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• Elections, Public Records, Police Body Cams

• Rights of Incarcerated People

• Government Ethics

• Election Methods

• Campaign Finance

• Redistricting

Governance

By Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator, and Team

Elections, Public Records, Police Body Cams

By Rebecca Gladstone

The SoS elections bil (SB 167) l pushed for overdue software updates. We continue to catch bills we missed in the first chamber and can use volunteer help.

SB 167: This major 17-point elections omnibus bill from the SoS is pitching to replace candidate filing software (top of our list), add numerous efficiency improvements, address some privacy and cybersecurity issues, and tweak elsewhere for efficiency. The public hearing was rescheduled for Sen. Rules, April 20. See League testimony in support. The League was alone in speaking to the bill, as with HB 5035 last week.

HB 2107: The House Rules work session was rescheduled to April 20. We hope to see further movement and to address in the second chamber committee, to extend automatic voter registration via the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). We were sorry to see the Powder River facility pilot project cut from the bill.

SB 510: This bill passed from the Senate on April 17, 28 in favor, 2 excused. It is the 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 Task Force, meeting since Feb 7, anticipates one more week for policy discussion, another week for final edits to propose an amendment. Current discussion includes “reasonableness”, “balancing test”, “totality of circumstances”. We support this detailed PRAC bill to increase efficiency in processing public records requests, consider fee waivers, defining “media”, waiving records request fees when made in the public interest, and considering malicious intent in placing requests; see our testimony.

SB 619: Recommendation issued, Do pass with amendments and be referred to Ways and Means by prior reference. (Printed A-Eng.) LWVOR strongly supports this AG’s consumer privacy bill, now with a -1 amendment. (See our testimony.) It passed from Sen. Judiciary on April 3 with a Do Pass recommendation to W&Ms.

Upcoming:

SB 614, police body cam use, personal data retention and disclosure. We will look into the bill and amendments. Since our Privacy and Cybersecurity study and the NYT 2016 article, “Should we see Everything a Cop Sees?”, police body cam issues have evolved. There are competing challenges of data retention and management, public records transparency and individual privacy, amid a litany of incidents that could benefit from on-site perspective, many with racial and hate aspects. The LWVOR is a member of the Oregon Coalition against Hate Crimes.

Rights of Incarcerated People

By Marge Easley

After passing the Senate 23 to 4, the work session in House Judiciary for SB 529, originally scheduled for April 12, has been delayed until April 24. The bill modifies legislative findings concerning alternative incarceration programs related to substance abuse. It requires that intensive addiction programs for incarcerated individuals address addiction as a chronic disease and include a range of treatment services. 

Government Ethics

By Chris Cobey

HB 2422: Directs Legislative Administrator to pay the costs of reasonable accommodation of a member of the Legislative Assembly who is afforded rights and protections as a 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 the Legislative Administration Committee to fund payments. Work session was scheduled April 20 in H Rules.

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. Passed House April 14 without dissenting vote; referred to Ways and Means.

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. April 10: passed Senate 17-10; April 13: to H Rules.

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. April 20: H Rules work session.

SB 292 B: Narrows, on temporary basis, applicability of requirement that members of district school board 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. April 17: from Senate Rules with unanimous do-pass recommendation as amended; April 19: Passed Senate 26 to 0.

SB 661 A: Prohibits any lobbyist from serving as chairperson of interim committees, certain legislative work groups, or legislative task forces. Provides exceptions. April 6: passed Senate, 24-2; April 13: in H Rules.

Election Methods

By Barbara Klein

No further developments this week.

Campaign Finance

No bills on campaign finance have yet been scheduled for a hearing.

Redistricting

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.

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.