Important Notice: If a bill comes in later than 5PM on Fridays, check here for updates & changes! We will not be sending additional emails!
Clicking the bill number will allow you access to more information on the bill via OLIS.
Clicking Submit Testimony Button below each bill in the list will allow you to fill out the testimony form online or upload pre-written testimony to OLIS.
Links are provided for more information, testimonies on various sites, including OLIS as featured testimonies.
The bill text, any submitted amendments and testimony that may have already been submitted is available in the tabs at the top of the OLIS webpage. By Clicking the “Register to Testify” tab, you can fill out the form to sign up to testify remotely through Microsoft Teams for the bill either via Teams Video or on the phone. This, of course, does not incapsulate all the bills for the coming week. Bills could also be added to committee agendas at any time and after the work to put this list together.
Are we missing bill? Submit bills every Friday by 5PM for distribution in the weekly alert!
Fight for Oregon, Sen. David Brock Smith, Rep. Virgle Osborne, Rep. Court Boice, Senator Kim Thatcher, Oregon Cattleman’s Association, Oregon Firearms Federation and the Oregon Citizens Lobby have provided the content this week. Listed below are Bills of Concern and Bills to Support that are coming up for Public Hearings this week and/or need your voice.
Your testimonies are greatly needed in the fight for Oregon! Our goal is to make it easy for you to testify and share! Anyone can subscribe or unsubscribe to these alerts! Encourage folks to subscribe!
This of course does not incapsulate all the bills for the coming week. Bills could also be added to committee agendas at any time and after the work to put this list together. Visit FightforOregon.com Weekly Alerts for a more updated version of this week’s bills! We are committed to not inundate your email box because these are a moving target and change daily
Monday, April 17, 2023
Bills of Concern
HB3042 A – Limits terminations and rent increases for three years after tenants’ housing is withdrawn from publicly supported housing. Requires owners or landlords to provide notice to new tenants and applicants during notice period before withdrawal from publicly supported housing. Allows Housing and Community Services Department to record extension of affordability restrictions for publicly supported housing if property owner misses certain deadlines. Allows department to record right of first refusal if no qualified purchaser makes an offer. Makes other amendments to publicly supported housing preservation program. Declares emergency, effective on passage.
Note: There are a lot of support letters and testimonials. If you are a landlord or know a landlord, they need to read this bill!
Read Testimonies
Featured Testimony: Landlord in Opposition
SB 543 – Prohibits food vendor from using polystyrene foam container in sales of prepared food. Prohibits food vendor from providing single-use foodware containers to consumer unless foodware containers meet certain criteria.] Prohibits person from selling or distributing polystyrene foam containers or polystyrene foam packaging peanuts. Prohibits person from selling or distributing foodware containers containing intentionally added perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances. Prohibitions become operative January 1, 2025. Establishes civil penalties for violations. Directs Department of Environmental Quality to establish certification program for compostable products.]
Read Testimonies
Featured Testimony: American Chemistry Council, American Forest & Paper, Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association & More In Opposition
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Bills of Concern
SB976 – Disallows, for purposes of personal income taxation, mortgage interest deduction for residence other than taxpayer’s principal residence, unless taxpayer sells residence or actively markets residence for sale. Phases out allowable deduction for interest for principal residence based upon income. Disallows deduction for principal residence above threshold income amount. Establishes Oregon Housing Opportunity Account. Transfers amount equal to estimated increase in revenue attributable to restrictions on deduction of mortgage interest to account. Applies to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2024. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die.
Read Testimonies
Featured Testimony: Wishcamper Development Partners in Opposition
Bills to Support
SB498 – Allows exclusion from taxable estate for value of interest in farm, forestry or fishing business. Applies to estates of decedents dying on or after July 1, 2023. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die
Read Testimonies
Featured Testimony: Oregon Dairy Farmers in Support
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Bills of Concern
Senate Committee on Judiciary
HB2279 – Repeals residency requirement in Oregon Death with Dignity Act. Declares emergency, effective on passage.
Read Testimonies
Featured Testimony: Oregon Right to Life in Opposition
Senate Committee on Judiciary
HB2915 A – Prohibits retail pet store from offering to sell or selling dogs or cats. Specifies exceptions. Provides that violation is subject to civil penalty not to exceed $500. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die. |
Read Testimonies
Featured Testimony: PetAdvocacy Network in Opposition
As the advocacy voice of the responsible pet care community, The Pet Advocacy Network represents the interests and expertise of retailers, companion animal suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, pet owners and others involved in the many aspects of pet care throughout the state of Oregon and across the United States. Our association works to promote animal well-being and responsible pet ownership, foster environmental stewardship, and ensure the availability of healthy pets through our work at the state and federal levels—including the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While well-intentioned, retail pet sale bans will not stop bad breeders who are unregulated, unlicensed, and are not held accountable to any animal care standards. What bans will do is harm highly-regulated pet stores, eliminating the most transparent source of pets that provides purchasers with legal protections, and driving prospective pet owners to unregulated, unlicensed and potentially unscrupulous pet-sellers.
We respectfully urge Oregon to reject HB 2915. This legislation would not impact bad actors, but it will punish law-abiding pet stores, often small, local businesses that depend on establishing life-long relationships with pet owners to sustain their businesses because they can’t compete with the volume pricing that online or big-box retailers are able to offer. These local businesses are committed to the health, safety, and wellbeing of the animals they provide to Beaver State families, but a pet sale ban will force them to close their doors permanently.
Thursday, April 20, 2023
Bills of Concern
SB 1018 – Imposes personal income tax at flat rate if taxpayer has adjusted gross income below threshold amount. Applies to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2024. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die.
Read Testimonies
Featured Testimony: Citizen in Opposition – sneaky way to tax Seniors?
Friday, April 21, 2023
ACTION ALERTS! ATTEND WAYS & MEANS ROADSHOW TO TESTIFY!
ACTION ALERT – Ways & Means Committee Field Hearings
Your Chance to Weigh in on Budget Priorities
The Oregon Legislature’s Joint Committee on Ways & Means will, for the first time, be in Roseburg to hear from the people of Douglas County & area residents on what Senate District 1’s budget priorities are for the upcoming biennial budget that will fund Schools, public safety and other programs & services
What: Public Input to the Legislative Joint Committee on Ways & Means
Where: Umpqua Community College Campus Jacoby Auditorium
When: Friday, April 21st, 5:00 pm
Register to Testify: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Committees/JWM/2023-04-21-17-00/Agenda
Your testimony will be limited to 2 minutes:
Bills of MAJOR CONCERN
Bills in Ways & Means that are of Importance to parents!
- HB2002 A – is making its way out of the Joint Ways & Means Committee. HB 2002-A is the most extreme abortion and gender-altering bill the United States has ever seen. – Taking away the age of consent requirements for “reproductive health care” which includes abortion and hormone therapy for transgender youth.
ALERT SB 348 -3 BM 114 Firearms
Work Session held on 4/4. Voted out of Senate Committee on Judiciary with 2 Nays (Senator Thatcher and Senator Linthicum) and 3 Ayes (Senator Gelser Blouin, Senator Manning, and Senator Prozanski). Referred to Ways and Means. A minority report has been submitted by Republicans.
ALERT SB 891 Eliminates residency requirements for assisted suicide
Work Session held on 3/29 in Senate Committee on Judiciary. Voted out of committee with 2 Nays (Senator Thatcher and Senator Linthicum) and 3 Ayes (Senator Gelser Blouin, Senator Manning, and Senator Prozanski). Referred to Rules.
ALERT SB 704 Universal Health Care
This bill will create the Universal Health Plan Governance Board. This board will have nine seats with members appointed by the governor. They will have four-year terms and will be paid as full-time public employees. The board will design the administrative structure for the Universal Health Plan which will be implemented the early part of 2027.
Voted out of committee on 3/22 to Rules and then Ways and Means.
Joint Task Force on Universal Health Care Final Report and Recommendations
ALERT SB 579 Voting by adults in custody
Allowing convicted felons to vote while in prison.
Referred to Ways and Means
ALERT SB 530 Climate Change
This bill creates state policy regarding natural solutions and the Natural and Working Lands Fund. This bill directs the Oregon Global Warming Commission, ODOE and other state agencies to jointly coordinate on the development and prepare a net carbon sequestration and storage baseline for natural and working lands. A natural and working lands advisory committee will be create and will consist of 14 members.
Work Session held on 4/3 in Senate Committee on Natural Resources. Voted out of committee and referred to Ways and Means
Oregon Agriculture Bills to Support
Bills in Ways & Means that are of Importance to the cattle sector for your consideration as you prepare your testimony:
- HB 2631 – Wolf Compensation with a 7x multiplier for lost cattle – $900,000-$1.2M
Read Testimonies and OCA in Support - SB 471 – Wolf Compensation Fund – $800,000
Read Testimonies and OCA in Suport Testimony - SB 955 – AgStress – Suicide Prevention Call Line – $300,000
Read Testimonies and Agriculture Coalitions in Support - HB 2194 – ODA Grant Program to fund construction of meat rendering plants – $4M
Read Testimonies and Citizens paying attention in Support - HB 2907 – ODA Grant Program to fund establishments that process and sell meat products – $10M
Read Testimonies and Oregon Beef Council in Support - HB 3247 – Support for OSU Veterinary Diagnostic Lab – $900,000
Read Testimonies and Oregon St. Univ. in Support - HB 5002 – Oregon Department of Agriculture Budge
Read Testimonies and 96 Endorsing Farms - SB 458 – OSU Statewide Funding including Extension, ag experiment stations and forest research – $50M
Read Testimonies and Oregon Ag Growers - SB 5509 – Restore Predator Control Funding (USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services) – Leveraging approximately 5:1 federal and county dollars to state dollars, respectively.
Read Testimonies and Rocky Mtn. Elk Foundation in Support
Stay Alert on these Bills!
Bills that are of Importance to 2nd Amendment! Delayed until 5/2 but not gone! Keep your eye on this bill!
Any delay in the gun bill votes won’t mean anything if the Democrats are able to pass the rest of their agenda and then force a vote on the gun bills later.
The Democrats are not stupid. They can look at a calendar and they know when they will need to get their bills to the floor in time to eviscerate gun rights in Oregon.
“Democrats insist they are not concerned about running out of time to pass their priorities before a mandatory June 25 adjournment.”
“In the House, Rayfield on Wednesday agreed to delay a vote on House Bill 2005, a bill to outlaw so-called ghost guns, increase the age to possess many guns to 21, and potentially increase the number of public places where concealed handguns are prohibited. In exchange for postponing a vote on the bill to early May, Republicans agreed to ease up on delay maneuvers that some in the party had touted earlier in the day.”
“These are delay tactics,” said Lieber, a Portland Democrat, “and it’s not going to interfere with the Democratic agenda.”
Now is not the time to relax. Most people have told us they are getting NO response from leadership to their requests that they do their job. It doesn’t matter. They don’t have to return your calls or emails. They just have to get them.
Remember, they have many ways to filter and ignore emails. But even if your calls go to a voice mail, someone has to listen to at least part of them before they can file them away. So don’t stop calling and reminding Tim Knopp and Vikki Breese Iverson that long after they have forgotten, you will remember.
Senator Tim Knopp
503-986-1727
Representative Vikki Breese Iverson
503-986-1459
Keep you eye on the Kicker!
While the two bills that would steal Oregonians’ hard-earned money by taking the constitutionally protected kicker refund are currently sitting in committee without movement, it’s not “over” until Sine Die in June.
With the full legislature at the whim of the majority party, bills can move lightning fast. These bills are SRJ 26 and SB 774 and they would deny Oregonians their much-deserved $5,200 (average per household) personal kicker refunds and redirect that money to grow an already bloated state bureaucracy.
Between 2001 and 2021, Oregon’s budget more than tripled from $34.1 billion to $121.2 billion per biennium – an insane expansion of government, further demonstrating the legislature’s insatiable appetite to spend. Since 2001, annual inflation has averaged 2.4%.
Read more about the history of the Kicker here, and its 1979 inception.
Remember: Each biennium, the Governor proposes an aspirational budget. The legislature then creates a framework and ultimately passes the final budget for the next two fiscal years.
Are we missing a bill? Submit a Bill is now available! Submittal deadlines are Fridays by 5PM! We’ll try our best to get it on the list!
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Disclaimer: Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the various authors, and not necessarily each author’s employer, organization, committee or other group or individual.