It seems there is a proposal in the Oregon legislature that would make a significant change to Oregon election law.

While the Oregon's Secretary of State and many local county elections officials have celebrated what a good and secure system Oregon has, Democrats in Oregon may be attempting to put yet another "thumb on the scale" to further influence Oregon's election processes.

Legislation has been put forth that would see taxpayer money partially funding campaigns for political office. The proposal comes from Representative Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis), who is sponsoring the bill. Representative Rayfield has recently proposed additional changes to Oregon election law in a state where his own party rules with a super-majority.

Despite this election stronghold, the Democrat wants to fundamentally change how elections and votes work in the state of Oregon.

HB 2921 would seem to create yet another government bureaucracy in the "Small Donor Elections Program".

It would also require taxpayer funding of political campaigns of a possible 6-to-1 ratio.

The bill is currently summarized as follows:

Establishes Small Donor Elections Program to enable candidates for office of state Representative and state Senator to receive 6-to-1 match on small dollar donations. Limits matching funds. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die.

The Oregon legislature is currently in session, although the public has been banned from the state's capitol building.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-02-23 09:17:10

Last Update: 2021-02-23 19:27:35

“White Privilege” is something we hear a lot about these days, but it seems that Senator Lee Beyer (D-Springfield) missed the memo when he introduced SB 12, requiring benefit plans offered by the Public Employees’ Benefit Board and Oregon Educators Benefit Board to cover certain costs related to travel to Mexico or Canada to fill and refill prescriptions.

SB 12 states:

Benefit plans offered by the Public Employees’ Benefit Board that reimburse the cost of prescription drugs must include a pharmacy tourism program that allows an eligible employee or family member, who is not enrolled in Medicare, to fill and refill in Mexico or Canada 90-day supplies of prescription drugs specified by the board. The program must pay the costs of:
(a) The specified prescription drugs;
(b) Round-trip air travel to San Diego International Airport or Vancouver International Airport;
(c) Transportation to and from a pharmacy designated by the board; and
(d) An overnight hotel stay, if necessary.

It doesn’t stop there. It requires the boards to coordinate the travel making them travel agents calling it a “pharmacy tourism program.”

The FDA reported in 2017 that imported prescription drugs are neither safe nor dependable. Foreign drug makers are notorious for producing untested counterfeit drugs, even in unsterile conditions, then cheating international trade rules to hide their country of origin before the drugs make their way into the United States.

The PERS system has an unfunded liability nearing $20 billion and sucks up taxpayer dollars with no end in sight. Adding a high cost pharmacy tourism program to the OPEBB will increase the burden upon taxpayers even more for a privilege that bypasses the protections of screening foreign drugs. A bill was introduced last session, in 2020, HB 4147 to import foreign prescription drugs that everyone would benefit from, but it died in committee when the safety risk reared its ugly head.

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Good steps have been taken. In 2003, SB 875 created the Oregon Prescription Drug Program, which serves as a prescription drug purchasing pool. In 2006, Oregon and Washington established the Northwest Prescription Drug Consortium. Through the combined purchasing power of the Consortium both states have realized savings on the purchases of prescription medications. In addition, the Consortium offers additional opportunities for shared efficiencies by reducing each program's administrative costs.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2021-02-22 17:00:50

Last Update: 2021-02-23 08:44:32

SB 554 was heard today in the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Ballot Measure 110 Implementation, under Chair Senator Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene). The bill would pave the way for a patchwork of local concealed handgun license regulations to restrict where Oregonians can protect themselves and others.

“Concealed carry license holders are some of the most upstanding people in our state,” said Senator Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer), who is the Vice-Chair of the Committee. “These people are the ones you would want to be your neighbors and friends because they protect their families and others around them. The last thing we should be doing is discouraging people from helping keep our communities safe by creating an inconsistent standard of laws across the state.”

According to research, less than one-hundredth of one percent (.0074%) of Oregon concealed handgun license holders commit felonies. The majority of which were unlikely to have involved a firearm. The FBI has indicated that nearly 3.2% of active shooter situations are stopped with someone with a CHL. Other researchers have put that number as high as 16.5%.

SB 554 allows local governments and municipalities to regulate when and where concealed handgun licensees would be able to protect themselves and others. Thus, someone carrying legally and safely with a concealed handgun permit could end up committing several crimes in the course of running errands on a Tuesday afternoon, instantly turning them into criminals.

“Thanks to our rigorous concealed carry licensing program in Oregon, CHL holders are the good guys with guns,” added Senate Republican Leader Fred Girod (R-Lyons). “This bill is a “solution” in search of a problem. The sponsors have failed to bring forth any evidence that this bill would make anyone safer. It would do the opposite. With violent crime on the rise, we can’t afford to severely curtail Oregonians’ right to self-defense.”

The bill also raises fees on CHL applications and renewals.

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“Increasing gun violence has had a disproportionate impact on low-income and minority communities,” Sen. Girod continued. “The only thing increased fees will do is put the right of self-defense out of reach for these people. Wealthy and middle-class families won’t be deterred from protecting themselves and their families.

“Every life lost to gun violence is a tragedy. If we want to solve the issue of gun violence, CHL holders are the wrong place to look. Let’s follow the data.”

Today’s public hearing set a session-record for the number of people who submitted testimony against a bill.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-02-22 16:46:55

Last Update: 2021-02-22 17:00:50

There is an excellent example of what happens to a country when it embraces a green energy economy. It’s the Spanish Strategy on Climate Change & Clean Energy.

Post Franco Spain adopted a Prime Minister leadership model beginning in 1982. Under the Spanish Socialist Workers Party, know by its Spanish acronym, PSOE, heavy industry was cautiously nationalized. Finding success with liberalization of the marketplace and in a quest for economic benchmarks needed to qualify for European Economic Union membership, that process sped up under Prime Minister José María Aznar who served from 1996 to 2004 and Spain’s economy prospered.

A terrorist bomb attack propelled the PSOE party under José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to a surprise victory in 2004. His administration enjoyed four years of economic strength initiated under Anzar while simultaneously plunging Spain into a green energy economy experiment.

Aggressive renewable portfolio standards included wind, solar and biofuels were set. Foreign investors from the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany jumped on the opportunities.

The plan saw 2.2 people lose their job for each new job created. Wind & solar proved less efficient so utility rates climbed 92%. The government forced utilities to pay the higher rates for renewables and guarantee lower rates to customers. Service failures became common and many lost service through non-payment. The government had to subsidize the bankrupt utilities. The national debt became unmanageable. Financing schemes couldn’t cope with economic reality. Unemployment peaked at 27% in 2012. Youth unemployment hit 50%.

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Spain quickly abandoned the experiment in 2013, but the damage is still mostly with her. Aznar’s hand-picked successor, Mariano Rajoy was elected PM in 2012. He found It hard to get the deep state off the renewables gravy train. Spain is currently pursuing nuclear power with foreign investors once again lining up to provide them financing. Unemployment is stuck near 20%. Spain provides the perfect model for any country looking to destroy itself in the blind pursuit of “green ideology”.

Image courtesy European People's Party - EPP Summit 4 December 2003 Paris


--Tom Hammer

Post Date: 2021-02-22 16:17:33

Last Update: 2021-02-22 16:46:55

The military surplus equipment transfer program (The 1033 Program), was established as a part of the 1997 National Defense Authorization Act. Since its inception, more than $7.4 billion in surplus military equipment and goods, including armored vehicles, rifles, and aircraft, have been transferred to more than 8,000 state and local law enforcement agencies according to a written statement provided by Chloe Becker with the Oregon chapter of the AFL-CIO.

In 2015, President Obama issued Executive Order 13688 that provided necessary oversight of the program. The Executive Order has since been rescinded. Now, the Oregon Legislature is looking at prohibiting Oregon law enforcement agencies from participating in this program by introducing HB 2481.

2020 brought a year of unrest and Representative Karin Power (D-Milwaukie) one of the Chief sponsors of HB 2481, along with Representative Julie Fahey (D-Eugene) expressed this concern in her testimony. She testified, "In the summer of 2020, Portland law enforcement, with the assistance of federal agents, deployed rubber bullets, tear gas, and flash-bangs for more than 100 days as clashes with protestors intensified before our eyes. We witnessed mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, repeatedly exposed to military-grade crowd control devices, resulting in injuries, lawsuits, and thousands of complaints filed with the city”. It should be noted that the legislation does not prohibit the purchase of any of these items used during the protests.

Chloe Becker with the Oregon chapter of the ACLU agreed with the representative stating “In response to the national outrage, armored vehicles, assault weapons, and military gear once again filled our streets and communities, turning them into war zones. Weapons of war have absolutely no place in our communities. What’s more, evidence has shown that law enforcement agencies that obtain military equipment are more prone to violence”.

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On the other side of the of the legislation was Polk County Sheriff Mark Garton representing the Oregon State Sheriff’s Association and the Oregon Association Chiefs of Police. At a hearing held earlier this month he noted that there are provisions in the proposal that they could support, but he expressed how important it has been to Oregon Law Enforcement the be able to obtain light armored vehicles at little to no cost. The vehicles are used on an extremely limited number of critical incidents where active shooters and armed suspects pose a danger to the community or law enforcement officers. He shared a situation where “the vehicle was used to evacuate civilians from a dangerous situation by taking the vehicle right to their house and positioning it to safely place the civilians inside the vehicle and get them to a safety”.

One of the items included in Representative Power’s original testimony was a list to demonstrate that “many (Oregon) departments have received ordinary equipment, such as jackets, boots, googles, and other basic department needs. However, [this] is a spreadsheet illustrating the mine resistant vehicles received by departments across the state.”

The House Judiciary Committee and subcommittee on Equitable Policing is now considering an amendment, also proposed by Representative Power to narrow the scope of the legislation by allowing agencies to acquire mine-resistant vehicles, unmanned ground vehicles or militarized combat, assault or armored vehicles which addresses the concerns expressed by Sheriff Garton. However, it would continue to prohibit things like grenades and grenade launchers, unmanned armored or weaponized aircraft. According to the online report, from 1993 to 2020 the State of Oregon has not received any grenades or grenade launchers, unmanned armored or weaponized aircraft. Are Representatives Power and Fahey and the Oregon Legislature looking to solve a problem that does not exist?

The Amendment has yet to be adopted and HB 2481 remains in committee.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-02-22 15:55:31

Last Update: 2021-02-22 16:17:33

Senator Sara Gelser (D-Corvallis) thinks she has some . The question first came to light in the 2018 session when she attempted to make an amendment to SB 1540 to allow 13-year-olds legal consensual sex.

Now Senator Gelser has introduced SB 562 allowing foster kids to be placed in unstable questionable homes under the care of individuals of any age or orientation.

The Oregon Department of Human Services, Child Welfare Division currently has age requirements for certification to become a foster parent. For certification an individual is required to be 21 years of age, unless there is a tribal or relative relationship where an exception can be granted for those between the ages of 18-21.

SB 562 prohibits disqualifying individuals from providing child welfare services based on certain characteristics: (a) For the sole reason that the individual received child welfare services as a child or youth; (b) For the sole reason that the individual is a person with a disability; or (c) On the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender expression or disability.

When children can’t remain in their home safely, they are already traumatized. SB 562 shifts the focus from the best interest of the child to unrelated anti-discriminatory rights of unrelated adults that have no vested interest in the child. Foster children need stable homes that don’t complicate their lives with adult issues. That should be the focus.

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The bill also codifies state policy on preventing retaliation when individuals report adverse experiences within the child welfare system: "It is the policy of this state that a child, ward or youth may not be prohibited from, disciplined for or retaliated against for publicly or privately speaking about the child, ward or youth’s experience receiving child welfare services."

Senator Gelser testified that there is no current policy that a child can’t talk, so this appears to be a preventive measure -- creating a problem to be fixed.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2021-02-22 10:06:44

Last Update: 2021-02-22 11:34:33

Over the past two decades, it has become obvious there is an increasing attempt by many in the state legislature to use the passage of more restrictions on firearms and firearm accessories to undermine the right of self-defense and erode the Second Amendment, which is what the sponsors of SB 554 are proposing. The chief sponsors, all Democrats, are Senators Ginny Burdick (D-Portland), James Manning, Jr. (D-Eugene), Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego), and Representatives Rachel Prusak (D-West Linn), and Lisa Reynolds (D-Portland).

These new proposals on conceal carry will not have any effect on crime or violence because criminals tend to ignore the law. Contrast that to the fact that SB 554 will hinder law-abiding citizens from exercising their right to self-defense because they tend to obey the law, which could put them in jeopardy of being an unarmed victim to the armed criminal.

Owning a firearm and having the ability to conceal it makes for a safer society. Guns prevent an estimated 2.5 million crimes a year, or 6,849 every day. Most often, the gun owner never fires the gun, and nobody sheds blood, including the criminal.

Every year, individuals using firearms in their defense prevent 400,000 life-threatening violent crimes. That is more lives saved than by police in a year. In a report released by the Center for Disease Control ordered by President Obama in 2012 following the Sandy Hook Massacre, the agency estimated that the number of crimes prevented by guns could be even higher—as many as 3 million annually, or some 8,200 every day.

Sixty percent of convicted felons admitted that they avoided committing crimes when they knew the victim was armed. Forty percent of convicted felons admitted that they avoided committing crimes when they thought the victim might be armed, which makes conceal carry even more vital for protection.

Moreover, felons report that they avoid entering houses where people are at home because they fear the owner shooting them. Then consider less than 1 percent of firearms are used in the commission of a crime and CHL holders are statistically six times less likely to commit a violent crime than the average citizen who does not have a CHL.


--Rob Taylor

Post Date: 2021-02-22 10:04:52

Last Update: 2021-02-22 10:06:44

Oregon Public Broadcasting is reporting that State Representative Diego Hernandez (D-Portland) will be resigning his seat in the Oregon Legislature.

Representative Hernandez faced many calls for his resignation -- many within his own party -- and an expulsion vote on the House Floor this week. Insiders were questioning whether there were enough votes for his expulsion. The Oregon Constitution requires 2/3 or 40 votes to expel a member.

His resignation creates a vacancy which will be filled by appointment by the Multnomah County Commissioners, from a list of three to five nominees sent to them by the local Democratic Party Precinct Committee Persons.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-02-21 19:42:03

Last Update: 2021-02-21 19:59:29

Opposition is beginning to mount against a pair of bills impacting commercial packaging and the recycling process as a hearing nears in the Senate Committee On Energy and Environment. Extended Producer Liability and tougher packaging requirements are the subjects to be discussed.

Alison Keane is the President and CEO of Flexible Packaging Association, which represents flexible packaging manufacturers and suppliers to the industry, representing $33.6 billion in annual sales.

According to Keane, SB 581, introduced by Senator Michael Dembrow, (D-Portland) "would institute new Oregon labeling requirements for recyclability of packaging and ban the use of ASTM labeling for resin codes. This would result in Oregon specific requirements, which is unworkable given the fact that products are not manufactured and sold into Oregon only, and in most cases are sold nationally and internationally."

SB 582 would set up an Extended Producer Responsibility program -- similar to existing ones for automobile batteries, tires and other difficult to dispose items. The proposed program is, according to Keane, "not only for consumer products, but for commercial and industrial products as well, if far too broad and complex and because of this, difficult to even determine implementation requirements, responsibilities and timelines."

What appears to be a "gut-and-stuff" amendment -- intended to replace the whole bill -- to SB 582 has been proposed. Among other things, it says, “‘Equity’ means the effort to provide different levels of support based on an individual’s or group’s needs in order to achieve fairness in outcomes and the acknowledgment that not all people and communities are starting from the same place due to historic and current systems of oppression. Equity requires the redistribution of resources, power and opportunity to communities most impacted by systemic oppression.” It's not clear if there is enough support for this amendment to be adopted.

Both bills are scheduled for public testimony at 1:00 on Tuesday in the Senate Committee On Energy and Environment.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-02-21 18:39:37

Last Update: 2021-02-21 20:45:08

The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries oversees prevailing wage laws in the state of Oregon. According to their website, "prevailing wage rates are the amounts that must be paid to construction workers on all public works projects in Oregon." Cynics have described prevailing wage laws as "the government overcharging itself for services."

Currently, prevailing wage is set by what is called an independent wage survey that is done across 14 regions in Oregon. HB 2419 would tie prevailing wage to collective bargaining contracts. HB 2597 would reduce the number of regions to five. Both bills are sponsored by Representative Paul Holvey (D-Eugene). Both bills had a hearing on February 10 in the House Business and Labor Committee, which is chair by Representative Holvey. Neither has been scheduled for further action.

HB 2419 is being opposed by Lori Sattenspiel who represents the Oregon School Boards Association. She said, "if this bill passes and becomes effective, we expect wages to increase. These eight districts going out for a bond now may find themselves short of funds to complete projects. Again, these schools have done their due diligence up front, including some escalation factors to account for trends in materials and wage rates. If there is a wage spike caused due to these bills, referenced as results of similar legislation in Washington state, these projects are going to have problems."

According to Tracy Rutten Rainey who represents the League of Oregon Cities, "this bill significantly alters the process by which prevailing wage rates are determined by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries. The proposed revisions in these bills represent a significant policy change that could result in unexpected cost increases for some projects." Rutten prefers HB 2252, introduced by Representative Shelly Boshart Davis (R-Albany) which calls for the Bureau of Labor and Industries to study how they determine the wages.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-02-21 17:12:12

Last Update: 2021-02-21 18:05:54

Oregon law requires that police trainees be trained to deal with a whole list of crimes that deal with protected classes. The list is long. State Representative David Gomberg is proposing adding gender to the list in HB 2986 The current law reads:

The Board on Public Safety Standards and Training shall ensure that all police officers and certified reserve officers are trained to investigate, identify and report crimes motivated by prejudice based on the perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation or beliefs, membership or activity in or on behalf of a labor organization or against a labor organization, physical or mental disability, age, economic or social status or citizenship of the victim.

Interestingly, as society increasingly loses it's understanding of what gender means, it remains to be seen how this law will be able to be enforced. For instance, if gender is regarded as a subjective characteristic that an individual identifies as, how would the police know that a gender-based crime was being committed?

The bill has been assigned to the House Committee On Judiciary House Subcommittee On Equitable Policing.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-02-21 09:48:05

Last Update: 2021-02-21 17:12:12

State Representative Diego Hernandez (D-Portland) was denied a temporary restraining order against the Oregon Legislature by US District Court Judge Ann Aiken. He was hoping to get a reprieve from a vote to expel him. That vote is scheduled for Tuesday, February 23 at 11:00.

Hernandez is being disciplined for allegations that he engaged in harassing conduct involving women who had business before the legislature. The suit filed by Hernandez presents new evidence that Hernandez claims he was unable to present to the House Committee on Conduct.

The suit names House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland), as well as Representatives Julie Fahey (D-Eugene) and Ron Noble (R-McMinnville) who are Chair and Vice-Chair respectively of the House Committee on Conduct, which is considering the actions against Representative Hernandez. The suit also names Jackie Sandmeyer who is the head of the Legislative Equity Office which oversees the work of the Conduct Committee.

In her opinion on the restraining order, Judge Aiken says,

[Hernandez] makes numerous arguments that defendants did not properly follow the requirements of Rule 27. For example, [Hernandez] alleges he was only given seven days to respond to the draft report instead of ten. He also complains that he was not allowed to cross-examine his accusers. However, these technicalities do not in themselves mean that [Hernandez] has failed received (sic) adequate due process under the Fourteenth Amendment. The "very nature of due process negates any concept of inflexible procedures universally applicable to every imaginable situation."

Though members of the same party, Speaker Kotek and Representative Hernandez have been at odds over Hernandez's no vote on SB 1049 in 2019. The bill, which was introduced by Speaker Kotek, required that public employees contribute to their retirement fund.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2021-02-20 20:05:29

Last Update: 2021-02-20 20:55:43