It is important to note that during the short session, each legislator can only have two personal bills, and each legislative committee is allowed up to three committee bills. My three priorities are as follows:
1. PROTECTING VICTIMS
HB 4146 is a pivotal step in combating abuse facilitated through technology and increasing access to protection orders for victims. HB 4146 does two things:
Closes a loophole in Oregon’s revenge porn statute
Oregon statute requires that victims of revenge porn be “identifiable” in the explicit photos shared of them. This has led to instances where courts cannot convict perpetrators because the victims were not identifiable solely through the photo, even if they could be through additional relevant evidence.
HB 4146 removes the word “identifiable” from the statute, greatly increasing the likelihood of justice for victims.
Increases restraining order filing options
Domestic and sexual violence survivors can currently file for restraining orders in the counties where they or their abusers reside.
This package expands these options to also allow survivors to file for where the abuse occurred, an option currently only available to victims of stalking.
HB 4146 represents our commitment to evolving our legal frameworks to address the changing nature of abuse and harassment in the digital age. I urge you to support this bill and help make our state a safer, more just place for everyone.
2. ADDRESSING LARGE-SCALE ILLEGAL DRUG MANUFACTURERS
HB 4144 Hopes to address the increase in large illegal drug manufacturers that are increasingly producing illicit pills in Oregon, lacing Fentanyl into counterfeit drugs like Xanax, Adderall, and Oxycontin skyrocketing overdoses in our communities.
WHAT IS A PILL PRESS MACHINE?
A machine that compresses powder into tablets. They can make up to 3,000 pills/hour, driving Oregon’s drastic rising overdose rate.
WHY WE NEED CHANGE?
We are seeing an increase in pill press operations in Oregon and across the country that are targeting our most vulnerable populations, including our children. This is merely a small step targeting illicit drug manufacturers, not the user, and gives prosecutors a strong negotiating tool in plea bargaining.
WHAT ARE OUR CURRENT LAWS?
Unfortunately, Oregon has some of the lowest penalties for utilizing a pill press machine to produce illicit drugs on the West Coast. We are looking to increase the penalty to a Class C Felony with penalties up to five years in prison and a $125,000 fine.
3. FIGHTING ODOT’S PROPOSED TOLLING PROJECT
While legislation on transportation will not come until the 2025 long session, I am committed to pushing back against ODOT’s tolling project as it currently stands. I’ve seen firsthand how ODOT has ignored our community, which is why I fought hard to encourage Governor Tina Kotek to pause tolling until 2026, effectively preventing any tolling activities before that year. Additionally, I pressured the legislature to establish a legislative subcommittee on transportation planning, which I’m honored to serve on.
I was thrilled to see so many of you at that committee’s meeting at Gladstone High School, where I called on the committee to look at all transportation funding options, not just tolling, and to require a comprehensive audit of ODOT. After hearing from you, it feels like the committee is starting to shift its perspective!
Oregon has been one of the most innovative states in the nation, and we owe it to our communities to find better options than this tolling plan.
In addition to my two personal bills, we are also engaged in many other pieces of great legislation. As a Chief Sponsor, I am engaged in advocating for the policy on an active level. As a Regular Sponsor, I am a supporter of the policy and express my support ahead of the passing of the bill. Below you will find details on the legislation I am a Chief Sponsor of and a list, with links, of legislation that I am a Regular Sponsor of.
HB 4120: This bill allows police to take a person who suffered an overdose in public to a treatment or sobering facility and expands how long a person may be held after being given an opiate antagonist (such as Narcan), up to 72 hours.
According to the Oregon Health Authority, an average of three people die every day from an unintended drug overdose. Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2019, a federal drug task force that operates in Oregon and Idaho seized 43 doses of fentanyl. Just three years later, in 2022, they seized more than 32 million doses. In 2022, 955 Oregonians died from an opioid overdose.
Individuals suffering from overdoses are given multiple doses of an opiate antagonist to reverse the effects of opioids. It is important for those who survive to get help and get on the road to recovery. It is also important that people realize that they died, were brought back, and have another opportunity to get treatment.
This bill is one step toward bringing individuals who are struggling with addiction to a place of stability.
HB 4124: The Act funds cultural groups in Oregon in response to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on organization finances.
The state’s arts and culture organizations provide vital services to support youth education, share our history, and foster community. Without immediate short-term financial assistance to help stabilize arts and cultural institutions, they will see a significant reduction in operations in 2024 which will affect their ability to fulfill their missions and serve their communities.
Leading arts and cultural organizations are running 6- to 7-figure budget deficits due to a loss of earned revenue from lower attendance sales; and increased pandemic costs, including inflation, rising labor and security costs, increased venue costs, higher property insurance premiums, escalating government fees and mounting costs to retain and recruit technically skilled workers.
In Oregon, arts and culture is a $9.3 billion industry—3.4% of the state economy—and supports 62,725 jobs. This bill is an investment in Oregon’s healthy economy as well as our community's well-being.
HB 4131: The bill continues funding for IDAs (individual development accounts) at 10 million dollars from the general fund. Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) offer matching cash for asset building, information about financial systems, and community-based support for Oregonians with low to moderate incomes. Participants use IDA match dollars to leverage the power of their savings in support of their financial goals, such as purchasing a house, buying a car, or saving for college. Match amounts and asset goals vary by saver, with timelines ranging from 6 months to 3+ years.
IDAs have helped Oregon individuals and families successfully save, stabilize financially, and pursue financial goals for over twenty years. Created in 1999 by the Oregon State Legislature, IDA brings state agencies, private non-profits such as credit unions, tribal partners, and private contributors together to create opportunity in Oregon. IDAs are match savings accounts, which provide Oregonians, 12 years and older, the opportunity to build financial skills while they save towards a defined goal, and for every dollar they save, the Initiative typically matches three dollars.
HB 4148: The Wildlife Package builds on recent/unfinished work in the areas of wildlife disease, invasive species, wildlife coexistence, and wildlife corridors, including a number of areas that I supported last session. The bill is a bright spot for bipartisan collaboration, with a broad coalition of support that includes diverse representation across wildlife advocates, hunting/sporting groups, and more.
The Wildlife Package addresses issues in four areas: 1) wildlife and zoonotic disease prevention and response, 2) invasive species prevention and response, 3) wildlife coexistence and conflict reduction, and 4) Wildlife corridors and road crossings. For more information about the package, see this one-pager and the bill’s OLIS page.
SB 1594: Right now, Oregon lacks both the safety measures and training investments needed to address our growing behavioral health workforce crisis. The increasing caseloads at understaffed facilities have exposed major safety concerns we’ve long been fighting against — now workers have died preventable deaths. This is unacceptable.
In the 2024 Session, it is critical that we improve the safety protocols within our behavioral health facilities. The 2024 Behavioral Health Workforce Package is asking for a $4.7 million investment that will:
By requiring safety plans at behavioral health facilities, establishing enforcement mechanisms at OHA, and investing in behavioral health workforce training, we can begin filling the workforce gaps and ensure our existing workers are safe on the job.
