OSCC House Bills

OSCC Member Report on House Bills – April 27

Review of past week (April 27 – May 1):

  • It was a slow week in the capitol. Many committees were cancelled as legislators spent several additional hours in floor session voting on a backlog of legislation. The legislature did not meet on Friday.
  • The House passed a much watered down version of “ban the box” legislation (HB 3025-A) by a narrow 33-27 vote. OSCC continues to oppose the legislation and will seek additional changes in the bill on the Senate side. OSCC’s lobbying effort – in conjunction with our friends and partners in business lobby – made it a surprisingly competitive vote in the House.

What we see coming up (May 3 – 7):

  • We are expecting the House to vote Tuesday on HB 2386-B, the bill that gives BOLI unilateral authority to issue cease and desist orders to businesses without going to court to gain approval. It further stacks the deck against employers by forcing them to go to a BOLI administrative law judge to appeal the order.

OSCC helped defeat this bill the first time it came to the House floor.  Now it’s up for a second time.  But the bill is actually worse since an employers’ only appeal rights is through a BOLI law judge.

As of today, this bill is being heavily contested.  It could go either way.  OSCC grassroots has been instrumental in pushing back hard against this bill.  At this point, we have the votes to defeat the bill.  However, House democratic leadership is starting to twist arms to get legislators to change their votes.

  • On a positive note, we’re seeing some positive movement on the local airport funding legislation, House Bill 2075. OSCC is now leading the coalition to pass this bill, which raises the jet fuel tax by 4 cents per gallon and raises $13 million per biennium for safety, economic development, and capital upgrades to Oregon’s system of local airports.

 

  • Also on a positive note, the package of bills aimed at re-claiming hundreds of brownfields properties and turning them in to economically viable parcels of land capable of supporting new business is starting to pick up steam. OSCC is supporting both House Bill 2289 (tax credit) and House Bill 2734 (local Land Bank authority), both of which create new tools to clean up brownfields and put that land back to use supporting business and job creation. Both of these bills will get vetted in the House Revenue Committee this week.OSCC footer House Bills