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April 13 , 2015 

 

About a thousand of the 2700+ bills introduced this session died this past Friday because they did not have a work session scheduled in the chamber of origin by the April 10th deadline. Of the 245 bills being tracked by the I/DD Coalition, 141 bills remain active and "alive. For a list of the 41 highest priority bills being tracked by the I/DD Coalition, click here.  

 

The next deadline is April 21st. Committees must consider measures in the chamber of origin and pass them out of committee no later than April 21, 2015.  Committee agendas are ambitious and they change frequently, so keep an eye on future issues of the GO Bulletin for the latest information on bills of interest to the developmental disabilities community.    

 

Note: This deadline does not apply to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, other joint committees, the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue, House Committee on Revenue, and the Senate and House Committees on Rules.  

Oregon's ABLE Act - Advocacy Needed This Week!    

SB 777, Oregon's "ABLE" Act is the bill that allows individuals who experience disability to establish tax-advantaged savings accounts for disability-related expenses, continues its journey through the legislative process. The bill is now in the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue and has a public hearing on Wednesday, April 15th at 8:30 am in HR A.   

 

It is important that we continue to inform legislators that this bill is extremely important to individuals experiencing disability and to their families. Between now and next Wednesday, please take a minute to call, send an email, or reach out through social media to the following members of the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue to let them know that passage of the ABLE Act in Oregon is important to you. The members of the Senate Finance and Revenue Committee as follows:

    

Chair: Senator Mark Hass | Vice-Chair: Senator Brian Boquist  

Member: Senator Herman Baertschiger Jr. | Member: Senator Chris Edwards  

Member: Senator Chuck Riley | Committee Assistant: Anna Grimes 

    

For helpful background information and talking points on the ABLE Act, click here.

Advocacy Opportunities

 

COMMUNITY PUBLIC HEARINGS ON STATE BUDGET THIS WEEK 

 

Don't forget that the Joint Committee on Ways and Means is traveling throughout the state for the next few weeks in order to give Oregonians an opportunity to provide public comment on the state's budget for the next biennium. The following are the community public hearings for this week:

 

Tuesday, April 14 - Lincoln City, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm, Lincoln City Cultural Center 

Thursday, April 16 - Gresham, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm, Mt. Hood Community College

 

Please see the special  GO! Bulletin Action Alert issued on April 9th for more information about what you can do to make a visible show of support for developmental disability services at these community hearings.

 

MARK YOUR CALENDAR - NEXT ADVOCACY DAY AY THE CAPITOL

 

The next DD Advocacy Day is April 22. This advocacy day will focus on the promise of community housing for people with I/DD: The Fairview Trust.  Please schedule your appointments with legislators to talk about this important promise to the I/DD Community!

Important Hearings This Week

The following are some of the important hearings or work sessions taking place this week:

 

Monday, April 13

 

8:00 am, HR E: House Committee on Business and Labor will be holding an informational meeting on "Minimum Wage in Oregon" with invited testimony. See related 6:00 pm meeting discussed below.

 

1:00 pm, HR C: Senate Committee on Workforce will be holding an informational meeting on "Minimum Wage" with invited testimony. See related 6:00 pm meeting discussed below.

 

3:00 pm, HR D: House Committee on Human Services and Housing-

  • Public hearing on HB 2360, which requires the Department of Human Services to notify a school district, the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission and the Department of Education of a report of alleged child abuse occurring at school.
  • Work sessions on three tax credit bills we're tracking: HB 2119 (personal exemption credit for taxpayer with severe disability), HB 2122 (tax credit for child with a disability) and HB 2239 (tax credit for hiring of at-risk or disadvantaged youth).

6:00 pm, HR F: There will be a joint evening meeting of the House Committee on Business and Labor and the Senate Committee on Workforce to discuss minimum wage bills and to hold public hearings on 10 bills addressing the Oregon minimum wage:  HB 2004, HB 2008, HB 2009, HB 2012, SB 327, SB 597, SB 610, SB 682, SB 130, and SB 332. 

  

Tuesday, April 14

 

3:00 pm, HR B: Senate Committee on Human Services and Early Childhood will be holding work sessions on the following bills:

  • SB 840: Authorizes licensed independent practitioner to initiate or approve pre-hearing detention in hospital or non-hospital facility of person who is subject of civil commitment proceedings.
  • SB 632: Directs the Department of Human Services to establish two pilot programs in rural and urban regions of this state to improve the quality and effectiveness of foster care for children and wards placed in the legal custody of the department for care, placement and supervision.

Wednesday, April 15

 

8:00 am, HR D: House Committee on Higher Education, Innovation and Workforce Development is holding work sessions on two previously identified "placeholder" bills: HB 2860 and HB 2870. We will be watching to see the amendments to these bills that will be introduced during these work sessions.

 

8:00 am, HR 343: Senate Committee on Judiciary will be holding a work session on  SB 602, which establishes a Task Force on Criminal Records Checks for Professions that Involve Essential Services.

 

8:00 am, HR E: House Committee on Business and Labor will be holding a work session on HB 3377 which authorizes an employee of certain employers to request a flexible or predictable work schedule and requires an employer to engage in an interactive process with the employee to attempt to establish a mutually acceptable work schedule.    

 

8:30 am, HR F: Joint Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Human Services will be holding an informational meeting on "Housing Issues," which will include invited speakers discussing the issue from several different vantage points including DHS Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

 

8:30 am, HR A: Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue will be holding a public hearing on SB 777, Oregon's ABLE Act. See the discussion about for more information on how you can help advocate for this important bill!

 

1:00 pm, HR C: Senate Committee on Workforce-

  • Work session on SB 311, which establishes foster parents as public employees for purposes of labor organization activities.
  • Public hearing and possible work session on SB 888, which authorizes an employee of certain employers to request a flexible or predictable work schedule and requires an employer to engage in an interactive process with the employee to attempt to establish a mutually acceptable work schedule.

Thursday, April 16

 

1:00 pm, HR D: House Committee on Consumer Protection and Government Effectiveness will be holding a work session on the following bills:

  • HB 2599: Prohibits a public utility from terminating electric or natural gas service to certain residential customers under certain circumstances.
  • HB 3248: Requires a qualified nonprofit agency for individuals with disabilities to pay the prevailing rate of wage that the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries determines and to comply with other applicable provisions of state labor standards.

1:00 pm, HR C: Senate Committee on Education will be holding work sessions on the following bills:

  • SB 322: Establishes a funding mechanism for fifth year high school programs.
  • SB 612: Requires school districts to screen students for risk factors for dyslexia and to ensure specified staff members receive training related to dyslexia.

3:00 pm, HR B: Senate Committee on Human Services and Early Childhood will be holding work sessions on the following bills we're tracking:

  • SB 710: Relating to health records requested to obtain Social Security benefits.
  • SB 226: Requires the Department of Human Services to report to the Legislative Assembly concerning needed legislative changes by September 1, 2015.
  • SB 774: Creates a task force to investigate expanding the authority of the Home Care Commission to provide services to home care workers.

Friday, April 17

 

1:00 pm, HR E: House Committee on Health Care has scheduled a work session on HB 3347, which modifies the definition of "person with mental illness" as used in civil commitment statutes.

 

1:00 pm, HR D: House Committee on Education will be holding work sessions on the following bills:

  • HB 3319: Directs Department of Education to evaluate methods to reduce dropout rates.
  • HB 3389: Establishes Oregon Quality Education Model Modernization Task Force.

3:00 pm, HR D: House Committee on Human Services and Housing has scheduled work sessions on the following bills:

  • HB 2756: Requires licensing agency to adopt rules to ensure that caregivers in licensed residential facilities and adult foster homes have practical knowledge and skills necessary to maintain health, safety and welfare of residents.
  • HB 2360: Requires the Department of Human Services to notify a school district, the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission and the Department of Education of a report of alleged child abuse occurring at school.
Post Your Photo Rally Pictures!

Participate in our virtual rally to show support for DD services. It's fun and easy! Just print a Photo Rally Sign, have a picture taken of you holding the sign, and post the photo on your Facebook and then share it on the Oregon I/DD Coalition Facebook Page. If you are with an organization, be sure to mention the organization in your post. 

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Now, Let's GO!

Cheryl Cisneros,  GO Project Coordinator
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