July 2011

Now that the 2011 Legislative Session is over, many of you are wondering what happened. What laws did legislators pass to make our state a better place for families and businesses? Thousands of bills were introduced, hundreds were adopted. Below there is information about the handful of measures I sponsored that were approved and another list of policy changes that might interest you.

Overall this session was all about compromise. With 30 Republican and 30 Democrat members in the House we used a system of co-governance with two committee chairs and even two speakers representing the different parties. I believe this prevented a lot of bad legislation from passing that would have further harmed Oregon's economy.

The recession prompted legislative leaders and the governor to approach the state budget by spending within our means using available revenue rather than budgeting to a wish list and being pressured to raise taxes. This was my first session serving on the budget committee and I learned how challenging it can be to manage funding for state services.

I'm proud that we were able to fund K-12 schools first giving them a little more money than the last state budget. We also exercised fiscal responsiblity by setting aside $460 million in a reserve fund so we can supplement critical state services if the economy doesn't pick up by next year.

While I am glad we were able to produce some positive reforms in state government, I'm dissappointed that several issues were left behind. These include sensible reforms to the retirement and health benefits system for state workers, cracking down on illegal immigration, requiring idenification for voter registration, supporting 2nd Amdendment rights, regulating protests at funerals, and changing state policies which discourage job growth in Oregon.

I will continue to work on these topics and many others. I was recently appointed to serve on a new committee to work on policy matters for the February 2012 legislative session and I encourage your input. You can send your suggestions to yourideas@oregonhouserepublicans.org

Sincerely,

Signature

Rep Thatcher Bills Adopted by Legislature

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Public Safety

House Bill 3075 requires first time DUII offenders to install ignition interlock devices on their cars as part of their diversion agreement. This legislation would have raised the court fees paid by offenders by $25 to help cover the cost of installing the devices for indigent people. Another bill was also adopted increasing the fee by $125.

House Bill 3204 makes sure certain sex offenders who live out of state but work or
attend school in Oregon are included in the Oregon sex offender registry. The new law also modifies which county and which agency an offender must register.

Good Government

House Bill 2825 enhances the Oregon Transparency website,

www.oregon.gov/transparency, by posting reports of economic development tax incentives and information about whether the projects receiving tax breaks are meeting expectations. Pictured above is the signing ceremony with Governor Kitzhaber, including Senator Larry George, Representative Thatcher, and Representative Phil Barnhart.

House Bill 2788 also expands the Transparency website by adding information about the State Treasurer's Office and a place for the public to find out about meetings for state agencies, boards and commissions.

2nd Amendment Rights

House Bill 2792 clarifies Oregon laws governing how you can carry a firearm on a motorcycle, ATV or snowmobile. First it says if you have a Concealed Handgun License (CHL) you can legally carry a loaded firearm concealed or openly on any of these vehicles. It also specifies the conditions for how you can carry if you don't have a CHL. The firearm can either be in a locked container or be equipped with a trigger lock of some sort. Or you can carry openly. For an ATV or snowmobile you can carry openly if there is no round in the chamber or aligned with the hammer in the case of a revolver. This measure included provisions which prohibited some felons from having their gun rights restored by the courts.

Education

House Bill 2280 improves the ability of the Secretary of State's Audit's Division and the Oregon Department of Education to audit school distircts and Education Service Districts using performance or financial audits.

Economy

House Bill 2770 takes the first step toward establishing a Business Ombudsman for Oregon to help companies navigate the state's rules and regulations.

A "Few" of the Other New Laws
Adopted by 2011 Legislature

Economy

Oregon Wineries received a boost from a new Wine Country license plate which will be used to promote tourism and the wine industry (Senate Bill 442). Other bills (House Bill 3280 and Senate Bill 960) will make land use laws more flexible for some wineries.
The Enterprise Zone program was extended until 2025 allowing communities to offer property tax incentives to businesses that want to locate, expand and create jobs (House Bill 3017).
Industrial Development was enhanced with a new expedited permitting process to help industrial projects get approval under state and local land use laws (Senate Bill 766).

Education

School choice for Oregon families will be expanded with new laws to help increase enrollment in virtual charter schools (House Bill 2301), allow more options for charter school sponsorship (House Bill 3645), and give students the ability to transfer to other school districts (House Bill 3681).
Some Oregon K-12 schools will have greater freedom to decide if they want to participate in a regional Education Service District (Senate Bill 250).

Environment/Natural Resources

Ranchers and farmers who have lost livestock due to predatory wolves will get compensation. Programs for wolf management will also be set up at the county level (House Bill 3560).

Government Accountability

The Governor and state agencies will now measure the results from state programs in the budgeting process focusing on outcomes and performance (Senate Bill 676). A new plan will also be developed to reduce the ratio of employees to managers in state agencies (House Bill 2020).

Health Care/Human Services

The way the Oregon Health Plan delivers services to some 500,000 people will now be overhauled to better utilize teams of doctors and dentists using coordinated care organizations with comprehensive services for physical and mental health care (House Bill 3650).
The state system for protecting children in foster care will be enhanced with new partnerships at the local level to help keep families together when appropriate (Senate Bill 964).

Public Safety

Several laws were enacted to crack down on young victims of sex trafficking including harsher penalties for pimps who coerce minors into prostitution and johns who have sex with minors (Senate Bill 425, House Bill 2714).
Oregon's public universities will now have the option to set up police departments on campus with officers who are fully trained like other law enforcement personnel (Senate Bill 405).

Tax Policy

A new law reconnects key parts of Oregon's tax code with the federal code giving businesses greater ability to make capital investments and use accelerated depreciation. Parents can also get a deduction for covering children on health insurance to age 27 and college students can deduct tuition expenses (Senate Bill 301).
Many of Oregon's tax credits were revamped saving the state hundreds of millions of dollars in the years ahead. (House Bill 3672) The new law also breaks up the Business Energy Tax Credit into different categories for renewable energy, conservation and transportation.

Veterans

Up to three additional Oregon Veterans Homes can now be created to serve the needs of the state's aging veteran population. The Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs will also study the need for skilled nursing beds and other services (House Bill 2578, House Bill 3208)

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New Map for House District 25

For the first time in decades, state lawmakers reached agreements on new political boundaries for legislative and congressional districts avoiding a lengthy process involving the Secretary of State or the courts. Redistricting is required by law every 10 years after the federal census is completed.

Click on this link to see the new boundaries for Representative Thatcher's legislative district.

Thoughts for Thatcher

What issues did you want to see the legislature resolve this year that remain undecided or need more work? Are there topics you want state lawmakers to take up in future sesions?

Click here to respond or email rep.kimthatcher@state.or.us

Feedback from last newsletter question

How do you feel about state government increasing fees in order to pay for a variety of services?

Responses received:

The state needs to show they can manage their existing money effectively before asking citizens for more.
Our state government already has access to huge funds; more than is needed. Neither the administrators nor the legislators have demonstrated the discipline, responsibility, prudence or common sense to correctly budget and prioritize funds at hand.
It really depends on how much the fees would increase and what they would be for? I would approve a minimal fee increase, but not more than $5.00 perhaps.
Government needs to live within their means. They need to cut spending as most individuals have had to do.
I do not believe the state should charge more to build bike & hiking paths for a very few people that will use them.
We do not need to increase fees on the taxpayers. I think that governments function is to provide for police, fire protection, necessary infrastructure to provide the basic essential services.
I generally support the concept provided it results in reduction of taxes elsewhere. A good place to begin is with government schools.
I do not like user fees. It is a gimmick by Oregon government to tax unfairly a relative small group of people. It is a way for government to get money with no meaningful input from the taxpayer.

If you want to contact Rep Thatcher's office you can send an email to rep.kimthatcher@state.or.us or call 503.986.1425

Write to Rep Thatcher at:

900 SE Court Street NE
Salem, OR 97301

www.leg.state.or.us/thatcher