Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 2/3 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Coastal Issues: Christine Moffitt, Peggy Lynch Columbia River Treaty: Philip Thor Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: Joan Fryxell Emergency Management: Rebecca Gladstone Forestry: Josie Koehne Elliott State Research Forest: Peggy Lynch Northwest Energy Coalition: Robin Tokmakian Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: Melanie Moon Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Advisory Committee: Sandra Bishop Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch Jump to a topic: Air Quality Agriculture Budgets/Revenue Climate Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) Dept. of State Lands (DSL) Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF) Emergency Services Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Land Use & Housing Natural Resources Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) Pesticides Water Wetlands Wildfire Air Quality Bills we are watching: SB 726 Requires the owner or operator of a municipal solid waste landfill to conduct surface emissions monitoring and report data as specified in the Act. LWVOR to support. HB 3244 : Replaces the requirement that an owner or operator of a municipal solid waste incinerator conduct continuous monitoring or sampling of specified air contaminants with a requirement that the monitoring or sampling be conducted annually. LWVOR would oppose. The bill relates to the Reworld facility out of Keiser and League members have testified of their concerns in past years. Agriculture By Sandra Bishop Chair Jeff Golden announced four specific Senate bills that will be considered by the committee: SB 78 – Replacement dwelling bill; SB 77 – home occupation reform bill; SB 73 – Spot zoning reform; and SB 79 – prohibits certain dwellings on resource lands. LWVOR will watch and may support with our strong positions on the protection of Oregon’s valuable agricultural lands. Budgets/Revenue By Peggy Lynch Following are the budget bills we are watching in Natural Resources: Dept. of Agriculture: SB 5502 Dept. of Agriculture Fees: SB 5503 Columbia River Gorge Commission: SB 5508 DEQ: SB 5520 . Governor’s budget DEQ Fact Sheet Public hearing tentative set for mid-March Oregon Dept. of Energy: SB 5518 Oregon Dept. of Energy Fees: SB 5519 Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: HB 5009 Oregon Dept. of Forestry: SB 5521 Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: HB 5010 Public hearing Feb. 5-6; Meeting materials Dept. of Land Conservation and Development: SB 5528 Governor’s budget DLCD Fact Sheet Public hearing Feb. 3-4; LCDC 1/24 presentation ; Meeting Materials Land Use Board of Appeals: SB 5529 Oregon State Marine Board: HB 5021 Oregon State Parks and Recreation Dept.: HB 5026 Public hearing tentative set for March 8 Dept. of State Lands: SB 5539 Water Resources Dept.: SB 5543 Governor’s budget WRD Fact Sheet Public hearing Feb. 18-20. Here is a summary of the Governor’s budget. Governor's Budget and Agency Request Budget documents are/will be available online here . Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: HB 5039 . Tentative public hearing Feb. 23-24 Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board 6-Year Limitation: HB 5040 Limits expenditures of lottery funds from the Watershed Conservation Grant Fund for local grant expenditures by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board for a six-year period beginning July 1, 2025. Oregon Business Development Dept.: HB 5024 Oregon Dept. of Emergency Management: SB 5517 Office of the Governor: SB 5523 Oregon State Fire Marshal: SB 5538 Dept. of Transportation: SB 5541 Dept. of Administrative Services: HB 5002 Legislative Administration Committee, Legislative Assembly, Legislative Counsel Committee, Legislative Fiscal Officer, Legislative Revenue Officer, Commission on Indian Services and Legislative Policy and Research Committee: HB 5016 Lottery Bonds: SB 5531 : an average debt capacity of $564 million in each Biennium Emergency Board: HB 5006 General Obligation Bonds, etc.: SB 5505 : an average debt capacity of $2.22 billion per Biennium Six-Year Limitation/Bonds: SB 5506 Limits for the six-year period beginning July 1, 2025, payment of expenses from fees, moneys or other revenues, including Miscellaneous Receipts, but excluding lottery funds and federal funds, collected or received by various state agencies for capital construction. The next Revenue Forecast will be Feb. 26th. The legislature will use that forecast to do a final rebalance of the 2023-25 budget. Then the May 14th forecast will be the basis for the legislature to determine the 2025-27 state budget. Climate By Claudia Keith and Team See the Climate Emergency section of this Legislative Report. T here are overlaps with this Natural Resources Report. We encourage you to read both sections. Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) By Peggy Lynch The League supports SB 830 , a bill that m odifies provisions of the on-site septic system loan program to allow for grants. It also allows for the program to consider mobile home parks in need of septic upgrades. Here is the Onsite Wastewater Management Program 2025 Rulemaking webpage . Because of the League’s work on SB 391 (2021) and additional bills in 2023, a League member is serving on the rules advisory committee to address sewer availability and accessory dwelling unit (ADU) issues. There are two additional meetings set for Feb. 13 and 26. You are welcome to Sign up for email updates about this rulemaking via GovDelivery . The League will again serve on an annual rulemaking advisory committee on water quality fee increases. Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) By Joan Fryxell On Jan. 28th, the House Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment received a presentation on the proposed pilot project on Geologic Carbon Sequestration Potential in Oregon. Follow up materials were provided. Dr. Day-Stirrat, DOGAMI Director, presented the information. He stated that the target horizons are the porous zones at the tops and bases of lava flows, which are the appropriate zones, as they are highly porous (have a lot of gaps) and permeable (the gaps are well connected). The sample he circulated was clearly from the intact center of the flow, as it was quite solid, but still had holes in it. The project described is only to drill a test well to evaluate feasibility of injecting brines (a.k.a. any sort of water solution, possibly saltier than we want to drink) infused with carbon dioxide. Some test injections will need to be done to evaluate this correctly, but clearly this proposed project is not intended to be a production well for ongoing injection of brines. $10 million from the Common School Fund (CSF) should cover the scope and duration of the project. Because the land is located on CSF land where future viable private projects could pay to lease the land, the CSF money is considered by the State Land Board as a good investment. Drilling is expensive, and drilling through a stack of basalt flows is likely to be relatively slow (therefore more expensive). To characterize the well, they will want to retrieve cores at intervals, also expensive and time consuming. More drilling info below under background information. Monitoring wells will need to be drilled a little distance away from the pilot well, to monitor how the pilot well responds to pumping brines down the hole. This keeps an eye on pore pressure down at the horizon of interest, as well as can retrieve brines to see if leakage is occurring as well as how effective the mineral production of calcite is going. The Dept. of Environmental Quality will need to approve well drilling permits. Committee members raised a number of questions with answers here: “Carbon isn’t the problem; other greenhouse gases are the problem”. Carbon dioxide levels have doubled in the last 200 years, and clearly are a major problem. Other greenhouse gases are also a problem, at a secondary level. Methane, for example, is a potent greenhouse gas, but its residence time in the atmosphere is fairly brief, on the order of a few years to a decade. Carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere indefinitely. As Dr. Day-Stirrat said, methane can be injected underground, but it will remain a gas, and can leak back up to the surface. “Take carbon out of the air, don’t the trees need that?” Plants do take up carbon dioxide (and give off oxygen), but even getting the carbon dioxide levels back to 280 ppm (pre-industrial revolution) will not hurt plants. The forests were in fine shape throughout human history, as well as back into the fossil record to the first land forests ~300 million years ago. “Source of brine?” Not discussed at length, but one possibility is to pump up the fluids down there (the brines), inject carbon dioxide, and pump them back down, in a cycle. That’s probably the cheapest way to go. “Is it bad to plug the holes in the basalt with calcite?” This is a question of scale, really. Pores will be plugged with calcite for some radius around the well, but these zones are really pretty tiny compared with the extent of the layers in the Columbia River Basalts. Reducing porosity is generally not detrimental to the rocks. “How many years have we been tracking atmospheric carbon dioxide?” We have records of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere that extend back about 500 million years all the way up to today, utilizing different techniques, but the data set is quite robust. “What is the seismic impact of pumping?” That is exactly what hydrofracturing (fracking) is – enough fluid is pumped down to the horizon of interest to counteract the prevailing pressure regime enough to fracture the rock. This is being done industrially in a number of places, and has been done long enough that the mining engineers and drillers have a very good idea of how much pressure is needed to fracture the rock. Injecting carbonated brines with the intent of making calcite doesn’t need this high level of pressure, so it can be done without increasing the seismic risk to the area. “What is displaced when we put things into the subsurface?” Dr. Day-Stirrat said “the pressure goes up”, which is true but not helpful, really. Even at relatively shallow depths like 2500 feet, things behave a little differently than they do at the surface, and we’re talking about fluids in pore spaces. The fluids are at least a little compressible, and again, we’re talking about a relatively small radius around the well in a very large system. “Injection vs eruption vs earthquakes”. Iceland is on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a spreading center, so it exists by repeated volcanic eruptions. Movement of magma produces earthquakes, and this has been ongoing the entire history of the island, whether people have been around or not. These injection wells are shallow and small in comparison, and the magma movement is not affected by them. Background information: Basalt is particularly good for carbon sequestration in terms of its chemistry and its texture. It contains relatively high amounts of calcium, as well as magnesium, both of which readily combine with carbon dioxide to form carbonate minerals (calcite and magnesite, respectively), which are stable solids which will stay in the rock indefinitely. Texturally, the basalt is in the form of lava flows, which override the land surface with all its roughness, and the tops of the flows typically break up as they cool while the interior continues to move. These broken zones are ideal for fluids to travel through. Drilling: Normally a drill string and bit rotates, which chews up the rock to make the hole get deeper. The rock chips then circulate up with the drilling mud, are retrieved and logged, so the rock type is known, and changes are recorded. To get a core (like what was handed around in the session), the whole drill string is pulled up, and the bit is replaced with a coring bit, which preserves a cylinder of rock in the center. Once the interval to be cored is drilled, the whole drill string is pulled back up, the core is retrieved, and the normal bit is put back on, the whole drill string is fed back down the hole, and drilling resumes. Normal drilling is faster and cheaper than drilling for a core, so it is done unless there is a lot of interest in exactly what the rock is. Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels: They have fluctuated considerably over geologic time, with a high of about 4000 ppm in Cambrian time, to a low of 180 ppm in the last glacial period. However, the rate of change has always been much slower, which allows some accommodation by the plants and animals living at the time. The rate of change over the last 200 years is far too fast for these accommodations to take place. Dept. of State Lands (DSL) By Peggy Lynch The Director of DSL published a p roposed increase in permit fees for Removal/Fill program: “ Oregon’s Removal-Fill Law helps protect wetlands and waters by requiring permits to remove or add materials in wetlands, rivers, streams, lakes, and other waters of the state .” A League member served on the rulemaking advisory committee . “ The statutory Common School Fund heavily subsidizes Oregon’s removal-fill permitting process .” “ Visit the DSL website to see a draft of the proposed rules and program fees, all related materials from the rulemaking process, and the online comment form: www.oregon.gov/dsl/Pages/rulemaking.aspx . The comment deadline is February 17th at 5:00 p.m.” The next State Land Board meeting is Feb. 11. Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF) The ESRF Board will meet Feb. 5th. Here is the agenda, meeting materials and a zoom link. Emergency Services By Rebecca Gladstone HB 2581 : The League spoke and filed testimony in support of a statute change, substituting the word “seismic” with “hazards”, to coordinate coverage efforts through the State Resiliency Officer. A work session is scheduled on Feb 5 at 1pm, in H Comm On Emergency Mngmt, Gen Gov, and Veterans . SB 505 The League is preparing testimony for this bill to fund grants for county emergency liaisons, public hearing scheduled for Feb 4 at 1pm, in Sen Comm On Vets, Emergency Management, Fed and World Affairs . Oregon Dept. of Forestry (ODF) By Josie Koehne SB 404 State Board of Forestry shall convey forest lands within a county to the county if the board of county commissioners of the county determines that conveyance of the forest lands to the county would secure the greatest permanent value of the forest lands to the county. LWVOR will oppose. See also the Wildfire section of this report below and the separate Climate section. Land Use & Housing By Peggy Lynch HB 3013 : Details the process by which a permit or zone change that is based on provisions of a comprehensive plan or land use regulation that fail to gain acknowledgment is voided and any resulting improvements or uses are removed or revoked. LWVOR supports with -1 amendment. The following is a beginning list of land use (and housing-related) bills we are following: HB 3062 : Requires local governments to map sensitive uses as part of a comprehensive plan. LWVOR may support. HB 2138 : Expands allowable middle housing and expands middle housing requirements to include urban unincorporated lands. LWVOR may have comments. Some provisions we support; others not so much. HB 3145 : Allows the Housing and Community Services Department to use Local Innovation and Fast Track Housing Program Fund moneys for factory-built housing. LWVOR should support. May have overlap with Housing portfolio. HB 2316 : Allows designation of Home Start Lands to be used for housing. LWVOR will oppose. HB 2347 : Authorizes the Department of Land Conservation and Development to provide planning assistance for housing production to federally recognized Indian tribes and makes other technical changes to laws relating to land use planning. A -1 amendment will be considered at a public hearing on Feb. 5th in House Housing. HB 2950 A bill to update Goal One and Public Participation is being sponsored by Oregon’s American Planning Association. The League is interested in the bill, but has some concerns. We understand there will be an amendment proffered. SB 462 : Requires the Oregon Business Development Department to establish an education course for land use planners for local governments, special districts and state agencies. LWVOR supports educational efforts but there are other training opportunities, so this proposal might be redundant. SB 525 : Amends expedited land division criteria and processes. LWVOR has concerns. May need to oppose. Knowing that infrastructure is a hot topic this session, you might find these slides ( Infrastructure 101 Webinar, Password: !zI0siD% ) from the Regional Solutions Team of interest. See also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report. Natural Resources HB 3173 – Establishing OregonFlora in Statute: OregonFlora provides comprehensive information about ~4,700 vascular plants in Oregon to the public, state and federal agencies, educational institutions, businesses; consumers, and scientists, providing significant economic, social, and educational benefits. Long-term and sustainable funding is needed to ensure that OregonFlora can continue to provide this service. This bill creates an initial appropriation of $400,000 per biennium made to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission for distribution to Oregon State University. HB 3173 info sheet . The bill has widespread support statewide and the League hopes to see this program that supports many natural resource areas funded this session. Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) By Lucie La Bonte The OWEB program began in 1993. In 1994, several pilot watershed councils developed. After passage of Measure 66, the Governor’s Watershed Enhancement Board became the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board funded with 7.5% of lottery funds. There are now 92 Watershed Councils in Oregon. These watershed councils partner with various state and federal agencies bringing economic development to rural areas by improving watershed habitat. Funding includes proceeds from the Oregon Lottery, federal grants and loans and, more recently, General Funds to support additional programs added to the agency’s mission. OWEB has established a Strategic Funding Plan developing strategies to fund their programs and projects throughout the state. The Board and Staff work together updating the funding plan to ensure secure funding for restoration projects. The Legislature is a partner and generally approves funding for OWEB. The Strategic Funding Plan was reviewed at the January Board Meeting and will be updated in April. Pesticides HB 2679 directs the State Department of Agriculture to classify certain pesticides containing neonicotinoids as restricted-use. The League has supported a similar bill in past sessions. Water By Peggy Lynch The Governor has added “water” as her environmental priority this session as reported in this Oregon Capital Chronicle article.: “ Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and her natural resources adviser Geoff Huntington consider water quality and availability a top priority this legislative session …. Huntington said the governor’s office will back a package of bills that gives state agencies more statutory authority to manage water allocations and regulations in Oregon. Much of that is being sponsored by Rep. Ken Helm, D-Beaverton, and Rep. Mark Owens, R-Crane, who co-chair the House agriculture and water committee.” The League provided testimony on HB 2168 at the House Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water Committee. The bill requests $5 million for the on-site septic loan program, another $5 million for the Well Water Repair and Replacement Fund and monies to help the Oregon State Extension Service reach out to potential recipients. The bill is scheduled for a Work Session on Feb. 3rd. Water bills we are following: HB 2988 : Instructs the Water Resources Department to take certain actions related to aquifer recharge and aquifer storage and recovery. HB 3108 : Requires the Water Resources Department to implement additional rules and requirements for the review of limited license applications for an aquifer storage and recovery permit HB 2803 : Increases certain fees related to water. LWVOR will support. Expect amendments. Needed to provide current service level staffing at WRD. Oregon Water Data Portal debuted Jan. 31st. The multi-agency effort to release a beta version of the pilot portal for the Oregon Water Data Portal project debuted on January 31. The pilot portal is accessible at https://www.oregonwaterdata.org/ . Changes to the pilot portal will be made intermittently from input received during the beta testing until June 2025, as resources allow. The League has supported this project so that there is ONE PLACE where Oregonians can find water information. This Oregon water data pilot portal was developed through a collaboration with multiple Oregon agencies, Oregon State University, and the Internet of Water Coalition. The pilot was developed based on the experience and knowledge of this group as well as the input and questions the team has received through various engagements. The objective of this initial pilot portal is to test functionality using limited data and will evolve over the next six months as data are added and improvements are made based on user feedback. We will continue to build our understanding about user needs and experiences through this pilot portal phase. Users can provide feedback about the beta version of the pilot portal by completing a survey or emailing OWDP@deq.oregon.gov . The objective of a water data portal is to bring together Oregon’s water data and information into a single point of access so that water decision makers and others can find the data, and to improve data access and integration for better water-related decision-making. League members may want to check the U. S. Drought Monitor , a map that is updated every Thursday. Here is a more complete website about drought in Oregon. We all need to pay attention to the potential for harmful algal blooms. “When in doubt, stay out.” V isit the Harmful Algae Bloom website or call the Oregon Public Health Division toll-free information line at 877-290-6767 to learn if an advisory has been issued or lifted for a specific water body. Wetlands A bill of concern to the League related to our removal/fill program has been filed: SB 400 . As proposed, the League will oppose. Another wetlands-related bill we will be watching: HB 2054 . Wildfire By Carolyn Mayers The League watched a meeting of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire on January 28, which addressed how wildfire losses impact homeowner insurance in Oregon, with comparisons to the CA insurance market for context. Andrew Stolfi, Director and Insurance Commissioner, Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, spoke first, laying out the overall unfavorable landscape in the insurance industry due to increasing huge natural disaster payouts. He pointed out that the double-digit premium increases people are experiencing, even in “non-high disaster areas” are due to the increase in large claims. His presentation , as well as those of the other two speakers at this meeting, clearly illustrate the problem, and some possible approaches to solutions, when it comes to wildfire. Of note, Commissioner Stolfi pointed out that Oregon’s homeowner insurance rates, by one measure which excludes condos, are still less than half the national average, in spite of the fact that there has been an average of approximately 50% increase in rates between 2018 and 2023. This is remarkable, given the fact he also pointed out - that losses in the past 10 years are tracking 10 times the total for the past 4 decades. Finally, he shared that in spite of the feeling among consumers that many people are experiencing non-renewals, that actual number is .only 78% of policies. All these figures and more are included in his presentation. He was followed by Michael Newman, General Counsel for the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), which is a non-profit organization focused on wildfire risk mitigation at the parcel and neighborhood level. They have recently received permission to offer their program to homeowners in Oregon. One item they are working on is developing a “Wildfire Prepared Neighborhood Benchmark”. This is a program they hope to offer to homeowners at the neighborhood level to help 1) mitigate wildfire risk of loss and increase survivability and; 2) help reduce participants’ homeowner insurance rates, or at least slow rate increases. At the end of the presentation, Senator Jeff Golden commented that another attempt at funding a grant program through the State Fire Marshal for “Neighborhood Protection Cooperatives”, which has failed repeatedly in previous sessions, is forthcoming at this Legislative Session in the form of SB 85 . Rounding out the discussion was Kenton Brine, President, Northwest Insurance Council, who reiterated the unsustainable nature of rapidly increasing disaster payouts by insurance companies exceeding premiums collected. Increasing magnitude of disaster claims, which is also influenced in no small part by the large increase in the cost of construction materials used in rebuilding. He sited the fact that in 2023, $1.12 was paid out in claims for every $1.00 collected in 2023. Finally, this article from the Oregon Capital Chronicle explores the relationship between wildfire and insurance availability. Volunteers Needed What is your passion related to Natural Resources? You can help. V olunteers are needed. The long legislative session begins in January of 2025. Natural Resource Agency Boards and Commissions meet regularly year-round and need monitoring. If any area of natural resources is of interest to you, please contact Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, at peggylynchor@gmail.com . Training offered.

Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 5/15 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Coastal Issues: Christine Moffitt, Peggy Lynch Columbia River Treaty: Philip Thor Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: Joan Fryxell Emergency Management: Rebecca Gladstone Forestry: Josie Koehne Elliott State Research Forest: Peggy Lynch Northwest Energy Coalition: Robin Tokmakian Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: Melanie Moon Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Advisory Committee: Sandra Bishop Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch Jump to a topic: Air Quality Climate Coastal Issues Elliott State Research Forest Land Use/Housing Radioactive Waste Recycling Toxics Urban/Rural Divide Water Wildfire Natural Resources By Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, and Team We’ve got money! The May 17 Revenue Forecast declared an additional $1.96 billion available for the 2023-25 session. And the crazy “kicker” is up to about $5.5 billion!! It could be about 50% of your 2023 Oregon taxes—shown up as a credit in 2024! Now we’ll see what the legislature does with all that money! We expect a package of climate bills and a water package. The League will advocate for the slew of bills in Ways and Means we supported earlier in session. Air Quality LWVOR joined with others in support of HB 3229 , to modify federal air quality (Title V) operating permit program fees. The bill sits in Ways and Means without recommendation. SB 488 A , relating to the Covanta medical waste incinerator, sits in Ways and Means. BUDGETS/REVENUE: Here it is: The May 17 Revenue Forecast . You can listen to the presentation here . $1.96 billion more to spend on Oregon’s needs! Here are the Governor’s spending requests . We’ll soon learn what our legislators decide as to their spending priorities. We hope that the bills listed in Ways and Means in this report will be among those gaining funding and we understand there will be packages for climate and water investments. The Oregon Center for Public Policy shared: “We estimate, based on Oregon Department of Revenue data, that the richest 100 Oregonians will get kicker rebates averaging more than $800,000.” State Economist Mark McMullen said rebates will come close to a record 50% of state tax liability (for 2023). Last week’s budgets were considered in Full Ways and Means on May 19. The Governor signed HB 5046 , to allow state agencies to continue to operate until Sept. 15 at current levels. This bill is usually done every biennium, but later in the session, as some budgets aren’t always finished until the last few days. This year, if the Senate Republicans don’t provide a quorum, the bill provides a short-term extension. SB 538 A , mentioned in last week’s report, would allow DOGAMI and other agencies to offer permittees the ability to use a credit card to pay fees and the agencies can charge for the processing costs charged by those card businesses. It passed out of committee on May 11 and is headed to the House floor. Climate By Claudia Keith and Team The Climate Emergency and Natural Resources sections of this Legislative Report overlap. We encourage you to read both sections. Coastal Issues By Christine Moffitt and Peggy Lynch HB 3382 moved to House Rules with the -7 amendment late in the evening of May 18. After many meetings and conversations, the League agreed to not oppose the -7 amendment to HB 3382 that limits the bill to ONLY the International Port of Coos Bay, places requirements around proof of financial viability and report on the number of jobs to be created to be submitted with any actual project application. Only the Port and tribes would be qualified to submit an application. We don’t support the bill, but the votes seemed to be there for a bill, so we worked to make it as narrow as we could. Any project application would be for a new Goal 16 exception and would go through the usual local land use processes. Also, all the other federal and state agency permits would be required for any process. On May 14, LWVOR issued an Action Alert to oppose the bill. As a result of ours and others who did the same, there were many opposition testimonies filed and a second public hearing was allowed on May 16 where more League members and others testified in opposition. The -7 amendment was negotiated on May 17 and was posted by noon on May 18 for the night’s work session in the Joint Committee on Transportation. The bill has been amended but was moved to House Rules without an explanation. The League will continue to monitor the bill. One additional amendment that would be appreciated is clarity that no fossil fuel projects would be allowed to be approved. (Remember Jordan Cove?) The -7s “save” the Yaquina and Astoria estuaries, but could do damage to the Coos Bay estuary, even though the amendment requires no net loss of important environmental values. A major expansion of the navigation channel can not help but do damage. If you want to listen to the sausage making, go to the 1 hour mark here. The Ocean Policy Advisory Council (OPAC) will hold a meeting on May 23 from 9am - 3pm at the Oregon Department of State Lands in Salem. Remote participation will also be available ( Zoom Registration Link ) Meeting materials and the draft agenda are forthcoming. Contact: Andy Lanier, Marine Affairs Coordinator @ Andy.Lanier@dlcd.oregon.gov . HB 2903 A , funding continuing work on marine reserves, is in Ways and Means. LWVOR supports . You might find this ODFW news release interesting about how the marine reserves program unlocks secrets of ocean temperatures and oxygen levels. This 10-year-old program now has support by a diverse set of interests in the coastal communities. Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) The Environmental Quality Commission (EQC) met on May 18 and 19, meeting agenda . Staff reports are often valuable resources. A League member participated in the 2023 Water Quality Fee Rules Advisory Committee (RAC) as in past years to provide a “public” voice to the RAC. Here is the WQ Fee RAC Meeting Summary link - May 5, 2023 . The EQC delegated authority to approve this rulemaking for 2023 to DEQ Director Feldon on May 19. SB 835 A , as amended, would require DEQ to adopt rules to clarify when a single septic system can be used for both a primary residence and an ADU. It sits in W&Ms. LWVOR testimony concerns were addressed by the amendment. Dept. of State Lands HB 2238 originally filed to provide permission for robust rulemaking to increase fees for the removal/fill program is back! The bill was amended in the House to remove the fee increase and instead allows the Dept. of State Lands to get rid of personal property collected during cleanup of DSL-owned property after 30 days. A new amendment has been filed to bring back the original purpose of the bill. The League continues to support . The bill was amended and passed out of committee on May 17. It will need to go back to the House for “concurrence”—to agree with the Senate amendment. Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF) By Peggy Lynch SB 161 was amended and passed out of the House Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources and Water Committee. The amendment increased a deadline for work being done on the transfer of the Elliott to the new Authority to Dec. 31, 2023. The bill adjusts some timelines as provided by the Dept. of State Lands’ April 25 testimony . The League understands there is a request for some monies in the end-of-session bill to help the new ESRF Authority move forward the first 18 months of their existence since logging to provide funding will take time to plan and execute. Land Use/Housing By Peggy Lynch Unfortunately, there are a number of land use planning bills sitting in the Senate and House Rules Committees. Those committees are not subject to deadlines until the Leadership closes those committees so we wait and watch—holding our breath that these bills are not trade bait should the Republican Senators return to their chamber to vote before the end of session. SB 1096 would “expand development into farmland”, referred to Senate Rules. The bill, similar to SB 1051 which the League vigorously opposed and has died, is a topic of discussion. The bill continues the false narrative that simply adding land to urban growth boundaries will solve Oregon's housing crises. HB 3414 would create a new Housing Accountability and Production Office in DLCD and also includes a Section 2 related to processing of variances under certain circumstances. Variances are used to address exceptions to a code’s “clear and objective standards”. It is unclear how this provision will change a community’s control over residential development. The bill had a public hearing in House Rules where the Governor advocated for the -6 amendment while a number of cities advocated for the -5 amendment , but it was clear that more negotiations will occur, so we should look for yet another amendment. The League has concerns about the burden being placed on cities under the -6 amendment. Local governments need to provide findings to explain why they might want to deny the variance instead of the applicant proving the need for the variance. Your Oregon News has a good article on the cities’ concerns. Of note is mention of a -7 amendment that would deal with land supply advocated by the Homebuilders Association and the Oregon Realtors. No new news on SB 1087 , filed on behalf of a farm in Lane County where they want to add a “café” (with seating for 250-300 people) on their Exclusive Farm Use (EFU)-zoned property. The League opposes this overreach of our land use program. The bill is in Senate Rules. SB 70 A would allow housing on acreage in Malheur County. The League provided testimony in opposition on Feb. 8. On April 3, the bill was moved without passage recommendation to Senate Rules. LWVOR still opposes it. SB 1013 would allow a recreational vehicle to be sited on a rural property. It was amended by the -4 amendment and passed out of committee to the House floor on May 18. The League worked with the sponsor and Sen. Hayden to assure that, should a recreational vehicle be allowed, issues of sewage and clean drinking water would be addressed by the counties. Rep. Helm also stated that for the record in committee which the League appreciated. HB 3442 A to allow coastal communities to develop in hazard areas under certain conditions, passed to the Senate floor on May 10. The amended bill responded to League concerns on the original bill. HB 2983 A to help with manufactured housing and housing parks, is in Ways and Means. LWVOR supports . See also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report. Radioactive Waste By Shirley Weathers In accordance with the plan announced at the end of the April 24 meeting of the Rulemaking Advisory Committee (RAC) on Radioactive Waste, Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) staff distributed on May 16, a second draft of what was designated as Part I of recommended rules for OAR 345-050 designed to implement SB 246 (2021). The deadline for RAC member input is June 15, after which ODOE staff will prepare materials for a report to EFSC for a July council meeting. It is expected that a public comment period on that segment of proposed rules will follow that meeting. Staff indicated in the transmittal email of May 16 that RAC members will be notified when a path forward for the more controversial “Part II” pathway exemption section of the rules is identified. Discussions and other activities related to the Waste Management proposal presented during the April 24 meeting will proceed and likely will include more meetings. A link to the agenda and the video of the final hour of the meeting are posted on the ODOE Rulemaking page for this RAC ; the PowerPoint presentation prepared by Waste Management outlining their alternate proposal and the video of the first half of the meeting will be posted soon, per ODOE staff. The League will follow up on the remaining meeting materials, comment on the Part I draft, and continue to participate in the proceedings. Reduce/Recycle Oregon’s Recycling Modernization Act will improve recycling systems in communities across Oregon by requiring producers of packaging, paper products, and food serviceware to share responsibility for an effective and responsible recycling system. A new Recycling Council advises DEQ and the producer responsibility organizations on key recycling system elements. Contact information is posted at RecyclingAct.Oregon.gov . SB 542 A (Right to Repair) continues to sit in Senate Rules until more amendments are made or until there are enough votes to pass it in the full Senate. The League provided testimony in support on Feb. 14. Toxics By Paula Grisafi HB 3043 A was amended by the A3 amendment and passed out of Senate Energy and Environment to the Senate floor. The bill revises provisions relating to chemicals in children’s products. SB 546 A (toxic free cosmetics) was sent to W&Ms, although there was NO fiscal for the 2023-25 session because, although the measure takes effect January 1, 2024, all substantive portions of the bill are not operative until January 1, 2027. SB 426 A (toxic free schools) was sent to W&Ms without clarity on the fiscal impact. The bill’s advocates are working to assure that the fiscal impact statement is not over inflated by agency staff. Urban/Rural Divide This article from the Oregon Capitol Chronicle is worth a read: According to Oregon’s 2023 Economic Outlook report , rural economies are leading growth in the state, with metro areas lagging. Rural areas have something to teach the rest of the state about protecting vulnerable populations. For example, according to a 2020 report by the Portland-based Oregon Community Foundation, seven of the 11 Oregon communities where children were most likely to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty were rural and primarily in eastern Oregon. The report also showed that growing up in northeastern Oregon had the most positive impact on future income for low-income children: “On average children who grew up in low-income families in Wallowa, Baker or Grant counties earned 26% more than children in similar families in Jefferson County and 14% more compared to children in Multnomah County”. Growing economies and increased economic mobility for low-income children are just a few examples of the value our rural communities bring to the state. Better understanding our rural communities and their assets would help to unify Oregon. Water By Peggy Lynch It’s time to engage in the Integrated Water Resources Strategy 2023 update. See the survey link on the webpage and meetings around the state, including a new May 31 virtual meeting opportunity. HB 3124 , a major water bill, was moved to House Rules without passage recommendation. The bill is a $250 million Drought Relief and Water Scarcity package and includes some of the other bills we’ve seen this session. The League provided comments on the bill, including a list of our priorities, using our participation in the HB 5006 Work Group as our guide. HB 3163A, a League priority, renews the Place-Based Planning program with a Fund to help groups participate in this program, was sent to W&Ms. The League participated in a Work Group last year to help develop sideboards on the program and provided testimony in support. HB 3100 A , addressing the Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS), is in Ways and Means. The League provided testimony when the bill had its public hearing. Then we worked behind the scenes to provide guidance as the IWRS is updated. We support the bill. HB 3207 A , related to domestic well testing and data collection, is in W&Ms. LWVOR supports . HB 2813 A , creates a grant program to protect drinking water sources, is in W&Ms. LWVOR supports . HB 3125 would create a Ratepayer Assistance Fund to help low income people pay for sewer and water bills, is in Ways and Means. LWVOR supports . We all need to pay attention to the potential for harmful algal blooms. “When in doubt, stay out.” Visit the Harmful Algae Bloom website or call the Oregon Public Health Division toll-free information line at 877-290-6767 to learn if an advisory has been issued or lifted for a specific water body. The League supports HB 2647 A to continue to address this public health issue. It sits in Ways and Means. Thanks to a substantial snowpack, our drought in many parts of Oregon has lessened. However, the recent hot weather has begun to melt that “storage”. League members may want to check the U. S. Drought Monitor , a map that is updated every Thursday. Governor Kotek has signed drought declarations under ORS 536 for the counties of Crook, Jefferson, Grant, Deschutes, Wasco and Harney counties. Lake and Sherman Counties have requested a drought declaration. In addition, many counties in eastern and southern Oregon have received Secretarial Disaster Designations from the US Department of Agriculture due to continuing drought conditions. Wildfire By Carolyn Mayers Senate Natural Resources held a Work Session on HB 2192 A -A6 , a portion of which pertains to requiring destroyed or demolished structures rebuilt in High or Extreme wildfire hazard zones having to comply with home hardening requirements in the Oregon Residential Specialty Code, whether the new wildfire hazard map is available yet, or not. It was sent to the floor with a do-pass recommendation. This was followed by an informational session on various topics including a number of methods used for early detection of wildfire by Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), including infrared enabled aircraft, cameras and remote monitoring at detection centers. One interesting tidbit was that of the 69 wildfires detected by aircraft, all 69 fires were kept below ODF’s 10 acre measure of success. This speaks to the effectiveness of this particular investment in wildfire response, most of which came from SB 762 , the sweeping 2021 wildfire legislation. Then the Department of Human Services discussed their work, largely in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), who also presented, around their “Cleaner Air Centers” and other actions taken to help Oregonians remain safe and healthy during wildfire smoke events, and ongoing monitoring of air quality. It was made clear that all work done in these areas was one-time funding, and if the work was to be ongoing, as it should be, new funding would be needed. Finally, there was an ODF presentation about prescribed fire and how they are planning on using this mitigation tool much more extensively than in the past. This plan does have a potential large obstacle in the form of a recent EPA study showing a higher level of harmfulness to humans from wildfire smoke than anticipated, or previously believed. See meeting materials. Oregon’s fleet of remote fire-watching cameras has grown following passage ofSB 762 (2021). The camera program expanded from 74 cameras at 58 sites now to 110 cameras at 94 sites. Teams at detection centers watch for signs of smoke the cameras pick up. With recent lightning events, the cameras have proved their worth. A fire spotted by camera in deep forest was put out within hours and only burned ½ an acre! HB 5025 the omnibus Higher Education Coordinating Commission budget bill is now in W&Ms.The League provided testimony in support of Oregon Conservation Corps fundin. SB 80 A , the omnibus Wildfire Programs bill, is in W&Ms as is SB 509 A , which aims to scale out neighborhood collaboratives to help whole neighborhoods reduce risk. LWVOR provided support for SB 509 A. Volunteers Needed What is your passion related to Natural Resources? You can help. Volunteers are needed. The 2023 legislative session is halfway over. Natural Resource Agency Boards and Commissions meet regularly year-round and need monitoring. If any area of natural resources is of interest to you, please contact Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, at peggylynchor@gmail.com . Training will be offered.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 5/15 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 Oregon Legislature Paralyzed; Stand by to Act Ethics Issues Election Methods Governance By Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator, and Team Campaign Finance No bills on campaign finance have yet been scheduled for a hearing. However, there has been some movement behind the scenes about what could be passed during this session. Given the Republican walkout in the Senate, a deal to permit only certain bills to come to the Senate floor may be necessary. Such a deal is unlikely to include CFR, let alone HB 2003 , but the League is hopeful and working with other good government groups. There has been some suggestion that using Washington State’s contribution limits might be a better starting point for negotiations than HB 2003. 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. Oregon Legislature Paralyzed; Stand by to Act By Rebecca Gladstone We are extremely concerned about critical budget and policy bills sitting in a logjam with hundreds of bills as time ticks away for lack of a Senate quorum. The Senate is hogtied with paralyzed partisan positions over guns and access to reproductive and gender-affirming health care, making negotiations fruitless. Now ten Senators’ “walkouts” have invoked M 113 (2022). Voters passed the measure, 68% to 32%, to disqualify legislators from re-election at the end of their terms if they are absent for 10 legislative floor sessions without permission or excuse. ** Action Needed : Please contact your State Senator and Representative to encourage them to support and prioritize these three, details in previous reports** Please stand by for League action alerts on short notice for these priority governance bills. The cybersecurity omnibus bill and the Attorney General’s Data Broker bill died mysteriously last session, despite unanimous passage from committee with do pass recommendations. Funding the SoS budget is imperative for2024 election security and efficiency, including replacing ORESTAR. No bills we are following have moved in the past week. HB 2049 -2 : This cybersecurity omnibus bill was referred to W&Ms March 3 with a unanimous Do Pass recommendation. See our testimony . SB 619 We strongly support this AG’s consumer privacy bill went to W&Ms April 12 by prior reference, with a Do Pass with amendments recommendation. See our testimony , now with a coalition letter. SB 167 : This SoS elections bill would replace candidate filing software, add efficiency improvements, address some privacy and cybersecurity issues, with efficiency tweaks. See League testimony . Ethics Issues By Chris Cobey HB 2038 : Requires statements of economic interest to include certain information about sources of income for any 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 the 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. 5/16: House Rules public hearing held. 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. 5/8: Signed by the Governor. 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. 5/18: House Rules work session 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. 5/8: Signed by the Governor. SB 292 B : Narrows, on temporary basis, applicability of requirement that members of district school board must file a verified statement 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. 5/11: House Rules public hearing held. SB 661 A : Prohibits 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. Election Methods By Barbara Klein HB 2004 A work session was held May 16, at which time the -2 amendment was explained via PowerPoint by Blair Bobier (from the HB 2004 coalition). The LWVOR is one of 39 coalition organizational members and has been active in considering the amendment items. (Highlights of those amendment changes are listed below.) The bill (with the -2 amendment) received a “Do Pass” recommendation out of committee to the floor for a chamber vote. The bill passed along partisan lines (with Democrats in support). However, one important comment from Rep. Kim Wallan (District 6, southern Oregon) should be reported. She wanted to remind everyone that despite the vote from the committee, RCV “is not a partisan issue.” The League previously provided written testimony in support of this bill and another (HB 3509). We also continue to participate in the RCV coalition meetings with individual legislators to promote HB 2004. Four ballot initiatives on election methods are being watched by LWVOR, P 11 , from STAR Voting for Oregon, has secured a certified ballot title with the submission of 1,000 signatures. The title (or caption) for this measure on STAR (Score then Automatic Runoff) voting is: “Establishes new voting system; voters score candidates from zero to five stars.” IP 26 (basically the same as previously filed IP 16) known as All Oregon Votes, has collected its first 1,000 signatures. The verification of sponsorship signatures is completed, but a certified title is not yet posted as of this writing. IP 19 has no reportable movement, from Oregon Election Reform Coalition, which is a Final Five Open Primary, using RCV or STAR in the general. LWVOR supports IP 19. IP 27 is a new RCV initiative, expanding terms and offices covered by HB 2004 bill above. Summary HB 2004 -2 amendment. The HB 2004 coalition asserts that the -2 amendment moves an RCV policy forward that better reflects the perspectives of voters, election officials, community organizations, and elected leaders. Removes judges for now – saving ballot real-estate for election officers. Clarifies tabulation processes, gives explicit authority to county clerks to set key policy decisions, and prioritizes using RCV in races with historically crowded fields. Lifts the 5-limit ranking, especially important for new Portland races. This empowers election officials to create an implementation framework that works for all counties across Oregon. Maintains BOLI elections using RCV, but voted on with the primary ballot. Moves effective date of implementation from 2026 to 2028 (giving election officials and county clerks more time to transition to RCV). Refers the measure to the ballot to the Nov 2024 ballot, giving voters the final choice on using RCV in Oregon. 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 1/15 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 Public Safety Reports Summer Learning Housing By Nancy Donovan, Beth Jacobi, Debbie Aiona Homelessness State of Emergency: Governor Kotek declared a homelessness state of emergency a year ago and set targets for local jurisdictions. Based on preliminary data, the state and local partners have exceeded those targets. They created 1,032 low-barrier shelter beds, exceeding the original goal by 432; rehoused 1,293 unsheltered households, exceeding the goal by 93; and prevented 8,886 households from experiencing homelessness, exceeding the goal by 136. LWVOR supported funding this effort. To meet these goals, the Legislature allocated $155 million early in the 2023 session for homelessness prevention, rehousing, and shelter capacity expansion. They went on to budget $316 million for the same purpose in the 2023-25 biennium. The 2023 Point in Time annual count showed that as of last January an estimated 20,100 people were experiencing homelessness. About 62% were unsheltered. In recognition of the fact that Oregon has a long way to go before it can claim success, Governor Kotek issued Executive Order 24-02 on January 9. 2024, to extend the 2023 Executive Order and continue the state’s focus on addressing the homelessness crisis. In 2024, Governor Kotek is proposing $65 million for homeless shelter operations. The funds will be used primarily to prevent closure of state and locally funded shelters and invest in re-housing focused services at shelters to improve exits into permanent housing. Rent Assistance: The Governor’s legislative budget is also requesting $33 million for rent assistance to help keep Oregonians from losing their homes. Affordable Housing : Our League of Women Voters of Oregon actively partnered with a number of other organizations to inform legislators prior to the session on What we need to build more affordable housing . Oregon is in short supply of approximately 140,000 homes for people with low- and moderate-incomes. Housing Production : Also, with League support, the Housing Alliance sent a letter on January 4, encouraging state leaders to introduce housing production bills in the 2024 session in line with principles outlined in the letter. Housing Alliance Membership Meeting : On Tuesday, January 23, the League will participate in the Housing Alliance’s Membership Meeting to vote on bill endorsements, via Zoom. Monday, January 29 is the voting deadline for bill endorsements, via an online form. House Interim Committee on Housing and Homelessness held an informational meeting on 1/11. H ousing and homeless representatives made presentations on the topics below. Note that Legislative Concepts (LCs) are being assigned to certain bills. When available, LC drafts will be posted on committee OLIS pages. · Financing affordable/moderate income housing · Committee Legislative Concepts Technical fix omnibus, LC 40 · Member Housing-Related Legislative Concepts Individual Development Account Funding , LC 151 · Oregon Housing and Community Services Legislation Implementation Updates , Shelter Operations Funding · Modular Housing The Senate Interim Committee on Housing and Development held an informational meeting on 1/10/2024. These housing topics were discussed. · Committee Budget Bill ( LC 158): Shelter Operation Needs · Recovery Housing · Affordable Housing Land Acquisition Revolving Loan Program · Emergency Rental Assistance Program · Public Safety Reports – 1-11-24 Public Safety Reports The Joint Addiction Committee discussed the Secretary of State Audit of the Ballot Measure 110 process at the January 10 hearing. The grants totaled $209.3 million awarded to Behavioral Health Networks to provide access to services. The reports listed harm reduction as the highest service followed by peer support and mentors. Other services were low barrier treatment, screening, needs assessments, supported housing and supported employment. Problems were reported: hiring staff for behavioral health services, providing housing costs and documenting poor usage of the hotline. Funding Medicaid services was the highest priority. The committee heard presentations on youth substance abuse and prevention plans through the Oregon Social Learning Center in Eugene. Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission leaders talked about prevention efforts in the counties and tribal areas. Treatment access with mobile units, sobering centers and residential programs were needed. Specialty Courts are operational within the Oregon Judicial System with the Lincoln County Court spot lighted as an example. The Criminal Justice Commission provides program funding and supervision. The Public Safety Subcommittee of Ways and Means discussed one of the primary needs for defense attorneys: for those in custody prior to hearings to determine release conditions and future hearings. Lack of defenders has delayed many cases and clogged court processes. The most urgent Oregon Public Defense Commission need was to provide funds for unrepresented cases (132 in custody). They cited 4,289 unrepresented cases of which 2,324 were pretrial, 268 parole or probation violations not in custody, and 1,365 on warrants. The Committee considered extending a Temporary Hourly Increase Program for six months through the end of June. This program was created to ensure that persons in custody have representation by public defenders in a timely fashion. In the meantime, it is anticipated that sufficient contract providers will be found so that people charged with crimes do not need to wait an inordinate period of time. Summer Learning By Katie Riley Different groups are working on a proposal for funding summer learning to be submitted by Rep. Susan McLain. The Governor’s office is working with the Department of Education. Another group with ODE representatives is working with a group of afterschool and summer providers called EASE. EASE has subgroups including data gathering and measurement, logistics, and professional development. These groups will provide input to the final bill. A key action to be required for the bill to succeed is for parents to come forward to testify about why care is needed for them to be able to work.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 1/16 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 Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Transparency By Rebecca Gladstone Two major bills that passed unanimously from committees in 2022 and failed to progress will now be moving in 2023. SB 2052 is the AG’s Oregon Data Broker Registry bill, heard in House Business and Labor. We called attention in our League testimony in support to data brokers influencing elections. We urge ongoing legislative attention to privacy, transparency, and cybersecurity issues because they evolve quickly. Other testimony spoke to biometrics revealing pregnancy since hips widen and gait recognition may perceive changes. Gait recognition may be a more reliable individual identifier than other biometric measurements. Data brokers can market geolocation information, also a privacy issue if they sell geolocation tracking information, for example to health clinics. Chair Holvey called our attention to the companion SB 619, not yet scheduled for public hearing. The Joint Committee for Information Management and Technology has three committee bills, none scheduled for hearings yet. The committee is introducing concepts and agency staff to new committee members. HB 2049 We will continue to support his cybersecurity omnibus committee bill. SB 625 We will be examining this IT procurement pilot program bill. SB 680 We may address this committee broadband development bill for the southern Oregon coast. 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 .

/ Biennial Reports / Biennial Reports Biennial Report 2021-2023

local leagues Local Leagues In Oregon We have members throughout the state of Oregon and 15 local Leagues or state Units. Members who don't reside near a local League can join at the state level as a Member-At-State (MAS)! Most Leagues offer free or discounted membership for students. Join the League in your area! LWV of Clackamas County PO Box 411 Lake Oswego, OR 97034 Become a Member Go To Website LWV of Coos County PO Box 1571 Coos Bay, OR 97420 Become a Member Go To Website LWV of Corvallis PO Box 1679 Corvallis, OR 97339 Become a Member Go To Website LWV of Curry County PO Box 1859 Gold Beach, OR 97444 Become a Member Go To Website LWV of Deschutes County PO Box 1783 Bend, OR 97709 Become a Member Go To Website LWV of Klamath County PO Box 1226 Klamath Falls, OR 97601 Become a Member Go To Website LWV of Lane County 175 West B Street #2 | Island Professional Center Springfield, OR 97477 Become a Member Go To Website LWV of Lincoln County PO Box 1648 Newport, OR 97365 Become a Member Go To Website Linn County Unit 1330 12th St SE Suite 200 Salem, OR 97302 Become a Member Go To Website LWV of Marion/Polk Counties P. O. Box 421 Salem, OR 97308 Become a Member Go To Website LWV of Portland PO Box 3491 Portland, OR 97208 Become a Member Go To Website LWV of Rogue Valley PO Box 8555 Medford, OR 97501 Become a Member Go To Website LWV of Umpqua Valley PO Box 2434 Roseburg, OR 97470 Become a Member Go To Website Union County Unit 1330 12th St SE Suite 200 Salem, OR 97302 Become a Member Go To Website Washington County Unit 1330 12th St SE Suite 200 Salem, OR 97302 Become a Member Go To Website

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The LWVOR K-12 study is a set of three reports examining different aspects of K-12 education. K-12 Study About the Study The LWVOR K-12 study is a set of three reports examining different aspects of K-12 education. The LWVOR K-12 study is a set of three reports examining different aspects of K-12 education. The purpose of these reports is to provide background information so that League of Women Voter members in Oregon can reach consensus on issues regarding: Exceptional Learners School Safety Career and Technical Education The ultimate goal is to create positions which the League can use to advocate for or against legislation in the state. K-12 Exceptional Learners K-12 Exceptional Learners PDF K-12 Exceptional Learners Video K-12 Safe and Healthy School Resources K-12 Safe-and-Healthy Schools PDF K-12 Safe and Healthy Schools Video K-12 Exceptional Learners K-12 Exceptional Learners Consensus Form (Click on the link to download the Word document) K-12 Exceptional Learners Video ( Passcode: K96m^=@o) K-12 Safe and Healthy School Resources K-12 Safe and Healthy Schools Consensus Form (Click on the link to download the Word document) K-12 Safe and Healthy Schools Consensus Statements K-12 Safe and Healthy Schools Video Previous Next

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 After School and Summer Behavioral Health Child Care Education Gun Policy Housing Legislation Immigration Age-Related Issues By Patricia Garner The House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services unanimously approved HB 3497 - Amendment 1 which requires 14-plus State agencies to consider the effects of their actions on older adult populations. It also establishes a Shared Future Oregon Task Force to develop a comprehensive framework to promote healthy aging and intergenerational connections, to prepare for the growth of Oregon’s older population and move Oregon towards becoming an age-friendly state. The bill now goes to Ways & Means for further consideration. After School and Summer By Katie Riley This past week was extremely busy as HB 3039 was dropped. It which would have appropriated moneys from the General Fund to the Department of Education and required the Department of Education to study methods for increasing the availability of summer and after-school academic and enrichment programs. HB 200 7 which would modify requirements for the summer learning program to emphasize literacy and accountability was amended to HB 2007-A and heard in the House Committee on Education, the Senate Committee on Education, and the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education where it was passed. The accompanying funding bill HB 5047-A was also heard at the same time and passed. HB 5047 provides $35 million for summer 2025 and $47 million in 2026 and 27. It also funds the bill with a special summer learning grant fund outside the general fund; thereby, establishing a sustainable funding source that allows for advance planning. It is disappointing that the funding for HB 2007 will be tightly focused on literacy and testing and will not go to all districts; however, it is encouraging that funding will be provided for summer learning, the funding is being established in a separate source outside the general fund, and it will be provided over three years to allow for advance planning. It is hoped this bill will set a precedent for future allocations that will include specific funding for after school hours care with enriched programming that allows more opportunity for children to enjoy their time outside regular school hours while being inspired to pursue academics toward interesting career paths. HB 3941 , which was introduced to allocate $4,990,000 for a grant program to establish up to 5 community schools at $170,000 per year in matching funds, was scheduled for a work session on April 7th but it has been removed from the schedule. It is now dead. SB 1127 , which would have provided for grants to develop and provide educational activities during recess, lunch or after school for Title I elementary schools, was voted down in the Senate Committee on Education. It was noted that school foundations might be a better source of funding for these activities. Behavioral Health By Stephanie Aller and Patricia Garner SB 527 , which would provide grants to train high school students for entry-level behavioral health careers, was passed on April 3 and was referred to Ways and Means. HB 2056 - 1 , which appropriates $64,800,00 for community mental health programs, passed unanimously in the House Behavioral Health and Health Care Committee. It now heads to Ways & Means. HB 2059 (Behavioral Health Facilities), for which the League submitted testimony , will have a work session on April 8. The bill as amended provides $90 million for residential behavioral health facilities. HB 2467 - 3 : On April 3, 2025, the House Judiciary Committee held a Public Hearing on HB 2467 – Amendment 3 which seeks to define when and how a person can be civilly committed. These changes were submitted by the Forensic Health Work which was convened by the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Oregon (NAMI) and was chaired by Representative Jason Kropf. This Work Group included a wide group of individuals, organizations, elected officials, and judicial and legal officials. The changes are largely in line with those suggested in a proposed Amendment 1 which was discussed in a LWVOR Legislative Social Policy Report dated March 24, 2025, but was not formally filed. As stated in the Work Group Report, the ambiguity and breadth of current civil commitment standards has led Oregon courts to require a significant degree of acuity before authorizing civil commitment. Amendment 3 articulates specific factors which can support civil commitment on the basis of danger to self, danger to others and the inability to meet essential needs. It also provides guidance to courts by specifying what factors they “shall” and “may” consider. Critically, the bill acknowledges the importance of anosognosia which impairs individuals’ ability to recognize they have a mental illness, making them unlikely to seek or comply with treatment. Amendment 3 also authorizes courts to consider whether it is reasonably foreseeable that a person will engage in behavior that results in or is likely to result in harm to self or others, or fail to provide for basic personal needs in the near future, even if such behaviors are not “imminent.” A Work Session on the bill has been scheduled for April 8, 2025. Child Care By Katie Riley and Patricia Garner HB 3011 , which establishes the Early Childhood Education Workforce Development Fund and appropriates moneys 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 will have a work session on April 8th in the House Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development. Testimony was submitted earlier in support of this bill. HB 2593 which would direct 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) is scheduled for a possible work session on April 8th in the House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services. HB 3835 - with Amendments 1 and 2 passed unanimously in the House Early Childhood and Human Services Committee and was sent for further consideration to Rules. Chair Hartman and Representative Rob Nosse made it very clear that they sent this bill to Rules with the understanding that it was being transferred for further discussion and not to die in the Committee. It is important to note that a bill addressing the same issues ( SB 1113 ) whose Chief Sponsor is Senator Gelser Blouin is scheduled for a Work Session on April 8, 2025. HB 3835 proposes significant changes in the use of restraint and seclusion of children in schools and child-care settings, as well as out-of-state placements of children. As it relates to schools, the bill defines these terms while also clarifying that wrongful restraint or seclusion does not include age-appropriate disciplinary measures aligned with the child’s development state and individual needs. Corporal punishment, wrongful restraint or wrongful seclusion are prohibited. Involuntary seclusion is permitted only if the student’s behavior poses a risk of imminent serious physical harm to the student or others, including animals, and there is not a less restrictive intervention which will reduce the risk. The OR State Board of Education is directed to adopt rules regarding investigations related to restraints and seclusions. Child-care settings include child caring agencies; proctor, foster, certified and adjudicated foster homes; and developmental disabilities residential facilities. The bill defines abuse of a child in these settings, including such acts as wrongful restraint, seclusion, involuntary servitude or trafficking, as well as failing to make reasonable efforts to protect the child from abuse, willfully inflicting physical pain or injury, verbally abusing a child by threatening significant physical or emotional, misappropriating money from any account held jointly or singly by a child in care, engaging in sexual abuse or harassment, and permitting a child to be photographed, filmed or taped in a manner that depicts sexual conduct or contact. Physical intervention in these settings is permitted if intervention is necessary to break up a physical fight or to effectively protect a person from an assault, other serious physical harm or sexual contact. There are a number of provisions regarding the process for releasing records regarding restraint or inclusion. Out-of-state and congregate care placements of children by the Department of Human Services (DHS) are allowed if the child requires specialized services and treatment and no suitable child-caring agencies are available in Oregon. The treatment provided by the placement must have rules consistent with those established by Oregon Health Authority (OHA). OHA may not place a child in an out-of-state placement unless it has verified that the placement is in good standing with the out-of-state’s licensing authority. DHS and the OHA are required to establish rules for the out-of-state placement approval process. DHS is permitted to place a child in a congregate care residential setting that is not a qualified residential treatment program and to extend the length of placement in a residential care facility or shelter-care home if certain standards are met. Both DHS and OHA are required to submit quarterly narrative reports to the Oregon System of Care Advisory Council. Education By Jean Pierce Federal Actions affecting Education in Oregon It is well-known that Governor Kotek has been focusing on literacy instruction, proposing $100 million more grant funding in the budget and urging passage of HB3040, which would study methods for improving early literacy outcomes. However, this week the Oregon Department of Education ended 5 math and literacy projects because the U.S. Department of Education terminated more than $2.5 million of funding 10 months ahead of schedule. The money had been approved by Congress in response to needs identified during the pandemic. The suspended programs include: Math Instructional Framework - Development of a math instructional framework to ensure students across the state are receiving the highest quality math instruction to support their learning and boost their outcomes. Oregon Literacy Practitioners Network - Establishment of a network of Oregon literacy ambassadors sharing best practices among educators to improve the quality of literacy instruction students receive around the state. Oregon Adolescent Literacy Framework Professional Learning Resources - Development of training modules, a collection of research and other literacy resources, as well as practical tools to support educators implementing the newly released Oregon Adolescent Literacy Framework for grades 6-12 in their classroom instruction. Instructional Framework - Development (including research and engagement) of a statewide instructional framework so that regardless of zip code Oregon students can count on excellent instruction. Regional In-Person Training For Educators - In partnership with Oregon’s Education Service Districts, provide five summits throughout the state (along with a communication campaign) for teams to use the new instructional resources in Early and Adolescent Literacy and prepare to bring this learning into their schools and classrooms. On April 4, the Supreme Court agreed – on a temporary basis - to permit the federal administration to suspend $65 million in teacher-training grants that the government contends promote diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Oregon has been receiving money through both of the grant programs affected –the Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) program and the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP). Oregon's focus with SEED funding has been to increase the size and diversity of the workforce. TQP grants supported training teachers for high-need schools and subject areas. Ban on Book Bans Based on Discrimination SB1098 : This bill passed the Senate with no amendment.The measure prevents licensed teachers, schools, and school districts from prohibiting the selection, retention, or use of library materials, textbooks, or instructional materials on the basis that the materials contain perspectives, stories, or are created by individuals or groups that are members of protected classes under Oregon's anti-discrimination law. A minority amendment and report which would have gutted provisions pertaining to discrimination failed to pass on the Senate Floor. Testimony supporting the bill far outweighed that in opposition.The floor discussion of the bill is captured on the recording beginning at 57:47. Other bills of interest: HB2009 / SB141 , which requires the Department of Education to study the adequacy of public education in this state, will have public hearings and work sessions on April 7 in both, the House and the Senate Education Committees HB 2251 , which directs school districts to adopt a policy that prohibits the use of student personal electronic devices, will have a work session in House Education on April 7. Testimony is mainly in support of the bill. HB 2729A - 6 , which appropriates $7,000.000 to increase school-based health care services, passed on a party line vote in the House Judiciary Committee. It was referred to Ways & Means. HB3004 , which directs the Youth Development Division to establish a statewide community violence prevention program, has a work session scheduled for April 7 in the House Committee on Education. HB3037 , which is designed to reduce the burden on small districts applying for grants, received a recommendation of Do Pass from the House Education Committee, which referred it to Ways and Means. SB1126 which prohibits withholding recess as a form of punishment, will be heard in Senate Education on April 7. Higher Education This week the House Higher Education Committee heard from leaders of public colleges and universities, who testified once again that Oregon is in the lowest quintile for state funding for higher education, and consequently the state ranks in the top fifth for tuition. Accordingly, our graduates have higher student debt than those from any of our surrounding states. The Oregon Council of Presidents is requesting $1.275 Billion for the Public University Support Fund this biennium, but that would still be 3-4 times less than needed in order to bring us up to average state spending on higher education. And, of course, higher ed institutions are currently experiencing much uncertainty regarding the future of federal grant monies, which pay for a number of faculty positions in the state. Gun Policy By Marge Easley As committee deadlines loom, gun bills are stacking up, and ambitious House and Senate agendas currently list hearings and/or work sessions for ten bills related to firearms on either April 7 or 8. There are lots of moving parts at the moment, and we will soon see whether some may have amendments, are folded into one omnibus bill, or fall by the wayside. House Judiciary Work sessions on HB 3884 (allows a firearm licensee to store a firearm temporarily for an individual), HB 3075 (implementation of Measure 114) and HB 3076 (licensing of gun dealers) in House Judiciary are slated for April 7. A public hearing and possible work session on HB 3074 is slated for April 8. We have just learned that the -1 amendment of this bill will replace SB 203 —a study of extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) that aims to increase their frequency of use in Oregon. Senate Judiciary On April 7, public hearings and possible work sessions are scheduled for SB 696 - ban on rapid fire devices- ( League testimony );, SB 697 -age 21 to purchase a firearm- ( League testimony ); SB 698 - expand “gun-free zones” in public spaces- ( League testimony ); and SB 429 -72-hour wait to transfer a firearm- ( League testimony ). They will also hear SB 243 and its amendments which combine some or all of the previous four bills. SB 1015 (establishes a grant program for community violence reduction) is on the agenda for April 8. Housing By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona On April 2, the Senate Committee on Housing and Development scheduled a hearing on SB 1155 aimed at assisting pregnant persons and their families attain stable housing . Under this legislation, Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) would create a program targeted towards low-income pregnant persons and their families that would help them obtain safe, accessible and affordable housing. Owners of rental housing projects financed by OHCS would be allowed to set aside housing units designated for program participants. OHCS would give priority to the rental housing development applicants by modifying their existing scoring criteria. The housing would be subject to a state affordable housing covenant, in which housing affordability for low-income households is maintained for at least ten years. The housing must be sized to meet the needs of the family and located in proximity to employment, schools, community and health services, commercial centers, and other community assets to benefit family members. Without the challenges of housing instability, this pilot program will help low-income households pursue goals for their future. The League wrote testimony in support of this bill. Immigration By Becky Gladstone and Claudia Keith Bill # Description Policy Committee Status Fiscal M$ Chief Sponsors+ Comments SB 149 Immigration Study SCJ PH & WS 4/7 Y Sen Jama DHS SB 599A Immig status: discrimnation in RealEstate transactions H Judiciary Sen Campos SB 611 Food for All Oregonians - for undocumented SC HS - JWM Work Sess 4/8 Y Sen Campos Rep Ruiz 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. HC LWPS WS 4/7 Rep Valderrama, Nelson , Munoz League Testimony HB 2976 funding for interpretation of indigenous languages. JWM 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 nonresident tuition exemption for asylum seekers. Sen Ed RepHudson, SenCampos HB 2543 fundsfor 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 Oregon Worker Relief Fund JCWM-GG ? 7 Das Public Safety By Karen Nibler The Public Defense Services Consortium has been in front of the Ways and Means Public Safety Committee recently. Since it has been reorganized, the presentations by the staff have been detailed with attorneys working under the new system giving their perspective. The new agency operates under the Executive Branch. The House Judiciary Committee listened to proposals for public defenders in County Circuit Court Districts. HB 3376 proposes an office of district defender in each county court. The Early Childhood and Human Services Committee heard testimony on HB 3835 which deals with restraint and seclusion practices within foster care placements and special education programs. The testimony was extensive and the bill will undoubtedly be amended. Look for new developments. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Governance , and Natural Resources report sections.

< Back Revenue LWVOR Advocacy Positions Note: these are condensed versions. See the complete positions in Issues for Action . 2026 Legislative Priority ASSURE ADEQUATE REVENUE from all levels of government to provide essential services while promoting equitable and progressive tax policy. Address changes in federal taxation. Consider new revenue to fund services Oregonians need. Positions Governance Economic Development Revenue Bonds LWVOR supports the authority to issue Economic Development Revenue Bonds by the state, ports, and cities with more than 300,000 population. 2. In addition to the Economic Development Revenue Bond program, LWVOR supports other state and local economic stimulants Fiscal Policy Evaluating Taxes —any tax proposal should be evaluated with regard to its effect on the entire tax structure. Fiscal Responsibility —local government should have primary responsibility for financing non-school local government. Local services mandated by the state should have state funding. Income Tax—i ncome tax is the most equitable means of providing state revenue. The income tax should be progressive, compatible with federal law and should apply to the broadest possible segment of Oregonians. Sales Tax— A sales tax should be used with certain restrictions Property Tax —local property taxes should partially finance local government and local services. Exemptions to the general property tax include: a. Charitable, educational and benevolent organizations, etc. b. School District Financing. The major portion of the cost of public schools should be borne by the state, which should use a stable system to provide sufficient funds to give each child an equal, adequate education. Previous Next

Google workspace tutorials from the LWV of Oregon. Google Workspace Tutorials Here you'll find everything you need to start using Google Workspace apps like Gmail, Docs, and Drive in the context of League work. Get Started 01 Google Workspace Learning Center The Google Workspace Learning Center offers tutorials and walkthroughs of all Google products and apps. Below you can find direct links to the top Google products used at the League: Google Doc Sharing Basics Excel and Google Sheets Best Practices Get Started With Goo gle Ca lendar Learn About Google Groups How to Reply to Google Reviews (Tips & Examples) 02 Zoom Tutorials and Meeting Recordings Links to Zoom tutorials. Learn how to get started on Zoom! Google Workspace Office Hours July 2024 03 Interactive Resources and Guides The State League (and local Leagues) use a resource called Scribe to produce play-by-play image tutorials of many League functions. We offer several Scribe tutorials on a variety of Google subjects below: Uploading a document to Google Drive Moving a document in Google Drive Google Workspace: Getting Started Set Up Your Google Calendar Navigating Google Drive Uploading Google Doc to a Drive Have a topic you want to see covered in a tutorial? Get in touch! Please send any requests for tutorial topics via this form. First Name Last Name Email Topic Request Send Thanks for submitting!

/ Join / Donating to LWVOR / Donating to LWVOR Your contributions to the League of Women Voters of Oregon, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. There are multiple ways you can donate to LWVOR: Donate via our secure online form . Set up a monthly checking account deduction. If you name LWVOR as a beneficiary of your IRA or 401(k), your distribution will not be taxed. Beneficiary forms are available from your account administrator. Leaving a bequest to the LWVOR in your Will or Trust may lower estate taxes, although we recommend consulting with an estate planning professional. Notifying the League of your plans will ensure that we follow through with your wishes. Designate a percentage of your life insurance policy to benefit the LWVOR. Donating stocks, bonds, or mutual funds to the LWVOR is tax deductible and may reduce your capital gains taxes. Giving our League an endowment is pivotal to the continuance of LWVOR’s 100+ years of influence on voting rights and voter education in Oregon. Your generous gifts can create a perpetual revenue stream for the League. Investing $25 can give the League $1 annually, based on 4% expected market gains. The Oregon Community Foundation manages close to 450 endowments for the benefit of communities throughout Oregon and is now celebrating its 50th year.

Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 3/13 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Coastal Issues: Christine Moffitt, Peggy Lynch Columbia River Treaty: Philip Thor Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: Joan Fryxell Emergency Management: Rebecca Gladstone Forestry: Josie Koehne Elliott State Research Forest: Peggy Lynch Northwest Energy Coalition: Robin Tokmakian Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: Melanie Moon Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Advisory Committee: Sandra Bishop Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch Agriculture Budgets/Revenue Climate Coastal Issues Land Use/Housing Recycling Toxics Water Wildfire By Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, and Team St. Patrick’s Day has passed. And so has the chance for many of the more than 2,800 bills and resolutions introduced to pass this session. Bills in most policy committees needed to be scheduled for a Work Session by end of day on March 17 unless they are in Revenue, Rules or a Joint Committee. Their next important date is April 4 when they must pass out of the policy committee. One last tip: Watch for the “relating clause” on bills. Any bill can be amended or proposed to be amended if the content of the amendment fits within the relating clause. That’s why LWVOR gets nervous when we see “relating to land use” or “relating to water”! Of course, whatever the content, it must pass both the Senate and House and be signed by the Governor before becoming law. Agriculture The Dept. of Agriculture (ODA) budget ( HB 5002 and HB 5003 ) was heard this week. The Ways and Means ODA presentation provides a great deal of data around Oregon agriculture. Note on page 37 where our nursery and cattle industries continue to vie for top commodity. Budgets/Revenue Look for the Ways and Means Co-Chairs Budget Framework to be provided this week to guide the Subcommittees as they consider all the agency budgets. That Framework will provide the amount of money each Subcommittee should expect to spend for their assigned budgets and any policy bills that might be assigned to them. Of course, the May 17 Revenue Forecast will provide the final guide. The Columbia River Gorge Commission budget ( HB 5008 ) was heard March 13. The League provided testimony in support. The Oregon Dept. of Agriculture (ODA) budget ( HB 5002 and HB 5003 ) was heard March 14-15. Public testimony was due on March 16. Oregon Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) budget ( SB 5509 ) is set for March 20-21 with public testimony on March 22. Dept. of Agriculture grant requests will be heard March 23. Dept. of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) ( HB 5018 and HB 5019 ) budgets the week of March 27. Here’s the DEQ one-pager . Tentative date for the Oregon Water Resources Dept. (OWRD) budget ( HB 5043 ) is early April. Here is their one-pager . The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) budget ( SB 5539 & SB 5540 ) is tentatively scheduled the week of April 10. Legislators will need to assure that General Fund monies allocated in 2021-2022 drought and wildfire packages and awarded will be available for reimbursement if the projects go into 2023-25. That funding continuation was not included in the Governor’s budget for OWEB. On March 15, the biennial Harvest Tax bill, HB 2087 , had a public hearing. LWVOR provided comments expressing concerns but supporting if this bill is all that is available for helping fund forestry programs. A Budget Report was provided for HB 2001 that clarifies that some monies are coming from 2021-23 while most from the 2023-25 biennium. The same is true in the Budget Report for HB 5019 . Also, there is a Budget Note on pages 3-4 of the LFO Recommendation. SB 4 , semiconductor funding requests, has amendments and more public hearings and possible Work Sessions. SB 4 currently has a $210 million price tag but amendments could require sessions in House Revenue related to tax credits. Climate By Claudia Keith and Team See the Climate Emergency section of this Legislative Report. There are overlaps with this Natural Resources Report. We encourage you to read both sections. Coastal Issues By Christine Moffitt/Peggy Lynch HB 3382 , a bill that would provide certain Ports with an exception from our land use planning system to allow dredging and other activities around these Ports without the current public process and federal consistency requirements had a public hearing in the Joint Committee on Transportation . State agencies that administer permits that could be affected by the legislation provided information on their processes and implications of the proposed legislation on certain state permits. The League provided testimony in opposition. This bill is a serious threat to our Coastal Zone Management Plan and we have joined with other coastal advocates to oppose this bill. The only filed testimony in support came from the bill’s sponsor, the Oregon Ports Association, although a number of legislators testified in favor as did former State Rep. Brian Clem who is an investor in a container ship proposal at Coos Bay. The League expects to be engaged in discussions around the main reason for the bill (Coos Bay) as the sponsors seek to find a solution to their wish to deepen and widen the Coos Bay channel. The Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) is considering the adoption of amendments to Part Three of the Oregon Territorial Sea Plan (TSP), the Rocky Habitat Management Strategy. A draft of the proposed rules and fiscal statements is available on DLCD’s website. A first public hearing for this rulemaking is set for March 22 in Newport at 12:00PM at the Guin Library on the Hatfield Marine Science Campus. LCDC is scheduled to consider adoption of the new amendments during their April 20-21 meeting. Please contact Casaria Taylor, Casaria.taylor@dlcd.oregon.gov for further information. Address written comments to the Chair LCDC, care of Casaria Taylor via email. If you have questions about the proposed rules, contact Andy Lanier at 503-206-2291, or email: Andy.Lanier@dlcd.oregon.gov . The agenda for LCDC’s April 20 meeting will be available on DLCD’s website . LWVOR has supported this work and may provide testimony before LCDC in April. The Oregon Ocean Science Trust (OOST) has scheduled its next meeting for April 5 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, in-person only but open to the public at the Hatfield Marine Science Center, Library Seminar Room – Guin Library,2030 SE Marine Science Drive, Newport. The meeting will focus exclusively on Strategic Planning. Oregon Ocean Science Trust/Oregon Department of State Lands webpage and Oregon Ocean Science Trust website . Dept. of Environmental Quality By Peggy Lynch SB 835 , a bill that seemed to require that DEQ or county public health, whichever is responsible for septic system permits, to approve the use of the septic system currently used by the primary residence to also allow an accessory dwelling unit to be connected to the same system. LWVOR provided testimony with concerns that seem to be addressed by the -1 amendment . The bill will have a Work Session on March 20. Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) By Peggy Lynch The League provided testimony on a suite of bills with Work Sessions on March 20: SB 220 , SB 221 and SB 222 . You can find our testimony on the bills’ websites. Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF) By Peggy Lynch The prospective Board for the ESRF met on March 13 and heard a draft budget presentation. The League continues to follow the transition to a separate state agency, the ESRF Authority, but has concerns regarding the funding for this new agency. It is supposed to survive on minimum timber harvests, grants, federal funds and philanthropic donations. Right now the budget doesn’t pencil out. A new bill, SB 161 with the -1 amendment has been filed to address work to be done and changing a date from July to November. The ESRF website notes a next prospective Board meeting on April 10. Land Use/Housing By Peggy Lynch The League provided testimony in opposition to HB 3442 , a bill that would require local governments to allow development of certain affordable housing on certain lands within 100-year floodplain or subject to property development constraints under land use regulations related to natural disasters and hazards. Local governments have development codes that should address these issues and the state should not REQUIRE this action. Local governments have a better understanding of the hazards and mitigation that might be needed so housing is placed in safe places. A public hearing was held on March 16 with a Work Session scheduled for March 23. A new bill popped up that would create a new Housing Accountability and Production Office in DLCD: HB 3414 . A public hearing will be held March 23. The bill, filed late, has Speaker Rayfield’s name as one of the sponsors so we are certain that it will continue to be discussed. SB 4 that includes “supersiting” authority by the Governor for many acres of farmland “just in case” the semiconductor industry might want to build a new facility in Oregon is still alive. In the Joint Committee on Semiconductors, the committee can continue the work throughout the session. We provided testimony in opposition only to Section 10 of the bill. A number of amendments have been proposed and public hearings and possible work sessions continue. See above in the Budget/Revenue section of this Report for the status of last week’s housing bills and also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report for details. Reduce/Recycle By Kathy Moyd HB 3220 : Modifies provisions of the electronics recycling program. Expands definition of covered electronic device. Establishes criteria for electronics producer responsibility programs. Directs Environmental Quality Commission to establish fee calculated to cover costs to department of carrying out program. Passed the House Climate, Energy, and Environment Committee with a unanimous vote. SB 545 -1 Directs Oregon Health Authority to adopt rules allowing restaurants to allow consumers to fill consumer-owned containers with food. Requires authority to adopt rules that take effect no later than June 30, 2024. The bill passed the Senate on March 15 per this press release . Toxics As a member of the Oregon Conservation Network, we were pleased to see the OCN Letter in support of HB 3043 , the Toxic Free Kids Act Modernization. LWVOR has engaged in this bill in past sessions. Water By Peggy Lynch The continued scarcity of water in Oregon is the focus of many bills being considered this session. It is unclear which bills listed in our last report will receive a Work Session and stay alive. At the writing of this report, we can share only one: HB 3208 that would expand the Environmental Quality Commission’s authority to annually adjust additional water quality fees up to 3% per year was heard and a work session on this bill is scheduled for March 16. We all need to pay attention to the potential for harmful algal blooms. “When in doubt, stay out.” Visit the Harmful Algae Bloom website or call the Oregon Public Health Division toll-free information line at 877-290-6767 to learn if an advisory has been issued or lifted for a specific water body. We have an on-going drought throughout Oregon and League members may want to check the U.S. Drought Monitor , a map that is updated every Thursday. California is beginning to look much better, but Oregon continues to have concerns. Wildfire By Carolyn Mayers Recent actions by the Senate Committee on Natural Resources relating to two wildfire bills, SB 509 and SB 82 , mentioned in the last LR, are detailed below. SB 509-2 , the community wildfire risk reduction bill, was amended to remove elements related to home hardening against wildfire risk, and move them to another bill, SB 80 (notice that it’s “relating to wildfire” and may well be moved to another committee since there is no hearing nor work session scheduled for this bill); and add a 20-year Strategic Plan to holistically address wildfire risk and mitigation. SB 509-2 was forwarded to W&Ms. Meeting details, including all supporting materials, may be found here . Discussing SB 509-2, Chief Mariana Ruiz-Temple of the State Fire Marshal’s office (OSFM) outlined the tasks assigned to their office with this bill, which will include improved communications with the public and developing the 20-year Strategic plan to address wildfire risk mentioned above. In addition, a Neighborhood Protection Cooperative program will be developed, building on an existing Fire Protection Program, designed to help Oregonians reduce their risk, and focusing on communities, where previously the focus has been more on individual parcels. This was in response to having received much feedback from the public that artificial lines between areas hinder progress on resiliency. Also, Senator Golden pointed out the utility/necessity of setting standards for homeowner and community education on defensible space measures that will be recommended by future consultants who will receive training as part of this effort to reduce risk. OSFM is also directed to create a central consolidated website so the public, which has been vocal in its frustration with navigating the over-abundance of online wildfire information sites, may more easily access wildfire information of all types, including grant and educational opportunities, in one place. SB 82-3 addresses wildfire risk and how insurers operate in that space, was amended and forwarded to the chamber floor. Andrew Stolfi, Director/Insurance Commissioner, Department of Consumer Services, gave an overview of the amended bill. The bill gives definitions of terms to provide clarity and outlines a number of consumer protections. Among those, insurers will be required to improve notices they send to consumers that relate to cancellation, non-renewal or increase of premium on their homeowners’ policies, giving them more information about the data behind their decision, and actions homeowners might take to improve their risk and possibly reduce their premiums. In addition, insurers will be required to extend the timeframe in which homeowners must rebuild after wildfire, after much public outcry. Finally, the bill prohibits insurers from using any Wildfire Map created by the State as grounds for cancellation, non-renewal or increase of premium on homeowners’ policies. He mentioned that the insurance companies are in agreement with the measures outlined in the bill. On March 15, Senate Natural Resources held a Work Session on SB 644-4, which removes certain requirements relating to wildfire risk maps, in light of the current absence of a map, for development of accessory dwelling units on lands zoned for rural residential use. The bill was adopted and sent to the chamber floor. A Public Hearing was held on SB 1012 , which provides for a homestead rebuilt by the same owner on the same lot to replace a homestead destroyed by September 2020 wildfires to temporarily have frozen assessed value equal to destroyed homestead assessed value for 2020-2021 property tax year. HB 3446 was mentioned as a bill with similar aims. Next up was SB 839 which directs the State Forestry Department to establish a pilot grant program for the purpose of managing wildfire risk by promoting use of air curtains by persons that make biochar. This method could reduce smoke and particulates related to disposing of removed fuel by 80% according to Senator Brock Smith. The final wildfire bill related hearing was on SB 928 which instructs State Forester, or forest protective association or agency that is under contract or agreement with State Board of Forestry for protection of forestland against fire, and whose protection area is or may be affected by fire on nearby federal lands, to take certain actions to address fire. The aim of this bill is to bolster and improve wildfire response, by leveraging and improving upon existing processes for cooperation and collaboration between Federal and State Departments and Agencies, with direct actions and areas of cooperation outlined more clearly. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: What is your passion related to Natural Resources? You can help. Volunteers are needed. The 2023 legislative session is almost halfway over. Natural Resource Agency Boards and Commissions meet regularly year-round and need monitoring. If any area of natural resources is of interest to you, please contact Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, at peggylynchor@gmail.com . Training will be offered.

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Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 6/9 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Coastal Issues: Christine Moffitt, Peggy Lynch Columbia River Treaty: Philip Thor Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: Joan Fryxell Emergency Management: Rebecca Gladstone Forestry: Josie Koehne Elliott State Research Forest: Peggy Lynch Northwest Energy Coalition: Robin Tokmakian Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: Melanie Moon Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Advisory Committee: Sandra Bishop Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch Please see Natural Resources Overview here . Jump to a topic: Agriculture Air Quality Bottle Bill Update Budgets/Revenue Climate Coastal Issues Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF) Forestry Governance Land Use & Housing Recycling State Land Board (SLB) Transportation Water Wildfire AGRICULTURE By Sandra U. Bishop OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT The first meeting of the Farm Stand Rulemaking Advisory Committee (RAC) was held on May 16th. ( OAR 660-033-0130: Regarding farm stands in exclusive farm use (EFU) zones and agri-tourism) The meetings are live-streamed and recorded and may be reviewed on the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) YouTube channel . The 20-member RAC is expected to meet 4 or 5 times. The public hearing will likely be in September 2025. The public comment period for this rulemaking will close October 5, 2025. To submit public comment please email written comments to: farmforest.comment@dlcd.oregon.gov Comments must be in writing to be considered part of the rulemaking record. People may also make brief public comments at the RAC meetings . Rulemaking webpage AIR QUALITY SB 726 A would direct the Environmental Quality Commission to adopt rules requiring the use of advanced methane detection technology for surface emissions monitoring at municipal solid waste landfills, beginning 1/1/2027. The A7 amendment limits the bill's application to a landfill located in Benton County (e.g., Coffin Butte). Passed the House and repassed the Senate. Awaiting Governor’s signature. Related to this bill is HB 3794 , a bill that would create a Task Force on Municipal Solid Waste in the Willamette Valley. HB 3794 is sitting in Ways and Means. BOTTLE BILL UPDATE By Sandra U. Bishop The omnibus bottle bill SB 992 A , a conglomeration of several bills introduced this session to address problems with beverage container redemption in the Portland area, has been signed by the Governor! BUDGETS/REVENUE By Peggy Lynch Following are the budget bills we are watching in Natural Resources. However, there are currently over 500 bills in Joint Ways and Means, with many of the agency budget bills now moving through that committee and to the floor and then on to the Governor. Dept. of Agriculture: SB 5502 Dept. of Agriculture Fees: SB 5503 Both bills passed Full Ways and Means and the Senate. Headed to the House floor for a final vote. Five bills related to department’s various fee increases also passed Full Ways and Means. HB 2805 Relating to food establishment licenses ( Meeting Materials ), HB 2806 Relating to license fees for commercial instruments ( Meeting Materials ), HB 2809 Relating to pesticide registration fees ( Meeting Materials ), SB 1019 A Relating to brands ( Meeting Materials ), SB 832 A Relating to civil penalties for laws implemented by the State Department of Agriculture ( Meeting Materials ) Columbia River Gorge Commission: SB 5508 LFO Recommendation The bill passed Ways and Means and the Senate and House. Awaiting the Governor’s signature. Dept. of Environmental Quality: SB 5520 League testimony . LFO Recommendation and Meeting Materials The bill passed Full Ways and Means after a contentious discussion. Passed the Senate (17-11 with 2 excused). Now it goes to the House floor. As a major regulatory agency, this agency struggles to gain bipartisan support. Oregon Dept. of Energy: SB 5518 and Oregon Dept. of Energy Fees: SB 5519 Meeting Materials . Bills passed the Senate 18-10 with 2 excused. Awaiting a vote in the House. Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: HB 5009 ( LFO Recommendation ), along with HB 2342 A ( LFO Recommendation ) Relating to fees concerning wildlife, HB 2343 A ( LFO Recommendation ) Relating to the Columbia Basin endorsement and HB 2345 ( LFO Recommendation ) Relating to Oregon hatcheries. These three bills passed Full Ways and Means on June 6 and now head to chamber floors. Conservationists, with HB 2977 (a -2 amendment has been filed), would add 1% (or 1.5%) for conservation programs. That additional money would go to a special Fund at the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. It had a hearing in House Revenue on May 8. Oregon Dept. of Forestry: SB 5521 . Meeting Materials ; Work Session was set for May 27 and then cancelled. New Work Session June 5 where it passed the Subcommittee. LFO Recommendation The budget recommended that payroll be transferred to the Dept. of Administrative Services. POP 801 provides funding for the Private Forest Accord and Habitat Conservation Plan work. HB 2072, Harvest Tax, LFO Recommendation . Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI): HB 5010 Public hearing Feb. 5-6; Meeting materials LWVOR testimony LWVOR supports SB 836 , a bill that would significantly increase permit fees for mining related activities. See the agency’s presentation to understand the reasons for these increases. A public hearing was held on May 19 and the League provided verbal testimony on the proposed amendment. A Work Session was held May 28 where the -4 amendment was adopted. A work session was held on June 3. The LFO Recommendation for HB 5010 included additional staff related to the SB 836 fee increase, the carbon sequestration and e-permitting project. There were two budget notes, both of which the League can support related to reporting on the e-permitting project and the audit report done in April. Here is the LFO Recommendation for SB 836. Dept. of Land Conservation and Development: SB 5528 Governor’s budget DLCD Fact Sheet Public hearing Feb. 3-4; LCDC 1/24 presentation ; Meeting Materials LWVOR testimony . The budget is set for a work session in the Ways and Means Natural Resources Subcommittee on June 9. This budget and the Oregon Housing and Community Services budget ( HB 5011 ) have been part of a challenging conversation between the Governor and the Ways and Means Co-Chairs with the Governor’s recommended budget being more than the May revenue forecast can afford. Land Use Board of Appeals: SB 5529 Public hearing Feb. 27 LWVOR testimony . The bill passed Full Ways and Means and the Senate. Is awaiting a vote in the House. Oregon State Marine Board (OSMB): HB 5021 and HB 2558 A modifies the definition of "charter guide" for purposes of outfitter and guide laws and HB 2982 A , a bill that increases boating permit costs estimated to increase revenue to OSMB by about $1 million for the 2025-27 biennium, most of which will be used to address Aquatic and Invasive Species (AIS) management in partnership with the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife were considered together. Here is the Legislative Fiscal Office recommendation for each of the three bills. HB 5021, HB 2558 and HB 2982 all passed the House chamber. Awaiting a vote in the Senate. Dept. of State Lands: SB 5539 LWVOR testimony in support. LFO 2025-27 budget recommendation . LFO budget recommendation for SB 147. Both bills passed the Senate and the House. Awaiting the Governor’s signature. Oregon State Parks and Recreation Dept.: HB 5026 info hearings March 3-4, public hearing March 5. Meeting Materials LWVOR testimony in part to address comments by the Legislative Fiscal Office. The bill passed Full Ways and Means and is now headed to the House and Senate chambers. LFO Recommendation . There is a bill related to contracting rules that is passing and another, SB 565 , that would move the Capitol State Park back to the control of the Dept. of Administrative Services. Back in 2007, the League objected to the move to State Parks as a cost burden to Parks, but it was approved in part because of the lottery revenue available while the General Fund was struggling. Now the reverse is true. We understand that this bill may not move this session but may come back in 2026 where the League may be called on to engage. Water Resources Dept.: SB 5543 Governor’s budget WRD Fact Sheet Here is a summary of the Governor’s budget. Governor's Budget and Agency Request Budget documents are available online here . Info Mtg. & Public hearing Feb. 18-20. Meeting Materials . LWVOR testimony . And the fee bills: support HB 2808 (Bill moved to Ways and Means) and support HB 2803 (The - 3 amendment was adopted, reducing the fees significantly which will cause the department a revenue shortfall should the amendment stand the scrutiny of Ways and Means where it now lies.) The budget and fee bills are scheduled for a work session in Ways and Means Natural Resources Subcommittee on June 10 along with HB 3544A , a bill that revises current statutes on contested case procedures related to new water right applications and water right transfer applications (contested cases). Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: HB 5039 . Info mtg. & Public hearing Feb. 25-27 LWVOR testimony . Meeting Materials . Work Session June 2 where it passed the Subcommittee and passed Full Ways and Means on June 6 . Now headed to both chambers for a vote. LFO Recommendation Of special interest to the League is converting a staffer from “limited duration” (only through a biennium) permanent to oversee the agency’s land and water acquisitions, stewardship activities, the Oregon Agricultural Heritage Program (OAHP) and the Drinking Water Source Protection (DWSP) Program. The League has supported the DWSP Program. We were disappointed that no additional monies were added to the program under this budget bill and will continue to hope for an infusion of monies by the end of session. However, the OAHP received another $2 million General Funds. We see nothing in the bill for funding the Climate Fund for the current biennium. Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board 6-Year Limitation: HB 5040 (Limits expenditures of lottery funds from the Watershed Conservation Grant Fund for local grant expenditures by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board for a six-year period beginning July 1, 2025.) Info mtg. & Public hearing Feb. 25-26. Work Session June 2 where it passed the Subcommittee and passed Full Ways and Means on June 6 . Now headed to both chambers for a vote. LFO Recommendation Oregon Dept. of Transportation (ODOT): SB 5541 info hearing 3/03-6, public hearing 3/11. The League signed on to a letter in support of increased transit funding. The Joint Committee on Transportation ended its work on May 23rd but a new committee ( Joint Committee on Transportation Reinvestment ) has taken over in hopes of coming to agreement on a comprehensive package before the end of session. On June 6, notice was given that a proposed package will be heard next week. This budget will await those actions. Legislative Administration Committee, Legislative Assembly, Legislative Counsel Committee, Legislative Fiscal Officer, Legislative Revenue Officer, Commission on Indian Services and Legislative Policy and Research Committee: HB 5016 Info hearings 4/29-30. Public hearing May 1st. Lottery Bonds: SB 5531 : an average debt capacity of $564 million in each Biennium. Public hearing May 9 and May 16.. The League supported two of the requests: $160 million for preservation of rental housing and $25 million to preserve manufactured housing and $100 million Housing Infrastructure Fund in Section 14. There are over $2 billion in requests for a variety of projects around Oregon! Emergency Board: HB 5006 This bill will be populated with an amount for the Emergency Board to spend at will and amounts in Special Purpose Appropriations if needed when the legislature is not in session. General Obligation Bonds, etc.: SB 5505 : an average debt capacity of $2.22 billion per Biennium. Public hearing held April 18. Second public hearing, this time on university and community college requests, was held May 2. Six-Year Limitation/Bonds: SB 5506 (Limits for the six-year period beginning July 1, 2025, payment of expenses from fees, moneys or other revenues, including Miscellaneous Receipts, but excluding lottery funds and federal funds, collected or received by various state agencies for capital construction.) Public hearing held May 2. CLIMATE By Claudia Keith and Team See the Climate Emergency section of this Legislative Report. There are overlaps with this Natural Resources Report. We encourage you to read both sections. COASTAL ISSUES Cuts to NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) will affect Oregon coastal communities per this article in Columbia Insight. “ Lower catch limits for fish and compromised maritime safety are just some of the ways Trump’s proposed budget could weaken the Pacific Northwest. In the Pacific Northwest, cuts to NOAA are likely to negatively impact everyone from fishers and crabbers to rural communities responding to climate change. Cuts to NOAA are also likely to make it harder to track and respond to environmental harms, including climate change impacts, as well as threats to the health of our region’s fisheries and the safety of the food it produces.” OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTION The League supports HB 3580 eelgrass stabilization LWVOR signed letter of support and HB 3587A Protection of Rocky Habitat LWVOR signed letter of support ( fiscal impact statement ). To help these bills get funded, consider LWVOR’s Action Alert . The League signed on to a letter of support for HB 3963 , a bill that extends the timeline for the Dept. of Land Conservation and Development to provide a report on offshore wind conversations from 2025 to 2027. A public hearing was held May 19. The League signed on to testimony in support. A work session was held May 29 where the bill passed committee in a partisan vote. The bill passed the House floor (34/18 with 2 excused) and now is headed to the Senate chamber for a vote. OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTION The Oregon Coastal Management Program (OCMP) is currently developing its 2026-2030 Program Enhancement Assessment and Strategy. Draft Strategy The OCMP has selected to focus on wetlands, coastal hazards, and ocean resources in this 2026-2030 planning horizon. See the Draft Assessment and Strategy and provide feedback during the comment period of May 12 - June 12, 2025. The draft 2026-2030 Program Enhancement Assessment and Strategy can be found on their Public Comment webpage . Please provide comments on or before June 12. Send comments: E-mail Comments: coastal.policy@dlcd.oregon.gov Written Comments: OCMP-DLCD, 635 Capitol St. NE, Suite 150, Salem, OR 97301-2540. DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (DEQ) By Peggy Lynch SB 1154 was filed by the Governor to address the groundwater/nitrate issue in Morrow and Umatilla counties per this OPB article . See also in the Water section for a presentation of interest. The bill has a public hearing and possible work session for June 9 in Senate Rules. An A3 amendment is posted. DEPT. OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES (DOGAMI) By Joan Fryxell The Grassy-Mountain Gold Project Technical Review Team will meet June 16th. Information can be found here . The League continues to follow this project as the first consolidated permitting project to be held in Oregon. ELLIOTT STATE RESEARCH FOREST (ESRF) The ESRF Board of Directors will meet in North Bend June 11, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The public may attend in person or via Zoom. Click here to download the meeting agenda and materials . FORESTRY The Board of Forestry met June 4 and 5 per this press release . May 30: Today, the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) deployed 14 firefighters to Alberta, Canada, four firefighters to Alaska, three to Minnesota, and one to Florida. With fire season beginning in some parts of the state, this will be the agency’s last big out-of-state resource push until the rainy fall returns in Oregon. ODF is continuing to sign mutual aid contracts with states around the country as each needs help during their specific fire seasons. GOVERNANCE HB 3569 , a bill that would require a Chief Sponsor (legislator) of a bill to be a part of a rules advisory committee (RAC) for legislation they had a hand in passing, passed the House. The League provided testimony with our concerns and opposition to the bill. The bill passed Senate Rules on June 5 and now goes to the Senate floor for a vote. The League continues to have discussions with Legislative Leadership and the Governor’s office on these RACs bills, explaining our concerns. 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. The League joined others in sharing concerns about this bill to members of House Rules. It was pulled from the scheduled work session on May 28th. 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 ( SB 437 , SB 1006 , SB 370 , SB 483 ) and SB 411 , SB 895 also in Senate Rules. HB 2454 passed House Rules with the -1 amendment and sent to Ways and Means. The bill creates a new Audits Officer (with possible additional staff). The Jt. Audits Committee would hire the Officer. From Leader Bowman’s office: “ HB 2454 changes the statutory authority related to audits and audit reviews from the Legislative Fiscal Office to the Legislative Audit Officer (LAO) and authorizes the LAO to hire necessary staff to carry out assigned functions. The LAO and his/her staff will be housed under the new Legislative Performance Oversight and Government Accountability Office. The bill does substitute LFO for the LAO on a number of responsibilities. LFO will continue fiscal analyses and other duties, while audits and oversight will be housed under the LAO.” We are 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. A work session was held May 28 where the -2 amendment was adopted to delay the web work and the bill sent to Ways and Means. 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. There is a broader discussion to increase transparency and consistency in the state agencies’ rulemaking process. A second meeting related to the state agency rules process is set for June with an invitation to the League to continue to participate. See also the Governance section of this Legislative Report. LAND USE & HOUSING By Sandra U. Bishop/Peggy Lynch HB 2647 passed the House floor and was assigned to the Senate Housing and Development Committee where it passed the committee with the A 5 amendment , passed the Senate and has returned to the House floor for concurrence. The League provided testimony in support of HB 3939 , a bill that provides a list of infrastructure projects to fund for smaller Oregon cities so they can build more housing. We have also supported HB 3031 A (already sitting in Ways and Means) but know there might be limited dollars this session so called out that link in our letter. The -1 amendment to HB 3939 was adopted and the bill moved to Ways and Means. HB 2316 : Allows designation of Home Start Lands to be used for housing. HB 2316 -4 frees up approximately 3,500 acres of state land of which can now be used for housing production, all within the urban growth boundaries. It provides revenue to the state from the sale of the land, and it also provides revenue to our cities because the land becomes taxable for property taxes five years after purchase. The bill was sent to Revenue where a public hearing was held on May 15 and a work session was held May 27. The A6 amendment was adopted and the bill sent to Ways and Means. HB 2138 , the Governor’s follow up on the middle housing bill has a work session along with the Housing agency’s budget bill on June 10. “ The measure expands and streamlines middle housing requirements, applies them to more jurisdictions and certain unincorporated areas, clarifies definitions, and sets new deadlines for local governments to update land use regulations accordingly. It removes private covenants restricting middle housing or accessory dwelling units, eases traffic analysis requirements for small middle housing developments, and allows density bonuses for projects that include accessible or affordable units. The measure revises and simplifies the expedited land division process, limiting public notice and appeals, and requires local governments to process certain partitions as expedited if requested. It allows single room occupancies to be developed in greater numbers where multiunit housing is allowed, with capped parking requirements. It also directs the Land Conservation and Development Commission to adopt rules by 2028 .” The League engaged on elements of this bill over the summer but chose to stay silent due to some of the provisions in the bill. See also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report. RECYCLING RECYCLING FLYER The Recycling Modernization Act that the League supported in 2021 is reaping rewards. Expanded options are coming July 1. Here is a DEQ flyer to help. STATE LAND BOARD (SLB) The State Land Board will meet on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at the Shutter Creek Facility in North Bend. Among the agenda items are: Appoint the Oregon Department of State Lands Director. (The SLB will meet in executive session on June 9th to consider this appointment.) Begin rulemaking for undersea cables in Oregon’s territorial sea. Acquire an 80-acre parcel of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in La Pine. Authorize a permanent easement on an existing freeway overpass in Portland’s Rose Quarter. Authorize the sale of and release of 274 acres of subsurface rights currently owned by the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) in Morrow County. The Land Board will also hear an update on bills the Department is tracking in the 2025 legislative session, as well as a guest presentation from the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries on geologic carbon sequestration. TRANSPORTATION The latest transportation funding proposal was revealed June 4th by a group of Democratic lawmakers. Per the Oregonian article, it would “significantly boost funding for public transit and climate-friendly pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.” See a flyer briefly describing it. June 6, the House and Senate Republicans released their legislative concept (bill) to fund the transportation budget for 2025. Rep. Susan McLain, Co-Chair of the Transportation Reinvestment Committee, has announced a schedule for hearings on a proposed 2025 transportation plan. The hearing schedule for HB 2025 includes: Monday, June 9, 5 p.m.Informational Hearing Tuesday, June 10, 5 p.m. Public Hearing: Anchor projects and ODOT accountability Wednesday, June 11, 4 p.m. Public Hearing: Transit, rail, bike, and pedestrian safety Thursday, June 12, 4 p.m. Public Hearing: Operations, maintenance, and preservation From Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis: “ The bill, which sounds like it will be officially introduced on Monday will be HB 2025 and seems to try to bridge the Democrats’ initial plan, with this other one from this week that proposed a 100% increase in the gas tax to bring the tax to $.80/gallon (highest in the nation!), a 400% increase in the tax on workers' wages, car sales taxes, and big hikes on title and registration fees, all to fund empty buses, bike lanes, and costly climate initiatives.” WATER By Peggy Lynch A slate of water bills are being considered per this article in the Oregon Capital Chronicle. In an effort to modernize and streamline how state officials allocate what’s left of Oregon’s ground and surface waters, lawmakers are considering a slate of bills meant to get resource agencies collaborating on permitting reform, data collection and “management” rather than “regulation.” The status of the bills covered range from one awaiting the Governor’s signature to the many sitting in Rules Committees where work groups negotiate their content to those sitting in Ways and Means where they may or may not be funded. Due to capacity issues, the League has not engaged in many of these bills. HB 2169 had a work session on June 3 in Ways and Means Natural Resources Subcommittee. LFO Recommendation The bill directs the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to establish and lead an interagency water reuse team to encourage and expand water reuse in Oregon. Full Ways and Means passed the bill on June 6 so it now goes to both chambers for a vote. HB 2947 also had a work session on June 3. “ Directs the Oregon State University Extension Service and the College of Agricultural Sciences of Oregon State University to study the distribution and occurrence of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in biosolids applied to agricultural fields that do not produce crops intended for human consumption.” LFO Recommendation . Full Ways and Means passed the bill on June 6 so it now goes to both chambers for a vote. HB 3806 , a bill that authorizes the Oregon Water Resources Commission to approve a Deschutes River water bank pilot program if the charter is approved by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs and adheres to all requirements. It sunsets the pilot program on January 2, 2034, had a work session in Jt. Ways and Means Subcommittee on Natural Resources on May 29th. It was noted that funding for this pilot will be provided by the Deschutes River Conservancy. The bill passed and was sent to Full Ways and Means where it passed on June 6 and now goes to both chambers for a vote. LWV Deschutes County submitted a letter in support of SB 427 , a water rights transfer bill meant to protect instream water flows. A work session was held April 8 in Natural Resources and Wildfire, then the bill was sent to Senate Rules. SB 1153 , an alternate bill provided with help from the Governor’s office had a work session April 8 where the bill was sent to Senate Rules. After weeks of negotiations, a public hearing is set for June 3 with a work session held June 5 where no action was taken so a second work session is set for June 9 on SB 1153. A -10 amendment is now proposed. The June 3rd hearing included presentations by the large work group that developed the proposed legislation. “ Directs the Water Resources Department to consider whether certain water right transfers will result in a loss of in-stream habitat for sensitive, threatened or endangered aquatic species in stream reaches not protected by an existing water right or contribute to water quality impairment in water quality limited streams.” Water Right Process Improvements ( HB 3342 ). A - 4 amendment was adopted and the bill passed the House. Amended by the A 8 amendment, it passed the Senate. On May 29th the House concurred with the Senate amendment and passed the House floor and is now awaiting the Governor’s signature. Harney Basin Groundwater Management ( HB 3800 ). A work session was held and the bill was sent to House Rules without recommendation as to passage. Water Rights and Public Interest ( HB 3501 ) A work session was held and the bill was referred to House Rules without recommendation as to passage on a 6 to 3 vote. HB 3525 is related to tenants’ right to well water testing. The League submitted testimony in support. House Rules had a public hearing April 30. A work session scheduled for May 12 has been cancelled. A number of amendments have been offered. The controversy seems to be around timelines for testing—how often—and what exactly gets tested. The League hopes to see this bill move forward, even if there are constraints. It would be a beginning and a recognition that water needs to be safe for everyone-homeowners and renters. SUMMER PREPARATION TIPS League members may want to check the U. S. Drought Monitor , a map that is updated every Thursday. An Abnormally Dry designation has increased in NE and NW Oregon and now we also see our first level of Drought (Moderate) in some of those areas (over 8% of Oregon is in moderate drought (D1) and over 35% is abnormally dry (D0)). Here is a more complete website about drought in Oregon and a long range climate prediction . We all need to pay attention to the potential for harmful algal blooms (HABs). “When in doubt, stay out.” Visit the Harmful Algae Bloom website or call the Oregon Public Health Division toll-free information line at 877-290-6767 to learn if an advisory has been issued or lifted for a specific water body. Information on current advisories can be found on the OHA’s cyanobacteria bloom webpage at healthoregon.org/hab . The OHA has an online photo gallery to help community members identify signs of potentially harmful blooms. WILDFIRE By Carolyn Mayers Along with the transportation package, wildfire funding has been a challenge for the legislature. The Governor has weighed in on the concept of taking at least a part of the “kicker” to fund wildfire: lawmakers have an option if they can agree on a better use for the kicker money. With a two-thirds supermajority (meaning at least two Senate Republicans and four House Republicans would need to approve along with all legislative Democrats.) vote in each chamber, they can opt to suspend the refund. That’s happened once since the policy was enacted in the late 70s. Because our Rural Fire Protection Associations (RFPAs) are seeing a huge increase in their fire fees, Rep. Owens has offered the following: “ I introduced HB 3349 and HB 3350 to ensure our RFPAs have access to the tools they need. These bills propose establishing a dedicated funding stream to help RFPAs obtain gear from the Oregon Department of Forestry and better access federal resources. Importantly, this support does not change their volunteer status but simply gives them the resources to be more effective and safe while serving our communities.” Then the House Leadership decided to move SB 83 , which would repeal the State Wildfire Hazard Map and accompanying statues related to it, to House Rules at a Work Session on May 20. It seems that the bill is now being used as trade bait to find funding for wildfire according to a news release from Sen. David Brock Smith. SB 75 A , removes the wildfire hazard map as a guide for allowing ADUs and requiring higher building codes in rural areas. The bill was moved to House Rules on May 22nd by the House Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment where it is likely to stay while negotiations continue on wildfire funding. The Oregon Capital Insider provides information on the Dept. of Forestry’s budget and what’s happening at the federal level. The League heard a report from ODF staff from a meeting with the USForest Service: The agency is down 1,600 staff nationwide. Currently, they can't work for USFS for 5 years after. That issue is being worked on. Because they may need to bring people back this summer!! In 2024 the USFS had 44 Incident Management Teams. They are down to 37. These are leadership groups "running/management" for fires. They also have issues with "purchase cards"...credit cards used to purchase food/shelter/misc. equipment for fires. AND there are support people who have been let go. Others have chosen to take early retirement. Here is a short report on status of the bills mentioned last week: The Omnibus wildfire funding bill, HB 3940A , had a robust Public Hearing before the House Committee on Revenue on May 1. Legislative Revenue staff provided a table to help understand the various elements of the bill. Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office have stated the minimum annual need for wildfire funding to address the growing wildfire crisis is around $280 million. The bill has a provision related to increasing the bottle deposit to help pay for wildfire funding. This provision was widely opposed, but another concept has been floated where the unclaimed deposits (now used to help pay for the collection system) would be instead used for wildfire funding. This bill is still part of the wildfire funding conversation. SB 1177 is still before the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue. It had a public hearing on April 7. This bill would establish the Oregon Wildfire Mitigation and Adaptation Fund and redirect the “kicker” to it, one- time, for financing wildfire related expenses, by using the interest earned. A 5% return would yield approximately $170-180 million per year, or just over half of the aforementioned projected ongoing costs to fund wildfire mitigation and suppression. (The Governor has expressed interest in using only the amount of kicker that would go to large income earners for wildfire costs.) SJR 11 also remains before the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue after its April 7 public hearing. It would dedicate a fixed, to-be-determined percentage of net proceeds of the State Lottery to a wildfire fund created by the Legislature. Its passage would mean an amendment to the Oregon Constitution, which would have to go to the voters for approval. Finally, HB 3489 , which imposes a severance tax on owners of timber harvested from public or private forestland, had a Public Hearing April 24 before the House Committee on Revenue. The League has supported a severance tax in past sessions and provided testimony at the hearing. The League is also still following other non-funding related bills, such as SB 926 , which would prohibit the recovery of certain costs and expenses from customers that an electric company incurs as a result of allegations of a wildfire resulting from the negligence or fault on the part of the electric company. It was passed by the Senate and had a work session on May 20 in the House Committee on Judiciary where the A 10 amendment was adopted. The Speaker sent the bill to Ways and Means. HB 3666 remains in the Rules Committee. This bill would establish wildfire mitigation actions and an accompanying certification for electric utilities in an attempt to standardize their approach. SB 1051 , which transfers the authority to appoint a State Forester from the State Board of Forestry to the Governor, subject to Senate confirmation, is scheduled for a Work Session June 11 in the Senate Rules Committee where amendments may be considered. Volunteers Needed What is your passion related to Natural Resources? You can help. Volunteers are needed. The long legislative session begins in January of 2025. Natural Resource Agency Boards and Commissions meet regularly year-round and need monitoring. If any area of natural resources is of interest to you, please contact Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, at peggylynchor@gmail.com . Training will be offered. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Revenue , Governance , and Social Policy report sections.

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Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - November Interim Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Coastal Issues: Christine Moffitt, Peggy Lynch Columbia River Treaty: Philip Thor Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: Joan Fryxell Emergency Management: Rebecca Gladstone Forestry: Josie Koehne Elliott State Research Forest: Peggy Lynch Northwest Energy Coalition: Robin Tokmakian Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: Melanie Moon Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Advisory Committee: Sandra Bishop Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch Jump to a topic: Agriculture Air Quality Budgets/Revenue Climate Coastal Issues Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) Dept. of State Lands (DSL) Drinking Water Advisory Board Elliott State Research Forest Forestry Land Use Radioactive Waste Reduce/Recycle Regional Solutions Water Wildfire Volunteers Needed By Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, and Team Volunteers are still needed to cover important issues like Air Quality, Recycling and Toxics. The League needs your voices! Training provided. The Ford Family Foundation’s 2023 "Oregon by the Numbers" provides data that may be helpful for all areas of state and local policy work. HCR 38 (2023) sets the process for the February 2024 short session that runs Feb. 5 through March 10th. The legislative calendar is posted on the Oregon Legislature website . There were three days of legislative meetings Nov. 6-8 and one more set of interim days January 10-12. Agriculture On Oct. 11 th , Governor Tina Kotek appointed Lisa Charpilloz Hanson, current Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) Executive Director, to lead the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA). The Oregon Senate will take up her confirmation as permanent director in January. “Oregon faces complex natural resources challenges across our state that require data-driven, resilient solutions,” Governor Kotek said. “Lisa Charpilloz Hanson brings decades of experience working with natural resource communities to meet the needs of Oregonians across the state. I look forward to seeing her great work and leadership at the agency.” The League looks forward to working with Lisa in her new role while we will miss her excellent leadership at OWEB. Having been Deputy Director at ODA, we are confident she knows the many responsibilities of ODA. Air Quality DEQ invites public input on proposed permanent rule amendments to chapter 340 of the Oregon Administrative Rules to increase Title V operating permit fees as authorized by HB 3229 which the League supported . The proposed fee increases are necessary for DEQ to provide essential services associated with Oregon’s Title V permitting program. DEQ will propose the rules to the EQC in January 2024. DEQ is seeking public comment on the proposed rule amendments. More information, including the draft rules, can be found on the Title V Fee Increase 2023 Rulemaking web page . DEQ will only consider comments on the proposed rule amendments that DEQ receives by 4 p.m., on Dec. 1, 2023. Budgets/Revenue By Peggy Lynch Personal income taxpayers can determine the amount of their kicker using a “What’s My Kicker?” calculator available on Revenue Online . To use the calculator, taxpayers will need to enter their name, Social Security Number, and filing status for 2022 and 2023. Taxpayers may also hand-calculate the amount of their credit by multiplying their 2022 tax liability before any credits—line 22 on the 2022 Form OR-40—by 44.28%. On Nov. 15, the House and Senate Revenue Committees heard the latest Revenue Forecast. The net General Fund and Lottery resources are up $790.3 million (2.3%) from the 2023 Close of Session estimate. A new bonding capacity report is due mid-January. The next revenue forecast is Feb. 7th and that will be the number used for 2024 budgeting. Here is the Legislative Revenue Office report and here are the Office of Economic Analysis slides. Those slides included information about Oregon’s population, employment and housing. One piece of good news was that the poverty rate for all Oregonians has decreased. In Nov. 2023, only half of the school bond or levy measures passed. We still don’t have the statistics of other money measures since final results won’t be available until the end of November. Here is a good video on property taxes in Oregon. Oregonlive provided an article on the status of PERS for 2025: “The Oregon Public Employees Retirement System ended last year with a $28 billion unfunded liability to meet its projected pension obligations. Cutting the deficit would require some combination of higher investment returns or raising the amount of money contributed by employers like schools, libraries and local governments. Based on the financial picture at the end of 2022, Milliman told the board that it could expect average contribution rates for the system’s 900-plus employers to rise by 1.7% of payroll, pushing the average rate above 27 cents in every payroll dollar. That would be their highest levels ever and require an extra $1.3 billion in contributions from employers in the next two-year budget cycle – money that would otherwise be available to spend on public services.” This information is important as state agencies and others calculate their 2025 budget needs. Climate By Claudia Keith and Team See the Climate Emergency section of this Legislative Report. There are overlaps with this Natural Resources Report. We encourage you to read both sections. Coastal Issues By Christine Moffitt/Peggy Lynch The Coos County LWV sponsored an informational program at the Egyptian Theatre on estuaries as part of their educational programs as they approach opportunities to update the Estuary Management Plan ( AM-22-005 ) for the Coos Bay Estuary. The program is available on their YouTube channel. There have been many meetings with regional DLCD staff, county and city planners regarding the estuary management plan. LWV Coos members provided information to planners and they plan to provide testimony for the final hearings. Oregon State University received a grant to study attitudes on offshore wind. The federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) received comments related to proposed ocean energy sites offshore from Brookings and Coos Bay, even extending the public comment period as requested by the tribes. Information is available on the BOEM Oregon state activities page . Rep. David Gomberg attended the State of the Coast event held Nov. 4 in Newport that provided an educational opportunity on several research updates: Oregon State University - State of the Coast 2023 - YouTube . The morning session recording has an update by Karina Nelson at 1:14 in the video on offshore wind. Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) By Peggy Lynch The League continues to follow the Grassy Mountain Gold Project in Malheur County, using a streamlined permitting process. On Oct. 4, the multi-agency Technical Review Team approved the Grassy Mountain Consolidated Permit Application as complete! There is still at least another year of process before the project begins—a long time since the first application back in 2012. There have been ownership changes and a number of incomplete applications, making this process longer than it might otherwise have been. Here is the latest on this project. See page 2 of this DOGAMI newsletter for a report on the Grassy Mountain Gold Mine application. “This is the first consolidated mining permit application in Oregon.” The League will be seeking feedback from the state agencies and the applicant regarding how this process worked for each of them and for Oregon. We hope to hear from the general public as well related to their view of the process because, if perceived as successful, this consolidated permitting process may be used in the future for complicated projects that need multiple permits. Dept. of State Lands (DSL) By Peggy Lynch Oregon’s Abandoned and Derelict Vessel Workgroup will meet Nov. 21 st and Dec. 5 th . An Oregon Capital Chronicle article explains the potential environmental damage and the need to create a long term plan with on-going financing. See DSL’s website for more information, including public engagement opportunities. The League has been engaged in funding for this project for many years. Drinking Water Advisory Committee By Sandra Bishop The Drinking Water Advisory Committee (DWAC) met Oct 18 with approximately 25 people attending to discuss the process and expected procedures for public water systems to complete the federally required Lead Service Line Inventory. The object is for public water systems to identify and remove lead and downstream galvanized pipe. Training will be offered specific to what and how to report. How to prioritize disadvantaged districts was part of the discussion. EPA’s main objective is removal of lead service lines. In Oregon, most water systems do not currently have lead lines and many have never had lead service lines. (However, pipes in older houses may have lead—a personal expense to address.) It was pointed out that even for the larger systems, if there are no records, it is very difficult to show there was no lead. How do you provide documentation of something that doesn’t exist? The American Water Works Association (AWWA) Water Utility Council is meeting to discuss this. Recruitment is underway for seven staff positions. Five new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) positions were approved by the 2023 Oregon Legislature. Four of them are waiting for Dept. of Administrative Services (DAS) to approve job descriptions and salary ranges. Positions to be filled include program, fiscal, and research analyst positions; a Natural Resource Specialist and a Regulatory Manager. This is partially driven by the need to track and account for federal funds. The final PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) regulations will come out at the end of the year. The state will have up to two years to develop regulations after the rule is final. Implications of this rule include possibly requiring treatment costing approximately $50 billion. At last determination there were 25 public water systems with measurable PFAS detected in Oregon; 20 exceed EPA proposed MCLs (maximum contaminant levels), and two exceed Oregon HALs (Health Advisory Levels of 30 ppt). One well continues to be used under public advisory notice. It was noted that two years is likely not enough time for the Oregon rulemaking process, after development of federal rules. It is expected to be the same for all states. Cybersecurity was discussed. Following a lawsuit filed in several states, EPA withdrew a memo containing an interpretation of cybersecurity in sanitary surveys. Another concern raised was about OHA collecting data without a clear indication of what will be done with the data, as in the case of capacity assessments. First year funding for Lead Service Line Replacement has declined because there were no projects. Second year funding is available. Water systems can ask for partial funding. Outreach is ongoing for this. Funding will not be received before inventories are completed. There are small, disadvantaged under-served systems with compliance problems; many are priority non-compliers (PNCs). These are systems out of compliance for longer than six months. A total of 800 very small systems often lack financial and technical assistance. There is some good news. The Warm Springs Tribe has been awarded a small grant and EPA has approved larger funding for work on their water system. The Annual Drinking Water Protection Report is on DEQ’s webpage. Oregon Water Enhancement Board (OWEB) is gearing up for grants for land purchase to protect land permanently to enhance drinking water protection. Public water systems over 3,300 must address potential contamination sources in Emergency Response Plans. It was pointed out that drinking water protection areas often have mental and physical co-benefits such as walking trails, wetlands, and other beneficial uses. The next DWAC meeting is January 17th. Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF) By Peggy Lynch A Nov 14 bombshell announcement from DSL Director Vicki Walker! “Yesterday, Oregon State University President Jayathi Y. Murthy informed the State Land Board and the Department of State Lands that OSU is no longer in a position to participate in management of the Elliott State Research Forest. The Elliott remains a public forest under DSL’s oversight, and the State Land Board has provided clear desire and direction for the creation of the Elliott State Research Forest.” The League has been engaged in the Elliott since well before 2016 when we provided this Op Ed to Oregon newspapers. In 2020, we supported the OSU proposal with concerns around governance and finance. In Feb of 2022, we supported SB 1546 that created the new Elliott State Research Forest Authority—a new state agency to begin January 1, 2024, that established a mission, governance and management policies for the agency with deadlines for accomplishing the various tasks in the bill. This bill addressed our concerns around governance, but the fiscal issues have not been addressed, the issue that has caused OSU to back away: their research proposal required an increase in harvest beyond what the public had assumed. Until the issue around finance is addressed, the forest continues to be in jeopardy. The legislature gave the "new" agency $4.1 million as a budget for the next 18 months and will need to go through the budget process for the 2025-27 session. A prospective Board was appointed, many of whom had been part of an advisory committee for years prior, and will meet again on Dec. 4 th to discuss these new developments. (Paul Beck and Dr. Jennifer Allen resigned in October.) Oregonians need to thank this dedicated group as they work to make the Elliott a great place where it will “continue to contribute to conservation, recreation, education, indigenous culture, and local economies as a research forest.” Visit DSL's Elliott webpage to learn more . Meeting videos are posted to the DSL YouTube channel and meeting notes are posted to DSL's Elliott website . Work is continuing on eventual adoption of a Habitat Conservation Plan and a Forest Management Plan for the forest. Forestry We hope Oregonians helped shape the future of Oregon’s forests by participating in an Oregon’s Kitchen Table survey. Look for a story with results of the survey in an upcoming report. Per Oregon Capital Chronicle : “The federal researchers found “unequivocally” that forested land provides the cleanest, most stable water supply of any land type.” The League was pleased to see this quote resembling one in our 2009 Water in Oregon- Not a Drop to Waste Study. Fire Season has come to an end: Year to date, there have been 975 fires on ODF-protected lands resulting in 17,968 acres burned. Three ODF Type 1 Incident Management Teams (IMT) were deployed this season: one to the Golden Fire in the Klamath-Lake District, and two to the Tyee Ridge Complex in the Douglas Forest Protective Association district. Statewide to date, regardless of jurisdiction, there have been 1,909 fires that have burned 190,507 acres. ODF protects about 16 million acres of private, county, state and federal forest and grazing lands in Oregon. Forty-nine homes and 78 structures burned around the state. It was the third-highest number since 2015. So far, state and federal agencies have spent $484 million on the 2023 wildfires, and that number is likely to increase as fire teams submit their final bills. It's the third-most expensive season since 2015 and by far the most expensive per acre season in the same period. For more information, see the Wildfire section of this report below. Land Use & Housing By Peggy Lynch The League continues to engage with the Governor’s Office and legislators as we work to address needed housing for all Oregonians. We first need to address the underproduction of housing from past years—with a majority of housing unit needs for Oregonians whose income is 80% or lower AMI (average median income). The League will continue to focus on policies that address this need. While Natural Resources works on the land use side where infrastructure is needed to provide buildable lots, our Housing Team will be working on funding and housing policies for those Oregonians. DLCD provided information on Goal 10 and the UGB process to Senate Housing on Nov. 6 th . The Governor’s Housing Production Advisory Council continues to meet and will deliver a final report to the Governor in December (or January!). The League has always supported our statewide land use planning program with local implementation. We are seeing that local element eroded by some of the recommendations. See the LWVOR testimony website where the plethora of our testimony is posted. Subscribe for notices of HPAC meetings. We continue to work with partners, with the Governor’s Office and legislators, as we expect bills in the 2024 session that we may want to support or oppose. The Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) is seeking volunteers to serve as a member of the state’s Citizen Involvement Advisory Committee (CIAC). CIAC members are appointed by LCDC to provide advice on community engagement in land use planning. The current CIAC recruitment is for one member representing Oregon's first Congressional District, which covers Clatsop, Columbia, Washington, and Yamhill Counties and portions of SW Portland in Multnomah County. Applications are due by 9am November 22, 2023. They are also providing an information session on the CIAC on Dec. 8 th via zoom. See also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report. Radioactive Waste By Shirley Weathers The Energy Facilities Siting Commission (EFSC) held the required public hearing on proposed rules revisions for OAR 345-050 relating to radioactive waste on October 19, 2023. LWVOR submitted comments dated October 23, 2023. EFSC will consider the rules and public comment at its November 17, 2023 meeting . Of interest is that ODOE staff noted in their Background and Summary Statement to the Commission that LWVOR submitted the only written comment on the proposed rules. They outlined a central concern and recommendation to the Commission as it takes action. Additional materials can be found on the ODOE website (scroll down to Radioactive Waste Materials). The LWVOR Advocacy Committee and Board of Directors thank Shirley Weathers for her many hours of work on this and other important issues. We will miss her and wish her all the best as she leaves Oregon and will, we are sure, engage in League at her new home. Reduce/Recycle The White House held a comprehensive highly informative webinar to talk about the national landscape for repair legislation in late October. Watch here . In Oregon, in the 2024 short session, Sen. Sollman is bringing back the Right to Repair concept, focusing on consumer electronic equipment like cell phones and laptops, and household appliances. The League supported the 2023 Right to Repair bill, SB 542 , which did not pass. The fourth Recycling Modernization Act Rulemaking Advisory Committee meeting has been scheduled for Jan. 31 st , 2024. The Zoom meeting registration link has now been posted to the Recycling 2024 webpage: Register via Zoom . To learn more about this rulemaking and the advisory committee, view the rulemaking web page: Recycling Updates 2024 . Regional Solutions The Regional Solutions Team ( November 14 th report ) is working hard across the state. Great news is the infrastructure work both listed and being worked on across the state. With increased infrastructure, we may see more housing. Water By Peggy Lynch The League continues to be concerned about our fellow Oregonians in Morrow and Umatilla counties where well water may be unsafe for drinking. Because many homes are for agriculture workers who speak other than English and whose culture causes wariness of government, Oregon’s Oregon Health Authority needs to find better ways to reach out according to the Oregon Capital Chronicle : The nitrate pollution stems in part from agricultural fertilizers and animal manure used on nearby farms. Nitrate-laced water is unsafe to drink above 10 milligrams per liter, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency and can cause serious health effects if consumed over long periods. Update Oct. 31 st : DEQ and Port of Morrow settle permit violations”… $1,933,721 to support safe drinking water efforts in the area, including water testing, treatment, and delivery, and pay a $483,430 civil penalty to the state treasury.” KGW’s "The Story" did a series on this important public health issue the week of Nov. 13. OWRD anticipates releasing a draft of the updated Integrated Water Resources Strategy for public review and comment in early January. For more information about this process, please visit the IWRS page . OWRD is considering new Groundwater Rules because “many of Oregon’s 20 groundwater basins are being sucked dry faster than water can naturally be replaced, according to the agency,” per a November Oregon Capital Chronicle (OCC) article . The League is watching this work closely and looks forward to the Water Resources Commission adoption of this first set of updated rules which can then lead to updated Critical Groundwater designations as the data determines it necessary. Meanwhile, many Oregonians are experiencing dry household wells. In another OCC article , the League was pleased to see a quote similar to one in our 2009 Water Study : “The federal researchers found “unequivocally” that forested land provides the cleanest, most stable water supply of any land type.” The League again asked Congress to expand the Smith River National Recreation Area. We all need to pay attention to the potential for harmful algal blooms. “When in doubt, stay out.” Visit the Harmful Algae Bloom website or call the Oregon Public Health Division toll-free information line at 877-290-6767 to learn if advisories have been issued or lifted for specific water bodies. League members may want to check the U. S. Drought Monitor Map , updated every Thursday. Governor Kotek has signed drought declarations under ORS 536 for the counties of Crook, Jefferson, Grant, Deschutes, Wasco, Harney, Sherman, Lake, Jackson, Gilliam, Douglas and Lincoln counties. On Nov. 7 th , the Governor declared a drought in Morrow County through Executive Order 23-25 and directed state agencies to coordinate and prioritize assistance to the region. The forecasted El Nino weather pattern may mean a reduced snowpack this winter in the north while we may see a greater snowpack in southern Oregon. Wildfire By Carolyn Mayers The League observed a number of informational meetings and updates relating to wildfire, on November 6 and 7, covering a variety of topics. The common thread through all the meetings was funding, or lack thereof, and the potential consequences of that reality. Investments in wildfire suppression resulting from SB 762 - the sweeping 2021 wildfire legislation, had a significant impact on the effectiveness of response during the 2023 wildfire season. The recent sizable funding reductions threaten to reverse much of the progress made. “Landscape Resiliency” was also a major theme, with a repeated message that suppression is becoming increasingly difficult with increases in fire behavior unpredictability and the buildup of fuels. Western Oregon was a new focus since there were a number of what would be considered “unusual” numbers of wildfires there due to a dry lightning event and other factors. Details and links to additional information may be found below. The Senate Natural Resources and Wildfire met first on November 6. Mike Shaw, Chief of Fire Protection for Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), provided a 2023 wildfire season review : Lauded the ODF wildfire personnel fire suppression efforts. Highlighted the role the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s (OFSM) department played, especially in early response and limiting structure losses. Pointed out “suppression isn’t going to be the answer,” stressing the need to manage the heavy load of fire fuels in forests as a critical part of long-term wildfire mitigation strategy. Expressed the “efficient” (not in a good way) nature of dry lightning storms in northwestern Oregon as a unique feature of this fire season, with the reasonable expectation of it repeating in the future. Yet, in spite of nearly 500 fires started by the lightning event, total acreage burned across Oregon was held to 15% of the 10-year average in spite of a near-average number of fires, with significantly higher cost per acre. Most wildfires this season were human-caused. Next up were Derrick Wheeler, ODF Legislative Coordinator, and Brandon Pursinger, Legislative Affairs Manager for Natural Resources Policy for the Association of Oregon Counties, who gave a detailed update on the Wildfire Hazard Map and the process undertaken to ensure that public input is appropriately considered as required by SB 80 , the 2023 wildfire legislation. Meetings were held with County officials throughout the State, and the process continues until the ultimate release of the new map sometime in 2024. OSFM Chief Mariana Ruiz-Temple spoke briefly about how it is important to continue to build on the “framework” that SB 762 laid out for Community Risk Reduction. She described how her department has rolled out an educational campaign and is conducting Defensible Space assessments around Oregone. OFSM has launched a Defensible Space website . Enter your home address for a multitude of resources to help make your home more resilient in the face of increasing wildfire risk, including the ability to schedule a home assessment. She closed by saying it will take decades of public education work to make a dent in overall risk reduction. Doug Grafe, the Governor’s Wildfire and Military Advisor, followed with a bleak overview of the state of wildfire programs’ funding, current vs. previous. He also emphasized, “We cannot suppress our way out of this.”, while stressing the importance of community preparedness (which lost 90% of its funding), landscape resiliency and fuels reduction. Dylan Kruse, Vice President of Sustainable Northwest, also covered funding and long-term strategy in his presentation , pointing out that while California provides $1.3 billion in wildfire programs funding, and Washington, $118 million, Oregon only spends $42 million, which is not nearly enough to sustain any progress made, let alone make further progress. He emphasized the need for “sufficient, consistent funding”. Members of the Governor’s Wildfire Programs Advisory Council (WPAC) were next with outgoing Chair Mark Bennettlisting what he saw as priorities, among them public health-related investment to help deal with smoke events: Fire Adapted Communities/Firewise programs to enhance community preparedness, wildfire recovery and several other items. He was followed by Dave Hunnicutt, incoming WPAC Chair, who expressed extreme disappointment in the funding situation, and how reducing funding for defensible space/community preparedness is the opposite of what needs to be done, since defensible space can reduce risk to a home by as much as 80%. Mary Kyle McCurdy, incoming Vice-Chair, closed by pointing out that much of SB 762 funding was one-time funding. She also revealed that a new WPAC focus will be on much-needed and previously largely overlooked evacuation and emergency response planning as part of regional transportation planning. See the Council’s Annual Report . Later on November 6, the House Climate and Energy heard a presentation by Doug Grafe and Senator Elizabeth Steiner that outlined the Wildfire Funding Workgroup work. This group was formed to look for solutions to the overly complex current funding structure for landowner fire protection assessment rates, and the offsets to them that lost $15 million in funding in the last session. Sen. Steiner said these partnerships are a cornerstone of “our highly functioning response”, and not funding the offsets risks “dismantling the system if the protection district charges don’t get funding.” She relayed they were making excellent progress in spite of widely differing views among participants because they share the common goal of fixing the system and getting it funded. November 7, OSFM Chief Ruiz-Temple presented a 2023 Wildfire & Conflagration update to the Senate Veterans, Emergency Management, Federal and World Affairs, pointing to the OSFM Biennial Wildfire Report for additional information. Regarding the dry lightning storms, she stated, “…one of the most alarming indicators is more fires on the west side”, and that “these communities are not prepared.” She repeated her concern from October informational meetings, for the decrease in volunteerism among firefighters and that there was a need to assist local fire departments with capacity. She also repeated the sentiments of Mike Shaw, ODF, saying, “Wildfires are outpacing our capacity to suppress.”, and we need to focus on prevention. She closed by urging the Committee to provide funding for investment in communities and resilient landscapes, and that those investments would save billions of dollars over the long run. Finally, Chief Ruiz-Temple presented another wildfire update to House Emergency Management, General Government and Veterans. Much of the content was largely a repeat of the previous presentation, including another commentary on the dangers of the new reality of fires in western Oregon. She emphasized “These communities don’t have the tools that other communities have.”, and they are “…not used to living with wildfire. See her presentation . California has passed a law requiring a 5-foot defensive space around homes in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), effective 2025. There are currently potentially fewer than 100,000 tax lots that may be considered in Oregon’s WUI. Oregon is focusing on helping Oregonians address defensible space on their properties with no current requirements. Volunteers Needed What is your passion related to Natural Resources? You can help. Volunteers are needed. The short 2024 legislative session is Feb. 5-March 10. Natural Resource Agency Boards and Commissions meet regularly year-round and need monitoring. If any area of natural resources interests you, please contact Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, at peggylynchor@gmail.com . Training will be offered.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 3/17 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 Redistricting/Prison Gerrymandering HB 2250 will be heard in House Rules 3/19. 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. Broadband, Vote-by-mail, Privacy By Becky Gladstone HB 3148 : had a public hearing 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 3474 : League testimony in support was filed after the public hearing for this bill calling for the SoS to study the impact of USPS changes to Oregon’s vote-by-mail system. We are watching three other bills presented in this public hearing, along with HB 3588 below, and another calling for a Secretary of State (SoS) study. HB 3588 : has a public hearing March 17, for another SoS USPS study, on the effect of requiring a physical address for business registrations in Oregon. This could relate to HB 3474 , calling for a SoS study on USPS changes affecting Oregon’s vote-by-mail system. SB 470 -1: anticipated from the public hearing discussion, the -1 amendment passed a work session unanimously. League testimony was in support of the original bill to protect lodgers’ privacy from illicitly taken videos. HB 2341 : to add veterans’ email addresses to shared information, had a Senate side public hearing after passing a House floor vote with 58 in favor. See League testimony . We are watching HB 2851 replaces “ fiber-optic cable network” with “ terrestrial-based cable or wire communication facility ” in ORS 166.122-128 , defining critical infrastructures. Defining broadband, per se, as a critical infrastructure, places it for protection with gas and rail lines and the power grid, along with data centers, dams, bridges, roads, airports, and marinas. We have further recommended protecting our elections’ systems as a critical infrastructure. LWVOR hesitation to support HB 2851, for broadband, and the earlier HB 2772 Enrolled (2023), which defined the crime of domestic terrorism, is based on consistent testimony for both, fearing vaguely defined overreach guardrails in applying punitive action for “riot, disorderly conduct, harassment and related offenses“, defined in ORS 166. We reported the lack of a cyber warfare definition noted in the JLCIMT hearing video , Feb 28 2025, on Cyber warfare and the Pacific NW power grid . The concern is urgent to protect our critical infrastructures and our free speech and civil liberties. SB 599 prohibits landlords from asking about, disclosing, or discriminating based on immigration status. The -4 version passed a work session with one dissenting vote. These three elections bills were presented together in House Rules on March 12: HB 2435 requires the Secretary of State to publish a monthly voter registrations statistical report for each Oregon county. HB 3468 prohibits a county clerk from using certain information provided by ODOT or OHA to update any information for those already registered to vote. HB 3470 requires the Secretary of State to verify voter registration information received from ODOT and OHA. Elections By Barbara Klein LWVOR had been active in working on the original bill ( HB 3166 ) related to Open Primaries , somewhat based on the Alaska model. An amendment is now proposed, which contains points we have historically not supported (specifically a top-two election system). The amended bill HB 3166-2 would require a unified primary ballot for partisan and nonpartisan offices regardless of political party affiliation, and advancing only the top two vote getters to a winner-take-all style ballot during the general election. The League strongly supports the portion of the bill calling for open (or “unified”) primaries. HB 3166 is scheduled for a hearing on March 19th. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to Legislative Report Education Legislative Report - Week of 1/15 Jump to a topic: Higher Education General Education Update Higher Education By Jean Pierce LWVOR will be tracking the progress of legislation that would appropriate $5M to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) for establishing and awarding grants for basic needs programming at public higher education institutions. This money could be used for food, housing, utilities, transport, textbooks, and other emergency needs not covered by financial aid packages. HB3561 (2023) Implementation: In 2023, HB3561 passed to provide scholarships and grants awarded to ensure Oregon has an adequate supply of early childhood care and education professionals. However, the $5.2 million requested to fund the program was denied, so now they are requesting $2.5M. The scholarship program’s purpose is to provide a diverse and well-trained supply of early childhood professionals providing childcare. Many early childhood education students are teacher assistants who do not earn sufficient money to pay teacher education costs. Higher education institutions report long waiting lists of people who would like to become qualified as Early Childhood Care and Education Professionals. Not only would this help address the teacher shortage, but it permits parents to be fully employed. General Education Update By Anne Nesse LWVOR will follow a few of these Legislative Concepts In the coming short session. From House Education Committee: 1/10/23 LC 229, would increase the weight of funding to school districts with high homeless student populations. It would also remove the state funding cap on the amount that districts receive for children with disabilities. LC 230, helps with funding and design problems for a proposed 9 (20-30 students each) High School Regional Addiction Recovery Schools. (This program is innovative in the United States, successfully begun by a pilot project during the last session.) LC 231, helps to create a statewide uniform school record-keeping method, to increase accountability. LWVOR members who have worked many years on the Dolly Parton book initiatives will be happy that HB 3198, which passed last session, included this funding concept for the Dept. of Early Learning and Care (DELC). A House Education report indicated that DELC is attempting to partner with libraries throughout the state to continue program implementation for all young children. From House Early Childhood and Human Services Committee: 1/10/23 Testimony on these issues aligns with our 2024 priorities: LC 203, hopes to provide emergency help for highly troubled youth, attempting to avoid added stress associated with temporary foster housing placement. LC 189, from Chair Reynolds, concerning establishing Nurse-Family Partnership visitations and instruction to include low-income and BIPOC families in the care of their child from 0 to the first 1,000 days of life, or until income and child care stability is established. From Senate Education Committee: 1/11/23 A required report was published by Sen. Dembrow & Committee, on the Quality Education Model , and its current inability to distribute sufficient funds, over many years, to meet our goals consistently from year to year. LC 219, the Educational Omnibus Bill will attempt to make several changes to Oregon’s education laws to improve meeting our goals. This draft document, worked on by a select committee, is 63 pages long. It begins with acknowledging the establishment of a Youth Advisory Council, understanding that these youth are the recipients of our decision-making processes. This law will address funding inequities of Oregon's quality public school education model. It attempts to solve problems associated with special education funding and many other issues. Please contact lwvor@lwvor.org if you have any questions, or wish to become involved with any of these issues.