Volume II Newsletter | 08 March 2018
2018 Session Wrap-up: A Mixed Bag at Best
The good news is this actually was a “short” session ending 7 days before the constitutional deadline. Despite Democrats’ claims of bipartisanship, many substantial policy changes were forced through this short session. Legislation that passed in this short session SB 1528 added taxes to the smallest businesses in Oregon - denying them the opportunity for federal tax relief . Not a single Senate Republican voted in support of SB 1528 nor did any of the more business savvy democrats. It is ironic that this bill dumps small business interests in favor of a tax break for large corporations from Democrats who are generally more than happy to throw large corporations under the bus. 
The Oregon Small Business Association has already filed for a ballot measure titled the Small Business Tax Parity and Fairness Initiative.”   The petition is in response to SB 1528 which raises taxes on nearly 300,000 of Oregon's small businesses and leaving the Big c-corporations exempt while at the same time directing the money to a special tax credit fund designed to give tax breaks aimed at Oregon’s wealthiest.  SB 1528 is another tax disadvantage for small business compared to big business. The Small Business Tax Parity and Fairness Initiative aims to make things more equal and gives the citizens of Oregon the last say with voting on this matter.  
Controversial Legislation
Not a single Republican Senator voted to pass HB 4145 – The “Boyfriend Loophole” bill. After valiant efforts by Republicans to find compromise with this bill they got rolled by the Democrats who couldn’t even support a Republican amendment to allocate $10 million to the Oregon State Police to enforce firearms laws. Passing new laws without giving our law enforcement agencies the tools or funding needed to enforce the current laws is simply symbolism over substance. This bill could have been fixed or at least added the needed funding for law enforcement to properly complete the background checks. Instead the bill was forced through the legislature for political posturing right after the horrific Florida shooting. This bill was put forth well before that incident but they wanted to ram it through while it was a hot topic. 
Good News
Cap and Trade is dead – for now. I led the charge, followed by my Senate Republican colleagues, to kill  SB 1507 because of the outlandish cost to Oregonians with little to no impact on carbon emissions. This bill will certainly resurface in the 2019 Legislative Session. I wrote an op-ed explaining my position in greater detail which will be out soon but for now here is a list of my concerns from the bill and the DEQ list of potential entities that would have been taxed by this bill. The full bill can be read here: SB 1507   

The following bills I sponsored this session passed:

SB 1506 passed creating a wounded warrior parking permit program. with a service-related total disability of at least 50 percent. The permit would allow the holder to park for free in metered and time-limited public parking spaces. Since supporting our Veteran’s continues to be one of my highest priorities I am pleased to have passed this bill.

SB 1557 passed creating a Veteran’s community college credit program. This allows Veterans who are called into active duty in the middle of a college semester to keep their current academic status without having to take an incomplete or fail or lose tuition. A full article on this bill can be read: HERE

SB 1560 allows State forester to order and use wildfire suppression personnel equipment and services on any lands within the state. Forest fires continue to be a threat to our lands in Oregon and I am very supportive of efforts to enhance our forest fire containment & management practices.    

Senate Bills 1566 and 1529 , both PERS related bills, take an important step towards paying down PERS unfunded liabilities, and buying down PERS rates.
Other positive updates :
I had several pleasant and enjoyable visits from teachers and students from school districts all across the Senate district.
In the picture: foreign exchange students from many different schools within the district. Several were from Germany but we had students from all across the world and they were a very fun to spend the afternoon with. When I asked the question which school work was easier, here or in your home country they had the resounding response of "here."
Something to ponder.
I am also very pleased I was able to secure an additional $378,726 for the Oregon Military Museum at Camp Withycombe . " In 1975, the Oregon Military Department established the Oregon Military Museum as the official state repository for military weapons, documents, and artifacts relating to the military history of the citizens of Oregon. This collection of irreplaceable treasures defines Oregon’s military legacy and preserves it for future generations. Until 2009, the Oregon Military Museum collections were housed and displayed in several buildings located at Camp Withycombe, including the 6,000 sq. ft. main facility, the 1911 Battery A Field Artillery Horse Barn, and the World War II Quonset Hut. As the result of a massive base realignment process, the Museum has relocated to the 32,000 sq. ft. old Clackamas Armory at Camp Withycombe. The Museum’s move into the much larger building provides it with unique opportunities to expand operations to better fulfill its mission. It also presents some challenges."
The Capital Campaign will raise the funds necessary to transform the Clackamas Armory and grounds into a regionally significant, state-of-the-art home for the Oregon Military Museum. This will dramatically increase the Museum’s ability to serve the people of Oregon, the Pacific Northwest, and beyond. 

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Additional Bad News:
My Department of Energy restructuring bill (SB 1519) with Democrat Senator Lee Beyer failed to get a hearing in the Senate Rules Committee which rendered it dead for the 2018 session. Even with strong bi-partisan support from the Senate Democrats, the Governor was unwilling to make changes to a Department that has demonstrated incredibly poor management in the last decade in addition to fraud and millions in wasted tax dollars. I am extremely disappointed after spending the last two years developing a sound legislative proposal and obtaining bi-partisan support to find the Governor is only interested in protecting the status quo.
In Closing:
During the Interim I look forward to meeting with my constituents in Senate District 20 to identify any issues of concern. I will prepare for the 2019 Legislative Session with continued opposition to Cap and Trade and a renewed effort to address much needed changes to the Department of Energy.
I appreciate the opportunity to represent Senate District 20 and look forward to hearing from you.
Senator Alan Olsen | 503-266-4599 | alanolsensd20@gmail.com | www.alanolsen.com