GO! Bulletin
2022 Legislative Session Update

We are almost halfway through this short legislative session. This week we have more policy bill deadlines looming. For a bill to be heard in committee by second chamber deadline (February 18), it must be posted on an agenda for work session by February 24. However, this does not apply to Rules, Revenue, or Joint Committees.
 
Any bills in a policy committee that are not scheduled for a work session by this deadline cannot become a law this session.
Senate Resolution 201Honoring Kathryn Weit
 
On Thursday, February 10th, the Senate honored Kathryn Weit. If you were unable to watch this beautiful tribute, you can see it here. It begins at 19:00 the time mark and you can hear Senate President Courtney’s moving final remarks at 1:01:00.  Senator Gelser Blouin spoke about the life and legacy of Kathryn and what she meant to the I/DD community and the impact that she had on her own life and trajectory.  At that point, Senators from all around Oregon took opportunities to share testimonies from the record or stories of Kathryn from their own lives. A tremendous thank you to Senator Gelser Blouin for her work to arrange this special time to honor Kathryn. Our sincere thanks go out to every legislator who spoke or yielded their time to others to allow for us to honor this incredible colleague, advocate, mentor, and friend. We are also grateful to Governor Brown who attended this tribute to Kathryn. 
 
Please join us in thanking Senators Gelser Blouin; Golden; Steiner Hayward; Dembrow; Thomsen; Patterson; Frederick; Prozanski; Knopp; Senate President Courtney for honoring Kathryn and her work and dedication to the I/DD community. 
 
If you want to also thank you Governor Brown for attending this tribute to Kathryn, send an email to her through her Human Services Advisor, Rosa Klein.
Oregon Revenue Forecast

As we are midway through our legislative session, the revenue forecast shows that revenues are expected to exceed what was forecasted just a few months prior. Tax revenues are up and higher than previously projected.  Oregon’s projected balance is up $979.3M from the end of the December 2021 revenue.
 
Legislators plan to spend more on legislative priorities this session as well as putting money away in the states reserves. A main priority of the Governor Kate Brown’s agenda would be putting $200 million to prepare people for careers in health care, construction, or manufacturing. 
 
You can view the Legislative Revenue Office (LRO) Forecast summary here.
Governor Brown's $400 Million Housing Proposal

Everyone deserves a safe, affordable and accessible place to call home. Yet, many low-income Oregonians and their families are struggling to find housing. We hear this from self-advocates and family members regularly.
 
Governor Brown and Oregon Housing and Community Services (Oregon’s housing agency) have developed the following housing proposal investments:

Homelessness Services Infrastructure: $500,000
Homeowner Support and Stability: $9-25 million
Housing Supply: $339.5 million including:

$170 to preserve affordable housing, provide operational support to housing providers, and expand cooling opportunities in response to this summer’s heat waves
$50M to help build new housing
$35M to build new homes in smaller communities
$30M to build new affordable homes
$29.5M to acquire at-risk manufactured home parks
$25M for the Land Acquisition Program

You can read more specifics about each of these components in this OHCS memo.
 
Housing matters to every Oregonian. Tell your legislators today that you support Governor Brown’s $400 million Housing Investment Package. Consider using the following template:
  • Introduce yourself and say you are a constituent and a member of the Developmental Disability Community.
  • Tell your legislator that every Oregonian deserves a safe, affordable and accessible place to call home.
  • Explain why housing matters to you.
  • Tell your legislator why more affordable housing is important
  • Say thank you!
 
It’s quick and easy to find out who your State Senator and State Representative are at www.oregonlegislature.gov
Bills & Hearings

Below are just some of the bills that we are tracking during the upcoming week. See our DD Coalition Bill Tracking Report for details.

Monday, February 14, 2022
 
8:00am/ Remote C: House Committee on Housing will be holding a work session on the following bill:
HB 4125: Amends requirements for residential landlords accepting applicant screening charge.
 
8:00am/ Remote A: Senate Committee on Housing and Development will be holding a work session on the following bill:
SB 1536: Limits restrictions on portable cooling devices in residences by landlords, homeowners’ associations, condominium associations and local governments.
 
8:00am/ Remote B: Senate Committee on Judiciary and Ballot Measure 110 Implementation will be holding a work session on the following bill:
SB 1560:  Updates statutory references to individual who is not citizen or national of United States to replace "alien" with "noncitizen."
Directs state agencies to use "noncitizen" in rules and regulations to reference individual who is not citizen or national of United States and to update rules and regulations that use "alien" to use "noncitizen."
Makes non-substantive changes.
 
1:00pm/ Remote C: House Committee on Business and Labor will be holding a work session on the following bill:
HB 4019: Requires Oregon Department of Administrative Services to periodically conduct performance audit of public agencies to determine compliance with laws that require procurements from qualified nonprofit agencies for individuals with disabilities.
 
3:15pm/ Remote D: House Committee on Health Care will be holding a work session on the following bills:
HB 4109:  Directs Newborn Bloodspot Screening Advisory Board to evaluate and make recommendations on adding diseases to Oregon newborn bloodspot screening panel under specific circumstances.
 
HB 4034:  Deletes requirement that coordinated care organization collect specified data from members and submit data to Oregon Health Authority.
 
HB 4039: Modifies financial requirements for coordinated care organization expenditures on social determinants of health and health equity.
 
Tuesday, February 15th, 2022
 
House Convenes at 11:00am:
HB 4133: Requires electronic voter registration system to allow qualified individual to register to vote if individual has Social Security number.
 
       
Wednesday, February 16th, 2022
 
8:00am/ Remote A: Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue will hold a public hearing on the following bill:
SB 1539:   Establishes pilot program to provide funding to school districts for purposes of increasing access to schools by homeless students and improving academic achievement of homeless students.
Visit the GO Project's You Tube Channel legislative advocacy videos created by our GO! Advocacy Team.
About the Oregon DD Coalition
The Oregon DD Coalition advocates for DD services on behalf of and with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, and support organizations in Oregon.

We influence DD service and community support systems and legislation by communicating with a common, consistent voice – creating better opportunities for Oregonians with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Interested in signing up for the GO! Bulletin or
becoming a member of the Oregon DD Coalition?
 1775 32nd Place, Suite F, Salem OR 97301