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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: After School and Child Care Age-Related Issues Behavioral Health Education Housing Legislation Immigration After School and Child Care By Katie Riley SB 896 is the only bill left regarding afterschool funding. It is currently in Ways and Means and may receive some funding but it is unlikely to receive the $25-40 million that the sponsor, Senator Anderson, wanted. HB 3162 which also sought funding for afterschool programs did not receive a work session so it is no longer viable. Age-Related Issues by Trish Garner The Senate passed SB 548 , a bill that increases the minimum legal marriageable age to 18. There were only two Nay votes. The bill had already been passed in the House and will be moving to the Governor for her signature. HB 3187A , the workplace age discrimination bill, has been signed into law by the Governor. The bill prohibits employers from asking for a date of birth or graduation date on job applications unless it is a job requirement or an offer of employment has already been made. Behavioral Health By Trish Garner The Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response unanimously passed HB 2481 -11 with a “do pass” recommendation and a referral to Ways & Means. The Dash 11 Amendment constitutes a small but significant portion of HB 2481 and the Committee will be having a Work Session on the remainder of HB 2481 next week. Amendment 11 authorizes the OR Public Guardian and Conservator to develop and administer a program to provide guardianship services to persons who have been charged with committing a crime but who have been determined unable to aid and assist in their defense. It also requires courts to appoint counsel for these defendants and if the defendant is unable to afford counsel, the court will appoint one at state expense. It is likely that the Committee divided the bill as it did because Amendment 11 requires state money to be budgeted for it, and it is also likely that the Ways & Means Committee is well underway in its budgetary consideration process. Other provisions of HB 2481 relate to the aid and assist process in Oregon, and interactions between the state and tribal entities regarding behavioral health treatment and involuntary commitment procedures in these communities. Education By Jean Pierce On May 21, the House Committee on Education recommended Do Pass SB 1098 , the Freedom to Read bill, LWVOR provided testimony in support. HB 2586A has been passed by both chambers. The bill permits an asylum seeker who is a student at a public university to receive an exemption from nonresident tuition and fees. LWVOR filed testimony in support. Budget bills LWVOR is following several budget bills relating to educational funding. In view of the revenue forecast, it is anticipated that amounts appropriated will be lowered. SB 5515 and SB 5516 concern funding for the State School fund. It is anticipated that the final appropriations will be nowhere near the amount recommended by the American Institute on Research (AIR) in March. AIR recommended a 30% increase in funding, with more attention to equitable spending for the education of low income and high needs students. SB 5525 appropriates funding for the Higher Education Coordinating Council to divide among colleges and universities in Oregon. In anticipation of inadequate budgetary allocations, the state’s seven public universities have announced plans to increase the average inflation-adjusted cost of undergraduate tuition for Oregon residents. Tuition will be nearly 30% higher than it was a decade ago. According to a 2022 report from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, a nonprofit think tank in Colorado. “About 25 years ago, public funding accounted for up to 75% of the cost of each full-time employee at an Oregon university. Now, it pays for about 50% or less.” Effect of Federal Actions on Oregon Federal Judge blocks closing of DOE On May 22, Judge Joun in Massachusetts temporarily blocked efforts to carry out an executive order closing the US Department of Education, citing that only Congress can take that step. In addition, the judge ruled that the administration needs to reinstate Education Department employees who lost their jobs in March. Finally, the judge halted the administration’s effort “to transfer management of federal student loans and special education functions out of the Department.” Currently, 77,275 Oregonians are receiving an average of $4,644 in Pell Grants for higher education. In addition, more than $170 million is coming to Oregon for IDEA (funding education of students with special needs. Housing By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona Bills Passed SB 814 A will be administered by Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) to expand eligibility criteria for the agency’s existing Long-Term Rent Assistance Program. Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) youth under the age of 25 would have an opportunity to access long-term rental assistance to help achieve a greater level of housing security. This measure also requires OHCS to consult with the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA), among other stakeholders. Youth assisted will be exiting a childcare center or a correctional facility. At least 14% of youth who were committed to OYA since October 2022 have already experienced some period of homelessness. Studies indicate that housing instability increases the risk for recidivism. This bill will assist youth by providing a safe and stable home so they can devote their attention to employment, education, and family. This bill passed the Senate and House on May 14 and was signed into law on May 19 by the Governor. The League submitted testimony in support. SB 973 protects residents of publicly supported housing by requiring notices from landlords when affordability restrictions are ending. This applies to tenants who are living in subsidized units, applicants, and new tenants. For existing tenants, the bill would extend the notice requirements from 20 to 30 months. It will require landlords to warn tenants that their housing will no longer be affordable. For applicants and new tenants who are entering into a new rental agreement, landlords of publicly supported housing must provide written notice of when the affordability period will end, prior to charging a screening fee or entering into a new rental application. These tenant protections are critical to giving low-income Oregonians additional time to find stable housing they can afford. The Senate and House passed this bill on May 14 and the Governor signed it into law on May 22. The League submitted testimony in support. Bill in Progress Lottery Revenue Bonds are used to provide financial assistance to local governments for facilities and infrastructure improvements and continue to have a statewide impact. SB 5531 seeks to use Lottery Revenue Bonds for affordable housing preservation, and infrastructure to support new housing production. Thirty-six affordable housing properties in Oregon face foreclosure in the next two years. An additional 76 properties are operating at a monthly deficit due to unsustainable operating costs. Preservation is a cost-effective and efficient approach to address our state’s housing crisis. Allocating $160 million to preserve rental housing and $25 million to preserve manufactured housing parks is a sound investment. The Senate held a public hearing on May 9, and an informational meeting on May 16. The bill now is in the Joint Committee on Ways and Means on Capital Construction, where it should be. A work session is expected to be held toward the end of the session. The League submitted testimony in support of this bill. HB 3054 A would limit rent increases and sales constraints by a landlord in a home park or marina, which can threaten residents’ ability to stay in their homes. It would fix at six percent the maximum rent increases for rental spaces in a larger facility and limit to 10 percent the maximum increase in rent paid by the purchaser of a dwelling or home in a facility. It prohibits a landlord from requiring aesthetic improvements or internal inspections as conditions of sale of a dwelling or home in a facility. The bill passed the House, and the Senate Committee on Housing and Development held a work session on May 19 and recommended passage. It declares an emergency, effective September 1, 2025. LWVOR submitted a letter in support. HB 2964 : Requires the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department to award loans to non-profit affordable housing developers to cover pre-development costs of developing new housing. The bill passed the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness on April 15. It was then referred to the Senate Committee on Housing and Development. The committee held a work session on May 21 and recommended passage. LWV testimony supports passage of the bill. HB 2735 : The House Committee on Revenue held a work session on the Independent Development Accounts (IDAs) bill on May 22, and recommended passage, and referred it to Tax Expenditures. The League submitted a letter in support. The Legislature created the IDAs program in 1999. The state matches participants’ savings up to 5-to-1. Money can be used to invest in the individual financial goals most important to each person’s own circumstances, such as buying a home or enrolling in higher education. The state tax credit that funds IDAs has not kept up with inflation. HB 2735-3 would raise the cap on the tax credit from $7.5 million/year to $16.5 million/year. The cap has not changed since 2009. If the Legislature does not act this session to “fix the funding” for IDAs, the program will shrink to serve 50% fewer Oregonians each year. HB 2958 : The House Committee on Revenue held a work session on the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) on May 22, and recommended passage with a -2 Amendment and referred it to Tax Expenditures. The bill would extend the sunset date to 2032 and increase to 25 percent the EITC for families with children under three years of age. Other families with children will receive 20 percent of the federal credit. With the amendment, the bill no longer extends the benefit to all childless working adults over age 18. The League submitted a letter in support. The bill, if passed, will put more money in people’s pockets and help avoid the trauma, instability, and costs to society and affected individuals that come from losing one’s home, deferring medical care, or missing meals. Immigration By Becky Gladstone and Claudia Keith Highlights - News Will President Trump use Oregon National Guard in immigration crackdown ? - OPB Republicans aim to punish states that insure unauthorized immigrants - Oregon Capital Chronicle The HILL: Oregon Legislature advances bill to stop landlords from asking immigration status Trump Welcomes White South African Refugees as He Shuts Out Afghans and Others - The New York Times 20 state AG's sue feds for tying transportation and disaster funding to immigration enforcement • Oregon Capital Chronicle Legislative Bulletin — Friday, May 23, 2025 - National Immigration Forum Click Scroll Bar on Bottom of Table to View All Columns Bill # Description Policy Committee Status Fiscal M$ Chief Sponsors+ Comments SB 149 Immigration (support services ) JWM waiting for Fiscal Y Sen Jama -3 amendment SB 599A Immig status: discrimination in RealEstate transactions Waiting for Gov to sign N Sen Campos House passes 5/19 SB 611 Food for All Oregonians - for undocumented JWM 8 Sen Campos Rep Ruiz amendment -1 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. H Rules PC: No recommen dation Rep Valderrama, Nelson , Munoz League Testimony HB 2976 funding for interpretation of indigenous languages. JWM 1.5 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 Reconciliation Bill HB 2586 A nonresident tuition exemption for asylum seekers. Waiting for Gov Signature RepHudson, SenCampos League Testi mony HB 2543 funds for universal representation and gives funds to Oregon State Bar for legal immigration matters HC Jud dead? 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 DAS - see sb 703 HB 5002 Oregon Worker Relief Fund (legal rep funds) JWM-GG WS 5/29 7 LFO d etails Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Governance , and Natural Resources , and Revenue report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Legislative Report - Week of 2/9 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 2026 Social Policy bills . Jump to topic: Behavioral Health Criminal Justice Education Gun Safety Healthcare Housing Behavioral Health Trish Garner HB 4028 was heard in the House Behavioral Health Committee. It relates to how insurers, the Oregon Health Authority and coordinated care organizations can conduct audits of behavioral health care providers. The bill delves into the details of the auditing process. It seeks to ensure these audits are conducted fairly and that everyone knows and follows the same rules. There are time limits for the completion of audits and health care professionals must review them. Providers cannot be charged for conducting the audit. A 5-year lookback period is prescribed. As might be anticipated, most of the providers testified in favor of this legislation; the auditing entities largely opposed them. Amendments may be forthcoming. HB 4069 and HB 4069-1 The House Behavioral Health Committee held a public hearing on this bill which mandates that residential treatment facilities, detoxification and sobering centers and mobile crisis intervention teams develop and implement written safety plans for workers and the built environment which will be filed with the Oregon Health Authority. If the facility uses individuals who work in a situations or locations without a colleague nearby or close supervision, it must include protections for them as well. HB 4083 and the HB 4083-1 . A public hearing was held in the House Behavioral Health Committee on this bill which arose out of Governor Tina Kotek’s Behavioral Health Talent Council, chaired by First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson, a former social worker. It is designed to “cut the red tape” for behavioral health worker licensure and to ease a bottleneck that has formed due to a lack of qualified clinical supervisors. It requires the Oregon Health Authority to create a uniform credentialing process for behavioral health providers, along with an accompanying internet portal. Coordinated care organizations are barred from adding any additional requirements. Another portion of the bill expands the types of behavioral health professionals that can provide supervision to social workers and licensed professional counselors. For example, social workers could now be supervised by psychologists, marriage and family therapists and professional counselors, and vice versa. Finally, the State Board of Licensed Social Workers is placed under the supervision of the State Mental Health Regulatory Agency, joining the Board of Psychology and the Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists. Most behavioral health care workers oppose the mutual supervisory provisions, arguing that the current process is working well and oversight should be conducted by the professionals familiar with their area of expertise. The number of people sending in testimony opposing the bill far exceeds its supporters. HB 4127 was heard in the House Committee on Health Care. A Work Session has been scheduled for next week (February 10 th ). It seeks to ensure that nonprofit reproductive health care providers who are not eligible to receive federal Medicaid funds or who are not enrolled in the Oregon medical assistance program will be reimbursed for covered services using state funds. Two providers meet the criteria here: Planned Parenthood affiliates of the Columbia Willamette and of Southern Oregon. HB 4127 represents an effort to stem the tide of anti-abortion efforts which coalesced in the passage of federal House Resolution 1, signed into law on July 4, 2025, and its one-year prohibition on Medicaid reimbursement for these providers. On July 29, 2025, several states, including Oregon, filed a complaint in federal court seeking an injunction against the prohibition on federal reimbursement to these prohibited entities. As of November 21, 2025, the prohibition remained in effect as the matter remained pending before the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. SB 1532 was heard by the Senate Committee on Human Services and a Work Session on it is scheduled for next week (February 10 th ) . It modifies the authority of the Oregon Department of Human Services regarding residential and long-term care facilities, developmental disabilities services and children in care. Using specified criteria, ODHS is required to impose a license condition based on a preliminary or substantiated finding of “immediate jeopardy.” Immediate jeopardy takes place when a residential or long-term care facility fails to comply with an ODHS rule that has or is likely to cause serious injury, serious harm, serious impairment or death of a resident. A preliminary finding means one that is objective and based on the evidence available at the time the ODHS conducts its investigation. SB 1532 -1 and -2 require ODHS to pay providers of attendant care to clients with intellectual or developmental disabilities at different rates depending on whether they also reside with their clients . It also changes out of state placement requirements if the child is Indian or has an eating disorder. Criminal Justice By Marge Easley and Sharron Noone The Senate and House Judiciary Committees got off to a quick start by scheduling hearings on several important bills during the first few days. The League submitted testimony on SB 1515 , which establishes a new post-conviction process for wrongful conviction cases to correct flaws in the current system. The Oregon Attorney General must review a wrongful conviction petition within 180 days, and applicants may petition to have their cases reopened if convictions were based on discredited forensic science, including hair comparison, bite mark analysis, and comparative bullet lead analysis. Two bills related to the recent actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were on the agenda on February 3 in House Judiciary. Passionate public testimony made it clear that the lives of immigrant and non-immigrant communities throughout Oregon have been greatly impacted by the overzealous and often violent actions of ICE agents. League testimony on HB 4114 included this excerpt from a LWVUS statement issued on January 26: “The League of Women Voters condemns the escalating actions by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that put people at risk, deny individuals their constitutional rights, and undermine the democratic values meant to protect us all.” A -1 amendment narrowed the bill considerably by eliminating a requirement for ICE agents to give 48 hours’ notice to the Oregon Department of Justice before any actions within the state. The bill as amended relates only to 4 th Amendment rights by allowing an individual whose privacy and civil rights are violated by the warrantless actions of a federal or out-of-state law enforcement agent to file a civil suit against that agent. The League also submitted testimony on HB 4138 , which establishes identification requirements and places prohibitions on facial coverings for federal law enforcement officers. A -3 amendment changed the bill by requiring federal law enforcement agencies that operate in the state to maintain and post written policies regarding identification on uniforms and the wearing of facial coverings. These policies should affirm “the agency’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and public trust.” Education By Jean Pierce This week LWVOR submitted testimony supporting three education bills: SB 1538 prohibits discrimination in education related to immigration or citizenship. Currently, access to a public education is protected by a Supreme Court ruling from 1982. However, Oregon needs to ensure that right is guaranteed. In 2023, Oregon’s immigrants paid $2.1 billion in state and local taxes which help fund public education. LWVOR wrote testimony in suport. HB 4079 requires public schools to inform parents, students, and community members when ICE is present on the campus. This would assure immigrants that they have accurate information to base decisions protecting their children. LWVOR submitted testimony in support. HB 4149 directs school districts to enroll and provide services for homeless students. Currently, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act assures unhoused students of their right to a free, appropriate, public education, but that act is managed by the U.S. Department of Education, which has experienced severe staffing cuts recently. LWVOR submitted testimony in support. Gun Safety By Marge Easley HB 4145 , which makes modifications to Measure 114 (2022), was heard in House Judiciary on the first day of the session. Despite the short notice, supporters of the Second Amendment showed up in force to oppose it. This significant gun bill sets out in detail how the firearm permitting portion of Measure 114 will be implemented, dependent on a positive ruling by the Oregon Supreme Court on its constitutionality. The League delivered testimony in support of the bill, which we believe will make the permitting process work more efficiently and effectively. The bill does the following: Specifies where to apply for permits for those who live in both incorporated and unincorporated areas Defines permit eligibility requirements Provides that all records related to the permitting process are exempt from disclosure Extends the time limit from 30 to 60 days for a permit agent to either issue or deny a permit Sets limits on the fees charged by the permit agent and the Oregon State Police Establishes alternatives for the required firearm safety training course Provides civil and criminal liability exemptions where applicable Provides an exception to the permit requirement for current and retired law enforcement officers Requires that state court actions challenging the legality of the Act be filed in Marion County Circuit Court Healthcare By Christa Danielson Bills for which LWVOR submitted testimony: HB4054 bill addresses the area of AI downcoding. During a visit to a health care facility a billing code is generated by the healthcare provider. Sometimes AI technology is used by an insurance company to automatically change the billing code to a lower code with less reimbursement without informing the provider. This bill would require reporting of downcoding events by AI to the physician or other healthcare provider for transparency LWVOR submitted testimony supporting the bill. SB1527-1 bill would provide access to screening with colposcopy when there is an abnormal pap. The National Health Resources and Services Administration HRSA: Health Resources and Services Administration has agreed that further testing with colposcopy would be considered screening with an indeterminate or low-grade pap but that screening recommendation will not be in place until 2027. The Oregon Capital Chronicle published an article describing the bill . LWVOR filed testimony in support. The Senate Health committee is recommending DO PASS as amended. SB 1570-1 provides safety for healthcare providers and patients. It would require consistent established guidelines from administrative areas in healthcare about how to interface with Federal Immigration Services. LWVOR wrote testimony . Bills we are tracking: HB4040 This is a large bill attempting to fix many technical areas. It is generally well perceived. We will continue to track this bill as it does cover some aspects of getting people onto Medicaid faster while they're in the hospital. HB 4147 would require reporting by employers who have greater than 50 employees as to how many of their employees are on the Oregon Health plan. We are currently tracking this bill. Housing Debbie Aiona and Nancy Donovan Now that the 2026 session is officially underway, the Senate and House Committees are meeting to review housing proposals during this short session. Committee agendas and bills are posted to meet the 35-day deadline. Information on the 2026 session is live ! The Housing Alliance, of which we are a member developed lists of priority bills selected by its membership. We are tracking housing bills and reporting on their status during the weekly sessions. House Interim Committee on Housing and Homelessness HB 4036 would preserve low-cost housing at risk of being lost due to expiring contracts or physical deterioration. Investing to maintain these properties is more efficient and cost-effective than building new units. During the next ten years 87 properties with nearly 3,000 units are at risk due to expiring federal project-based rental assistance. An investment of bond funds will protect tenants from losing their homes. A public hearing was held on Feb. 3 with a possible work session on Feb. 10. HB 4123 would add clear provisions to Oregon’s Landlord Tenant law regarding the disclosure of confidential information on certain personally identifying, financially sensitive and other private information. Landlord–tenant confidentiality laws establish rules governing how landlords and property managers collect, use, store, and disclose information about tenants and rental applicants. Under this proposal, private information may not be disclosed without the tenant’s written consent unless in response to a court order. A public hearing was held on Feb. 5 with a possible work session on Feb. 10. Senate Committee on Housing and Development SB 1576 would require the Department of Consumer and Business Services to adopt rules to conform to the state building code so that it aligns with federal fair housing accessibility requirements and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards. A key requirement is that in new, large multi-unit residential buildings at least 10% of units must be wheelchair-accessible. OHCS would not be authorized to fund new government-subsidized rental developments unless they meet the accessibility requirements. A Public Hearing was held on Feb. 5 and a work session is scheduled on Feb. 10. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED : What is your passion related to Social Policy? You can help. Volunteers are needed. We particularly need help tracking legislation concerning Public Safety Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Governance , and Natural Resources , and Revenue report sections.

< Back Revenue LWVOR Advocacy Positions Note: these are condensed versions. See the complete positions in Issues for Action . 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

Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 3/24 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Agriculture/Goal 3 Land Use: Sandra U. Bishop 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: Lucie La Bonte 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: Air Quality Agriculture Budgets/Revenue Climate Coastal Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Department of State Lands (DSL) Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF) Emergency Services Forestry (ODF) Governance Land Use & Housing Water Wetlands Wildfire AIR QUALITY 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 supports. A possible work session is set for March 26 in the Senate Committee On Energy and Environment . AGRICULTURE By Sandra Bishop HB 2647 would allow cities to bring land within the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) for industrial use. We will likely oppose this proposal unless it is made clear that this bill does not preclude review and adherence to statewide land use planning goals and laws. A public hearing is scheduled 3/31 in the House Housing & Homelessness Committee. A work session is scheduled 4/7. HB 3928 would allow counties to supersede all statewide land use planning laws to site housing on rural lands. The League will likely oppose this bill. This proposal seems to be taking advantage of the panic around the very real need for more housing units in Oregon. It does not appear to be a well-thought-out approach to providing additional available and affordable housing, but rather an attempt to relegate all land use planning decisions related to citing housing in rural areas to counties. This would in essence preclude or circumvent statewide land use planning laws and goals that have been very effective at achieving a balance between urbanization and protecting farm and forest land. This bill is scheduled for a public hearing 3/31 and work session 4/7 in the House Housing & Homelessness Committee. HB 3496 requires the Development of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) to write guidelines for citing childcare facilities to be used by city and county governments, including recommendations for childcare as a home occupation. Childcare as a home occupation may be compatible in some rural settings, but may not be healthy in proximity to certain agricultural or forestry operations. We are monitoring this bill and look forward to reviewing recommendations that DLCD staff bring forward. The need for more childcare centers should not be used to weaken protections for maintaining high value agricultural lands. Work session is scheduled 3/27 in the House Early Childhood and Human Service Committee. The Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) meeting on March 20th included a public hearing on rulemaking for solar siting in eastern Oregon. The rules are required to implement HB 3409 (2023 session), specifically to reduce conflicts in siting solar projects. Staff presented a rulemaking update and answered questions from commissioners. Questions raised by commissioners included questions about the use of herbicides and whether or not other contaminants have been a problem on land-based solar projects. There was one report of a Klamath farmer losing organic certification attributed to a solar project. In answer to a question, staff clarified that any requirement for bonding for retirement of solar projects would be covered in statute, not this rulemaking. Public testimony stressed the need to protect high value lands and farmers. The importance of restoration of land back to tillable soil at the end-of-life of a project was pointed out. Concern for water rights was brought up. A farmer or rancher should not lose water rights from lack of use because the land is utilized by a solar project. Proximity to UGB was argued from both perspectives – why would you want to surround a city with solar, thus limiting future UGB expansion or forcing leapfrog development? On the other hand, a social justice issue could be raised as to why solar projects should be cited on more rural lands further from an UGB. It was made explicit that under any goal exception the zoning should remain. Citing of solar should not result in zone change to industrial. No action was taken. The rules will be considered for adoption by July 1st, 2025. The final meeting of the Rules Advisory Committee will be April 4th. The public comment period ends April 11th. Proposed rule amendments to the Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR) Chapter 660 divisions 4, 6, 23, and 33, pertaining to Goal Exceptions, Forest Lands, Goal 5, and Agricultural Lands. Submit comments to: denise.johnson@dlcd.oregon.gov , gordon.howard@dlcd.oregon.gov , jon.jinings@dlcd.oregon.gov , adam.tate@dlcd.oregon.gov SB 78 – Replacement dwelling bill, will have a possible work session scheduled on April 8 in the Senate Committee On Natural Resources and Wildfire . SB 77 – Home occupation reform bill which the League supports, and SB 788 , a bill that would exempt some Eastern Oregon counties from certain land use laws, which we opposed did not get a work session. LWVOR testified in support o f SB 77 and SB 78 , and in opposition to SB 788 . Oregonlive provided comprehensive coverage of the debates around these bills. BUDGETS/REVENUE By Peggy Lynch The Co-Chairs of Ways and Means provided their framework for the 2025-27 state budget. Note on the last page the potential effect of federal budget cuts. This Oregonlive article suggests some of the most painful cuts. The Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Capital Construction met on March 21st and received a report from the State Treasurer, including the 2025 bonding capacity: “$2.22 Billion Issuance For Each Biennium, Or $1.11 Billion Annually” . We note that this capacity is based on the Sept. 2024 Revenue Forecast. Also, there is a recommendation that bond sales be scattered throughout the biennium instead of waiting until the last quarter of the biennium. However, that means that the cost of debt service will have to be calculated into the 2025-27 budget. But scattering the sales can also provide the legislature with a pullback of those sales should the economy not support the ability of the state to back those bonds. The Dept. of Administrative Services (DAS) on behalf of the Governor reported on the Governor’s bond requests in her 2025-27 budget. A complete list is available here . Following are the budget bills we are watching in Natural Resources: Dept. of Agriculture: SB 5502 Info mtgs. March 24 and 25 with public hearing March 26. Meeting Materials Dept. of Agriculture Fees: SB 5503 Info mtgs. March 24 and 25 with public hearing March 26. Columbia River Gorge Commission: SB 5508 Info mtg. and public hearing March 13 DEQ: SB 5520 . Governor’s budget DEQ Fact Sheet tentative info mtgs. April 7-9, public hearing April 10 Oregon Dept. of Energy: SB 5518 info hearing 2/10, Meeting Materials , public hearing 2/11 Oregon Dept. of Energy Fees: SB 5519 info hearing 2/10, public hearing 2/11 Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: HB 5009 , tentative public hearings Mar. 31 & Apr. 1-2; Oregon Dept. of Forestry: SB 5521 . Info hearing March 10 & 11. Public hearing March 12. Meeting Materials (See Wildfire section for more information.) Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: HB 5010 ; Public hearing Feb. 5-6; Meeting materials ; LWVOR testimony ; Aggregate industry testified against the staffing and fee increases. LWVOR points out that KPM #4 , mine inspections, has consistently NOT met the small 20% target so, if staffing is needed to meet that target AND fees increased to pay for them, we will continue to support. 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 work session is set for March 25. HB 2785 modifying fees for DOGAMI is scheduled for a work session April 2nd. 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 Land Use Board of Appeals: SB 5529 ; Public hearing Feb. 27; LWVOR testimony . SB 817 is a bill to request a minor fee increase (Passed the Senate Mar. 11. Referred to Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water. ) Oregon State Marine Board: HB 5021 ; Public hearing Feb. 17 Meeting Materials 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. OPRD will need additional revenue sources for the 2027-29 biennium. Dept. of State Lands: SB 5539 Info hearing March 17. public hearing March 19. Meeting Materials . LWVOR testimony in support. 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 ( Public hearing March 31; Work session April 7 ) and HB 2803 (Public hearing March 31; Work session set for April 7) . Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: HB 5039 . Info mtg. & Public hearing Feb. 25-27 LWVOR testimony . Meeting Materials 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 Oregon Business Development Dept.: HB 5024 ; Info mtgs. 3/12, 13 & 17. Public Hearing 3/18 Oregon Dept. of Emergency Management: SB 5517 Office of the Governor: SB 5523 Oregon State Fire Marshal: SB 5538 info hearing 2/19, public hearing 2/20. Dept. of Transportation: SB 5541 info hearing 3/03-6, public hearing 3/11 Dept. of Administrative Services: HB 5002 info hearings 3/03-5, public hearing 3/06. Meeting Materials 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. Public hearing in April. Emergency Board: HB 5006 This bill will be a vehicle to accept testimony from the public during six community meetings around the state from March 22 ending April 25 on the public’s priorities for the 2025-27 budget. General Obligation Bonds, etc.: SB 5505 : an average debt capacity of $2.22 billion per Biennium. Public hearing in April. 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.) 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. COASTAL A work session is set for March 26 for the Eelgrass Action Bill (HB 3580) , a bill for kelp and eel grass conservation. The League signed on to a letter in support. of HB 3580 . A work session is also scheduled on March 26 on a bill to protect Rocky Habitat ( HB 3587 ). Here is a one-pager: Rocky Habitat Stewardship Bill (HB 3587) . The League also signed on to a letter in support. We asked for funding for a staffer in the Dept. of Land Development and Conservation budget to continue to address rocky habitat, an element of the Territorial Sea Plan which the League has supported as elements were added and updated over the years. DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (DEQ) By Peggy Lynch The League supports SB 830 , a bill that modifies 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. The bill passed the full Senate March 6 and has been assigned to the House Committee On Climate, Energy, and Environment . 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 served on the rules advisory committee to address sewer availability and accessory dwelling unit (ADU) issues. On Feb. 26 the advisory committee approved the Fiscal Impact Statement. A public comment period is expected in May. You are welcome to Sign up for email updates about this rulemaking via GovDelivery . The League again served on an annual rulemaking advisory committee on water quality fee increases. A meeting was held on Feb. 25th where the committee agreed to forward their recommendation for the allowed annual 3% fee increase to the DEQ Director. To learn more about this rulemaking and the advisory committee you can view the rulemaking web page at: Water Quality Fees 2025 . DEPT. OF STATE LANDS (DSL) DSL is seeking comments on a proposed sale of state-owned land located on the south shore of the western side of Hayden Island in Multnomah County. The 45-day comment period is open from March 5 – April 19. ELLIOTT STATE RESEARCH FOREST (ESRF) The Dept. of State Lands is seeking comments on the proposed Elliott State Research Forest Operations Plan. Click here to view or download the proposed plan, project overview map, and appendices. Click here to view only the proposed plan (PDF) The 45-day comment period is open until 5 p.m. on March 31. Here is a more complete notice of the plan with opportunities for virtual public meetings. EMERGENCY SERVICES By Rebecca Gladstone The League spoke and filed testimony on HB 2581 in support of a statute change, substituting the word “seismic” with “hazards”, to coordinate coverage efforts through the State Resiliency Officer. The bill has passed the House. The Senate Committee On Veterans, Emergency Management, Federal and World Affairs passed and is headed to the Senate floor. FORESTRY (ODF) By Josie Koehne The League will continue to follow SB 1051 , assigned to the Senate Rules Committee and which transfers the authority to appoint a State Forester from the State Board of Forestry to the Governor. A public hearing is set for March 24. HB 3103 , a bill that would d irect the State Forester to establish “sustainable” harvest levels for harvesting timber on state forestland and develop a timber inventory model to inform sustainable harvest levels while ignoring the court affirmed “greatest permanent value” was heard on March 3rd in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water . The League OPPOSED . A work session is scheduled for March 31. See also the Wildfire section of this report below and the separate Climate section. GOVERNANCE 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. After legislation is passed, agencies are required to implement those laws. That action often requires rulemaking to clarify the details around that implementation. But the League is concerned when legislators “get a second bite at the apple” by relitigating the legislation when rulemaking is only meant to implement, not change policies. 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. The League will also attend a separate rules process discussion being led by the Dept. of Land Conservation and Development. See the Land Use section for more information on this issue. We continue to watch a series of bills related to rulemaking which we might oppose: HB 2255 , HB 2303 , HB 2402 and HB 2427 . We are also 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. We may sign on to a letter explaining our concerns to legislative leadership. 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 . LAND USE & HOUSING By Sandra Bishop/Peggy Lynch The Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) met on March 20-21 . The meeting on March 20th included a joint meeting with the Community Involvement Advisory Committee (CIAC). Discussion among commissioners and advisory committee members focused on the Community Engagement Guidelines (old title: Public Participation Guidelines). Staff explained the purpose is mainly to modernize the language. The Guidelines are a work plan or program for Goal 1 (Citizen Involvement). Some language is being changed to align with the Strategic Plan. It was noted that timely delivery of information and opportunity for involvement is very important. Commission members asked about the racial equity framework and asked if there was also consideration for geographic equity. One commissioner pointed out there seems to be a disparity between large well-organized organizations, usually based in urban areas, and the ad hoc groups more likely to occur in rural areas. Staff assured commissioners that points of interaction should be available to all. The staff will align with best practices and use creativity to support opportunity for involvement. Socio-economic status was mentioned as one of the conditions to consider when looking at how to create equitable involvement opportunities. Staff is creating educational material to explain what are local government obligations under Goal I (Citizen Involvement). The materials will be available on the website. A motion was passed by the Commission to accept the 2025-2027 CIAC Work Plan with an updated version of the Community Engagement Guidelines (staff will work on revisions with CIAC members and bring back to the commission). Business Oregon’s Infrastructure bill, HB 3031 had a public hearing on Feb. 26 in the House Committee On Housing and Homelessness . The League supports this important funding bill. LWVOR testimony . Governor’s news release . A -2 amendment was adopted and the bill was sent to Ways and Means. Bills we are following: HB 2138 : Expands allowable middle housing and expands middle housing requirements to include urban unincorporated lands, filed at the request of the Governor. A public hearing was held on March 3rd in House Committee On Housing and Homelessness where a -1 amendment is posted as a “gut and stuff” for the bill. The Governor testified in support of the bill, but received concerns about the provision to allow for easier demolition of historic buildings and has stated that such a provision will be removed in the next amendment. Also not included was a provision that the League had objected to that would have exempted courtyards from cottage cluster development. At this time, the League is not planning to testify on this bill. Another public hearing will be held March 26 and a work session is scheduled for April 2nd. HB 3145 : Allows the Housing and Community Services Department to use Local Innovation and Fast Track Housing Program Fund moneys for factory-built housing. A work session is scheduled for March 24. 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. Scheduled for a Work Session March 31st in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water . Because of the requirement to do rulemaking, the bill, if passed by the Committee, will be sent to Ways and Means. 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 bill was not scheduled for a work session. HB 2316 : Allows designation of Home Start Lands to be used for housing. These lands are currently a variety of state-owned lands scattered around the state. A public hearing is scheduled for March 26 and a work session on April 2nd. HB 2400 : Allows the owner of property outside an urban growth boundary to site an additional dwelling on the property for occupancy by a relative of the owner. A public hearing was held Feb. 10. No work session was scheduled. HB 2422 : Requires that lands zoned to allow density of one or fewer dwellings per acre to be considered a rural use. A public hearing was held Feb. 10. No work session was scheduled. HB 3062 : Requires local governments to map sensitive uses as part of a comprehensive plan. A public hearing is scheduled for April 1 and a work session on April 3. 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. A public hearing was held on Feb. 19 in the Senate Committee On Housing and Development . No work session was scheduled. See also the Agriculture section of this report and the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report. WATER By Peggy Lynch Bills we are following in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water : Deschutes Basin Water Bank Authority ( HB 3806 ). Work Session scheduled for March 31. Water Right Process Improvements ( HB 3342 ) . Work Session scheduled for April 7. Contested Case Process Improvements ( HB 3544 ). An other public hearing will be held April 2 and a work session is set for April 7. Place-Based Water Planning ( HB 3116 ) Work Session scheduled for March 31 . League supports. Chewaucan Basin Collaborative ( HB 3114 ) Work Session scheduled for March 26. Harney Basin Groundwater Management ( HB 3800 ) Public hearing set for March 26 and Work Session for April 7. 3/24: Water Conservation, Efficiency, and Partial Forfeiture Protection (TBD) Still awaiting a bill number. 3/31: Water Right, Dam Safety, and Well Related Fees ( HB 2803 , HB 2808 ) League supports. Needed to provide current service level staffing at WRD. Public hearing scheduled for March 31 and Work Session for April 7 on both bills. 4/2: Water Rights and Public Interest ( HB 3501 ) Work Session set for April 7. Other water bills we are following: HB 3525 is related to tenants’ right to well water testing. The League submitted testimony in support. Work session set for March 26. HB 3526 would require well water test reporting in property sales. The League supported this concept in past sessions and did again this session. Work session set for March 26 . HB 3364 makes changes to the grants programs at the Water Resources Dept. Testimony provided comments and concerns with agreement that all parties would continue to work on finding agreement on an amendment. Work session set for March 31. HB 3419 is the major broad set of water policy changes that is now described by the various amendments posted since this is really a “gut and stuff” bill! The committee Co-Chairs announced that more amendments are expected. Per Rep. Owens: the -2 and -3 amendments on HB 3419 will NOT move. No work session was scheduled. HB 2988 : Instructs the Water Resources Department to take certain actions related to aquifer recharge and aquifer storage and recovery. A work session is scheduled for April 7. HB 3573 , a bill that addresses funding for a variety of water measurement strategies. The League supports. No work session was scheduled. LWV Deschutes County submitted a letter in support of SB 427 , a water rights transfer bill meant to protect instream water flows. The Governor has provided an alternate bill that may have more of a chance of passage. Possible work session scheduled for March 27. HB 3106 is the Oregon Water Data Portal funding bill for which the League provided testimony in support. A work session is scheduled for March 31st in House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water where a -1 amendment was shared that would create an entire multi-agency system for gathering the water data needed for good decision making. The League has yet to determine if this new proposal is good for Oregon. See the following presentations and presentations . The League has not weighed in on the amendment. The Co-Chairs of the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water are working on a broad package of water-related bills, the 2025 Water Package . There is a Water Caucus raising the awareness of the need to address Oregon’s water needs. 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. House Bill 3314 , sponsored by state Reps. Rob Nosse and Mark Gamba, would direct about $1 million to Oregon State University to finish designing a channel that would cut through Ross Island. See coverage here. A work session is set for March 24. WETLANDS A new Rulemaking Advisory Committee has been formed related to Permitting and Mitigation in Oregon's Wetlands and Waters. WILDFIRE By Carolyn Mayers The League followed activity on a number of wildfire bills. March 18 brought a Public Hearing on HB 3666 -1 before the House Committee on Judiciary. This bill would require an electric public utility to apply for a wildfire safety certification, and allow a consumer-owned utility to apply for a wildfire safety certification. It aims to address inconsistencies in the current mitigation process undertaken by utilities. A Work Session is scheduled for April 1 . This article from the Oregon Capitol Chronicle describes recent tweaks to the bill meant to allay fears over the original bill relieving utilities of liability. The House Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment held a Work Session on March 20 on HB 3172 -2 , relating to home hardening grants. It was sent to Ways and Means with a do-pass recommendation. Later the same day, the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire held a Work Session on SB 82 -2 which changes how grants are administered for the Oregon Conservation Corps, which does wildfire mitigation work. It also was sent to Ways and Means with a do-pass recommendation. The League or Oregon Cities has been closely following the Legislature’s work on trying to craft bills to try and implement some of the recommendations of the Wildfire Funding Workgroup. This helpful summary published March 21 succinctly describes this wildfire funding framework. Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis’ newsletter included the following: State Reps. John Lively and Bobby Levy have introduced a bipartisan proposal to fund wildfire prevention and suppression in Oregon that largely mirrors a set of recommendations that emerged from a task force that met on the topic over the last year. House Bill 3940 would create a 5-cent surcharge on bottles and cans to raise money for the Department of the State Fire Marshal, dedicate money raised by an insurance tax to pay for wildfire prevention and set aside money from the state’s reserves… ...The work group was tasked with finding at least $280 million a biennium to spend on wildfire mitigation and suppression, in the face of increasingly expensive wildfires. The 2024 wildfire season burned a record 1.9 million acres and fighting the blazes cost upwards of $350 million. The group estimated that in the 2025-2027 budget cycle: A 5-cent bottle fee would raise $200 million The insurance tax will raise $140 million A set-aside from the ending fund balance equal to .5% of general fund appropriations would raise $164 million Setting aside half of the expected 2025-27 transfer to the state rainy day fund would raise $299 million The bill also proposes to raise forest harvest taxes that pay for wildfire suppression and lower the fee grazing land owners pay for fire protection from the Oregon Department of Forestry. The League was pleased to see SB 85 , a bill that directs the State Fire Marshal to establish a neighborhood protection cooperative grant program, will have a public hearing on April 1 and a work session on April 3. Bills we are watching: Senate Bill 1051 , Governor Kotek is seeking the authority to choose the next State Forester. HB 3077 , a bill which would allow local government employees to volunteer for up to 30 days in a year to serve as volunteers in wildland fire suppression in emergency situations. A work session will be held March 27. SB 926 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. A work session is set for March 26. HB 3172 directs OSFM to establish a grant program to facilitate the retrofitting of dwellings and accessory structures (aka home hardening), to reduce vulnerability to wildfire. The bill was amended and passed the committee to Ways and Means. 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 , Governance , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 1/16 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Agriculture/Goal 3 Land Use: Sandra U. Bishop 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: Lucie La Bonte Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch AGRICULTURE AIR QUALITY BUDGETS/REVENUE CLIMATE COASTAL ISSUES DEQ DSL FORESTRY GOVERNANCE HANFORD LAND USE/HOUSING NWEC OWEB RECYCLING TRANSPORTATION WATER WILDFIRE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Overview Bills have been filed, “first read” and assigned to committees. But this does not guarantee they will receive public hearings. That decision first rests with the Committee Chairs in consultation with their Vice Chairs. Final determination is always with Legislative Leadership. Filing deadline is Feb. 21 for most bills. AGRICULTURE Bills being reviewed by the League: SB 47 : Directs Environmental Quality Commission and Department of Agriculture to enter into a memorandum of understanding to allow the department to exercise exclusive jurisdiction over air quality laws, water quality laws and land quality laws that apply to agricultural lands, operations and equipment. HB 2121 : House version of SB 47. SB 399 : Would limit water use for confined animal feeding operations, known as CAFOs. HB 2667 : Would put a pause on all new CAFOs for the next several years. AIR QUALITY Our friends from Neighbors for Clean Air have set their 2023 agenda : Particulate Air Pollution. BUDGETS/REVENUE We are all awaiting Governor Kotek’s Governor’s Recommended Budget (GRB)—due by Feb. 1. The next Revenue Forecast is Feb. 22. The House Revenue Committee provided an overview/audio of Revenue issues. The meeting is worth listening to. CLIMATE By Claudia Keith and Team See Climate Report in the Climate Emergency section of this Legislative Report. There are overlaps with this Natural Resources Report. We encourage you to read both sections. HB 2236 : P rohibits governor and specific agencies from taking measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions unless authorized by Legislature. COASTAL ISSUES By Christine Moffitt Bills being reviewed by the League: HB 2190 (Relating to offshore wind). DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (DEQ) On January 19, the Environmental Quality Commission announced two finalists for consideration to become the new Director of the Dept. of Environmental Quality: Current Interim Director Leah Feldon and Jamie McLeod-Skinner, regional emergency coordinator with the Oregon Department of Human Services and is also founding partner and attorney with MS Sage Consulting in Central Oregon. The Commission will hold a special meeting in February for the Commission, staff and the public to engage before the Commission makes its decision. Bills being reviewed by the League: SB 47 : Directs Environmental Quality Commission and Department of Agriculture to enter into a memorandum of understanding to allow the department to exercise exclusive jurisdiction over air quality laws, water quality laws and land quality laws that apply to agricultural lands, operations and equipment. HB 2121 : House version of SB 47. DEPT. OF STATE LANDS (DSL) By Peggy Lynch Bill possibly supported by the League: HB 2238 : Fees related to removal or fill permit applications, wetland delineation reports and general authorizations. FORESTRY On February 7 from 1 – 4 p.m. there will be a virtual meeting open to the public to learn more about the Oregon Department of Forestry’s Forest Management Plan (FMP) and Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). This meeting will provide an update on the FMP, the HCP, and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. A proposed agenda and additional details will be provided closer to the meeting date. RSVP is requested; you can do so by clicking here. More information is available online at the Western Oregon State Forest Management Plan Website and the Western Oregon State Forest Habitat Conservation Plan Website . See “Wildfire” below for a report on the Oregon Wildfire Council. GOVERNANCE By Peggy Lynch Bills being reviewed by League members: HB 2480 : new or increased fees adopted by state agency do not become effective unless approved by three-fifths of each chamber of the Legislative Assembly. LWVOR opposes. SB 660 : No new/increase in agency fees unless approved by legislative assembly. LWVOR opposes. SB 43 : Requires agencies to post certain information about rulemaking on agency websites and a long list of other requirements. LWVOR opposes. HANFORD By Marylou Schnoes) The Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board will hold a virtual meeting on January 18. A full meeting agenda, including how to participate, and other meeting materials is available on their website . LAND USE/HOUSING By Peggy Lynch Bills being reviewed by League members: HB 2203 : Allows RVs used to provide security of farm use to be sited on lands zoned for EFU. Public Hearing 1/19. LWVOR has concerns around waste disposal, drinking water availability and other services. HB 2889 : Establishes Oregon Housing Needs Analysis within the Housing and Community Services Department. LWVOR supports. You can watch a presentation of this concept in the House Housing Committee on Jan. 17. SB 70 : A “correction” to SB 16 (2021 ), a bill that would have allowed 100 homes on farmland and which we opposed , but passed yet never implemented. At first glance, we will oppose SB 70 as well. HB 2211 : Redefines "historic home" to include dwellings built before 1974 for the purpose of serving as accessory dwelling unit to home newly constructed on rural residential lands. LWVOR opposes as we have in past sessions. HB 2749 : C hange the RR lot size for ADUs from 2 acres to 1 acre or 1/2 acre. LWVOR has concerns. HB 2758 : Change the RR lot size for ADUs from 2 acres to 1 acre or 1/2 acre. LWVOR has concerns SB 534 : Requires Oregon Facilities Authority to provide financing for infrastructure and predevelopment costs for moderate income housing. LWVOR may support. HB 2258 : Extends sunset of Oregon Industrial Site Readiness Program. LWVOR has supported this data-driven program. HB 2027 : Requires Housing and Community Services Department to study housing —a potential “gut and stuff” bill. Expect major amendments. HB 2202 : Prohibits counties from allowing use of certain new dwellings on resource lands as vacation occupancies. SB 580 : Relating to climate rules for land use planning. HB 2207 : Limits standing in appeals of land use decisions. HB 2260 : Relating to system development charges impacting housing . HB 2210 : Relating to parcel sizes of resource lands. HB 2487 : Allows lands zoned for exclusive farm use to be used for weddings or events east of the summit of the Cascade Range. HB 2659 : Requires LCDC to update rules adopted in response to the Governor's executive order on climate to address specific issues. HB 2406 : Directs Energy Facility Siting Council to adopt standards for siting, construction, operation and retirement of energy facilities that generate electricity from renewable energy sources, addressing impacts of energy facility's equipment waste recycling and disposal needs over lifetime of energy facility. HB 2989 : Directs ODOE & DLCD to convene work groups to examine barriers, opportunities and other issues related to renewable energy and transmission project siting in Oregon. SB 673 : Requires Deschutes County to approve certain applications to develop manufactured dwelling or recreational vehicle parks outside the urban growth boundary. LC 3914 is a redraft of HB 2701 (2021). It creates a pilot program under the bill and allocates $1.5 million into an Systems Development Charge fund. Pertains only to cities under 15,000 and small population counties. Allows a developer to build multi-family housing with a waiver of SDC’s provided the City agrees and the developer and subsequent owner enters into a covenant with the State whereby the rent cannot be increased above a statutory threshold for at least 10 years. With the agreement, the State reimburses the City or County for the full cost SDC’s. A bill ( HB 2659 ) for the City of Springfield regarding “Climate Friendly & Equitable Community” rules (not yet first read). The Citizen Involvement Advisory Committee (CIAC) is meeting Jan. 27. The agenda and meeting materials for a CIAC joint meeting with the Land Conservation and Development Commission are now available online. This is a hybrid, virtual and in-person meeting. See also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report. NORTHWEST ENERGY COALITION (NWEC) By Robin Tokmakian 2023 Priorities for NWEC: RE-Building Task Force: The RE-Building Task Force was established during last year’s legislative session by SB 1518 . The task force has been hard at work to determine how to reduce emissions from new and existing buildings in the state. The task force released a draft report earlier in December. Bills will be developed from the concepts considered by the task force and will be introduced when the legislative session starts in January. Clean Lighting Bill: Appliance Standard Awareness Project (ASAP) has proposed a bill to phase out the use of linear fluorescent lamps due to their mercury content . The bill would also result in energy savings and emissions reductions, and follows similar legislation recently adopted in California . Other things to keep an eye on: Portland General Electric Securitization Bill : We expect Portland General Electric to propose a bill around securitization. A bill draft that was shared with NWEC seeks to allow a utility, with the approval of the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC), to issue bonds and securitize debt for costs and expenses associated with events subject to federal or state declaration of emergency (think fires or ice storms). PGE has been discussing the issue with many stakeholders and we expect the bill to come up early in the session. Oregon Siting Bill: As in Washington, there are many discussions in Oregon about clean energy siting. NW Energy Coalition has been, and will continue to, engage and assess any proposals that may arise from discussions. Oregon Budget : Congress’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will provide a massive amount of new funding to the state of Oregon. There will no doubt be many discussions about how to allocate those new federal funds. OREGON WATERSHED ENHANCEMENT BOARD (OWEB) OWEB will hold a virtual 2-day meeting, on January 24 and 25 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The agenda and staff reports for the meeting are now available. RECYCLING By Kathy Moyd New: Zero Waste Package aims to reduce Oregon’s waste and includes these five bills: Right to Repair ( SB 542 ): Will reduce electronic waste and save people hundreds of dollars a year by allowing them to repair their own electronics. Styrofoam Phase Out ( SB 543 ) : Phases out the use of styrofoam in food to-go containers, as well as bans the use of highly carcinogenic PFAS chemicals in food packaging. Reduction of Single-Use Packaging ( SB 544 ): A bill that will require a 25% Reduction of Single-Use Packaging in 10 Years. Reusable Containers ( SB 545 ) : Updating Oregon law to allow for reusable containers to be used in the bulk section of the supermarket and for eating out. No New Permits for Chemical Recycling Plants : While the name might sound nice, chemical recycling leads to localized air pollution and is not healthy for people or the environment. Bill not yet filed. TRANSPORTATION T here will soon be new sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, curb ramps and more to make walking and rolling to school safer, easier and more accessible for all. ODOT Commissioners 1/12 approved 26 Safe Routes to School projects totaling $32.4 million, with a focus on under-resourced neighborhoods: all awardees are Title 1 schools (schools where 40% or more of the student population is low-income). WATER By Peggy Lynch An update to the Morrow/Umatilla County nitrate contamination issue: Morrow and Umatilla counties have long faced nitrate pollution in some people’s drinking water. The federal funding aims to establish a long-term fix. A follow up article with resident frustrations. Bills being reviewed by League members: HB 2647 : Harmful Algal Blooms. SB 399 : Limiting water for livestock use. HB 2813 : Relating to sources of drinking water. SB 710 : Relating to groundwater use decisions affecting surface water sources SB 553 : Requires Department of Environmental Quality to study water reuse. HB 2023 : Salmon Credits . LWVOR had concerns with this bill in 2021. HB 2248 : Requires Water Resources Department and Department of Environmental Quality to study impacts of wildfire on water quality of streams and tributaries. HB 2929 : Authorizes WRD to seek injunctive relief if person has engaged, or is about to engage, in activity that is or will be in violation of certain water laws. HB 2590 : Requires DEQ to study both requirements related to subsurface and alternative sewage disposal systems that create barriers to siting and construction of accessory dwelling units in areas outside urban growth boundary and solutions to eliminate barriers. HB 2988 : Establishes Community Benefiting Water Infrastructure Investment Program. HB 3002 : Requires LPRO to study water service rates and rate schedules. LWVOR is interested in this bill. We all need to pay attention to the potential for harmful algal blooms. A news release explains the signs you should note. “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. Oregonians need to celebrate the early snowfall and the rain these past weeks. But we must hope that the snow stays on until well into May or June. WILDFIRE The Wildfire Programs Advisory Council was scheduled to meet Jan. 20. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Above you can see the names of League volunteers who covered one or more issues. Volunteers are needed. What is your passion related to Natural Resources? You can help. If not actually serving on a rules advisory committee (RAC), you could simply monitor and report back on their work. The 2023 legislative session is at hand with over 2,000 bills already filed. Help! Natural Resource Agency Boards and Commissions meet regularly 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 Social Policy Legislative Report - Week of 3/13 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 Gun Safety Housing Gun Safety By Marge Easley Two firearm bills have appeared on committee agendas, marking a possible turning point in a relatively calm session. HB 2005 defines undetectable firearms (“ghost guns”) and sets penalties for possessions, selling, and transferring firearms without a serial number. The bill is scheduled for a hearing on March 22 and a work session on March 28 in House Judiciary. SB 527 allows gun dealers or others transferring firearms to set a minimum age of 21 for purchases, repairs, or services. The hearing is on March 27 and the work session on March 30 in Senate Judiciary. Housing By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona Governor Kotek’s $200 million Funding Package “Unprecedented” is frequently quoted if the Legislature passes Governor Kotek’s comprehensive $200 million funding request. Last week the Joint W&Ms passed HB 2001 B and its companion bill HB 5019 A , with strong bipartisan support. On March 15, the House overwhelmingly passed both bills, now headed to the Senate. They are on a fast-track to be signed by the Governor before the end of the month. If signed into law these bills would substantially increase funding for programs to keep Oregonians experiencing housing instability in their homes, move unsheltered people into safe shelter and stable housing and get on a path towards increasing affordable housing production. HB 2001 B addresses the policy side of the package. It will help keep people housed and sheltered, streamline the process of building new homes and housing units, set goals for new housing in cities around the state, provide accountability for the funds, address youth homelessness, and inadequate housing for agricultural workers. It also establishes the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis within the Housing and Community Services Department (OHCS). The Department of Land Conservation and Development and OHCS will assist the Department of Administrative Services in carrying out the requirements. Details on the many aspects of this bill can be found here. HB 5019 A spells out the funding aspects of the appropriation to support the state’s response to the homelessness to provide services to the balance of state in the 2023-25 biennium; to address youth homelessness; and to repurpose $30.6 million in funds from the Housing and Community Services Department 2021-23 budget towards these efforts. Details on these expenditures are here. The League provided testimony on HB 5019. Housing Accountability and Production Office HB 3414 would direct the Department of Land Conservation and Development and the Department of Consumer and Business Services to jointly establish and administer the Housing Accountability and Production Office. The new office would assist local governments in complying with laws related to housing development and reduce barriers to housing production. The office would also serve as a resource for housing developers experiencing barriers to development. The bill also limits conditions under which local governments may deny variance for housing developments within the jurisdiction’s urban growth boundary.

Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 5/15 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Agriculture/Goal 3 Land Use: Sandra U. Bishop 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: Lucie La Bonte 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 3/24 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 Government Ethics Rulemaking Redistricting/Prison Gerrymandering HB 2250 was heard in House Rules 3/19. The League submitted written testimony . 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. Some Rules committee members asked about students residing at college or patients in care institutions. However, college students and patients can choose where they want to reside and be registered to vote; prisoners have no choice and don’t get any representation from public officials where they are incarcerated. Broadband, Vote-by-mail, Privacy By Becky Gladstone HB 3228 had a public hearing March 2, with League verbal and written testimony presented with committee permission by two League members together, Rebecca Gladstone in support of this bill’s cybersecurity insurance study and resilience fund, welcoming new League advocate Lindsay Washburn, who added significant AI modification comments. HB 2581 passed a Senate work session with one excused, on March 18, to coordinate expanded resiliency services with the State Resiliency Officer (SRO), League testimony in support. SB 473 , to create a crime of threatening a public official, will have a first work session on April 2, see verbal and written League testimony in support. HB 3148 has a work session scheduled for March 26, 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 2341 , had a Senate side work session, March 20, passing with one excused, to add veterans’ email addresses to shared information, League testimony in support. Watching SB 1121 : We will speak to this bill which c reates the crime of unlawful disclosure of private information, with a public hearing and possible concurrent work session vote on April 8. Elections By Barbara Klein The Open Primaries amended bill HB 3166-2 , which LWVOR strongly supported in its original form, had a hearing on March 19th in the House Rules Committee (video can be seen here around minute 19). LWVOR submitted testimony as a neutral comment , neither in support nor opposition. LWVOR strongly supports the idea of “unified” primaries, but the amended bill contains points we have historically not supported (specifically a top-two election system). There was much interest in the bill both in support (especially to encourage youth and independent voters) and in opposition (regarding protection of parties, although much of that was directed toward the original bill). Government Ethics By Chris Cobey SB 983 permits local public officials to participate, discuss, debate and vote on the adoption of a local budget that includes compensation for the public official or one of their relatives. This is a clear conflict of interest for a local official and should be avoided. However, we can understand that in small jurisdictions it can be awkward when some members cannot vote. The bill is supported by the Oregon School Boards Association and the League of Oregon Cities. HB 2330 A would establish a 21-member Task Force on Law Enforcement Interdiction Against Financial Scams on Older Oregonians. The bill passed out of the House Commerce and Consumer Protection committee 3/4 on a 10 to 0 vote and is now in the Ways and Means committee. Rulemaking By Peggy Lynch 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. After legislation is passed, agencies are required to implement those laws. That action often requires rulemaking to clarify the details around that implementation. But the League is concerned when legislators “get a second bite at the apple” by relitigating the legislation when rulemaking is only meant to implement, not change policies. 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. The League will also attend a separate rules process discussion being led by the Dept. of Land Conservation and Development. See the Land Use section for more information on this issue. We continue to watch a series of bills related to rulemaking which we might oppose: HB 2255 , HB 2303 , HB 2402 and HB 2427 . We are also 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. We may sign on to a letter explaining our concerns to legislative leadership. 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 . Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 2/20 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Agriculture/Goal 3 Land Use: Sandra U. Bishop 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: Lucie La Bonte Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch Budgets/Revenue Climate Governance Land Use/Housing Recycling Toxics Water Volunteers Needed By Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, and Team The Feb. 22 (quarterly) Revenue Forecast provided guidance to legislators as they consider bills for the next few months. Of course, it will be the May 17 forecast that will be used to balance the state 2-year budget for 2023-25. We now have a list of most of the bills to be heard this session—with the exception of some “priority” bills that take the permission from the Senate President or Speaker of the House. The next important date is March 17 when policy bills will need to be scheduled for a Work Session or they are dead for the session. Budgets/Revenue The quarterly Revenue Forecast was shared on Feb. 22 in House Revenue. The Oregon Dept. of Energy (ODOE) budget ( HB 5016 ) was heard on Feb. 21-23. The Oregon Marine Board agency presentation and public hearing will be 2/27. The Oregon Dept. of Forestry (ODF) budget ( HB 5020 ) will be scheduled Feb. 28 & Mar. 1 & 2, with public testimony on March 2. We understand that tentatively the Oregon Dept. of Agriculture (ODA) budget ( HB 5002 and HB 5003 ) is scheduled for the week of March 13. Oregon Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) budget ( SB 5509 ) week of March 20. Dept. of State Lands ( HB 5037 ) mid-March and Dept. of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) ( HB 5018 and HB 5019 ) week of March 27. No date has been announced for the Oregon Water Resources Dept. (OWRD) budget ( HB 5043 ). The agency provided their one-pager on the Governor’s Recommended Budget with the list of Policy Option Packages included. See Governor Kotek’s biennial budget . For natural resource agency budgets, start on page 146 of the web document. The Governor’s budget is “balanced” with the use of the ending fund balances of $765 million from 2021-23 that would have gone to the Rainy-Day Fund. Oregon’s reserves are at $2 billion and those funds are not expected to be used, nor is the $3.9 billion kicker money that is expected to be returned to taxpayers. Kicker amounts won’t be finalized until the 2021-23 budget is closed in Sept. Climate By Claudia Keith and Team See Climate Report in the Climate Emergency section of this Legislative Report. There are overlaps with this Natural Resources Report. We encourage you to read both sections. Dept. Of Environmental Quality (DEQ) The League provided testimony with concerns on SB 835 . In listening to the bill sponsor, the concern is that DEQ is not equally administering permits. The bill seemed to require that a single septic system be used for both the main home and an accessory dwelling unit placed on a lot where a septic system is used. The sponsor and DEQ are to clarify the concerns of the sponsor to assure that permits are being considered consistently. LWVOR agrees but wants to be sure that permits are given to use the same system ONLY if it is adequate and in good condition and able to handle the increased waste. This is a public health and safety issue. Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) By Peggy Lynch The DOGAMI budget ( SB 5510 ) was heard. The League provided testimony , both supporting the Geologic Survey and Services Division where science is king and acknowledging the importance of the Mined Land Regulation and Reclamation (MLRR) Division, although we have concerns about the new General Funds proposed for the MLRR program—a program once only funded by fees. Governance By Peggy Lynch The League noticed a couple of bills in Senate Rules and provided testimony in opposition. SB 42 would require agencies to add even more factors related to business when calculating the cost of doing the rulemaking and those consequences. It goes so far as to allow only a few people to file a petition to hold rules hostage. The League provided testimony in opposition. SB 38 would require certain agencies to process permits even if state or federal laws or rules changed during the permit processing. The League provided testimony in opposition. Land Use/Housing By Peggy Lynch HB 2001 is being “stuffed” with the -8 amendment that includes a number of bills LWVOR supported. Section 11 would provide “financing, including refinancing, to local governments or housing developers for predevelopment costs, including infrastructure, site acquisition, planning, reports, surveys and consultants.” LWVOR testified in favor of SB 534 which is now incorporated into this bill as well as some other provisions, including HB 2889 , the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis bill. A news release issued Feb. 22 announced that HB 5019 will be amended and will be the vehicle for funding the policies in HB 2001-8. The Joint Semiconductor Committee Co-Chairs have introduced SB 4 that includes monies to help semiconductor industries and would allow the Governor to “supersite” industrial lands for this industry. The League is concerned with the land use provision. Some of the lands being considered are prime farmland. And some were promised as “rural reserves” in a “grand bargain” from about 10 years ago—so that farmers could plan for investments on that land for 40-50 years. We have supported the concept of “shovel-ready” lands for industry as well as housing, but infrastructure takes investment and it’s unclear if the monies requested in the bill will help pay for servicing any raw land. The need for infrastructure within our Urban Growth Boundaries should be addressed for these lands to be used for any need. See also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report. Radioactive Waste By Shirley Weathers On February 13, the RAC member representing Waste Management proposed a number of changes to the schedule ODOE has put forward to address proposed rules for Division 050 of OAR 345 relating to radioactive waste. They requested that ODOE 1) grant an extension of the March 1 deadline for members of the RAC to submit informal input on the initial draft of proposed rules on radioactive waste for Division 050 of OAR 345 provided by ODOE to RAC members in December; 2) agree on a “new more protective approach” that “. . . will be designed to incorporate the most current radiological science;” 3) convene a series of RAC meetings beginning in April designed to obtain consensus on the new approach; and 4) accept a draft rule package of their own on the basis of their new proposed approach in lieu of submitting comments to the draft concepts currently before the RAC as developed by ODOE. On February 15, ODOE agreed to an extension and to explore possible April meeting dates with RAC members. Recycling By Kathy Moyd The League provided testimony on three recycling bills after doing research: SB 542 requires original equipment manufacturers to make repair information available to consumer electronic equipment owners or independent repair providers. The League provided testimony in support, but pointed out two areas where changes should be made: clarify what was included under the bill and deal with the enforcement method. Preferred versions were included in the New York law. SB 543 prohibits food vendors from using polystyrene foam containers in sales of prepared food. A - 1 amendment was posted three hours before the public hearing. LWVOR provided written testimony after the public hearing. SB 544 directs the Environmental Quality Commission to establish a program for source reduction of single-use plastic food ware and single-use packaging and achieve 25% source reductions compared to 2023 levels by 2030. A -1 amendment was posted three hours before the public hearing. LWVOR provided written Testimony after the public hearing. Toxics By Paula Grisafi LWVOR provided testimony in support of SB 426 , the Toxics Free Schools bill for a Senate Education Committee Feb. 21 hearing. Water By Peggy Lynch On Feb. 15, Governor Tina Kotek declared the first drought declaration of 2023, in Crook and Jefferson counties through Executive Order 23-05, and directed state agencies to coordinate and prioritize assistance to the region. All or a portion of Crook County has been classified as having exceptional drought (D4) conditions since early July 2021. The data indicates the 36-month average ending in January 2023 is by far the worst on record. Current conditions in the Crooked River watershed are less than 30% of the average and reservoir storage is only 10% full. The Klamath and Harney basins may have groundwater restrictions in the future. The two Oregon regions are grappling with water shortages and could soon have new groundwater restrictions as a mega-drought continues to parch the U.S. West. The Water Resources Department may create new critical groundwater areas in Harney Basin in eastern Oregon and the Klamath Basin in southern Oregon, according to agency spokesperson Alyssa Rash. The decision would give the agency wide latitude to mandate groundwater use cuts by setting pumping limits or by denying new permits to pump from underground aquifers. The Oregon Capital Chronicle provided a good article on this important issue. Place-based Planning is a concept that the League has supported since its inception in 2014. We participated in the HB 5006 Work Group where members suggested updating that planning program. HB 3163 would create a special Fund for these regional planning efforts. The League testified in support of the Fund. We will work with others on the specific criteria listed for qualifying for access to the Fund. The League participated in a meeting by Oregon Kitchen Table as the Integrated Water Resources Strategy is being updated . The meeting was to consider how to reach out to more Oregonians and what issues might be of interest. An LWV Deschutes member also attended and shared some of the Deschutes basin concerns. We all need to pay attention to the potential for harmful algal blooms. “When in doubt, stay out.” We provided testimony in support of HB 2647 , a bill that declares harmful algal blooms to be a menace to public health and welfare. An amendment will be considered to narrow the bill since some issues were addressed in previous sessions. 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. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: What is your passion related to Natural Resources? You can help. 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.

Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 4/17 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Agriculture/Goal 3 Land Use: Sandra U. Bishop 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: Lucie La Bonte Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch Jump to a topic: Budget/Revenue Climate Coastal Issues Elliott State Research Forest Land Use/Housing Recycling Toxics Water Wildfire Natural Resources By Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, and Team Budgets are beginning to have Work Sessions and we are seeing a number of federal grant requests from agencies due to all the federal funds available from various federal bills passed by the U.S. Congress this last year. The League is providing fewer new testimonies since we’ve spoken on bills in the first chamber. Others are awaiting the May Revenue Forecast before being considered in Ways and Means. The next deadlines for policy bills are May 5 to schedule a Work Session and May 19 for the bill to move out of committee to the second chamber. Air Quality LWVOR joined others in support of HB 3229 . The bill would modify federal air quality (Title V) operating permit program fees and authorize the Environmental Quality Commission to annually adjust federal operating permit program fees, air contaminant reporting fees, and asbestos abatement program fees by no more than three percent. By addressing fee increases regularly, there is less chance of having substantial increases in the future. Budgets/Revenue On April 24, the JW&Ms Natural Resources Subcommittee will begin with another committee orientation so that committee members understand the process for actually passing budgets to the chambers. Then they will consider the Land Use Board of Appeals budget ( HB 5028 ). The League provided testimony in support on March 6. On April 25, they will consider a federal grant request from DEQ on climate and the Oregon State Marine Board budget ( SB 5521 ). The League provided testimony in support on Feb. 27. Right now, there’s a break on the 26, but on April 27 they will consider the budget for the Dept. of Land Conservation and Development. ( HB 5027 ). The League provided comments on Feb. 14. Although we support funding for this agency, there were significant missing elements in the Governor’s budget that we advocated for inclusion. The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) budget ( SB 5539 & SB 5540 ) was heard April 19 and 20 with public testimony on the 20th. A series of public meetings will provide Oregonians with an opportunity to share their priorities for the state budget and HB 5006 , Emergency Board funding and other 2023-25 funding, including a virtual public meeting session on Friday, May 5, 5-7 p.m. Plan on no more than 2 minutes each! There was good attendance at the first meetings with a diversity of requests from Oregonians. We await the May 17 Revenue Forecast that will guide the final balanced budgets for 2023-25. But, if the testimony is heard, legislators will have a hard time providing funding for everything Oregonians said they wanted funded. The Governor has again called for use of the approximately $600 million ending-fund-balance monies that are required to be put into the already significantly full Rainy Day Fund to reduce budget cuts and provide monies for some of those requests Oregonians have asked be funded. The League has been supportive of this request to the legislature. 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 League continues to discuss HB 3382 with legislators, former State Rep. Brian Clem (one of many who requested the bill) and state agencies as we continue to express concern about the importance of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) and linkage to our statewide land use planning program. We took the opportunity to share our 2012 Coastal Study that explains the CZMA and other coastal issues with some legislators and staff. Informative, well researched League studies are a hallmark of League expertise. We truly believe that this bill is a serious threat to our coastal planning and could reduce or remove the opportunity for coastal NOAA grants in the future. We need your voices to tell your legislators to Just Say NO! A DLCD Coastal Grants webpage highlights the new Coastal Zone Management Habitat Protection and Restoration Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding program being administered by OCMP/DLCD. The next solicitation for projects will be in May 2023. (It is grant funding like this that could be at risk if HB 3382 passes as written!) Columbia River Treaty By Phillip Thor The U.S. State Department and others provided a “listening session” on April 19 for the public on the negotiations between the U.S. and Canada on the Columbia River Treaty. Our partner, LWV of Washington’s Raelene Gold, shared our 4 State League concerns and requested that ecosystem function be part of any new Treaty. The next official negotiation session will be May 16-17. Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF) By Peggy Lynch The Prospective ESRF Authority Board met in a retreat on April 17 and 18 to try to resolve a number of challenging issues. The website may provide more detailed information soon. The League continues to remind the Board of our continuing concern related to financial viability and hopes the Board can resolve that issue. Separately, SB 161 was filed by the Secretary of State (also a Land Board member) and has already passed the Senate. It has a public hearing scheduled on April 25 in the House. The bill adjusts some timelines as provided by the Dept. of State Lands’ testimony . Land Use/Housing By Peggy Lynch We reported 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 Statesman Journal provided a great article on the bill on April 19. On April 20, the Land Conservation and Development Commission considered new draft temporary rules on their current Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities rules. The proposal includes: · More flexibility for cities and counties applying for alternative dates · Clarity about review of major transportation projects · A more direct option for climate-friendly areas · Simplified parking reform options If adopted, the temporary rules would take effect in May and stay in effect for 180 days. HB 3442 A is scheduled for a hearing in Senate Housing and Development on April 24. The League provided testimony with concerns addressed in the House amendment and we are now neutral on the bill. HB 3414 with the -4 amendment would create a new Housing Accountability and Production Office in DLCD and also includes a Section 2 related to processing 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 was moved without recommendation as to passage, referred to House Rules, and then to W&Ms. 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 recommendation as to passage to Senate Rules. LWVOR still opposes it. See also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report. Reduce/Recycle By Kathy Moyd/Greg Martin SB 545 A was sent to the House with a do-pass recommendation. LWVOR testified in support at the Senate committee hearing. The bill directs OHA to adopt rules by June 30, 2024, allowing restaurants to let consumers fill their own containers with food. SB 543 A moved to the House floor with a do-pass recommendation. As amended, the bill would prohibit food vendors from using polystyrene foam containers in selling prepared food, and would ban the sale or distribution of polystyrene foam containers or packaging peanuts, and food ware containers with intentionally added perfluoroalkyl substances, as of Jan.1, 2025. Civil penalties for violations would range from $100 to $500 per day. The original bill would have required DEQ to establish a certification program for compostable products and a public education and awareness campaign. The League provided testimony in support on Feb. 17. On April 19, House Climate, Energy and Environment heard an update from DEQ on their Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act ( SB 582 , 2021) and other Product Stewardship Programs. Many of us have heard of the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch . The Oregonian provided a sad article on what we are all doing to create this ocean trash pile. SB 542-7 , the Right to Repair bill passed out of Committee to the Senate floor on April 4. However, it has yet to be scheduled for a vote due to an uncertain Senate vote count. The League provided testimony in support on Feb. 14. Toxics By Paula Grisafi HB 3043 A was expected to have a public hearing this week in Senate Energy and Environment but none has been scheduled. SB 546A (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. Water By Peggy Lynch A major water bill, HB 3124 , was moved to House Rules without recommendation as to passage. The bill is a $250 million Drought Relief and Water Scarcity package and includes some of the other bills we’ve seen this session. A “public comment” opportunity was allowed in House Agriculture, Land Use, Agriculture and Water on April 18. The League provided comments , including a list of our priorities, using our HB 5006 Work Group participation as our guide. HB 3163 A is a League priority, to renew the Place-Based Planning program with a Fund to help groups participate in this program. It was sent to W&Ms. The League participated in a Work Group last year to help develop program sideboards and provided testimony in support. HB 2238 would have authorized rulemaking to consider an increase in fees for the removal/fill program. The League supported the original bill. It was amended and now just clarifies what DSL can do with personal belongings when they clean up sites on their property. The League is disappointed. We will continue to follow the bill in the Senate. 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 in many parts of Oregon and League members may want to check the U.S. Drought Monitor , a map that is updated every Thursday. Oregon’s climatologist and a variety of other Oregon scientific sources provide input into the drought map. Governor Kotek has signed drought declarations under ORS 536 for the counties of Crook, Jefferson, Grant, Deschutes, Wasco (through Executive Order 23-10 ) and Harney (through Executive Order 23-11 ) counties. In addition, many counties in eastern and southern Oregon have received Secretarial Disaster Designations from the US Department of Agriculture due to drought conditions. Wildfire The League provided testimony in support of funding for the Oregon Conservation Corps in HB 5025 , the omnibus Higher Education Coordinating Commission budget bill. SB 82A , relating to insurance companies and consumer protections with regard to homeowners' insurance and wildfire risk passed the House committee and is headed to the chamber floor. SB 80A , the omnibus Wildfire Programs bill, is in W&Ms as is SB 509 A , which aims to scale out neighborhood collaboratives in order to help whole neighborhoods reduce risk 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.

League members serve on several legislative workgroups and committees. LWVOR also partners with coalition organizations on policy issues that align with our mission. / Advocacy / Committees and Coalitions / Committees and Coalitions League Representatives LWVOR Advocacy Team members serve on legislative workgroups and committees. Contact: lwvor [at] lwvor.org Coalition Against Hate Crime : Claudia Keith, Becky Gladstone, rhyen enger Coalition for Climate and Economic Justice: Claudia Keith and Arlene Sherett Electronic Government Portal Advisory Board (EPAB): Rebecca Gladstone Equal Rights 4 All Coalition: Jean Pierce Human Services Coalition of Oregon: Jean Pierce Legislative Gun Tragedy Prevention Coalition: Marge Easley North West Energy Coalition: Robin Tokmakian Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Advisory Committee: Sandra Bishop Oregon Conservation Network: Peggy Lynch and Claudia Keith Oregon Housing Alliance: Nancy Donovan, Debbie Aiona Our Coalition Partners The League of Women Voters of Oregon is a member of several advocacy coalitions that align with our organizational mission and advocacy priorities. Human Services Coalition Housing Alliance NW Energy Coalition Coalition Against Hate Crimes Oregon Conservation Network Coalition for Climate and Economic Justice

Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - September Interim Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Agriculture/Goal 3 Land Use: Sandra U. Bishop 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: Lucie La Bonte Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch Jump to a topic: Budgets/Revenue Climate Coastal Issues Columbia River Treaty Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) Dept. of State Lands (DSL) Elliott State Research Forest Forestry Emergency Services Hanford Cleanup Board Land Use Radioactive Waste Reduce/Recycle Regional Solutions Toxics Water Wildfire By Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, and Team We hope you read the October 1 st LWVOR All-Member Newsletter with the list of volunteers needed for the League’s Natural Resources Team. The League depends on YOU to help advocate—using our adopted positions. Our voice is respected because of our studies and nonpartisan volunteer voices. A fun survey—Please take the 2023 Oregon Values and Beliefs Center Typology survey to help strengthen Oregon’s civic culture. Your voice can steer public policy. 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 Sept. 27-29 and more interim days in November and January. Budgets/Revenue By Peggy Lynch On August 30 th , a new quarterly Revenue Forecast was provided to the legislature. The total available resources for the current 2023-25 biennium was increased by $437 million after accounting for a bigger beginning balance which was the result of a larger ending balance in the previous 2021-23 biennium after it closed this summer. There will be another forecast Nov. 15 and one on February 7 th which will determine potential revenue that can be spent during the 2024 session. During these Sept. interim meetings, we understand that Tax Measures 5 & 50 which capped yearly property tax increases at 3% were discussed. Mayors from around Oregon testified in support of increasing the cap to improve local services funding. The League has often supported a review and possible changes to our property tax system, in particular because of these constraints on our local governments. The League is hopeful there will be additional bonding capacity available as we advocate for spending on infrastructure for needed housing. The Legislative Fiscal Office shares that the State Debt Policy Advisory Commission (SDPAC) issues an annual report, so there will be a 2024 report that includes the most current revenue and interest rate projections. However, typically any additional debt capacity resulting from an increase in forecasted revenues is attributed to future biennia. Based on the 2023 SDPAC report and bonding authorizations approved in the 2023 session, there is $65.8 million in remaining general obligation bond capacity and $27.4 million in remaining lottery bond capacity for the 2023-25 biennium. The final “kicker” amount of about $5.6 billion will be returned to taxpayers as a credit on their 2024 tax returns. The 1979 Oregon Legislature passed the "Two percent kicker" law, which requires the state to refund excess revenue to taxpayers when actual General Fund revenues exceed the previous odd-year May revenue forecast amount by more than two percent. The Legislative Fiscal Office has published its 2023-25 Budget Highlights which provides summary information on the legislatively adopted budget from the 2023 session. You can look for the Natural Resource Program Area for specifics on the monies provided to our 14 state agencies. The Emergency Board met right after Sine Die to adopt rules for their work during the interim. They were provided $50 million in the 2023 end-of-session bill, SB 5506 , to spend on emergencies until the next session, as well as a number of “special purpose appropriations” for expected expenses such as additional wildfire funding and salary increases. Otherwise, agency budgets are only changed by an act of the entire legislature. At the time of this report, the League understands that the Emergency Board does not plan to meet before the 2024 session. Climate By Claudia Keith and Team See the Climate Emergency section of this Legislative Report which overlaps with Natural Resources. We encourage you to read both sections. Coastal Issues By Christine Moffitt/Peggy Lynch LWVOR continues to advocate for protection of wetlands and estuaries. Here is a PEW Research article on Oregon’s work to leverage coastal wetlands to help address climate change. The Coos County League is preparing testimony on the Coos Bay Estuary Management Plan (CBEMP). The County file for this project is AM-22-005 . The Coos League continues to watch with concern for a potential federal grant to help dredging deeper and wider the Port of Coos Bay. It is unclear if there is an official proposal to create a container ship proposal moving forward. The Coos League is having trouble getting information from the Port on these issues. (See the LWVOR 2023 Sine Die issue for more information.) The Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is listening to comments related to proposed ocean energy sites offshore from Brookings and Coos Bay. Information is available on the BOEM Oregon state activities page . To comment on the draft WEAs please go to regulations.gov and search for docket number BOEM-2023-0033. BOEM will accept comments through 11:59 pm ET on October 16, 2023. The Ocean Policy Advisory Council (OPAC) has approved revisions to the Territorial Sea Plan Part 4 . This plan now goes to the Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) for adoption. OPAC was “disappointed” the Governor’s representative did not attend the meeting. OPAC sent a letter expressing concern that the Governor does not seem to understand the impact of our coastal industry, communities, its ecological value and the important role of OPAC as a voice for those communities. We do note that the Governor has added temporarily a staffer from the Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife to her natural resources advisors and perhaps that will help with the myriad of natural resource issues on the Governor’s plate. See the League’s 2012 Coastal Study to learn more about wave energy. Columbia River Treaty By Philip Thor On August 14, 2023, a ”Media Note” was released by the “Office of the Spokesperson,” presumably, from the United States Department of State, which announced that “The United States and Canada conducted the 18th round of Columbia River Treaty regime negotiations on August 10-11 in Seattle, Washington.” The note went on to state “As committed by President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau at the conclusion of the President’s March visit to Canada, the U.S. negotiation team has further accelerated negotiation efforts towards an agreement that meets the needs of the Columbia Basin with greater certainty and improved results.” To that end, the United States recently put forward a range of options for Canada to consider that the U.S. believes provides both countries with increased certainty in managing flood risks, planning for Treaty hydropower operations, integrating Canada’s desire for greater flexibility, establishing mechanisms for incorporating tribal and indigenous input, and taking advantage of opportunities to strengthen Treaty ecosystem provisions and collaborate on ongoing salmon reintroduction studies. During the session negotiation teams exchanged views on this set of proposals. The United States is focused on ensuring that resource planners, operators, and others have time to make plans to implement a modernized Treaty regime or rely on the current Treaty regime as it exists today. And, finally, the note said that the U.S. government would hold a virtual listening session on August 22, 2023 “to engage the public about treaty regime modernization…” Below is some of what various representatives had to say about Treaty renegotiations in this session: U.S. Government negotiators opened the meeting with statements (State Department, Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation, and Bonneville Power Administration). Many of the next speakers were from PNW Public Utility Districts (PUDs), Cooperatives (Co-Ops), and power-related associations. It appeared that they had prepared in advance since their key messages were very similar. Namely: Flood control should be paid by taxpayers, as elsewhere in the US. The Canadian Entitlement is unbalanced – Canada gets more hydropower returned to them which they then sell back to the U.S. at great profit. Wildfires are occurring in both countries and Canada has a right to choose how they release water. Climate change is affecting us. “We share the fires, we share the floods, so we should share the water.” The marketing of power (i.e., the imbalance) impacts many smaller communities, which are vulnerable. Electricity rates are increasing, as is overall electrical demand – both effects are especially hard on rural folks, served by the smaller PUDs and Co-Ops. Renegotiation is taking too long – Canada is delaying the new treaty so they can continue to get more than their fair share of benefits. Many other speakers commented that the renegotiations needed to speed up. Most of the remaining speakers were from environmental groups, Native American Tribes and other like organizations. Their statements were like what had been presented before, namely: Inclusion of Ecosystem Function is critical and should become the third leg of the CRT purposes. The U.S. Entity should be expanded to include representatives from PNW Native American Tribes. They should be given a manager role in the CRT, not as a consultant. Ecosystem Function should include: A Spring freshet Flow augmentation A dry-year strategy Salmon reintroduction is another critical piece of Ecosystem Function. Temperature has been higher than 70 degrees since mid-July at main stem dams, considered lethal to salmon. BPA and COE have failed in managing the river as the U.S. Entity. Adding Ecosystem Function would improve this. So, given what I have heard now and before this, and with my background, I would offer the following conclusions: There appears to be some interest to resolve negotiations, largely so that flood operations in 2024 can be managed, and to avoid “pay for flood control regime” then. But, the perceived imbalance of hydroelectric power sharing between the two countries is (in my opinion) a monumental hurdle that may not be easily overcome. This could stall negotiations for a long time. Both countries currently think they are not getting their fair share of the power benefits. This may be a negotiation tactic. Adding Ecosystem Function as an important component of a new Treaty is likely to occur, but the “devil is in the details.” What is included in Ecosystem Function and how will it be provided? This listening session was the first one that identified what some of the specifics are, namely – reintroduction of salmon into Canada (a rather tough objective since Grand Coulee Dam is very high and Lake Roosevelt is quite long), a spring freshet (already largely have increased flows in the spring now), flow augmentation (more water will not likely cool the river much, if at all), and a dry-year strategy (useful concept but defining it is a challenge; also its implementation could impact other river users, such as recreation – deeper drawdowns in storage reservoirs during the summer period causing lower reservoir refill probabilities in subsequent years, particularly if another dry-year occurs). The other important note is that the negotiators are being very closed lipped about details, which is fully understandable. So, there is no telling when an agreement will come together since the public has no method for judging how close the talks may be. We will continue to stand by and watch for announcements. 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. Here is the latest on this project. Dept. of State Lands (DSL) By Peggy Lynch As part of the discussions on housing, the Governor’s Housing Production Advisory Council (HPAC), shared a proposal to significantly change our wetlands protections laws and rules. The League provided testimony in opposition with comments explaining our prior actions to support more assets for wetlands permitting and data. The Governor has recently said this HPAC proposal will not be part of her housing proposals for 2024, but we may well see a bill from an individual legislator. If you want to receive notices of HPAC meetings, click here . HB 2238 passed in 2023 and allows for rulemaking to increase fees related to removal or fill permit applications, wetland delineation reports and general authorizations. We will work with the agency to increase processes for clearly identifying wetlands in urban growth boundaries to be sure lands that should be developed can be and those that can’t should be are removed from the buildable lands inventory. Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF) By Peggy Lynch The League continues to engage in the ESRF, including attending their prospective Board meetings. The prospective ESRF Board met September 22 ( agenda ). Visit DSL's Elliott webpage to learn more . They plan to meet again October 16, Noon to 4 p.m. in Corvallis and December 4, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Meeting videos are posted to the Department of State Lands 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. Of concern to the League is how their plan can be financially viable without excessive timber harvest. See also the OSU College of Forestry website here as they work on the proposed Forest Management Plan. The Shutter Creek facility has been transferred to the Dept. of State Lands and federal monies awarded to upgrade the facility to be used as the headquarters for the ESRF as well as potential opportunities for local tribes. Here is an OPB article with the latest on the Elliott. We may see an ask for additional General Funds to pay for starting up this new agency in 2024 since any timber harvest will not occur for a few years. They were allocated $4.1 million in 2023 but will need to hire an Executive Director and limited staff while working on all future plans for research, for recreation and for limited harvest in the forest. The OSU Board of Trustees will receive an update at their Oct. 20 meeting. There will be a special OSU Board meeting in December when the OSU Board will consider final approval of OSU’s engagement with the ESRF. The State Land Board will meet Dec. 12 to provide a final decision on the ESRF going forward. Forestry Oregonians can help shape the future of Oregon’s forests: Oregon’s Kitchen Table posted a survey, available through October 9. Oregon’s forests provide a variety of social, economic, and ecological benefits to Oregonians. The Oregon Board of Forestry and ODF are responsible for developing and implementing policies and strategies that promote forest health and resilience to preserve those benefits for future generations. They are in the process of updating their shared strategic plan that will guide the policy and operational work for the next several years. They’ve partnered with Oregon Kitchen Table—a program of Portland State University—to hear from as many Oregonians as possible to ensure the plan covers what matters most to people when it comes to our forests. As the Board of Forestry makes decisions on our state forests, including potential adoption of a Habitat Conservation Plan, future harvest plans, and their strategic plan, we remind you that Oregon’s forests are managed for the greatest permanent value : “healthy, productive, and sustainable forest ecosystems that over time and across the landscape provide a full range of social, economic, and environmental benefits to the people of Oregon.” The state has received more than $58 million in federal funds aimed at increasing tree canopy in community spaces and neighborhoods that most need to reduce impacts of extreme heat. Emergency Services Register for The Great Oregon ShakeOut , a self-led earthquake drill, at 10:19 a.m. on Oct. 19 th . Also consider signing up for the ShakeAlert earthquake early warning system for earthquakes in the area with a magnitude of 4.5 or greater. This can provide critical seconds of advance warning to seek cover from falling objects and brace ourselves. ShakeAlert uses science and technology to detect significant earthquakes quickly, to send an alert to people on cell phones. Hanford Cleanup Board By Marylou Schnoes The Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board will hold a meeting on October 10, both online and in person in Richland, WA. The meeting will begin at 2:00 pm and conclude after the public comment period that will take place at approximately 5:00 pm. Public participation is welcomed and encouraged. A full meeting agenda, information on how to participate, and other meeting materials are available online . Learn more about Hanford and Oregon’s role . New public Board members are needed. We are grateful for the time Marylou has spent serving on this Board. Land Use/Dept. of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) & Housing By Peggy Lynch The League has been feverishly engaged with the Governor’s Housing Production Advisory Council as it now meets bi-weekly and has five less-than-public work groups making recommendations to the Governor. Some ideas have merit but many attack our environmental protections and our public involvement opportunities at local levels. The League has always supported our statewide land use planning program with local implementation. We are seeing local elements eroded by some of the recommendations. See the League’s website where the plethora of our testimony is posted. If you want to receive notices of HPAC meetings, click here . We are working 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. This is the latest article on challenges. Look for additional articles AND look for the League’s voice as we work to support affordable housing for ALL while also protecting other Oregon values. See also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report. Oregon Marine Board The League has supported Oregon’s boat inspection program. We are alarmed that Quagga mussels have been spotted in the Snake River near Twin Falls, Idaho. We support the boat permits under the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Dept. with monies transferred to the Marine Board to enforce protections. Radioactive Waste By Shirley Weathers The Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) continues its work to protect Oregon from the acceptance, accumulation, and storage of hazardous levels of radioactive waste. Since the 2023 Sine Die issue of the Legislative Report (see for background, scroll down to Radioactive Waste), LWVOR and other members of the Rulemaking Advisory Committee (RAC) submitted informal input on the third draft of revised rules for OAR 345-050. Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) Staff presented a final proposed draft to the Energy Facility Siting Council (EFSC) on September 22, 2023. After some discussion, the Council voted to put the draft out for public comment. There are several issues of concern, most pertaining to the League’s priority for rules that will best safeguard the public health and safety over short and long terms. On some elements of the rules, tension exists between that and costs of detection/identification and management to Oregon entities that generate and otherwise manage wastes containing radioactivity would incur. There has been an unfortunate shortage of participation in RAC activities by those sharing the League’s focus, but we are working to inform and bring in others for public comment. The deadline for comment is Friday, October 27 at 5 p.m. Materials can be found on the ODOE website (scroll down to Radioactive Waste Materials). Reduce/Recycle The League supported the 2023 Right to Repair bill, SB 542 , that required the original equipment manufacturer to make repair information available to owners of consumer electronic equipment or independent repair providers. The bill did not pass, but we expect a version to return in 2024 or 2025. Sen. Sollman’s staff attended the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Annual Meeting in Indianapolis. The Right to Repair movement was in full swing at this year's event which featured a Repair booth helping attendees with free phone screen replacements on their cell phones. One of NCSL's live-streamed seminars, titled "Will You Let Me Fix This Thing?", also focused on Right to Repair and how states across the country are leaning into this policy. The panel included Representative Lew Jones from Montana who spoke about challenges for his constituents in repairing agricultural equipment and also Representative Scott Nishimoto from Hawaii with information on his right to repair bill that he has been working on since 2018. Included on the panel were Gay Gordon-Byrne from the Repair Association and Walter Alcorn, representing Consumer Technology Association. You can watch the panel discussion here . Look for a new version of this bill in 2024 or 2025. Regional Solutions The Regional Solutions Team is working hard across the state. See the latest report on their work. Toxics By Paula Grisafi The League engaged in three bills in 2023. Here is an updated report from our volunteer: SB 546 (Toxics Free Cosmetics Bill) is a first step to protect both children and adults from the adverse effects of chemicals listed in the bill. The chemical compounds included in the bill like formaldehyde and phthalates are known to have cumulative toxic effects through exposures from multiple sources. While some of these chemicals are used ubiquitously in many industries, beginning to free ourselves and the environment of them by their removal from products that are applied directly to our bodies seems the most intelligent place to start. This bill was passed in the 2023 legislative session. HB 3043 (Toxics Free Kids Bill) is important because it allows more than 5 chemicals to be added to the list of high priority chemicals concerning known impacts to children’s health per year. It also requires consideration of chemical classes instead of individual chemicals, so that small chemical changes that may not improve safety are not sheltered from addition to the list. The bill passed in the 2023 legislative session. SB 426 (Toxics Free Schools Bill) provides a much-needed update to the original Toxic Free Schools legislation that includes structured plans to help implement the bill’s intent. It included systems that will improve expert and stakeholder oversight over the use of pesticides on school grounds, standardize the use of Integrated Pest Management at Oregon schools, develop even-handed school funding for managing pesticide use, and increase transparency of IPM in schools throughout the state. This bill did not pass in the 2023. Water By Peggy Lynch The Oregon Water Resources Dept. (OWRD) presented an update on new groundwater rules being considered by the Water Resources Commission. As with all water issues, this is a contentious proposed policy as explained in this OPB article . If we don’t do a better job of regulating groundwater, more and more people and farms will be in water crisis. The League has been watching but not engaging directly in this rulemaking. We learned that the legislature has created a Joint Water Caucus with members from both the House and Senate, with both major parties as leaders. These caucuses can often be powerful voices for the issues they support. Here’s the latest Integrated Water Resources Strategy 2023 public engagement . The League is very concerned by the report that quagga mussels were detected on Sept. 18 in the Snake River at Twin Falls, Idaho. That is approximately 60 miles from the Oregon border. Quagga mussels can seriously damage lakes, streams, irrigation, and water delivery systems. This is why the League supports boat permits and a robust boat inspection system at our borders. EPA Statement on Waters of the U.S. rule: “EPA and Army statement regarding intent to amend WOTUS rule in wake of U.S. Supreme Court’s Sackett decision – On June 26, EPA and Army released the following statement regarding next steps for the agencies’ WOTUS rule: “The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of the Army (agencies) are in receipt of the U.S. Supreme Court's May 25, 2023, decision in the case of Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency. In light of this decision, the agencies are interpreting the phrase “waters of the United States” consistent with the Supreme Court’s decision in Sackett.” Oregon has our own wetlands rules and laws, so wetlands in the jurisdiction of Oregon will continue to be protected unless the legislature changes those laws. (See Land Use above.) 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. . 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 these counties of Crook, Jefferson, Grant, Deschutes, Wasco, Harney, Sherman, Lake and Jackson counties. On Sept. 6, the Governor declared a drought in Gilliam, Douglas and Lincoln Counties through Executive Order 23-20 and Executive Order 23-22 , This is concerning since the forecast El Nino weather pattern may well mean a reduced snowpack this winter. Wildfire By Carolyn Mayers Senate Interim Natural Resources and Wildfire met on September 27. Senator Elizabeth Steiner, Co-Chair of Full W&Ms and candidate for State Treasurer, and Doug Grafe, Governor Kotek’s Wildfire and Military Advisor, gave an update on the work of the Wildfire and Forestry Workgroup. Senator Steiner, who serves as “convener”, listed the group’s stakeholder groups and described the complexities of various funding mechanisms, which the group seeks to “decomplexify”, and then outlined the group’s “Guiding Principles”. See details of her presentation . Senator Girod raised concerns about the role of federal lands in wildfires on the Oregon landscape. Senator Golden expressed his concern that the severity of cuts to funding as a result of the last legislative session will dramatically impact Fire Adapted Communities’ efforts, geared at community level wildfire mitigation plans and actions. He also felt that monies from the General Fund would likely never be adequate. Senator Steiner proposed that it may be helpful to try and persuade legislators that investments in mitigation, prevention and suppression would, by reducing the need for expenditures as the RESULT of wildfires, actually end up saving enough money to enable the General Fund to cover the cost of these programs. She urged a focus on how spending more on these activities and programs would end up, ultimately, costing the State less. Later in the meeting, Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) reviewed their Final Report on the Landscape Resiliency Program and 20-Year Strategy (LRP). The LRP was established through SB 762 (2021) to improve forest restoration and resiliency. It appropriated $20 million General Fund to be spent by the end of the 2021—2023 biennium by ODF. This program was set up to fund landscape-scale projects that reduce wildfire risk on public and private forestlands, rangelands, in communities near homes, and around critical infrastructure through restoration of landscape resiliency and reduction of hazardous fuels. On September 28, Senate Interim Veterans, Emergency Management, Federal and World Affairs met and received an update on the 2023 wildfire season so far. Mike Shaw, ODF Chief of Fire Protection, gave an update, highlighting how well ODF and the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s (OFSM) new department have worked together, extremely well to “catch” and quickly suppress several wildfires around the state. He highlighted the wildfire events in the northwestern part of the state, calling it “unusual timing”, as those events most often do not happen before September. He also pointed out that the dry lightning event with over 1,000 strikes, igniting hundreds of wildfires in western Oregon on August 24 and 25, was extremely unusual. He stated that the “effectiveness of the lightning was very high, and not in a good way”, and that he was proud of their response, in partnership with OSFM. Prepositioning OSFM assets and Regional Mobilization, programs begun with funding from SB 762, also played a large role in keeping fires small. Under the Emergency Mutual Aid System, as relayed by Travis Medema, Chief Deputy State Fire Marshal, OFSM assets were deployed to assist in structure protection efforts. In these cases, as highlighted by Chief Mariana Ruiz-Temple of OFSM, not a single structure was lost. Find more information here. Also in her report, Chief Ruiz-Temple pointed out the alarming trend of declining interest in firefighting, both as a career and for volunteer firefighters. She said: “The pipeline is not keeping up.” Underlining the potential problem, she shared that in the past decade there has been a 246% increase in structures lost to wildfire. Finally, she serves on the Federal Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission. In closing she shared the Commission’s report, aptly titled On Fire , published the day before, September 27. It described how.“The face of wildfire is changing.” While there have been many successes in Oregon this wildfire season, there was a distinct air of caution, if not outright pessimism, about the future we face both as a state and as a nation. SB 80 was one of the important wildfire bills passed in 2023. The Dept. of Forestry has been meeting with counties as ODF and OSU work on developing a new Wildfire Hazard Map. Watch for upcoming public meetings to consider the new map when a new draft is proposed. OFSM has launched a Defensible Space website , which provides a multitude of resources to help Oregonians make their home more resilient in the face of increasing wildfire risk, including the ability to schedule a home assessment based on entering your home address. Here is a review of the 2020 wildfires and the status of our friends who suffered from tragic loss. Volunteers Needed What is your passion related to Natural Resources? You can help. The short 2024 legislative session is Feb. 5-March 10. There are interim committee meetings in November and January. 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 is offered.

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Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Legislative Report - Week of 1/20 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: Afterschool and Summer Care Behavioral Health K-12 and Higher Education Immigration After School and Summer Care By Katie Riley The legislature will soon begin its 2025 session, and some bills related to afterschool and summer care will be introduced. Comments in italics are added to the bill description: HB3039 Directs ODE to study ways to increase summer and after school programs . (Flesch Readability Score: 67.7). Requires the Department of Education to study methods for increasing the availability of summer and after-school academic and enrichment programs. Directs the department to submit findings to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to education not later than September 15, 2026. Sunsets January 2, 2027 HB3162 The Act gives money to ODE to provide grants to schools for child care before and after school hours . (Flesch Readability Score: 85.0). Appropriates moneys from the General Fund to the Department of Education for distribution to schools for the purpose of providing child care before and after school hours. Directs the department to report to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to child care no later than June 30, 2027. Declares an emergency, effective July 1, 2025. The task force that was formed in the 2024 session due to HB 4082 to plan for the future of afterschool and summer programs completed its final report in January. HB3162 may include the report’s request for $100 million. The Governor has proposed $78.5 million for 2025 summer learning (summer school). The summer funding includes partnerships with community partners for care after summer school scheduled periods. Although the following bills are not directly related, it is possible that they will benefit afterschool and summer: SB456 Provides money ($6mil) for grants to improve school attendance. (Flesch Readability Score: 61.2). Appropriates moneys to the Department of Education for distribution as grants to address the causes of chronic absenteeism . Declares an emergency, effective July 1, 2025 Afterschool programs are effective in reducing absenteeism. SB866 Directs ODE to study ways to improve the social emotional health of students and staff in public schools. (Flesch Readability Score: 61.6). Requires the Department of Education to study methods for improving the social emotional health of students and staff in public schools. Directs the department to submit findings to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to education not later than September 15, 2026. Sunsets January 2, 2027. Research has demonstrated that afterschool and summer programs are effective in improving social emotional health. HB2814 The Act allows DELC to waive some requirements for a certified child care facility . The Act directs ELC to adopt rules for the number and age of kids allowed at a registered family child care home. (Flesch Readability Score: 64.0). Authorizes the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) to waive certain requirements for certified child care facilities upon good cause shown and if the resulting circumstances protect the welfare of the children and the consumer interests of the parents of the children. Directs the Early Learning Council to define by rule the number of children per age group allowed at a registered family child care home. Declares an emergency, effective on passage. DELC also licenses afterschool and summer care providers. This bill may provide more flexibility to increase the number of programs available. HB3008 The Act gives more money to different agencies for investment in the child care workforce. (Flesch Readability Score: 61.8). Appropriates moneys to fund child care workforce investments. Provides funds to PSU for training child care workers. The training may also benefit afterschool and summer staff. HB3011 The Act creates a fund for childhood teaching development at HECC. The Act declares an emergency. The Act becomes law on July 1, 2025. (Flesch Readability Score: 61.2). 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 . Declares an emergency, effective July 1, 2025. Afterschool and summer staff could benefit from this program. Behavioral Health By Stephanie Aller Behavioral Health-related bills introduced on January 13, 2025, include: Behavioral Health Workforce SB 527 directs OHA to award grants to local workforce development boards to provide programs to train high school students to enter the behavioral health workforce. SB 608 would establish a certification program to provide training and support for home workers who care for individuals with complex behavioral health needs. Under certain circumstances, they may be able to receive a higher pay rate. HB 2223 requires coordinated care organizations to contract with providers outside a geographic area if the area has limited access to that type of provider or service. HB 2596 would enact a School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact. HB 3129 would establish the Higher Education Behavioral Health Workforce Expansion Fund. The Higher Education Coordinating Commission would distribute money from the Fund to community colleges and universities to assist in the training of behavioral health professionals. It would include scholarships and stipends for students pursuing careers as graduate-level, licensed, and certified behavioral health workers. Facilities HB 2059 directs OHA to establish a unit dedicated to developing new adult behavioral health facilities. Improving funding for in-home care for behavioral health SB 538 would require ODHS to pay parents for attendant care services for minor children with developmental disabilities who have high behavioral health or medical needs. K-12 and Higher Education By Jean Pierce Based on legislation filed so far which is related to our positions, LWVOR will be tracking bills relating to: K-12 Education Accountability for using public education funds SB141 Education SB312 /HB2508 Student Data SB325 Fiscal impact statements from school districts Adequate funding for the education of exceptional students SB 317 State funding for special education HB2953 Funding for students eligible for special education Equitable funding for districts with high needs and limited resources HB2517 Intensive program for school districts with highest needs HB2589 Funding for public education HB2904 Education HB3037 State grants awarded by Department of Education Higher Education: Providing financial aid to students SB604 Strong Start Program HB2997 Higher education HB3182 Aid to students in higher education HB3183 Open Education Resources Program Ensuring that there is a seamless path from secondary school to higher education. HB2398 Direct admissions to certain institutions of higher education HB2421 Direct admissions HB2686 Re-enrollment of residents Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice HB2433 Different treatment of persons by a public body Immigration By Claudia Keith Rayfield joins intervention to protect health care access for some immigrants - OPB Immigrants in Oregon could be significantly impacted by Trump’s second term. Here’s how - OPB (From international students to asylum seekers, the new administration’s plans could affect tens of thousands of people in the state…) “Editor’s note: As President Donald Trump takes office, OPB is providing a look over the week surrounding inauguration to understand how Oregonians voted, how they’re feeling now and how the new administration could affect Northwest communities through top issues like immigration, tariffs, criminal justice and the I-5 bridge replacement.” OPB The League has very clear immigration/refugee, human rights and other social policy positions (state and national) and is following this currently developing situation. Find below an incomplete/tentative list of policy and or funding-related bills that may have traction. Additionally, there are a number of other bills supporting the new 2025 federal administration potential policies that, given House and Senate D super majorities, will likely not receive a public hearing. SB 149 DHS Immigration Study - Sen Jama SB 599 immigration status - discrimination in real estate transactions - Senator Campos SB 611 Food for All Oregonians Program - Senator Campos, Representative Ruiz SB 703 a bipartisan immigration status update funding bill Senator Reynolds, Representative Neron, Ruiz, Smith G HB2788 funding to nonprofits to assist with lawful permanent resident status / legal aid - Representative Neron, Ruiz, Senator Reynolds HB 2586 nonresident tuition exemption for asylum seekers. - Representative Hudson, Senator Campos HB 2543 15$M for Universal FUND: The Act gives funds to Oregon Department of Administrative Services (ODAS) for universal representation and the Act gives funds to Oregon State Bar for legal help for immigration matters HB 5002 ODAS Agency Budget: includes 7$M for Oregon Worker Relief Fund Other news: Oregon AG rolls out sanctuary information for immigrants before Trump takes office • Oregon Capital Chronicle From refugee to Oregon Senate majority leader, Kayse Jama focuses on finding common ground • Oregon Capital Chronicle State Map on Immigration Enforcement 2024 | Immigrant Legal Resource Center | ILRC

Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 1/15 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Agriculture/Goal 3 Land Use: Sandra U. Bishop 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: Lucie La Bonte Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch Jump to a topic: Agriculture Budgets/Revenue Climate Coastal Issues Dept. of State Lands (DSL) Drinking Water Advisory Board Elliott State Research Forest Forestry Land Use and Housing Northwest Energy Coalition Reduce/Recycle Transportation Water Wildfire Volunteers Needed By Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, and Team Volunteers are still needed to cover important issues like Air Quality, Agriculture, Fish and Wildlife, Recycling and Toxics. LWVOR needs your voices! Training provided. The 2024 short session runs Feb. 5 through March 10th. The legislative calendar is posted on the Oregon Legislature website . Bills will be posted soon on OLIS . Committee bills were introduced during the January 10-12 Legislative Days. Agriculture LWVOR has been asked to give a presentation to the Board of Agriculture on Jan. 17 th along with others who will be engaged in the short session. We shared our 2024 Priorities , our Housing Coalition one-pager with verbal testimony on the need for infrastructure funds and our support for natural and working lands. Budgets/Revenue By Peggy Lynch 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. The next revenue forecast is Feb. 7th and that will be the number used for 2024 budgeting. A new Oregon bonding capacity report was due January 18 th from the State Debt Policy Advisory Commission (SDPAC); their agenda . From the Legislative Fiscal Office in October: Based on the 2023 SDPAC report and bonding authorizations approved in the 2023 session, there is $65.8 million in remaining general obligation bond capacity and $27.4 million in remaining lottery bond capacity for the 2023-25 biennium. The Full Ways and Means Committee dealt with 3 pages of requests on Jan. 12 th . Some requests will appear in the 2024 omnibus budget reconciliation bill at the beginning of session. Some will have another hearing before being considered to be added to the bill. Of specific interest to Natural Resources are the items from that Subcommittee. For instance, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Dept. (OPRD) asked for more lottery money for their land acquisition fund. But legislators want to see how many OPRD lottery funds will be available—to be learned at the February 7 th Revenue Forecast. Personal income taxpayers can determine their kicker amount using a “What’s My Kicker?” calculator available on Revenue Online . To use the calculator, taxpayers need to enter their name, Social Security Number, and 2022 and 2023 filing status. Taxpayers may also hand-calculate their credit amount by multiplying their 2022 tax liability before any credits—line 22 on the 2022 Form OR-40—by 44.28%. 2023 tax returns can be filed starting January 29. See a good video on Oregon property taxes. Cities and counties rely on property taxes for the services they provide. It’s possible there will be property tax reform conversations in 2025. See The Oregonian for some insight into that future conversation. State agencies and others will need to plan for a rise of 1.7% of payroll costs for PERS contributions as they calculate their 2025 budget needs. That could mean an extra $13 billion in contributions from employers for 2025-27. The agency budget process is beginning. Look for beginning presentations to agency Boards and Commissions soon. More quarterly revenue forecasts will be provided before the Governor presents her budget by Dec. 1 st . Climate By Claudia Keith and Team See the Climate Emergency section of this Legislative Report. for overlaps with this Natural Resources Report. We encourage you to read both sections. Coastal Issues By Christine Moffitt/Peggy Lynch The Coos County League has been concerned with the container ship terminal proposal for the Port of Coos Bay. The federal government denied the Port of Coos Bay grant for this proposal again. Sen. Anderson recently met with a group from the League of Women Voters/Coos Bay concerning the Port of Coos Bay’s proposed container terminal. The Ways and Means General Government Subcommittee heard grant requests on Jan. 10, including one for estuary resilience. The Full Ways and Means Committee approved the request. Dept. of State Lands (DSL) By Peggy Lynch The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is working with DSL to identify In Lieu lands (lands owed the State of Oregon on statehood that have not yet been allotted to Oregon). See the BLM Proposed Classification Decision , and a public notice that two forestland properties in Linn County that have been identified to meet the criteria for some of those In Lieu lands. Learn more on State Land Sales and provide public comment from January 12, 2024 through April 9, 2024: The Ways and Means (W&Ms) General Government Subcommittee heard grant requests on Jan. 10, including continuing work on DSL’s GIS Wetlands Inventory and improvements at the South Slough Visitors Center. The requests were approved. Drinking Water Advisory Committee By Sandra Bishop The Drinking Water Advisory Committee (DWAC) will meet (have met) January 17. See the agenda . Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF) By Peggy Lynch On Nov. 13, the State Land Board received a letter from Oregon State University’s President Jayathi Murthy, indicating that OSU was bowing out of participation in the ESRF management. In December, the State Land Board affirmed its continued desire to create the Elliott State Research Forest – a public forest that will contribute to conservation, recreation, education, Indigenous culture, local economies, and more as a working research forest. Watch the December 12, 2023 State Land Board meeting . Here are the slides . During the meeting, the Land Board also discussed and supported the pathway framework presented by DSL The framework outlines actions, steps, and considerations for continuing work to establish the ESRF. Read an overview of the pathway framework . DSL Director Vicki Walker has appointed an interim advisory group to guide work until the Land Board appoints an ESRF Board of Directors. The group is comprised of members of the prospective board appointed by Land Board in December 2022. Visit DSL’s Elliott website to learn more. The next meeting was Jan. 18 and another Feb. 7 th . Meeting videos are posted to the DSL YouTube channel and meeting notes are posted to DSL's Elliott website here . The monies allocated in 2023 to support the forest may be allocated directly to DSL as the clear responsible party. Work is continuing on eventual adoption of a Habitat Conservation Plan and a Forest Management Plan for the forest. Forestry (ODF) By Josie Koehne LWVOR sent a letter in support of Alternatives 2 & 3 of the Western Oregon State Forests Habitat Conservation Plan. See a good Oregon Capital Chronicle article on the controversial proposal. For more information on forestry, see the Wildfire section of this report below. Land Use & Housing By Peggy Lynch The Governor has filed a 69-page Legislative Concept, LC 19, now SB 1557, for the 2024 session. Based on HB 3414 B (2023) but with substantial changes, the Governor has shared the LC draft with groups who have been working with her on this bill with a request to provide comments to her by Jan. 24. She is planning to provide an amendment that incorporates technical edits and corrections and perhaps those comments. LWVOR has been working with the Governor’s staff and others for months on this concept. Natural Resources will be working with our Housing team on a number of bills. 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. See the Senate Housing and Development Committee Legislative Concepts- -the first one is the loan fund, LC 155. See the House Housing and Homelessness Committee Legislative Concepts —their loan is LC 197. Reps. Gomberg and McIntire shared that they are submitting an infrastructure funding bill for about 20 projects around rural Oregon. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has filed a draft Biological Opinion (BiOp) related to eligibility for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The State of Oregon provided Scoping Comments and a request for a time extension with concerns from many agencies. Of particular importance is how local jurisdictions will assure on-going access to the NFIP while also not violating the Endangered Species Act. Listen to a hearing from the Jan. 11th House Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources and Water Committee meeting. Follow the work of the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis (OHNA) Rulemaking Committee on the department’s Housing Rulemaking webpage . Watch meetings on their YouTube channel. Some cities objected to the Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) adopted rules. DLCD has convened a number of meetings. Here is the latest memo addressing concerns. The Housing Production Advisory Council , composed of housing experts from across the state, detailed 59 potential solutions to meet Kotek’s ambitious goal in a draft proposal completed in December. The Council will submit its final proposal to Kotek on Jan. 17. LWVOR has followed their work and provided comments on some ideas, especially with concerns around the wetlands recommendations. The Department of Land Conservation and Development is recruiting committee members for rulemaking for Goal 9 and certain Economic Opportunities Analyses processes. Applications to serve on the RAC must be submitted by midnight on February 13 th . See also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report. Northwest Energy Coalition (NWEC) By Sandra Bishop/Robin Tokmakian The NW Energy Coalition (NWEC) held a conference in Portland on December 6 th, 2023. Organizations from four western states and British Columbia discussed equity in energy planning and services. Among a total of 24 speakers, 14 were people of color: 6 men and 17 women. Oregon legislator Senator Lieber stressed that energy efficiency must be foremost when building 36,000 new homes in Oregon, saying “Bake efficiency into the DNA of everything we do in the state”. She noted that buildings are the second largest carbon producers, so $90 million was passed in the climate package last session with a goal for 500,000 new heat pumps to be installed in Oregon by 2030. In coming sessions, we will see legislation to address inequities in energy provision and ensure supportive regulation and incentives for reducing carbon-intensive energy uses and sources while protecting the vulnerable. A second keynote speaker was Rich Glick, former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chair. He spoke about problems and challenges in the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) system, particularly the need to expand and strengthen the grid and to integrate next-era BPA power products with carbon-free energy products. Strategies such as more local grid management, local resiliency, and working with community benefits advocates are seen as necessary. The Western Regional Adequacy Program (WRAP) is one instrument for holding BPA more accountable and ensuring more transparency and equity in providing energy services. One panel concentrated on a model used in Oregon called the Community Cohort Roundtable. Community benefit impact assessment is required by legislation. There is a need for the public to be heard before programs are formed and implemented. Community Cohort mentors people to take part in utility and community energy planning and regulatory processes such as the Public Utility Commission (PUC) rate hearings. Acronyms and complicated technical language can make engaging with energy issues very difficult. The Community Cohort model gives disadvantaged community members a chance to bring issues forward to be addressed by policymakers and regulators. Some barriers to meeting new climate goals through energy efficiency projects are contractor shortages; challenges in upgrading older homes, and problems with providing and applying for funding. Energy navigators or ambassadors are often needed to assist community-based nonprofits and individuals in getting funding for energy programs and projects. There is also a need for better metrics utilities can use to determine benefits and resource needs. There is a push to identify cost parameters that consider some of the human costs not adequately addressed in energy planning in the past. The social cost of greenhouse gas emissions (SCGHG) was one of the metrics the presenters endorsed. Energy programs, projects, and planning must be equitable, affordable, and accessible to all. Whether implementing energy efficiency retrofits on a private home or planning large-scale energy resource projects, the importance of building trust first was emphasized – move at the speed of trust. A representative from the Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) noted that what was sufficient in energy planning and implementation in the past may no longer be. There is a need for more open policy and equitable rates. “Energy burden” bubbled to the top of many conference discussions. In Oregon, 25% of households are energy burdened (spending 6% or more on energy); 40% or more in some rural areas. Reduce/Recycle The dates for the next three Recycling Modernization Act Rulemaking Advisory Committee meetings and Zoom registration links have been posted to the Recycling 2024 webpage . Meeting dates are: Jan. 31, Feb. 14 and March 14. LWVOR needs a volunteer interested in following this issue. The Senate Energy and Environment Committee heard potential bills at their January legislative meeting. Transportation Look for a 2025 conversation on how to fund Oregon transportation needs. The Oregon Capital Chronicle article provided some of the challenges facing legislators. Water/Oregon Water Resources Dept. (OWRD) By Peggy Lynch OWRD is considering recommending changes to Oregon’s groundwater rules to the Water Resources Commission. Listen to a legislative hearing at the Nov. 7th House Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources and Water meeting, providing a number of different points of view. LWVOR is watching this work closely as is LWV Deschutes County 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 is necessary. In the meantime, many Oregonians are experiencing dry household wells. OWRD provided an update on Oregon’s Well Abandonment, Repair and Replacement Fund . LWVOR supported creation of this program in 2021. The League again asked Congress to expand the Smith River National Recreation Area. We were pleased to see Reps. Val Hoyle (Oregon) and Huffman (California) introduce a bill to expand the Smith River National Recreation Area into Southwest Oregon ( track progress ). A Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area update was provided Jan 11 in the House Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources and Water Committee. The League continues to be concerned about our fellow Morrow and Umatilla county Oregonians, where well water may be unsafe for drinking. 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 March. For more information about this process, please visit the IWRS page . LWVOR will look forward to learning more about the historic deal on Columbia River, salmon and the tribes shared in NW states, tribes reach ‘historic’ deal with feds over Columbia River Basin fish and dams . 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. 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, Harney, Sherman, Lake, Jackson, Gilliam, Douglas, Lincoln and Morrow counties. 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. Update: So we all know that we got a week or so of snow in January, but of concern is that rain will reduce that snowpack soon. Here is the Jan. 16 th Oregon Water Conditions Report. Wildfire By Carolyn Mayers LWVOR has monitored a number of meetings over the past month, including of the Wildfire Programs Advisory Council (WPAC), and informational meetings at the Legislature. The primary focus has been finding the best way to ensure long-term, reliable and sustainable funding for wildfire prevention, protection and response. There was repeated emphasis on the importance of restoring funding for community risk reduction programs, which saw an approximate 90% reduction in the 2023 session. There is increasing sentiment that focusing the vast majority of funding on suppression, without meaningfully addressing mitigation, will simply not get the job done. Their next quarterly meeting is Jan. 19. The WPAC meeting agenda is on their website: Wildfire Programs Advisory Council . The first WPAC meeting, on December 18, saw Senator Elizabeth Steiner, District 17, and the Governor’s Wildfire Advisor, Doug Grafe, present a proposal , the main component being a $10 “Statewide Wildfire Protection Fee” on every individual property in Oregon, as well as reductions in fees timber companies pay toward wildfire costs. This proposal was developed by a workgroup led by Steiner, while Grafe provided technical support. There was pushback from several members about a new fee/tax, and concerns were expressed about it potentially being regressive. Originally convened to primarily address relief for Eastern Oregon rangeland and small timberland owners in Eastern Oregon, the work group's final proposal is much broader than that original charge. Senator Golden, District 3, expressed reservations about the proposal, including disappointment at the small amount that would be directed to a community risk reduction fund, and its attempt to shift financial responsibility for wildfires away from the timber industry and onto the public. The Senate Interim Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire met on January 10 and heard 3 different wildfire funding proposals. First, Senator Steiner and Doug Grafe presented a modified version of their funding proposal . Representative Paul Evans, District 20, proposed funding a solution . His Legislative Concept, LC 22, would establish, by referral to voters, an Oregon Public Safety Authority, with taxing authority, capped at a maximum of $.25/$1,000 rate, to help fund wildfire programs across the State, as implemented by LC 23, the proposal’s second component. Finally, Senator Golden presented his funding concept, a referral to voters of what amounts to a renewal of the timber severance tax on larger timber companies (over 500 acres) to help fund wildfire programs. This would include funding for LC 81 , to establish a neighborhood protection cooperative grant program via the Department of State Fire Marshal (OSFM), to promote community wildfire resilience, among other things. Later that day, Senator Steiner and Doug Grafe presented their proposal again, to the House Interim Committee on Climate, Energy and the Environment. Late breaking: After providing her wildfire funding proposal, according to Oregon Capital Chronicle , Sen. Steiner will drop the $10 property fee. Details are not yet available. January 11 the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Natural Resources heard a brief overview of the 2023 Wildfire Season, and funding request, by Oregon Department of Forestry. Finally, later in the day, the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Public Safety received an overview of the 2023 wildfire season, and considered a funding request from OSFM. This request was met with several comments from committee members on the urgency to find long-term, reliable funding solutions for the growing wildfire problem in our State. 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 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 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: Afterschool and Summer School Criminal Justice Gun Safety Healthcare Educatio n Housing Legislation Afterschool and Summer School, Child Care By Katie Riley During the November Legislative Days hearings, The Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education held informational briefings on early learning as well as education regarding costs, performance considerations, and proposed cuts due to the pending loss of $880 million in federal funds. Child Care: In response to the Governor’s request to outline potential budget cuts of 5% and 2.5 %, the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) recommended that no cuts be made to the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program and the Early Learning Parent Education program at the 2.5% level. Overall, recommendations showed potential cuts to administrative functions prior to programs. Programs with Reductions at 2.5% and 5.0% Scenarios 21.0M $2.4M $36.7M These are listed in prioritized order for reductions, and most are not targeted for a full 2.5% for the first scenario. Other Early Learning Grants Child Care Supports Early Learning Hubs Early Learning Professional Development Early Learning Program Supports Oregon Prenatal to Kindergarten 5 Preschool Promise Health Families Oregon Relief Nurseries Early Childhood Equity Fund Programs Held Harmless for both 2.5% and 5% reductions Baby Promise Birth to Five Literacy Kindergarten Partnership Innovation Tribal Early Learning Plan & Fund (Early Learning Tribal Hub) Every Child Belongs (Mental Health & Behavior Supports) No decisions were made on reductions. Long-term effects, alternative funding sources, reserves, and income potential will all be considered. On the plus side, a report from Jessica LaBerge on 11-18-25 representing the Eastern Oregon Childcare Business Accelerator for the Southern Oregon Regional Solutions Exchange reported that the business accelerator has started its first cohort of 13 potential childcare providers across Eastern Oregon. This program will help provide childcare businesses with small business advising, childcare educational credits, curriculum support and ongoing assistance with the business side of childcare. The goal is for the participants to be fully licensed and opening their own childcare business to provide additional capacity for Eastern Oregon communities. She is hoping to find additional funding to start a Spanish speaking cohort and additional cohorts in the future. Afterschool Care New data on the demand and need for afterschool care was included in the report, America After 3 pm , published by the Afterschool Alliance, October 2025 Citing the most recent survey of over 30,000 parents nationwide, the Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant said “Families at all income levels want afterschool opportunities and those with resources invest heavily in afterschool programs and activities. But it’s concerning that, after adjusting for inflation, afterschool spending by families in the lowest income bracket has decreased since 2020, while spending by families in the highest income bracket has grown, exacerbating inequities. Afterschool programs give students a safe place to go after the school day ends, boost their academic achievement, help address the youth mental health and chronic absenteeism crises, provide alternatives to screen time, give working parents peace of mind that their children are safe and supervised, and more. Our country will be stronger and more successful when all children can take advantage of what afterschool programs offer – but, sadly, this study shows we’re nowhere near reaching that goal. We need greater support from federal, state, and local governments, businesses, and philanthropy. Every child deserves access to a quality afterschool program.” Oregon data shows that parents of 331,262 children want afterschool programs but 5 out of 6 children are not able to participate due to availability, access (location and transportation), and cost, the largest factor. “In Oregon, the demand for afterschool programs is incredibly high. Parents value the benefits afterschool programs provide for young people—keeping them safe, helping build life skills, and getting them excited about learning. They say that afterschool programs help them keep their jobs and provide peace of mind. Still, just a fraction of Oregon families who want afterschool programs have them…Overwhelmingly, Oregon parents are in favor of public funding for afterschool programs.” Recent surveys confirm this: 2025 89% 2020 90% 2014 83% 2009 79% Support for public funding is high across the political spectrum in Oregon Democrats 92% Independents 94% Republicans 81% However, currently, no public funding is available from the state specifically for afterschool care. Funds from the Student Success Act can be used for that purpose, but most school districts use that funding for teachers and counselors. Public funding is available for afterschool programs in some cities, e.g. Portland, Hillsboro. Summer care: The appropriation for summer school that was funded in the 2025 legislative session is probably not in danger of being cut because the appropriation was made into a special fund outside the general fund. Funding is still available for summer 2026 and 2027. These funds are designated to school districts for summer literacy and although there is a mandate to involve at least one community-based organization, the requirement does not include after school hours care. Criminal Justice By Marge Easley The Senate Judiciary hearing on November 17 provided an update on wrongful conviction legislation, SB 1584 (2022), and the need to pass additional legislation to ensure a more effective and timely compensation process for those who have been wrongly convicted. The 2025 Oregon Justice for Exonerees Act (SB 1007) failed to make it out of session. The Innocence Project and the Forensic Justice Project will also push for fixing gaps in current law that have allowed convictions based on flawed and outdated forensic science, including hair comparisons, bite mark analysis, and comparative bullet lead analysis. Education By Jean Pierce In the coming session, school funding will be a major concern. On November 19, Legislators heard a report from LPRO and LFO staff outlining deficiencies of the Quality Education Model used to determine equitable funding. This is an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed. In addition, education agencies were not immune from the request to identify potential spending cuts. Their proposals are outlined below. However. public school administrators are urging lawmakers to allocate money from the $1.2 billion education stability fund to meet the current budget emergency. K-12 Education The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) used the following guiding principles when they decided where to make cuts: Protect student-centered supports Maintain statutory compliance Preserve organizational stability Limit disruption to districts and classrooms Establish programs to hold harmless ODE is proposing partial reductions in General Funding to some programs, including Every Day Matters, which addresses barriers to attendance Career and technical Education grants and career pathways ·High School Success Further, ODE is proposing State School Fund cuts to 10 th Grade Assessment Educator Advancement Fund English Language Learners Health Schools Fund Local Option Equalization Menstrual Products Speech Pathologist Talented and Gifted Members of the Ways and Means subcommittee expressed concerns particularly about the potential loss of the Educator Advancement Fund (EAF). The EAF provides professional development, mentorship, and Grow Your Own programs for teachers. This would mean less support for teachers who are charged with implementing the recently-approved science of reading curriculum. The Grow Your Own program recruits teachers from local communities, particularly minorities. Higher Education Proposing cuts to higher education funding comes at a particularly challenging time for colleges and universities which are experiencing cuts to research and other programs from the federal government. When the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) shared their proposals for 2.5% cuts, they noted that the cuts would result in hundreds of eliminated positions, including full-time faculty and administrators. They reported using these criteria for cuts: There would be minimal impact on support for the most vulnerable students. Other programs could continue to support the affected populations. Targeted programs were new or had received a large funding increase in the past four years. Merging or consolidating programs could increase administrative efficiency. The proposal includes cuts to The HECC agency Workforce development grants Career pathways funding for community colleges Childcare grant for student parents would no longer support new students Oregon Promise would no longer support new students The proposed cuts to the HECC budget would cause universities to increase tuition by close to 7% and community colleges to increase tuition by 10%, making higher education unaffordable for a number of students. Gun Safety By Marge Easley Supporters of Measure 114, including the League, will be pushing for the passage of a bill in the upcoming session to provide implementation details and technical fixes for Measure 114, the 2022 measure that requires a permit to purchase a firearm and bans high-capacity magazines. It has been under court review since that time. The Oregon Supreme Court hearing on its constitutionality occurred on November 6, and it most likely will take several months for the ruling to come down. Last session SB 243 set the date of March 15, 2026, for implementation of Measure 114 with the condition that the Oregon Supreme Court decides in its favor. The Christmas Tree bill also allocated over $14 million to the Oregon State Police to help cover implementation costs. Healthcare By Christa Danielson Legislative meetings held last week focused on how we are going to continue to provide our current level of services for Medicaid and SNAP in light of HR.1. Speaker of the House Julie Fahey reported cuts in the Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) budgets of up to 15 billion in future years for Oregonians. In light of this, the legislators are looking at funding sources such as decoupling some taxes from the federal budget or using the reserve fund. There is also a task force convened by the governor to consider how to sustain Medicaid benefits. The system is already straining in light of new work requirements, eligibility checks and budgeting for a possible revenue shortfall from the state, i.e. the hospital tax. Enhanced premium tax credits are due to expire at the end of 2025. They were set up during Covid via the American Rescue Plan. Some families will have to pay double what they pay now for health insurance. Average premiums could increase by 12-25 %. Housing By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona Interim committees are meeting to prepare for the upcoming legislative session. They are studying policy issues, learning from invited leaders, and considering recommendations for potential legislation. Recently, the Senate and House housing committees invited agency leaders to speak on a range of housing issues as reported below. Presentations to the Senate Committee on Housing and Development, November 17, 2025 Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) Executive Director Andrea Bell presented information on the impact of federal funding and policies on Oregon. The state received a little over $530 million from the federal government for housing production and services for people accessing housing and homeless programs. That amount represents about 15 percent of the state’s housing resources. Congress has not yet finalized the Housing and Urban Development budget. OHCS serves as a pass through for federal dollars to local jurisdictions and non-profit providers. Inclusionary Zoning Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) promotes mixed income housing developments by requiring developers to include affordable units in their housing projects. The policy was banned by the Legislature in 1999. They relegalized it in 2016 (SB 1533) and required developers to include a percentage of units affordable to households at 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI). It does not apply to buildings with fewer than 20 units. LWVOR supported the 2016 legislation. Portland is the only city in Oregon that implemented IZ. It was fully funded for projects in the central city and underfunded for projects in surrounding neighborhoods. Underfunding led to developers creating projects with just under 20 units in order to avoid the IZ requirements. Portland recently revisited its policy and fully funded the IZ program throughout the city. It prioritized development of 60 percent AMI units in higher priced neighborhoods. In the first six months, 20 projects opted in to the program, fewer developers are proposing projects with fewer than 20 units. Regular check ins are essential. A Habitat for Humanity representative presented information on the potential for applying IZ to affordable homeownership in condominium projects. Presentations to the House Interim Committee on Housing and Homelessness met on November 18 Andrea Bell, Executive Director of Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS), began by saying her agency is tracking the evolving federal landscape on housing and homeless service programs. During the shutdown a majority of federal funds awarded to OHCS were accessible and obligated during the shutdown. When the furlough affected federal staff, some projects were on pause, such as contracts and project certifications. FY 2025 funding levels were sustained for the agency. Oregon is working, although homeless numbers continue to grow. The importance of a full continuum of services is essential to keep the system viable. New homelessness is largely economically driven, a problem that is decades in the making and will take time and effort to remedy. Jimmy Jones, Executive Director of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency in Salem, presented information to both the House and Senate committees. He explained that his agency focuses on reducing poverty, including housing assistance, child care and youth programs, and offers support for those experiencing homelessness. He commented on the history of federal homeless housing programs, and the importance of retaining the Continuum of Care program. He also highlighted “observables” in his presentation: 1) What we are doing in Oregon is working, 2) homeless numbers continue to grow, 3) observable 2 is not connected to observable 1, 4) a new wave of homelessness is largely driven by economics, 5) criminalization will fail, 6) we need full continuum of services and they are all interconnected, 7) the problem is decades in the making and will take time to solve. He is concerned about the July 2025 Executive Order issued by the White House on homelessness and related topics. It seeks to encourage civil commitment of individuals with mental illness who pose risks to themselves or the public or are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves in appropriate facilities for periods of time. In the past, homeless individuals were expected to work their way through a stair step into permanent housing. More recently policies have prioritized Housing First and harm reduction that do not require working through specific steps to qualify for housing, but instead place clients into housing and then provide services and support. The Trump administration will fund the older failed approach to addressing homelessness. It will focus on criminalizing homelessness, reducing funding for permanent supportive housing, incentivizing treatment first and transitional housing. It will shift funds to faith-based providers, require cooperation with immigration enforcement, and disallow racial and transgender preference policies. States will need to re-compete for federal funding grants. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED : What is your passion related to Social Policy? You can help. Volunteers are needed. We particularly need help tracking legislation concerning Criminal justice Hate and bias crimes Juvenile justice Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Governance , and Natural Resources , and Revenue report sections.

Back to Legislative Report Education Legislative Report - Week of 3/6 By Anne Nesse, Education Portfolio Testimony on Bipartisan HB 3235 , in House Early Childhood and Human Services 2/27, attempts to create refundable child tax credit in Oregon of up to $1,200.00 per child under age 18, based on family income. Watch the House Early Childhood hearing , for HB 3235, called the “Oregon Kids Tax Credit”, particularly at the beginning, Rep. Valderrama, Rep. Greg Smith, Sen. Campos, and Rep. Grayber, gave moving testimony on why giving a tax credit to low income families in Oregon was the ethical way to govern and prevent the many long term effects of childhood poverty, for as many children as we could. View a copy of our LWV testimony here. Our verbal testimony was based on research, that living in poverty has a profound negative effect on children’s development, even as our teachers are working hard to educate them. And as many others had testified, simply giving these families even a small amount of extra money, helped the children develop more normally. Also heard in this Committee on 2/27, a pilot study bill HB 2726 for Jackson and Josephine Counties, would coordinate national, state and local services, to combat childhood poverty, ages 0-5. Former Governor and MD John Kitzhaber spoke in support. It was stated by Rep. Marsh that this study could be a model for the whole state on completion, to avoid the effects of generational poverty. On 2/27 House Education held an informational meeting on how school districts calculate their budgets and submit their requests for monies to the State School Fund. The recording is here of Mike Wiltfong, Director of School Finance. The documents in his slide show are difficult to read, without a finance background, but they did make many things clearer. In the past, school funding was calculated with 1/3 of the funds coming from the state, and 2/3 of the funds coming from local sources. Today, because of Measures 5, 47, and 50, our state’s costs have increased, requiring the State School Fund to adjust its funding, and attempt to create a degree of equity throughout our state. HB 2710 was also introduced by Rep. Valderrama, and Sen. McLain in House Education, 2/27. The hope is that this Bill will give the public more transparency on exactly what our public education money is being spent on. OEA is neutral on the Bill, based on the possible financial impact, as written. Amendments, or a technical work group, may be necessary according to some testimony. Senate Education 2/28, finished up technical fixes on several bills SB 819A (applying only now to students with recognized disabilities), SB 767 -4, SB 281 , SB 292A , and SB 129 and the -2 amendment, which will end the auction program for opportunity grants. All were sent to the Floor with Do Pass Recommendations. Sen. Wagner presented SB 3 -1. The Bill has a graduation requirement for one credit of future planning, and financial knowledge. The Bill has some bi-partisan support. Sen. Thatcher, stated in written testimony that students need instruction in savings and intelligent spending habits. It is interesting to me that many students will need a certain amount of maturity to understand these concepts. 3/1 in House Education, HB 3177 was introduced, a $20 Million expenditure bill for recruiting and retaining teachers, as well as mentoring projects. The “grow your own educator” project was discussed, allowing teachers’ aides or other staff, who were naturally talented at education, to apply for scholarships in training to become a licensed teacher. Reed Scott-Schwalbach, OEA Pres., also spoke on HB 3178 -1, expanding scholarships for aspiring counselors and other staff to increase racial diversity in the educational workforce. Rep. McIntire asked a pertinent question about how these scholarships would work for those living in poverty or in rural areas. On 3/1 in the Early Childhood Committee, HB 2872 , the Imagination Library Project was presented, with much positive testimony about the reading readiness this fostered, to have 60 books sent to homes with children, from ages 0-5. This is a $2.5 Million investment, and both Washington State and California aim to fully fund their programs by 2024, 1/2 funded by the Dolly Parton Foundation. Here is a copy of our testimony by Marge Easley. A public hearing on HB 2717 -1 was also heard in Early Childhood that day, on establishing all day outdoor preschool programs, to increase the availability of care centers for the preschool age group. Washington State reports better school readiness and safety ratings than the average preschool. The pictures of the kids in colorful rain suits and the reports of the children’s imagination, storytelling, and living outdoors with nature, made you want to be with them all day, to discover what they were learning! On 3/2 in Senate Education, SB 523 was introduced by Rep. Patterson to allow community colleges throughout the state to begin a plan to offer Bachelor of Science Degrees in Nursing Programs, to assist with the current shortages of skilled nurses in our state. Currently about 55% of our working nurses are 55 and older, and we have the 3rd fewest graduate nurses per capita nationally. Rep. Patterson stated that we have more students who are qualified to enter nursing careers, than we currently have places to educate them. The testimony in opposition was written by current university programs, while many community colleges and hospitals support this plan.

Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Legislative Report - Interim Week 6/10 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: Healthcare Housing Implementation of Oregon Drug Intervention Plan Higher Education Summer School Pre-K-12 Education Healthcare By Christa Danielson On May 29th the Senate interim Committee on Health Care met during legislative days. Of interest is the ongoing concern about the rising cost of health care. After the meeting, the chair of the committee, Senator Deb Patterson (D-SALEM) said that “We need to empower Oregon employers and consumers to demand more transparency and better results from our health care system.” During the session the committee heard from Chris Whaley (Associate Professor, Brown University) whose research found a strong correlation between rising prices and industry consolidation. Also Piper Block (Research and Data Manager) from OHA reported on costs of procedures in different hospitals and the tremendous variation in payments. Increased transparency would help policymakers to better understand the challenges with rising health care costs. Expect more of these types of discussions to follow both nationally and in Oregon as we anticipate there will be bills that examine corporate and equity takeover of the practice of medicine and bills to strengthen reporting by pharmacy benefit managers along with other bills that follow these themes. Housing By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona Senate and House Committees on housing held informational meetings on topics of interest and invited the agency speakers below to present their programs in advance of next year’s Legislative session. The Senate Interim Committee on Housing and Development met on May 30, 2024. The following topics were presented: Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) Affordable Housing Preservation Strategy Framework Task Force on Homelessness and Racial Disparities Report (SB 893 – 2023) Modular Housing Grant Fund Updates Oregon Health Authority Air Conditioners and Air Filtration Program Future Generations Collaborative Land Donation for Affordable Housing The House Interim Committee on Housing and Homelessness met on May 30, and the programs below were discussed. Governor Kotek Policy Updates: Homelessness Response and Housing Production Frameworks Oregon Housing and Community Services Modular Housing Rural Housing Production Housing Stabilization Climate and Health Resilience in Housing, Healthy Homes Program Manufactured Housing Oregon Housing Alliance LWVOR is a member of the Oregon Housing Alliance, a statewide organization that brings together advocates, local governments, housing authorities, community development corporations, environmentalists, service providers, business interests and others concerned about the lack of affordable housing, homelessness, and the devastating impact of the shortage on Oregon families and individuals. The alliance has begun developing its priorities for the 2025 legislative session. The four areas that the alliance plans to prioritize when advocating for Oregon Housing and Community Services agency budgets include: Prevent homelessness and provide lifesaving shelter and services, including rent assistance and homelessness prevention, shelter operations, and youth and child homeless services and prevention. Preserve affordable homes, including preservation of existing low-income housing with expiring rent restrictions, housing owned by non-profits or housing authorities in need of renovation, and sale of manufactured home parks. This also includes funding for affordable housing operations and stability for developments facing financial challenges. Expand affordable homeownership opportunities, build new homes for affordable homeownership, and support lower-income homeowners and homebuyers through Individual Development Accounts, down payment assistance, foreclosure prevention, and fair housing investigation and enforcement. Develop new affordable housing in all parts of the state, including development of new affordable rental units, permanent supportive housing, and farmworker housing. Funding for a housing development pipeline that includes land acquisition, pre-development loans and lines of credit, and a reserve fund for disaster recovery. Fairview Trust Oregon Housing and Community Services announced the Fairview Trust’s 2024 Integrated Housing Grant Program. Its focus is innovative housing for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Grants will go to projects that give preference to this population and are integrated into the community. See also the Land Use and Housing Report in the Natural Resources section of this Legislative Report. Implementation of Oregon Drug Intervention Plan (HB4002) By Jean Pierce The Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety heard reports about progress being made in implementing HB 4002 (2024). They learned that 23 counties were considered “early adopters” – because they had plans to roll out deflection programs quickly. 17 counties have received a base minimum of $150,000. This is being used to Hire coordinators Define deflection programs, including criteria for entry into treatment and for success Train law enforcement in addiction and deflection options Identify community provider partners Plan – almost half of the counties are considering a model resembling the Marion County Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program, which has been in existence for 8 years. Some of the challenges encountered already: FUNDING! How long will the state invest in the programs? More is needed to fully implement a LEAD-like model. Breaking down silos Sharing information between law enforcement and treatment agencies (the Legislature may need to address privacy issues) Hiring effective peer mentors Coordination of county treatment providers and coverage of treatment for non-OHP individuals Assessing services such as housing needs – determining how to support and prioritize needs Translating national best practices to local communities In 2025, the Legislature will need to consider Year 2 Funding. The Governor has made Behavioral Health/Public Safety a priority. Higher Education Jean Pierce The House Interim Committee on Higher Education heard from institutions of higher education who expressed serious concerns over delays in FAFSA funding following the US Department of Education’s (USDOE) attempt to simplify the application. Problems caused by new regulations (including a major overhaul of eligibility) imposed by the Department: People are struggling to get support from the USDOE – their guidance is confusing at best or even nonexistent Poor data quality from the USDOE Students do not know whether they will receive financial support for food, housing, childcare and transportation until the first day of class this summer. Many potential students are stuck at various stages of the process and may not return to school The problems particularly impact low income, first generation students, and people from mixed families (having an undocumented parent) As a result, 2800 fewer students filed for FAFSA this year in Oregon, and there is a concern that they will walk away from higher education. According to the Oregonian, “Gradual declines since 2017 were supercharged by the pandemic. College-going fell to just 56% for the class of 2021, a nearly 1- percentage point drop over the last decade.” This trend had started to reverse slowly before the FAFSA debacle. When legislators asked what the state could do to help, they were told: Continue allocating additional funds to the Oregon Opportunity Grant Remain flexible and responsive to funding requests Students need to know state resources are available Colleges lack sufficient staff to answer students’ questions about FAFSA The committee also heard a request to extend the tuition equity program for refugees seeking asylum. People who have been forcibly displaced from their countries are automatically classified as non-residents in Oregon, so – regardless of how long they have lived in the state - they pay out-of-state tuition for higher education, which can be 3 times as much as in-state tuition. Courts are experiencing a large backlog of asylum cases. In fact, people applying for asylum can wait over 6 years for courts to decide their claims. As of April 1, 2024, Oregon has 5,539 cases filed on behalf of college-aged individuals between the ages of 18 and 24. Currently, California, Florida, Maine, New York, and Washington have legislation that enables asylum seekers to pay instate tuition rates. It is anticipated that granting this request would have little or no cost impact to institutions of higher education because of the small numbers affected. Summer School By Katie Riley The Senate Education Committee met during Legislative Days and heard a report on progress for HB 4082, Summer Learning 2024 and Beyond. ODE Director Charlene Williams and Assistant Manager of Finance and Facilities Michael Elliott reported on progress to date. The $30 million allocated by the legislature to ODE for disbursement has been distributed to the highest priority areas of the state in terms of equity and inclusion. Some districts declined to participate due to a variety of reasons (e.g., lack of capacity or planning) and their funds were reallocated to high priority areas. Allocations: 43 districts and 13 ESD's have received grants for this summer with 133 partners (tribes, community based organizations, and ESD's) participating 51,000 kids, 63% at the elementary level; others at middle and high school levels will participate. As provided in the bill, a work group has been formed to plan for sustainable funding for afterschool and summer programs in the future. The group will be examining current practices in Oregon and nationally as well as potential sources of support and administrative barriers. They are charged with submitting a report with their recommendations in September. Senator Weber remarked that she has received complaints from her district (northern coast) about not being included and hopes there will be improvement. Senator Dembrow hoped that the work group would make recommendations that would lead to having afterschool and summer programs being included in service levels. He also noted that he would like to learn how effective the summer programs would be in preventing summer learning loss. Finally, Senator Frederick emphasized that programs need predictability. Pre-K-12 Education By Anne Nesse Public school funding issues continue to be in jeopardy. Therefore it is not surprising that an “Oregon school choice group is trying to get 2 measures on the statewide November ballot, with the goal of creating more school choice.” The measure would permit using public tax dollars to support education in private schools. Link to the OPB article about this is here . Oregon's history of funding issues is best summarized by this quote from Jenny Liu, a Portland State University professor who specializes in economics and public policy: “Some 30 years ago, a series of anti-tax ballot measures fundamentally changed the school funding equation.” This created a unique myriad of problems for the future of public school funding in Oregon. “Measure 5, passed by voters in 1990, created a new limit on what portion of local property taxes could be spent on schools. And Measure 50, passed seven years later, further limited how quickly local property taxes could increase. A local option levy is probably one of the only ways that [districts are] able to generate that additional amount of money because schools don’t really have any say in [the state funding] formula,” states Jenny Liu in an OPB interview. Early Childhood Meeting 5/29 2:30 • Agenda included informational meeting with federal funding of $3M, over 3 years, as pilot project from Doris Duke Foundation to create programs for prevention of child abuse, in lieu of waiting for hotline responses that yield no effort to help. • Presentation on combining early learning childcare with retirement facilities as mutually beneficial to both age groups, and increasing our number of facilities. House Education 5/30 8:30 AM • Timeline for increasing literacy in Oregon presented by ODE Director and staff. 70% of districts are functional on this program, 30% still require some assistance, with costs that would be sustainable. No new accreditation for teachers is necessary. Simply better use and selection of the correct materials. • Reasons for limiting or banning cell phone use in school were presented by a pediatrician, along with neuroscience evidence by Dr. Dodgen-Magee. Statistics showing prefrontal brain weaknesses of control of actions with use of even over 30 minutes a day. Statistics that were presented showing increased anxiety, depression, and bullying were the results of excessive social use of digital devices on the brain. Chair Rep. Neron and Rep. McIntire were interested in seeing results of bans of cell phone use in Grant HS, and Clackamas school district. It was also noted that increased cell phone use correlated with absenteeism in school. Senate Finance and Revenue as it relates to School Funding Formulas 5/30 2:30 • A detailed study of school finance was reported by the state financial advisor, as a result of ballot measures 5 and 50 in our state. The conclusion was that the only way to actually increase school revenue is to increase the state contribution of 2/3, because the remaining 1/3 in local collections is too variable. Essentially changing some of the historical initiative law. The school funding formula awards additional money to school districts based on the number of students in poverty, students requiring special education, English language learners, etc. Members of the committee questioned: • Whether the formula is still appropriate • What data justifies use of the current formula • Whether districts are being held accountable for using funds to meet needs identified in the formula Senate Education 5/30 2:30 • Review of progress on SB 3, financial literacy classes for graduation bill passed in 2023. It was reported by Legislative council Hanna Lai that the present interpretations of how the credits for graduation would be measured was unclear, and some more work needs to be done before it aligns with the intent of the law. • Update on SB 819, implementation of improvements for students in programs of abbreviated school days due to Individual education plans, IEP’s. 129 school districts appear to be successfully using this plan out of 197. 52 school districts using this plan for medical adaptations for students. Tenneal Wetherall from ODE reported improvements were being made by documentation of use of new Law. Perhaps not all parents knew how to use this planning method, she stated, and there may be a gap in use with foster care programs not being aware of this alternative service.

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: Behavioral Health Criminal Justice Education Gun Policy Healthcare Housing Legislation Immigration Behavioral Health By Trish Garner HB 2005 is an omnibus bill that combines the provisions of two bills ( HB 2467 and HB 2481 ) which had been filed and considered earlier in the Session. HB 2005 has passed both the House and Senate and awaits the Governor’s signature, which is anticipated to take place. The bill addresses two primary issues: civil commitments and when defendants charged with a crime can be determined to be unable to “aid and assist” in their defense. At the present time as a result of several court decisions, the standards for civil commitment or involuntary treatment are unclear, but HB 2005 identifies specific reasons for commitment. It also redefines the previous legal standard for civil commitment which required that a danger to self and others be “imminent” to a danger “in the near future.” The bill also provides that dangerousness to self requires that a person engage in or threaten to engage in behavior that is likely to result in serious physical harm, while the “danger to others” standard uses similar language but omits the word “serious.” HB 2005 also defines the factors that courts may consider when determining whether defendants are mentally competent to proceed in their defense. These include, for example, prior evaluations, evidence of a prior diagnosis by a certified evaluator or qualified mental health practitioner, prior commitments, and/or the defendant’s conduct as observed in court. It also requires courts to appoint counsel for these defendants and if the defendant is unable to afford counsel, the court will appoint one at state expense. The A - 6 Amendment provides $6.5 million to the Oregon Health Authority for payments to community mental health programs regarding civil commitments and providing public defense to financially eligible persons who are civilly committed. At least four other bills have passed and are awaiting the Governor’s signature which seek to improve the provision of services to those who are seriously mentally ill. They include: HB 2015 modifies a number of residential treatment facility practices. For example, the Oregon Health Authority is mandated to adopt rules to support early transition programs and adjust nursing ratios. It also appropriates $1.3 million in General Fund and $977,888 in federal fund monies. HB 2024 appropriates $7,000,000 to the Oregon Health Authority to establish a grant program that would support the recruitment and retention of behavioral health workers at facilities such as programs related to health services to youth or youth or adults where at least half of the clients are uninsured or enrolled in Medicare or the state medical assistance program. HB 2059 directs OHA to establish a unit dedicated to developing residential treatment facilities that provide adult behavioral health services across state trauma regions and that $65,000,000,00 be appropriated to OHA for this purpose. The League submitted testimony in support. HB 3294 proposes changes to previous laws regarding hospital staffing plans and minimum nurse-to-patient ratios. A bill that did not make it is HB 2056 which sought to modify current practices in residential treatment facilities such as those relating to early transition programs, nurse staffing and grouping patients who have similar needs for services in the same facilities and thereby optimize care. SB 920 has been signed into law by the Governor. It directs the Oregon State University Extension Service to accelerate the promotion of behavioral health in Oregon by convening local communities to develop plans that promote behavioral health and facilitate community conversations about mental health and substance abuse. Criminal Justice By Marge Easley HB 3582 , which removes the civil statute of limitations for sexual assault victims, was signed by the Governor on June 26. The League is pleased to see that the Legal Services Pilot Program for Coffee Creek Correctional Facility received $1.2 million in the end-of-session “Christmas Tree” Bill (HB 5006). Early in the session the League submitted testimony in support of HB 2233 , which authorized the continuation of this pilot program. Education By Jean Pierce Senate Bill 5516 has been signed by the Governor. The bill will increase the budget for Oregon’s State School Fund by more than 11% from the last biennium. Unfortunately, this increase is needed simply to keep funding at current service levels. According to the American Institute on Research (AIR), in order to provide adequate funding for education, Oregon would need a 30% increase, with more attention to equitable spending for the education of low income and high needs students. SB 5525 , which appropriates money for the Higher Education Coordinating Committee, is headed to the Governor for a signature. For the most part, the proposed budget maintains the Current Service Level, (CSL). It is important to note that the Oregon Opportunity Grant and Benefits Navigators would at least be maintained at CSL. The allocation is 6.2% below the last biennium, so this bill does nothing to address the fact that Oregon has been ranked 46th in the nation for state investment in higher education. They recognized that in future sessions, the thinking needs to shift from CSL to setting a higher target. Gun Policy By Marge Easley To the disappointment of the League and other gun safety advocates, only one gun bill survived this session and awaits the Governor’s signature: SB 243 . This omnibus bill bans rapid-fire devices and allows cities and counties to ban firearms in public buildings. It also sets the date of March 15, 2026, for implementation of Measure 114, with the condition that the Oregon Supreme Court decides favorably on its constitutionality later this year. The League filed testimony in support of earlier versions of the bill, and SB 243 was supported through our Lobby Day. To fund the provisions of the bill, the end of session “Christmas Tree” Bill ( HB 5006 ) allocated over $14 million to the Oregon State Police for Criminal Justice Information Services and other associated costs. HB 3076 , which creates a gun dealer licensing program in Oregon, was killed during the final acrimonious days of the session—another instance of a gun bill being traded away at the last minute in an effort to gain votes for other legislation. Given the anticipated gutting of the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives and the loss of federal regulation of gun dealers, this bill was a session priority for gun safety advocates. Rep. Kropf, one of the bills’ chief sponsors, stated that he would reintroduce it in a future session. The League filed testimony in support of the bill. Healthcare By Christa Danielson HB 2010 This bill extends the coverage for Medicaid which is funded by assessments to health care earnings from hospitals, health plans and long term care facilities. The League provided testimony in support.This bill is essentially funding Medicaid or Oregon Health Plan. It has been signed by the Governor. However this form of funding may be cut by the bill currently in the Federal House called H.R. 1 or the budget reconciliation act. SB 951 Strengthens Bans against Corporate Ownership of Medicine by limiting the power of Management Service Organizations. This bill does not allow a corporate management organization to make health care decisions. The League testified in support. This has been signed by the Governor but expect to hear more about this important bill. This law will start January 2026 for new operational models, but will otherwise begin in January of 2029 for established models. An MSO can still give advice, but cannot control clinical operations of a professional medical entity. This bill also includes making non-compete and non-disparagement clauses illegal, allowing medical professionals to disclose if they see a problem. HB 3134 The Governor signed this bill, which requires additional reporting about prior authorization from insurers to the Department of Consumer and Business Services and tells the Department to make the data available. This will make sure that the insurers are doing timely reviews of prior authorizations, allowing surgical care to continue without interruption and make care more efficient. Hopefully this will also decrease the burden on health care clinics and facilities. The LWVOR filed testimony supporting the bill. SB 296 Directs the Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority to study ways to expedite the discharge process for a hospital. There are multiple areas to study included in this bill including expedited Medicaid determinations from the hospital, studying options to expand respite programs, and studying regulatory framework for certain facilities. This bill also includes funding for 100 days of Skilled Nursing care for Medicaid patients post discharge from a hospital allowing more space in the hospital for patients who need inpatient care. Housing By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona After a flurry of activity by state legislators, the Governor’s office, housing advocates, the League of Women Voters of Oregon, and many others, on June 23, 2025, lawmakers released three major budget bills: General Obligation bonds (SB 5505) Lottery bonds (SB 5531) End-of-session omnibus funding bill, the “Christmas Tree” bill (HB 5006) Below is a list of budget bills and funding allocations approved during the session. Due to declining state revenues, cuts were made across the board to agencies such as the Housing and Community Services Department, that received $2.6 billion, representing $1 billion less as compared to last year. Key session takeaways are: $204.9 million for a statewide shelter program; $468.2 million for the Local Innovation and Fast Track (LIFT) program to build new affordable rental housing through LIFT and Permanent Supportive Housing programs; $100.9 million in bonds to build new homes for affordable homeownership; $10 million in bonds for a new housing infrastructure fund; and $11.2 million to develop, rehab or preserve housing for older adults and people with disabilities. Most concerning is the $44.6 million for emergency rental assistance and homeless prevention services, representing a 74% cut from the $173.2 million needed to maintain the current level of statewide services. LWVOR is a member of the Oregon Housing Alliance that includes over 110 member organizations and represents a diverse membership that spans the state . During the session they worked tirelessly to advocate for additional funding for emergency rent assistance and homeless prevention. That advocacy resulted in an additional $11 million included in HB 5006 (Christmas tree bill). This will prevent evictions for an additional 1,400 households and increase funding for legal aid and other services by about $4 million. The Legislature is funding only 26% of what’s needed to maintain the current level of homeless prevention services. Housing remains a huge issue statewide with rising homelessness, thousands facing eviction and not enough affordable housing being produced. The League submitted testimony during this session on many of the bills listed below. These are Housing Alliance priority bills that received funding from the Legislature, along with amounts requested. Housing Bills funded by the General Fund Homeless Prevention and Response HB 5011 Emergency Rental Assistance and Homeless Prevention Services: $44.6 million (requested $173.2M) HB 3644 and HB 5011 Statewide Shelter Program: $204.9 million (requested $217.9 million) HB 5011 Rehousing Initiative: $50.3 million (requested $188.2 million) SB 814 Modifies long term rental assistance for youth: $87.4 million (requested $105.2 million) Stabilize Existing Affordable Housing HB 5011 and HB 5006 Permanent Supportive Housing operations and resident services: $10.5 million (requested $11.1 million) SB 51 Property management and asset management staffing and training: $3.3 million (requested $7.3 million) SB 829 Insurance relief and cost-reduction study: $2.5 million (requested $5 million) Expand Affordable Homeownership: HB 5011 Foreclosure prevention: $2 million (requested $2.5 million) HB 2139 Tribal Housing Grants: $10 million ($12.8 million requested) HB 5006 Development, rehabilitation or preservation of housing for older adults and persons with disabilities: $11.2 million HB 3031 Developing manufactured homes and infrastructure: $2.5 million (requested $25 million) Housing bills funded by Lottery bonds Housing Production and Preservation SB 5505 Local Innovation and Fast Track (LIFT) Rental: $468.2 million (requested $600 million) SB 5505 Permanent supportive housing: $80.9 million (requested $80 million) SB 5531 Rental housing preservation: $50 million (requested $260 million) SB 5531 Manufactured housing park preservation: $2.5 million (requested $25 million) SB 5531 Housing infrastructure fund: $10 million (requested $100 million) Expand Affordable Homeownership SB 5505 LIFT Homeownership: $100.9 million (requested $100.9 million) Immigration By Becky Gladstone and Claudia Keith As reported in previous LR’s, a number of topics have been approved and funded in the end of session reconciliation bill HB5006 . See comments' column below for existing program funding. It appears all the topics in the Immigrant Justice budget package request can be found in HB5006. Click Scroll Bar on Bottom of Table to View All Columns Bill # Description Policy Committee Status Fiscal M$ Chief Sponsors+ Comments SB 149 A Immigration (support services) Died in Committee Y Sen Mama See HB 5006 2 M For case mgmt SB 599A Immig status: discrimination in RealEstate transactions Gov Signed Eff 5/28/2 5 N Sen Campos SB 611 A Food for All Oregonians - for undocumented Died in Committee 8 Sen Campos Rep Ruiz SB 703 a bipartisan immigration status update funding bill Died in Committee 6 Sen Reynolds, Rep Neron, Ruiz, Smith G Testimony HB 2548 Agricultural Workforce Labor Standards Board. Study Bill, Signed By Gov 0.67 Rep Valderrama, Nelson , Munoz League Testimony HB 2976 funding for interpretation of indigenous languages. Died in Committee 1.5 Rep Hartman .8M in HB5006 HB2788 funding to nonprofits to assist w lawful permanent resident status / legal aid - Died in Committee 10.5 Rep Neron, Ruiz, Sen Reynolds 10M in HB5006 HB 2586 A nonresident tuition exemption for asylum seekers. Gov Signed RepHudson, SenCampos League Testi mony HB 2543 funds for universal representation and gives funds to Oregon State Bar for legal immigration matters dead 15 Rep Valderrama, Sen Manning Jr, Rep Walters, Andersen, McLain, Sen Campos 4.5M in HB5006 HB3193A Farm Worker Relief Fund 10 Rep Marsh, SenPham, RepValderrama 2M in HB 5006 HB 5002 Oregon Worker Relief Fund Died in Committee Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Governance , and Natural Resources , and Revenue report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 1/30 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 Campaign Finance Reform Redistricting Elections Rights of Incarcerated People Public Records Volunteers Needed By Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator, and Team Campaign Finance Reform There have been no new bills filed and no public activity for CFR. Redistricting By Chris Cobey and Norman Turrill The People Not Politicians coalition, in which the LWV of Oregon is a leader, now has an office in Wilsonville and a campaign manager. It will circulate only IP 14 (only legislative redistricting) and will begin collecting petition signatures probably in February. Four bills related to redistricting have been filed in the Legislature, detailed in a previous LR. Elections By Tom Messenger SB 804 by Senator Manning emerged as a companion to SB 499 by Senator Weber to move the Presidential Primary to Super Tuesday. Rights of Incarcerated People By Marge Easley On January 30, the League delivered testimony in Senate Judiciary in strong support of SB 579, which would restore the right to vote to over 13,000 people in Oregon’s prisons and jails. The response to the many individuals who delivered persuasive testimony was heartening, as was the fact that a work session on the bill was scheduled for February 2. However, instead of a work session the bill was sent to Ways and Means, which means it may or may not resurface later in the session. The League has added our name to the Guaranteeing the Right to Vote’s endorsement list for the bill, and we will continue to work for its passage. Public Records Law By Rebecca Gladstone The League positions balance privacy and transparency needs. At an Oregon Public Records Advisory Council (PRAC) meeting last fall, we heard that a public records request denial might be considered in the public interest if it presents a conflict of interest for workload. We will be evaluating as the SoS budgets ask for increased staffing in response to this. We have always supported Elections Division staffing budget requests, based on services, not on defense from efforts “to complicate or undermine their work.” Last fall, as Oregon hit 3 million registered voters , Oregon election offices got unprecedented numbers of public records requests , mirrored nationally. Last week, the PRAC shared a wide-ranging roster of 33 proposed bills affecting public records law . Some, for example, may affect elections and League Vote411.org access to candidate and ballot measure filing information. We will be watching these for relevant League action, in some cases addressed in previous session versions. Extensive 2017 public records law work passed with our support: SB 2101 for exemptions ( our testimony ), SB 481 for public records access policy (our testimony ), and SB 106 for a Public Records Advocate and Council ( our testimony ). 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 .