules for 4/20/2023. HB 3012 Requires Pharmacy Benefit Managers to annually report costs and rebates of prescription drugs to enrollees to the Department of Consumer and Business Services. No hearing set as yet. Referred to Rules. HB 3157 Establishes Health Insurance Mandate Review Board. Passed the house, referred to W&Ms. No hearing set as yet. Criminal Justice By Marge Easley The slowdown on the movement of bills has necessitated hard decisions as to which ones are priorities for passage this year and which can be put off until a future session. Here are some criminal justice bills that were scheduled for public hearings or work sessions in House Judiciary on April 19 and 20: SB 234 authorizes the Chief Justice to establish rules for gathering data to identify disparities and impacts in the justice system. SB 306 A allows non-attorney associate members of the Oregon State Bar to practice law within a certain scope of practice. Four bills relate to the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA): SB 212 A assures confidentiality of communications during peer support check-in sessions. SB 902 allows those 20 or older who are resentenced to continue temporary assignment to youth corrections. SB 903 allows collection of OYA demographic data in order to see disparities between youths and employees. SB 904 A modifies criteria for the maximum allowable population of youth correctional facilities.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 4/24 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone and Chris Cobey Artificial Intelligence: Lindsey Washburn Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill Conflicts of Interest/Legislative Ethics: Chris Cobey CEI - Critical Energy Infrastructure : Nikki Mandell and Laura Rogers Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone Election Systems: Barbara Klein Emergency Preparedness: Cate Arnold Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum: Claudia Keith Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey State Audit Working Group: Sheila Golden Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley Jump to a topic: Campaign Finance Redistricting Elections, Public Records, Police Body Cams Rights of Incarcerated People Government Ethics Election Methods Governance By Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator, and Team Campaign Finance By Rebecca Gladstone IP 9 petition cover and signature sheets are being prepared for signature gathering. The League supports IP 9 as a Chief Petitioner. The Oregon Supreme Court denied objections and certified the Attorney General’s ballot title: “Limits campaign contributions; political advertisements identify largest contributors; campaigns disclose true funding sources; other provisions.” From OPB: Campaign finance limits could come up short in Oregon Legislature — again . Redistricting By Norman Turrill There has been no movement on redistricting in the legislature. People Not Politicians has started collecting signatures on IP 14 petitions downloadable from its website. Elections, Public Records, Privacy and Police Body Cams By Rebecca Gladstone Bills continue to move with enrollments. HB 2095 Enrolled : This traffic cams in cities bill has been enrolled, passing in the Senate 20 to 9, on partisan lines. HB 5032 A : Awaiting enrollment. We support this Public Records Advocate funding ( our testimony ). These have scheduled hearings: SB 1 1 : This access and transparency bill has strong bipartisan support, requiring virtual public state meetings to record and promptly publicize recordings. We will look for data retention rules. SB 510 : This companion funding for SB 417, below, to improve efficiency, cost estimates and budgeting, and sustainable funding for the Public Records Advocate Commission (PRAC). See our testimony in support . SB 417 : The Public Records Task Force, meeting since March 7, hopes to complete policy discussion and final edits this week, to propose an amendment; see our testimony . HB 2490 May 2 Work session scheduled in Sen Vets, Emerg Mgmt, Fed and World Affairs. It addresses Oregon’s growing cybersecurity vulnerability, to protect our defense plans, devices, and systems from public disclosure, also echoing our call to balance public records disclosure transparency and privacy. The League urges for maximum protection of public health, safety, and the environment. Defending our critical infrastructures is at stake ( our testimony ). Awaiting committee scheduling: SB 166 : We hope scheduling delay implies amending to address our privacy and harassment concerns, our testimony . This three-part bill would codify that actual voting on ballots is not revealed (never has been). It only addresses protecting elections workers, offending substances shall not be thrown at them, and elections should have cybersecurity plans. We recommend further amending, citing extensive references to our earlier relevant testimony. Technical harassment definitions should be expanded, as we note, for example to doxing, with extensive privacy issues, and extended to protect all involved in elections, even voters, from harassment and intimidation, as reported last fall on OPB . We anticipate having these protections in place before the 2024 elections. We link our other testimonies’ support for elections as critical infrastructure, for cybersecurity, and for protecting our cyber defense plans, as mentioned in the bill below. Referred to House Rules March 7. SB 167 : The SoS elections bill could replace candidate filing software (top of our list), add numerous efficiency improvements, address some privacy and cybersecurity issues, with efficiency tweaks. See League testimony in support. SB 614 : We’re watching this police body cam, personal data retention and disclosure bill, after passing the Senate 18 to 10, on not entirely partisan votes. See the April 17 LR for details. SJM 6 : This DC statehood congressional memorial was unanimously referred from the Senate floor on April 13 to Senate Vets, EM, Fed & World Affairs, with two R votes flipping to support. It has not been scheduled there. Taxation without representation is a fundamental democratic value, and we will support this. Awaiting W&Ms scheduling: SB 510 This SB 417 companion funding bill passed unanimously to W&Ms without recommendation, to improve efficiency, cost estimates and budgeting, and sustainable funding for the PRAC. See our testimony in support . SB 1073 passed from JIMT April 5, to establish a state Chief Privacy Officer (CPO). See our testimony for the related bills and the hearing video , details in previous reports here. SB 619 was recommended do pass with amendments by prior reference. LWVOR strongly supports this AG’s consumer privacy bill ( our testimony ), now with a coalition letter. Rights of Incarcerated People By Marge Easley SB 529 , passed out of House Judiciary on April 25 with a do pass recommendation and is headed to the House floor. The bill establishes a structured and comprehensive drug treatment plan for incarcerated individuals and acknowledges that: Substance use disorders negatively impact adults in custody at a significantly greater frequency than non-incarcerated individuals in the community. Substance use disorders should be considered chronic illnesses for which effective treatment is available. Diverting sentenced offenders from a traditional correctional setting into structured programs that provide treatment for substance use disorders or cognitive restructuring has been proven to reduce criminal recidivism in this state. Government Ethics By Chris Cobey SB 292 passed the Senate 26-0. It narrows , on a temporary basis, the applicability of the requirement that district school board members must file verified statements of economic interest to only those members of districts with specified number of students or districts that are sponsors of virtual public charter schools . Expands applicability of requirement to all members of district school boards in 2026. Directs Oregon Government Ethics Commission to provide training on filing of verified statements of economic interest to members of district school boards. 4/19: passed Senate 26-0-4, to House. See Malheur Enterprise article on Entire school boards quit over ethics rule, but reappointments expected . Ethics Commission history shows that most conflicts of interest occur in smaller jurisdictions. HB 2422 : Directs Legislative Administrator to pay costs of reasonable accommodation of member of the Legislative Assembly who is afforded rights and protections as person with disabilities under specified federal and state law. Directs Legislative Administration Committee to adopt an interactive process to determine reasonable accommodations entitled to payment. Appropriates moneys to Legislative Administration Committee to fund payments. House Rules: 4/25: work session, "do pass" recommendation on party-line vote. HB 5021 A: Limits biennial expenditures from fees, moneys or other revenues, including miscellaneous receipts and reimbursements from federal service agreements, but excluding lottery funds and other federal funds, collected or received by Oregon Government Ethics Commission. 4/24: from JW&Ms "do pass" recommendation; 4/26: scheduled for Senate third reading. SB 168 A: Expressly prohibits public employees, while on job during working hours or while otherwise working in official capacity, from promoting or opposing appointment, nomination or election of public officials. 4/27: House Rules public hearing scheduled. SB 207 : Authorizes Oregon Government Ethics Commission to proceed on its own motion to review and investigate, if the commission has reason to believe that the public body conducted meetings in executive session that were not in compliance with laws authorizing executive sessions. 4/20: House Rules work session held, unanimous "do pass" recommendation, House second reading. SB 661 A : Prohibits any lobbyist from serving as chairperson of interim committees, or certain legislative work groups, or legislative task forces. Provides exceptions. 4/25: House Rules public hearing. Election Methods By Barbara Klein No further developments this week. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED. Worthy causes go unaddressed for lack of League volunteers. If you see a need and can offer your expertise, please contact our staff at lwvor@lwvor.org .

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 5/29 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone and Chris Cobey Artificial Intelligence: Lindsey Washburn Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill Conflicts of Interest/Legislative Ethics: Chris Cobey CEI - Critical Energy Infrastructure : Nikki Mandell and Laura Rogers Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone Election Systems: Barbara Klein Emergency Preparedness: Cate Arnold Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum: Claudia Keith Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey State Audit Working Group: Sheila Golden Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley Jump to a topic: Campaign Finance Redistricting Cybersecurity and Legislative Delays Campaign Finance No bills on campaign finance have yet been scheduled for a hearing and are unlikely to be scheduled, considering the walkout in the Senate. For campaign finance reform, the League wants true reform without loopholes for large special interest organizations. Redistricting People Not Politicians has started collecting signatures on IP 14 petitions downloadable from its website. Thousands of signatures have been collected, but more donations are needed. Cybersecurity and Legislative Delays By Rebecca Gladstone Oregon’s Cybersecurity put at risk by Senate walkout This is on the annual sine die t-shirt, “Sine Die 2023 It’s Hammer Time at the Capitol”: Hopes for breaking the Senate walkout logjam seem slim, now in the sixth week. The singular focus on HB 2002 is likely to kill many critical bills as processing time vanishes, including critical cybersecurity bills carried over from 2022. Delaying cybersecurity action is already exacting high prices for Oregon, asking for more trouble. Meanwhile, some bills are moving through W&Ms on short notice. SB 166 A addresses some privacy and harassment concerns, amended with a proposed cash “physical currency” annual aggregate limit of $100 for campaign contributions, to directly address some dark money concerns. This is the biennial Secretary of State bill to correct various election laws issues, supposed to be non-controversial. It passed the House on June 1 with no votes against. See our March 14 testimony and previous extensive reports, predating amendments. Sitting in W&Ms: HB 2049 A : This cybersecurity omnibus bill is now assigned to W&Ms Sub Education, referred March 3 Do-Pass with amendments, A-Engrossed. See our testimony in support. HB 2052 A : This AG Data Broker bill is now in the full W&M awaiting a work session. League testimony in support was filed before current -7 amendments. SB 619 : This larger bill from the AG’s bill consumer data protection task force had a work session in full W&Ms and passed unanimously. See our testimony . Waiting for Senate floor attention: HB 2107 further rescheduled for Senate floor reading on June 1, after passing in the House, 34 to 25. See earlier reports for this Oregon Health Authority automatic voter registration extension. HB 2490 : This cyber omnibus bill awaits second and third Senate floor readings, scheduled for June 1 and 5, subject to change. The League urges for maximum protection of public health, safety, and the environment. Defending our critical infrastructures is at stake ( our testimony ). HB 2806 , relating to public meetings and cybersecurity, further re-scheduled for Senate readings 2 and 3, to June 1 and 5, dates subject to change ( our testimony ). HB 3073 A passed from the House floor, May 31, 55 to 1, awaiting first reading in the Senate. See our Feb 16 testimony in support of candidate and incumbent home address privacy. HB 3127 : We are following this “TikTok” bill, relating to state asset security. Currently further rescheduled for June 1 and 5, dates subject to change. SB 1073 A had no action since referral to W&Ms April 10, to establish a state Chief Privacy Officer (CPO). See our supportive testimony including related bills and the hearing video , details in previous reports. Not yet assigned to a subcommittee. SB 510 Enrolled , for Public Records Advocate and Council funding, awaits the Governor’s signature. SB 417 , the related policy bill, for which we attended weekly workgroup sessions from February to May, will be receiving the awaited group amendment proposal, with no legislative action since the February 7 public hearing. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED. Worthy causes go unaddressed for lack of League volunteers. If you see a need and can offer your expertise, please contact our staff at lwvor@lwvor.org .