By Representative David Gomberg, House District 10

2/13/2023

Hello Neighbors and Friends,

Each morning, before the formalities of the legislative floor sessions begin, we start with a brief opening ceremony. This can include an inspirational thought, poetry, music, or a moment of silence.

Tuesday we were stirred by excerpts from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons presented by Lisa Lipton and Raul Gomez-Rojas. Lisa is, of course, executive director of our Newport Symphony and another glowing example of the rich arts and culture we enjoy here at the beach. Take a moment to start your day with something special and listen here.

Days in Salem are a blur of appointments, committee meetings, floor sessions, issues and advocacy.

As I’ve reported before, more than 3000 bills have been introduced and probably one-in-ten will be passed into law. Even having a proposal heard by committee takes negotiation. But when a bill is heard, it is essential to meet with the committee and to briefly and clearly explain the issue before answering detailed questions.

Thursday morning I testified to the House Committee On Housing and Homelessness on HB 3138 which would help small communities combine efforts to pursue grants and other resources in search of dollars needed for housing development. The floor session later in the morning covered six bills. I had appointments over the noon hour and then Transportation and Economic Development where we heard the budget for the Department of Aviation. Mid-afternoon, I met with a coalition to discuss my bill, HB 2911, to support live entertainment venues affected by the pandemic. Then I testified to the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water on HB 2903, a Coastal Caucus priority to continue the Marine Reserves program. Late afternoon I was in the Joint Subcommittee On General Government to hear the budget of the Board of Tax Practitioners. And then we finished the day with a 5 pm meeting of the Coastal Caucus.

Representative  David Gomberg, Senator Brock-Smith, and Charlie Plybon of Surfrider Foundation testify on Marine Reserves

Today, Monday, I testified about pet stores and puppy mills in the morning and will be testifying on better preparing our kids for natural disasters in the afternoon. Tuesday morning I join a group presenting major legislation on housing and homelessness.

Over the past month, I’ve been working to ensure that rural counties do indeed have resources to address local homelessness. On Tuesday, HB 2001  as amended will be heard in the House Committee On Housing and Homelessness. Here’s a description of those amendments.

That measure now begins:

SECTION 1.

(1) The State of Oregon declares homelessness to be a statewide emergency.

(2) An executive order by the Governor to address an emergency invoking ORS 401.165 (1) relating to homelessness or lack of available housing, including Executive Order 23-02 or any continuation of the order or similar order, is applicable to the entire state.

These critical clarifications signal a real victory for 25 rural counties and hundreds of small cities and towns. The rough counts of homeless Oregonians report a total population of 18,000. Four thousand of these, about one-in-six, are in counties not covered by the initial declaration. In short, rather than being out, we are now in…

Another problem with the initial homeless counts I pointed out was that they did not include students. In Lincoln County, one in five students are considered lacking long-term shelter. The new measure specifically addresses youth homelessness. The measure also includes sections to encourage and support modular housing. And there will be funding to help communities build new housing by paying some predevelopment costs, including infrastructure, site acquisition, planning, surveys and consultants. Finally, the measure addresses situations where tenants may be facing eviction while waiting for public support payments.

I expect to see HB 2001 approved quickly in the Housing Committee and then, because it will cost money, be sent to Ways and Means where it will be referred to my subcommittee. After our hearings, we will return the measure to the full Ways and Means Committee and from there to the House and Senate for a final vote. By mid-March, the package could be on the Governor’s desk where it would take effect as soon as she signs it.

Housing is a major issue and is being addressed in a swift and meaningful way. Watch for news in the next few days.

Friday we had no committee meetings scheduled and I was able to attend the Lincoln City Chamber Accessible Travel Conference.

The event was designed to help businesses and communities become more welcoming and accessible to travelers with disabilities, older visitors, their families, and their companions.

For those with movement disabilities, going to the Oregon coast can be a frustration. But in Lincoln City, beaches are now more accessible. Lincoln City’s Parks and Recreation Department, Explore Lincoln City, and Public Works have teamed together and brought in two beach wheelchairs for public use along with three portable Mobi-Mats that allow better access.

Susie was able to use the Mobi-Mat in Taft last summer with her wheelchair-bound mother. I received a “thumbs up” from both for a better beach experience.

“Mobi-Mats” are making Lincoln City beaches more accessible for everyone. Courtesy: Explore Lincoln City.

Not coincidentally, eight Oregon Coast destination management organizations have been granted a total of $201,240 to partner with Wheel the World, a global accessible travel company, in their effort to make the Oregon Coast more accessible to travelers with disabilities.

• Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce, $35,000
• City of Lincoln City, $20,000
• Coos Bay-North Bend-Charleston Visitor & Convention Bureau, $25,000
• Depoe Bay Chamber of Commerce, $20,000
• Florence Area Chamber of Commerce, $30,500
• Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce, $33,190
• Waldport Chamber of Commerce, $17,550
• Yachats Chamber of Commerce, $20,000

These communities and organizations are working to provide disabled travelers with comprehensive, accurate information to make their stay on the Oregon Coast more accessible.

Lincoln City Mayor Susan Wahlke, Chamber Executive Director Lori Arce-Torres and Representative Gomberg

We’re at a stage where every day it seems I’m preparing and presenting testimony to Committees. Last Monday it was HB 2800, which works to address age discrimination in hiring. I am a Chief Sponsor of this measure introduced at the request of AARP.

Roughly one-third of the residents of my district are over the age of 65. Many have chosen to continue working or take part-time jobs to supplement retirement income. With low unemployment and growing shortages of skilled, qualified workers, Oregon’s older workers can help employers fill those gaps. But sadly, many older workers experience problems on the job and discrimination in the hiring process.

The measure was heard by the House Committee On Business and Labor and I’m hopeful they will send it on its legislative way soon.

Chief Co-Sponsor Sosa with AARP members after the Committee Hearing

Housing and Semiconductors are issues on the fast track this session. But before we wrap up business in late June, transportation will emerge as another critical topic.

How do we pay for roads and bridges in Oregon? We now enjoy 74,000 miles of highways, streets and roads, and about 8,000 bridges. Many are suffering and in need of repair. Costs are going up! But in simple terms, our primary source of money for roads is the gasoline tax. And many Oregonians are driving less, using more efficient vehicles, or cars that don’t use gasoline at all! That’s all good news but leaves a growing hole in how we pay for maintenance, replacements or additions.

Here’s an example. Oregon is looking at finally addressing a new bridge across the Columbia. The proposed bridge replacement would include seismic upgrades to the spans across the Columbia River, and an extra lane in each direction. Construction on the bridge wouldn’t begin until at least 2025 and is contingent on the bridge planners coming up with $3 billion more than previously expected.

Oregon’s current fuel tax is $0.38 per gallon (in Washington, it’s 49 cents). The federal fuel tax adds $0.184 per gallon. Increases to that tax will encourage more people to shift to hybrid or electric vehicles and generate less revenue. And a persistent argument is that rural residents need to drive further to get to work, school, or shopping meaning higher taxes land disproportionately on rural drivers.

Alternatives? Drivers in Oregon now have the option of paying by the mile rather than by the gallon. ODOT created a website and program called OReGO where drivers can sign up to volunteer for a program where they pay a fee for every mile they drive on public roads. Currently it’s just under 2 cents per mile. The program isn’t gaining much traction. About 700 people have signed up so far, either reporting their mileage to the state or by using GPS devices to track their travel. And while this trial process may eventually become the norm, it fails to collect money from drivers who visit Oregon rather than live here.

This brings us to the tolling option.

It’s looking inevitable that tolls are coming to interstates around the Portland area. The Oregon Department of Transportation is well on its way into the planning and review process.

For the uninitiated, tolling will mean that drivers need to pay to use certain bridges or roadways. Tolls are more common on the East Coast, though they’re also used in places like Seattle. According to ODOT’s vision of the program in Portland, drivers would carry a transponder inside of their cars, which would flag tolling sensors overhead when driving through the area. No one would be stopping at a booth.

For drivers that don’t install a transponder, the system would read their license plate and send a bill to the corresponding address. In Seattle, it’s a lot more expensive to pay this way.

My committee recently heard an update from ODOT on the Urban Mobility Strategy and Financing – translation, tolling. The presentation and materials are worth watching.

For the time being, these conversations – and they are not without controversy – are focused in the Portland area. But at some point, we need to determine how to pay for repairs or replacement of our aging coastal bridges and highways.

We now begin the fifth full week of this legislative session.  While the headlines have been full of a scandal regarding OLCC (Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission) officials getting the inside track on some very rare and expensive liquor (no, I was not a recipient), we’ve been busily doing the people’s business.

I will admit however, to taking a bit of time off Sunday afternoon to watch a fine football game.

 

Warm Regards,

 

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