NEWS UPDATE FROM STATE REPRESENTATIVE DAVID GOMBERG: Bills, Bills, and Bills

By Representative David Gomberg, House District 10

4/3/2023

Hello Neighbors and Friends,

Wednesday was a fascinating and consequential day in your state capitol.

In the State Senate, the Semiconductor Bill was being debated and approved. In a 21-8 vote, the Senate passed Senate Bill 4 over to the House.

At precisely the same time, Governor Kotek signed two bills into law aimed at addressing the state’s ongoing housing and homelessness crisis. House Bill 2001 and House Bill 5019 passed both chambers of the Legislature with full Democratic and some Republican support. They make up a $200 million package, including more than $112 million to expand the state’s shelter capacity by 700 beds and help about 1,650 homeless Oregonians move into permanent homes within the next year. The package also includes $27 million for rural counties, $25 million for homeless youth, and more than $33 million for rent assistance to help nearly 9,000 families stay in their homes.

I was pleased to see these measures move early and smoothly this session and get resources on the street months sooner than is typical. But this commitment before we begin to finalize agency budgets and other fiscal “asks” will have consequences as we build a broad state budget for the next two years.

Budget writers want to hear from you!

After a pause two years ago due to the pandemic, our traditional, biennial Joint Ways and Means Committee budget roadshow is scheduled for each weekend in April and provides a great opportunity to speak directly with lawmakers crafting the state’s budget. Come share your priorities and perspectives. This is a tight budget cycle, so we are focused on delivering meaningful and targeted investments in areas such as education, health care, housing, homelessness, and behavioral health.

The roadshow will include stops in Portland, Roseburg, Ontario, and… Newport!

After the in-person tour has concluded, the Ways and Means Committee will have one final statewide hearing from the Capitol on Friday, May 3 — unlike the others, this one will be available for both in-person and remote testimony.

As I said last week, proposed bills get most of the attention as a legislative session unfolds. But the budget, where I do most of my work, has a greater effect on our day-to-day lives. If this kind of thing interests you, come and watch or participate. Please note that you must sign up to testify.

Friday, April 14, 5:00 – 7:00 pm

Newport Performing Arts Center

777 W Olive St, Newport, OR 97365

We have reached the halfway point in the session where deadlines determine which bills move forward and which fade away.

The “first chamber deadline” is April 5th. This is the last day for policy committees to send measures to the floor which were introduced in their chamber – Senate bills in the Senate, House bills in the House. The deadline does not apply to Revenue, Rules, and other combined House/Senate committees like Ways & Means or Joint Transportation.

Everyone is scrambling to keep their bills alive. With the large number of bills introduced this session, we have needed extra committee hearings to accommodate as many as possible before the deadline with some meeting late into the evening. This has made for a hectic week for both Legislators and staff needing to testify at hearings, craft amendments, or be present for work sessions.

Here is the current status of a few of my bills:

HB 2459 A is intended to help live entertainment and cultural organizations still recovering from the pandemic. The bill was voted out of the Economic Development and Small Business Committee on March 23 and sent to Ways and Means.

HB 2800, which was intended to provide protections to older workers and address age discrimination, has apparently died in the Business and Labor Committee.

HB 2902 A helps prepare Oregon students and their families for natural disasters with targeted instruction in our public schools. The measure was approved by the Education Committee and passed in the House unanimously. It is now in the Senate Committee on Veterans, Emergency Management, Federal and World Affairs.

HB 2903 A extends our Marine Reserves after a ten-year review. The Bill was approved unanimously by the House Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water Committee and sent to Ways and Means.

HB 2904, which requires more transparency and accountability at the Oregon National Primate Research Center, is scheduled to be worked Tuesday in the Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans Committee. It appears to be moving forward.

HB 2906, which prescribes a prison sentence if the person convicted of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance that results in the death of another person, died in House Judiciary.

HB 2914 works to address the problem of abandoned or derelict vessels in our waterways. It is scheduled for a vote in Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans Tuesday.

HB 2915 A is intended to shut down puppy mill importation and sales of pets in Oregon retail stores. It was approved in Business and Labor, passed the House on March 14, and is now in Senate Judiciary.

HB 3211 A removes regulatory hurdles to begin construction of a new dam in Newport. The bill was approved by the Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water Committee, passed the House unanimously on March 13, and is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Natural Resources Committee this week.

HB 3381 was intended to provide local governments more control over short-term rentals. The measure died in the House Committee on Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water.

HB 3461 is designed to help wildfire survivors deal with dramatic increases in property taxes when they rebuild. It is still being considered by the House Committee on Revenue. No deadlines apply in this committee.

HCR 8 designates rescued shelter dogs and cats as the official state pet. The measure passed the House and Senate and has been signed.

HJR 14 clarifies the term “declaration of emergency” in legislative proposals. The measure is in the House Committee on Rules with no action yet scheduled.

Measures that have a price tag are first heard in policy committees. If approved, they are sent to Ways and Means. There they often wait until we receive a May forecast of future revenue and then review state agency budgets. In other words, we see how much money we have, plan to pay for what we are already doing, and then consider approving new stuff.

My priority for new stuff this session is a package of bills dealing with rural economic development. I have often opined, that we have allocated funds to support good new jobs in Washington County with the semiconductor package. The median income there is $86,000. The median income in our district is $50,000. So I’m committed to creating new opportunities and supporting local businesses here and across rural Oregon as well.

Following the success of the bipartisan rural infrastructure package developed during the 2022 legislative session, I was tasked by the Speaker of the House to develop rural economic development proposals ahead of the 2023 Legislative Session. I organized a small, informal group of bipartisan legislators and we met over the course of the interim to develop a proposal that included considerations to help bolster rural entrepreneurial opportunities, expand rural workforce housing capacity, and support critical agriculture, natural resource, and recreation ventures throughout Oregon through capacity-building grants, economic recovery funds, and land development assistance.

I appreciate working with Representative Mark Owens (R-Baker, Grant, Harney, Lake and Malheur Counties, and parts of Deschutes County), Representative Marsh, (D-Southern Jackson County) and Representative Smith (R-Heppner) on this package.

Bills included in this package are:

This is ambitious, broad, and what we call in Salem, a “big lift”. I’m pleased to say that everything is on the move. All of these bills are in Ways and Means or scheduled for work sessions to send them there.

It was a busy weekend as I participated in Town Halls in Corvallis and Alsea, and also was the Honorary Master of Ceremonies for the Samaritan House / Children’s Advocacy Center gala Saturday night. (The honorary MC gets to welcome folks but not talk as much as the regular MC…)

I also recorded a Hotline program that will air this week on Talk Radio 1310 AM KNPT, AM 820 KWDP, and AM 1400 KBCH. Tune in or catch the program online here later in the week.

I was back in Salem early Monday for a full schedule of meetings, committees, and floor sessions. Let us know in advance if you plan to visit the Capitol and we’ll make sure there is time to say hello, hear your concerns, and show you around.

email: Rep.DavidGomberg@oregonlegislature.gov
phone: 503-986-1410
address: 900 Court St NE, H-480, Salem, OR, 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/gomberg