On this day, January 14, 1969, The Tri-Met transit district was created. Many miles, billions of dollars and tracks laid later, Tri-met has yet to turn a profit.
Also on this day, January 14, 1920, Oregon became the twenty-fifth state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which stated: "The right of citizens to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State, on account of sex." Most Oregon women had achieved voting rights in 1912 and many had been voting since that time.
The Oregon House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill to help Oregonians who own property that was damaged or completely destroyed by wildfires.
The new law will authorize tax collectors in a county covered by a state of emergency declared by the Governor, due to wildfire or other act of God, to prorate taxes imposed on a property that was destroyed or damaged, putting more cash into the pockets of Oregonians who need it to recover from devastating losses.
Republicans also expedited the passage of the bill by waiving the requirement to read it in full on the floor before voting. Republicans have not been granting this waiver of the constitutional requirement during this session. Work on wildfire relief measures began during a special session in the fall of 2020 to immediately respond to historic wildfires that ignited during Labor Day weekend.
“I have met with people in my community that literally lost everything to these fires,†said House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby.) “The current process for relief is not working for those who lost their homes and so much more. We have to do everything we can to focus on supporting these Oregonians who are in this position to help them rebuild their lives. I know that this bill can make a big difference, and I hope it is just the beginning.â€
At the end of March, House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby) issued a call for the Legislature to refocus its priorities on issues like wildfire relief that continue to be an immediate need for Oregonians.
HB 2341 was passed with unanimous support in the House.
It becomes clear the penalties are particularly aimed at white people.
SB 289 was introduced as a study of laws relating to environmental equity. But, Senator Lee Beyer’s Committee On Energy and Environment saw fit to replace it. Not all committee members agreed with this move, but not the ones you would think. Thus far the session has produced bill after bill expanding the rights of inmates, early release, and benefits for rehabilitation. Along comes the amended version of SB 289 prohibiting a person convicted of a first or second degree bias crime committed on water or public land used for outdoor recreation from entering or remaining in any building, land or water of the state used for outdoor recreation for a period of at least six months, but not longer than five-years in addition to any other penalty.
When a bill is replaced, known as “gut and stuff,†the content being "stuffed" has to fall within the "relating to" clause. Finding the connection to “environmental equity†seems absent. Since it is claimed that the majority of convictions are people of color, isn't this a racist concept that goes against the equity agenda?
Digging deeper into the “bias crime,†it becomes clear the penalties are particularly aimed at white people.
In ORS 166.155 to 166.165, a person commits a bias crime in the second degree if the person intentionally subjects another person to offensive physical contact because of the person’s perception, perceived threatening alarm, or tampers or interferes with property, having no right to do so with the intent to cause substantial inconvenience to another person because the person’s perception of the other person is race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or national origin; and it is a first degree crime if intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causes these actions.
SB 289 not only seems discriminatory, but. ORS 166.155 should be of concern to every person when perceptions are used for conviction of a crime. What does it say about our liberties when you can’t read Huck Finn or Little House on the Prairie or the Bible in the open by the camp fire?
The Oregon Health Authority has finally identified and released the count of 168 COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases, including 3 deaths, as of April 2, 2021.
Breakthrough cases are when vaccinated individuals test positive for the virus.
OHA public health officials say it’s a reminder that no vaccine is 100% effective, and vaccine breakthrough cases will occur.
These cases have been reported in 25 counties and all health care preparedness regions.
Region 1: 76
Region 2: 29
Region 3: 27
Region 5: 9
Region 6: 4
Region 7: 17
Region 9: 6
OHA is not reporting the regions in which the deaths took place.
Vaccine breakthrough cases are defined as instances in which an individual received a positive COVID-19 test result at least 14 days after the final dose of any COVID-19 vaccine series.
Many of the vaccine breakthrough cases identified experienced asymptomatic infection and were tested for other reasons. Eleven percent of the vaccine breakthrough cases were hospitalized within the 30 days following their positive test, and most occurred in people older than 65 or with underlying health conditions. The three deaths represent fewer than 2% of the vaccine breakthrough cases, and none of the vaccine breakthrough cases were associated with a COVID-19 variant.
The House Committee on Early Childhood yesterday passed four bills with bipartisan support to make childcare more affordable and accessible for families, provide broader and more immediate access to paid family leave and address a safety concern to protect infant lives.
Three of the bills were sponsored by Representative Jack Zika (R-Redmond) as either a chief or regular sponsor.
“2020 caused so many disruptions for families because of the pandemic and government-mandated stay-at-home orders,†said Rep. Zika. “Families need more options for affordable and accessible childcare as they continue to cope with working from home or dealing with prolonged closures of their previous childcare facilities. The additional access to paid family leave will also provide peace of mind that can be a big help as people continue facing many unknowns.â€
Representative Boomer Wright (R-Coos Bay) and Representative Suzanne Weber (R-Tillamook) also voted to pass all four proposals out of the committee.
“I’m pleased to join my colleagues in passing these important bills,†added Rep. Wright. “Our job this session should be helping Oregonians who are still facing severe hardship brought on by a year of the pandemic, natural disasters and more. These proposals represent the kind of work we should be doing to make things easier for them.â€
“Accessible childcare and paid family leave are so important for providing stability in family life,†said Rep. Weber. “Whatever we can do as legislators to make life easier for Oregonians should be our top priorities.â€
HB 3109: Reduces restrictions to allow for additional childcare locations.
HB 2484: Allows more dwellings to be used as family childcare homes.
HB 2474: Includes closure of childcare providers or schools due to a public health emergency as a qualifying purpose to take paid family leave. Reduces the amount of time before an employee can take family leave from 180 days to 30 days.
HB 3379: Bans the sale of crib bumper pads in Oregon that have caused infant deaths.
At the end of March, House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby) issued a call for the Legislature to refocus its priorities to help Oregonians recover from negative effects brought on by the pandemic. Issues such as lack of adequate childcare continues to be an immediate need.
Brought to you by Kate Brown’s Racial Justice Council
In a House Committee On Economic Recovery and Prosperity meeting on April 6, 2021, Oregon legislators discussed the ramifications of passing HB 2266, a bill which would provide economic recovery loans for Oregonians, but only if their skin is a certain color.
Representative John Lively (D-Springfield) is the sponsor of the legislation which allegedly would direct the Oregon Business Development Department to study the use of economic development methods for purpose of assisting businesses, but is done with targeted outreach so that only a minority owned business would see the advantage.
While discussing the implications of such a unconstitutional law, Representative Kim Wallan (R-Medford) asked the committee if these unconstitutional race-based requirements might be removed in the spirit of reaching as many struggling businesses as possible.
The answer that the Republican legislator eventually receives comes from Leah Horner from the Office of Governor Kate Brown, and may seem disappointing to observers noting the regressive nature of racial segregation.
She simply states that Kate Brown's Racial Justice Council decided that the bill is intended to be written exactly as it is, including the unconstitutional racial elements, and they intend it to be passed as is.
A proposal that would replicate a portion of one of the most contentious issues in recent years was finalized with special interests without ever publishing the language for the public.
A bill amendment to replicate part of cap-and-trade, one of the most contentious legislative issues in recent years, was drafted and then discussed during a committee hearing without ever providing the language to the public beforehand or knowledge that it would be discussed during the committee.
The House Energy and Environment Committee allowed public testimony on an unpublished amendment to HB 2021, introduced by Pam Marsh (D-Ashland) who also chairs the committee. The amendment introduces sweeping legislation that seeks to impose costly regulations on the state’s supply of electricity. Special interest groups testified at length in support of a “-5 amendment†that was not made publicly available to everyday Oregonians. Republican lawmakers on the committee received the draft language at 11am during session before the 1pm hearing, leaving them little time to read the amendment. Republicans criticized the move as the antithesis of transparency and the exact opposite of how the legislative process should be conducted.
Despite an hour and a half of prepared testimonies from special interests, the amendment will only receive a half hour of testimony on Wednesday now that it is public knowledge.
Prior to the start of the 2021 Legislative Session, the majority insisted that it would be the most transparent session despite keeping the public out of the building. This recent move by Democrats to quietly replicate a portion of cap-and-trade with an amendment behind closed doors calls that claim into question.
“The last thing we should do during this precarious pandemic session is conceive, draft and finalize legislation behind closed doors,†said House Republican Leader Christine Drazan. “Discussing a contentious proposal in a committee without ever providing it to the public beforehand is not transparent. It’s a false formality with the intention of passing laws that have zero public input. That’s breaking a promise we made to Oregonians ahead of this virtual session.â€
While representatives from environmental justice organizations, investor-owned utility companies and even Democratic members of the committee repeatedly expressed support for an unpublished -5 amendment, members of the public were left in the dark.
The Higher Education Coordinating Commission is pleased to share a new report submitted to the Oregon Legislature showing that Oregon’s statewide investment in textbook affordability is having a significant impact on making postsecondary education more affordable. The report analyzes the impact of the state’s investment from 2015 to the present on developing and promoting high-quality, no-cost and low-cost course materials -- Open Educational Resources -- for use in Oregon’s public colleges and universities. In short, the program provides modular online resources in place of expensive, cumbersome and environmentally impactful dead-tree textbooks.
Amy Hofer, coordinator of statewide open education library services for Open Oregon Educational Resources, says, “We expect that every grant dollar spent by the state will translate to six dollars saved by students in the current budget cycle. Faculty, librarians, and campus store managers are aware of the financial pressures facing students and are increasingly interested in using open educational resources or other low-cost alternatives to commercial textbooks. Affordable textbooks are especially important with students struggling to meet basic needs as a result of new hardships brought on by the pandemic.â€
Kyle Thomas, director of legislative and policy affairs for the HECC, says, “Oregon’s forward-looking investment in expanding OER is successfully reducing the unexpected high costs that far too many students face with textbook and course materials. For every course that this investment supports in shifting to OER, hundreds of students can be impacted over many years. We commend the faculty, administrators, and our partners at Open Oregon Education Resources for their innovative work for students, and we look forward to continuing this momentum.â€
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The report also summarizes a 2019 analysis of 19 public community college and university course schedules, describing the impact of courses being designated no-cost or low-cost, a requirement imposed by legislation in 2015. In 2017-19, 12 percent of courses at the reporting institutions were designated as no-cost or low-cost, representing an estimated savings of $34 million for over 375,000 students in those two academic years. In addition, Oregon community colleges significantly reduced the estimated cost of course materials for transfer degrees during the four years between 2015-19.
Oregon is a national leader in open education, with a well-developed community of practice around OER development and implementation. In addition to the grant funding, a new development in this work is external funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation for 2020-2022, enabling Open Oregon Educational Resources to develop a statewide professional development course: the Equity & Open Education Faculty Cohort Model. This professional development course, designed by library faculty member Jen Klaudinyi at Portland Community College, is now available to faculty to help them consider open educational practices with an equity lens, including universal design, cultural relevance, and diverse perspectives. The next cohort will convene during summer term.
Bills with negative consequences for Oregonians, they claim
In an effort to focus on the issues most critical to recovery and stabilization, Republicans in the Oregon House of Representatives last week announced that they would waive the readings of budget-related bills to expedite their passage and the critical funding that they provide for communities across the state.
However, Republicans today stated that they are still committed to using legislative tools at their disposal to voice their opposition on several contentious bills moving forward that would have long-lasting negative consequences for Oregonians.
“It’s our job in the minority party to provide a critical check on the balance of power in the Legislature so that we aren’t passing bills drafted on the fly that would have serious unintended consequences for our communities,†said House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby.) “Several proposals this year have been rushed through committees despite serious opposition from stakeholders and citizens who face hurdles navigating the virtual testimony process.â€
Contentious bills moving through the Legislature include:
HB 2457: Disregards a commitment made by Democrats and Republicans in Congress by taxing paycheck protection program loans that Oregon businesses received in 2020. These loans kept more than 600,000 Oregonians employed, allowing them to support themselves and their families, and gave the state a double benefit of additional income taxes and fewer people claiming unemployment benefits. Retroactively taxing this money now is the opposite of what we should be doing.
HB 2942: Allows for convicted criminals to work in K-12 schools with kids even if their history includes manufacturing and/or delivering hard drugs like cocaine, heroin and meth or prostitution – including crimes targeting children within 1,000 feet of a school.
Repealing Measure 11: Three of four remaining bills in the House and Senate would repeal many parts of the voter-approved Measure 11. The proposals are so alarming that it prompted eight Oregon District Attorneys to issue a joint press release denouncing the ideas that would return us to the days “when a rapist would merely receive a probationary slap on the wrist.â€
HJR 13: Dramatically increases property taxes for Oregon homeowners.
“We are worried that the majority party’s agenda is disconnected from what people need right now. Its policies would kill jobs, make schools and communities less safe, and raise the cost of living in Oregon,†added Leader Drazan. “With the people’s Capitol closed to them, they need us to work on fundamental priorities: balancing the budget, supporting public health, recovering from natural disasters and fixing the damage done by the shutdowns for our kids and communities.â€
“The remaining gaps are in the BIPOC communitiesâ€
In 2009, the Legislature passed HB 2116, establishing the Health Care for All Oregon Children (Healthy Kids) program that made healthcare coverage available to children 0-18 whose family earned up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level.
The in 2017, SB 558, Cover All Kids, passed and extended coverage to all children residing in Oregon, regardless of immigration status, whose families fell below 300 percent of the federal poverty level. According to the Oregon Health Authority, at the end of the 2017-19 biennium, nearly 5,900 children had enrolled in Cover All Kids program.
In March, Governor Brown introduced HB 2164 which she referred to as “Cover All People Programâ€. The legislation came out of the Racial Justice Council Health Equity Committee. “All Oregonians must have quality, affordable healthcare regardless of who they are or where they liveâ€. The Governor told the committee. “94% of Oregonians and 100% of children currently have access to healthcare, but the remaining gaps are in the BIPOC communitiesâ€. HB 2164 and the -3 amendment would work to close that gap.
HB 2164 was a placeholder bill until the hearing where the 14 page -3 amendments were introduced by Representative Salinas (D-Lake Oswego). By modifying the original language of the bill from Health Care for All Oregon Children Program to the Cover All People Program, it gets at the hear of the Governors desired changes. “Cover All People is a program to provide authorization for a State based Oregon health plan which would include coverage to medically underserved people for example undocumented adults, DACA recipients and legal permanent residents†she noted.
The Federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) passed in March of 2010, sometimes referred to as Obamacare, has eligibility requirements that exclude many people living in Oregon from access. It was pointed out by the Oregon Center for Public Policy in written testimony that “Latinos comprise Oregon’s largest group of immigrants. Because of exclusionary health insurance structures based on immigration status, Latinos have one of the highest uninsured rates among racial and ethnic groups in the stateâ€. Indeed, the eligibility requirement to access the ACA program are that the individual must be currently living in the United States, be a US citizen or legal resident and not be incarcerated. The -3 amendment to HB2164 works around the ACA. SECTION 1 of the proposed amendment would eliminate that Federal barrier. The changes ORS 414.231(2) would now read:
“The Cover All People program is established to make affordable, accessible health care available to all residents in this state, regardless of immigration status. The program provides medical assistance, funded in whole or in part by Title XIX of the Social Security Act, by the State Children’s Health Insurance Program under Title XXI of the Social Security Act or by moneys appropriated or allocated for that purpose by the Legislative Assemblyâ€.
Title XIX of the Social Security Act, more commonly known as Medicaid, provides health care to individuals who have low incomes, including persons who are blind or disabled. The only non-citizens covered are those that are lawfully admitted for permanent residence, and those admitted as refugees.
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The Health Insurance program under the Federal Title XXI Act is to be used to assist states in initiating and expanding children's health assistance programs to uninsured, low-income children. This program also does not cover noncitizen adults either.
Therefore, the change to the program proposed under the -3 amendments would most likely be funded by moneys appropriated or allocated for that purpose by the Legislative Assembly, as stated in Section 1 (2):
Eligibility for the pilot program would be limited to Oregonians under 138% of the poverty level, 190% for pregnant women.
As a portion of her introduction, Governor Brown stated that HB 2164 and the -3 amendment are “really smart economic policyâ€. Unfortunately, as of press time, Legislative Fiscal had yet to produce a Fiscal impact statement which would show the estimated economic impact of the policy to the State General Fund.
HB 2164 and the -3 amendment are scheduled for a work session on April 8, 2021 at 3:15pm in the House Committee on Health Care.
GOP bill gives students foundations in political processes and institutions
The Senate has approved SB 513 today, which would require Oregon high school students to take a semester of civics education before graduating. While the Oregon Department of Education already has standards for civics and government courses, SB 513 would carve out dedicated class time to focus on the principles of America’s and Oregon’s political institutions.
“This is an important and timely piece of legislation,†said Senate Republican Leader, Fred Girod (R-Lyons). “The past year has shown how government decision-making can deeply impact lives and livelihoods – for better or for worse. As kids return to school, it's important they understand the ins and outs of how decisions get made and how they can be involved. This is a good, bipartisan bill that I urge our colleagues in the House to pass.â€
SB 513 has broad support from teachers, leading Oregon businesses and organizations, government officials, college and university faculty, and concerned citizens nearly 600 of whom have signed letters calling for its passage.
“The broad, diverse support we are seeing for the Civics Education Act is an acknowledgment of the importance of giving young Oregonians the foundations they need to participate in our democracy,†said Erin Esparza, Executive Director of the Classroom Law Project, a non-profit organization committed to preparing Oregon students to become engaged and involved participants in the democratic process. “We are living in a time where nearly one-third of Americans are unable to name any branches of government. Yet, Oregon is one of only 11 states that do not currently require a civics education class for graduation. It's time to do better by our students, our state, and our democracy.â€
SB 513 passed by a 25-3 vote and now heads to the House of Representatives for further consideration.
What if Republicans were back in control of the House?
House Republicans are currently slowing down the Oregon Legislature which is trying to rush passing more than 4,000 wide-ranging bills in a pandemic session. I felt it was important to explain the reasoning behind this while addressing some of the concerns that the media portrays as well as the concerns from my colleagues in the House Democrat caucus.
I believe we are all familiar now with the difference between the Constitutional requirement to “read the bills†in their entirety and the traditional “waiving†or “suspending the rule†on reading. What may not be known is the “why†behind the reading of the bills or the suspension of the rules.
While most bills will have bipartisan consensus like the budget, there are still about 10 percent of the proposals that are partisan, and I believe could make life far worse for Oregonians. This bipartisanship is something Oregonians can be proud of but unfortunately the media does not often report on this important fact. The media constantly reports on the 10% or so of the bills that are controversial. When one party is in a majority or even more a supermajority, those 10% can be very contentious. I am asked often by my colleagues from across the aisle why we won’t suspend the rules when what we are currently voting on is not controversial. It is precisely the 10% that creates the need for a way to “slow down the processâ€. The statement is often made “this is the will of Oregon voters, they put us in the majorityâ€. That may be true, but let’s turn the tables for a moment…
What if Republicans were back in control of the House? I would assume the minority party would do everything in their power to stop what they would consider to be extreme, partisan legislation, including the reading of the bills and even the nuclear option: walk out, which they’ve used before.
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This past year has been a tough one for Oregonians. They need a unified Legislature to provide them with immediate help on the most pressing issues they’re facing. That’s what Republicans are calling for, and that’s why we will use every legislative tool at our disposal to encourage this kind of bipartisan consensus on relief measures.
No legislator was elected to this position based on that 10% of the bills. No legislator when campaigning really proposed any of the 10% controversial bills. We each were elected because we were able to connect with the voters who chose us because we represented their values better than our opponents did. I believe it was because of the 90% of legislation that passes out of this chamber. I would hope that, especially in a pandemic session, we all would keep our eye on the prize of helping to heal Oregon. Not promote divisive legislation promoted by special interest groups that is not important to the vast majority of Oregonians who only believe and desire that we should all work together to help our state.
Keys on long-term infrastructure projects, workforce development, and jumpstarting job recovery
House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby) released the following statement outlining the House Republican recommendation for spending Oregon’s portion of the federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.
“After a difficult year for Oregon, it’s time to help every corner of the state recover and rebuild. While specific issues related to COVID-19 have their own source of relief funding, the Legislature should use these federal dollars for restoring Oregon’s natural environments, job recovery, infrastructure projects, and returning Oregon to long-term economic stability. These investments will bring all Oregonians lasting benefits across the state.
We must resist creating short-term spending obligations that will not help us rebuild our state, and that Oregon taxpayers will not be able to sustain once the money is gone.
The following projects are how Oregon can start rebuilding for long-term recovery.
Invest in Oregon’s natural environment
Restart the reforestation tax credits to regrow Oregon forests that burned during the historic 2020 wildfires
Manage overgrown forests with Oregon’s “Good Neighbor†authority to prevent future fires and smoke pollution
Continue to transition away from older, outdated diesel engines
Promote workforce development education opportunities
K-12 education has the benefit of specifically allocated federal dollars to address learning gaps that kids experienced during the pandemic. ARPA funds can help higher education and workforce development opportunities recover in turn with the following investments:
Local career academies
Workforce development programs at community colleges
STEM higher education career training programs
Jumpstart job recovery
Regional economic development grants
Restaurant and hospitality industry assistance
Downtown districts assistance
Invest in critical infrastructure projects
The future of the current Administration’s infrastructure package is uncertain. These are some Oregon projects that can launch with ARPA funds to start the recovery now:
Bypass bridges to reduce congestion
Critical highway repair and improvements
Utility infrastructure connections
Water and sewer systems
Dam restorations
Rail and transit systems
Broadband access for more Oregon communities
Save for the future
These federal funds are an opportunity to build up our flexible reserves so we can prepare for future expenses. This will ensure the state continues to rebuild while the economy slowly recovers, and we can shift the burden off Oregon taxpayers.
This relief from the federal government is an opportunity to make a lasting difference for our state. It’s time to rebuild Oregon.â€
Public hearings to discuss the federal dollars for Oregon will be held by the Joint Ways and Means Committee the weeks of April 12 and April 19.
