This Week in Salem:
CRC Update:
The U.S. Coast Guard, which
has veto authority over the
Columbia River Crossing,
requested additional
information from project
managers before it considers
a bridge permit. Read
Oregonian's article.
PERS Update:
Portland attorney William
Gary issued a legal analysis
that the Oregon School
Boards Association's
proposal to cut PERS
benefits has "a firm legal
foundation." Read
Statesman Journal's article.
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Taxes, Ballots, and
Voter Registration:
The Oregon Education Association has
introduced a bill to remove
notifications on ballot envelopes
warning voters of potential property
tax hikes (read
Oregonian's article).
The
House Committee on Rules
is hearing three bills that would
tweak voter registration rules in
Oregon. Read
Oregonian's article.
-
HB 2017
would allow voters without
drivers licenses to update voter
registration online using the
last four digits of their Social
Security number as
identification.
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HB 2988
would allow a person at least 16
years old to register to vote.
They would still need to wait
until they were 18 to cast a
ballot.
-
HB 3175
urges public universities and
colleges to increase access to
voter registration information.
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A
Message from Representative Whitsett
With the passage of
Senate Bill 483,
the House and Senate voted in a
beginning step toward medical
malpractice reform. This compromise
bill resulted from a promise made by
Governor John Kitzhaber during the
last legislative session. In 2011,
the governor agreed to put forward a
medical liability bill in return for
passage of his Health Care Reform
Plan.
SB 483 is the result of a
gubernatorial work group where both
the trial lawyers and doctors agreed
to a confidential mediation process
for those medical errors which may
end in malpractice suits.
Under SB 483, the discussions are
confidential and the resultant
information cannot be entered into
evidence at trial, at a later date.
A primary concern regarding the bill
is that it does not go far enough
toward true medical tort reform.
As background information, Oregon’s
non-economic damages were limited to
$500,000 in 1987, but a subsequent
challenge to the Oregon Supreme
Court overturned the law in 1999 on
the basis that it was
unconstitutional. Oregon has not had
a cap on medical liability since
then and this bill represents a very
small, but positive step forward
toward true tort reform. It is hoped
that the Governor will continue to
push for the solid tort reform he
promised the state and the
legislature when his health care
reform bill was passed.
Spotlight On: HB 2015
Every week I will be focusing on one
of the bills I have introduced this
session.
Last week's
focus was TANF reform (HB 3322).
This week's spotlight is on
HB 2015,
which would notify women if their
mammogram indicates that their
breast tissue is dense.
Why is this an important issue?
According to the
Are You DENSE Advocacy Group:
- 40% of women have dense
breast tissue.
- Breast density is one of the
strongest predictors of the
failure of mammography to detect
cancer.
- Mammography misses every
other cancer in dense breasts.
- Breast density is a
well-established predictor of
breast cancer risk.
- Breast density is a greater
risk factor than having two
first degree relatives with
breast cancer.
Additionally, 95% of women do not
know their breast density.
Are
You Dense?
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Know Your Breast
Density!
Facts in support of
breast-density notification
legislation |
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If
passed, Oregon would join five other
states - California, Connecticut,
New York, Texas and Virginia - with
lifesaving breast-density
notification legislation. Fifteen
other states as well as the federal
government have similar bills
pending.
I expect HB 2015 to receive a
hearing on April 3rd in the House
Committee on Health Care and will
include its progress in future
newsletters.
Best regards,
Representative Gail Whitsett
House District 56 |
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Agriculture & Natural Resources
Agendas:
Tuesday 3/12/13
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Thursday 3/14/13
Tuesday's bills:
-
HB 3201
- Allows property owner to
recover damages resulting from
fire resulting from rule
violations or escaped fire from
forest land under certain
conditions
-
HB 3199
- Prohibits release of sky
lantern or discharge of
exploding target or tracer
ammunition during fire season on
or near forsest protection
district lands
-
HB 2027
- Requires DFW to develop
wildlife/human conflict
reduction program
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HB 2257
- Allows Water Resources
Department to amend
names/addresses on water rights
certificates and charge a fee
-
HB 2396
- Adds large woody debris to
removal-fill provisions
Thursday's bills:
-
HB 2259
- Increases certain fees charged
by Water Resources Department
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HB 2783
- Creates offense of unlawful
tethering
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HB 2992
- Authorizes OR Health Authority
to operate Farm Direct Nutrition
Program enabling WIC
participants to purchase fresh
produce at farmers' markets
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HB 2390
- Repeals sunset of provisions
allowing Dept. of Fish and
Wildlife to appoint person to
act as agent for purpose of
using dogs to hunt bear or
cougar
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HB 2039
- Creates and modifies
provisions related to the
regulation of outfitting and
guiding services
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Energy & Environment
Agendas:
Tuesday 3/12/13
-
Thursday 3/7/13
Tuesday's bills:
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HB 2435
- Exempts from fuel tax diesel
fuel blended with minimum 20%
biodiesel
-
HB 2321
- Requires agencies of executive
department to take certain
actions to protect environment
-
HB 2939
- Requires Public Utility
Commission to establish
comparative energy usage
disclosure program to notify
customers of comparative energy
usage
Thursday's bills:
-
HB 2435
- Exempts from fuel tax diesel
fuel blended with minimum 20%
biodiesel
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HB 2516
- Allows moneys in Watershed
Conservation Operating Fund and
Watershed Conservation Grant
Fund to be used for educating
elementary school students
concerning protection and
restoration of native fish or
wildlife habitats, watersheds or
ecosystems
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HB 2694
- Requires Department of State
Lands to study certain issues
related to development of energy
resources in Oregon's
territorial sea
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HB 2792
- Imposes tax on fuel suppliers
and utilities based on amount of
carbon in carbon-based fuel that
is supplied to consumers in this
state
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HB 2048
- Repeals sunset on
architectural paint stewardship
program
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HB 3448
- Exempts diesel fuel sold to
facilities that store more than
50 gallons of fuel for use in
emergency power generation from
requirement to contain certain
percentage of biodiesel or to
contain other diesel with
specified percentage of
renewable component
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Human
Resources & Housing
Agendas:
Monday 3/11/13
-
Wednesday 3/13/13
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Friday 3/15/13
Monday's bills:
-
HB 2013
- Directs Early Learning Council
and Department of Education to
assist school districts in
implementing process to assess
children to determine their
readiness for kindergarten
Wednesday's bills:
-
HB 2355
- Modifies method for
determining amount of lottery
proceeds to be allocated to
Problem Gambling Treatment Fund
fiscal quarter
-
HB 2477
- Extends sunset for earned
income tax credit
-
HB 2850
- Increases percentage of
federal earned income tax credit
allowable as credit against
Oregon personal income tax in
each of four consecutive tax
years
Friday's bills:
-
HB 2417
- Increases amount of fees
charged and collected by county
clerks to record or file certain
real property documents
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HB 2980
- Extends sunset for tax credits
for owning or operating
farmworker housing and for
lending to construct or
rehabilitate farmworker housing
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HB 2671
- Creates State Office of the
Public Guardian and Conservator
to provide public guardian and
conservator services for persons
without relatives or friends
willing or able to serve as
guardians or conservators
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HB 3129
- Prohibits person from being
nominated as fiduciary for three
or more protected persons who
are not related to person unless
person is certified as
professional fiduciary by
Department of Human Services
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