Hello Friends,
Members of the Legislature were at the capitol in Salem
last week for the latest round of committee days. The
meetings were held for the sake of developing proposed
legislation for the upcoming short session, which begins
February 1.
Every Senator and Representative has two priority bills
that they can introduce for the session. January 11 was
the deadline for bill drafts to be completed by
Legislative Counsel, the team of attorneys who writes
the laws, and returned to legislators. From there, we
had until Tuesday, January 19 to submit those drafts for
consideration.
The committee hearings held during legislative days give
us the opportunity to hear about some of the bills that
are being proposed, as well as the funding requests that
state agencies are putting forth. Four of the six
committees to which I am assigned met last week, and a
wide variety of topics were discussed in each of them.
On Wednesday, Jan. 13, the Joint Interim Committee on
Ways and Means Subcommittee on Transportation and
Economic Development held a meeting. Along with the
other members of the committee, I heard presentations
from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs on
transportation of veterans in rural areas and from the
Housing and Community Services Department on Oregon’s
Foreclosure Avoidance Program. We were also briefed by
the Department of Aviation on the state’s Aviation Plan.
To watch a video of the committee
hearing,
click here.
The House Interim Committee on Revenue met the following
day, on Thursday, January 14. We heard from the
Legislative Revenue Office about the implications of
2015 federal tax policy changes and the pricing of
transferable energy tax credits. The Secretary of State
Audits Division presented a report about a delinquent
debt collection audit, and Rep. Andy Olson (R-Albany)
and Rep. Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis) discussed the
extension of a tax credit for a university venture
development fund.
Three specific legislative concepts were also talked
about in the committee hearing. They include a tax
expenditure review, a modification of the state’s liquor
revenue system and a reconnection to the federal tax
code.
Click
here
to view footage of the Revenue Committee meeting.
Later on that day, the House Interim Committee on
Agriculture and Natural Resources held an informational
meeting on the state’s wolf management policies and
programs. Testimony was provided by representatives of
the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Oregon
Farm Bureau, Oregon Hunters Association, Oregon
Cattleman’s Association, the Humane Society, Defenders
of Wildlife and Oregon Wild. We also heard presentations
on bills that will be introduced for the 2016 session
and held a work session on legislative concepts that are
set to be considered by the committee.
Footage of the committee meeting
can be accessed
here.
The Joint Interim Committee on Ways and Means met on the
morning of Friday, January 15.
In that meeting, we heard from the Department of
Education about its Preschool Promise Program, as well
as the financial impact of instruction time rules and
deferred maintenance at the Oregon School for the Deaf.
Representatives from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA)
spoke about enrollment in the Oregon Health Plan.
Reports were given by OHA and the Department of Human
Services on efforts to rebalance their budgets.
An update was given by the Department of Corrections on
the state’s inmate population. The Department of Justice
discussed funding for a Criminal Justice Division Fusion
Center, a traffic safety resource prosecutor, marijuana
civil legal services and child support enforcement
automated system.
We also heard updates from the Oregon Youth Authority
about the use of isolation, and from the Department of
State Lands about its wetland program development. The
Department of Land Conservation and Development
discussed local government hazard mitigation planning,
and the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries
gave a presentation on sea cliff erosion.
The Department of Consumer and Business Services talked
about the Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace, and we
also heard from the Construction Contractors Board about
its staffing levels and quality of service, and from the
Department of Administrative Services about its ongoing
efforts involving information technology reorganization.
To watch the meeting, click
here.
As you can see, there will be many
important issues to be considered in the upcoming
session once it starts. The Legislative process depends
on the participation on the citizens who will ultimately
be affected by any new laws, rules and regulations
passed by this body. Fortunately, the Legislative
website,
www.oregonlegislature.gov,
contains a wealth of information about the proposals
that will be considered, and also allows citizens to
watch committee hearings live as they happen and
contains archived footage of meetings that have already
taken place. I strongly urge you to keep up to date on
what will be happening, and let my office know how you
feel about the various bills so that I can better
represent you as a constituent.
Yours Truly,
Representative Gail Whitsett
House District 56
COMMITTEES:
email:
Rep.GailWhitsett@state.or.us
I phone: 503-986-1456
address: 900 Court St NE, H-474, Salem, OR 97301
website:
http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/whitsettg |
