Dead or Alive: Bill Status After March 17 First Chamber Work Session Deadline

Dead or Alive: Bill Status After March 17 First Chamber Work Session Deadline

Mar 23, 2023 | AOC Advocacy

The first chamber deadline on March 17 for a work session to be posted rendered many of this session’s introduced bills officially dead. The next deadline on April 4 for a bill to have had a work session will weed out even more. Below is a short list of AOC priority bills by portfolio and how they stand as of the March 17 deadline. Whether you are inclined to rejoice or despair, it is important to remember that there are various ways a supposedly ‘dead’ concept can be resurrected.

Governance, Revenue, & Veterans

Alive

SB 877 Staggered terms for County Commissioners

The Senate Committee on Rules voted unanimously on March 14 to pass SB 877 with an amendment clarifying if a commissioner is filling a vacancy in either the primary or the general election that term would be for two years.

HB 2490 Cybersecurity Public Records Exemption

The House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans passed HB 2490 unanimously on March 16.

HB 2806 Cybersecurity Executive Session

The House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans committee passed HB 2806 unanimously on March 14.

SB 417 and Other Public Records Bills

On Feb. 6, the AOC Legislative Committee adopted directions for AOC contract lobbyist, Anna Braun, to engage in public records bill discussions. Counties must be able to recoup their costs and requests for public records should not be frivolous. Contract lobbyist, Anna Braun, is a member of the workgroup on the public records bills. The workgroup is continuing to meet weekly.

SB 848 Duty to Defend

AOC voted on March 13 to oppose this bill and AOC contract lobbyist, Anna Braun, testified against the bill at the public hearing. The bill has been the subject of a workgroup led by committee chair, Senator Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene). The bill is scheduled for a work session on March 29.

Dead 

HB 2055 Streamlining the Procurement Process

The AOC legislative committee voted to support this bill on Jan. 6. This bill had a hearing on Feb. 1 in the House Committee on Business and Labor and had no opposition. Unfortunately, the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) had questions about the bill and it was never posted for a work session. AOC is asking the chair of the committee for an interim workgroup on procurement issues.

SB 850 Project Labor Agreements

AOC voted on March 13 to oppose this bill.

Health & Human Services

Alive

HB 2543 Community Behavioral Health Cost Study 

Requires the Oregon Health Authority to conduct a study every four years of funding needed by community mental health programs in complying with statutory requirements and post a report of findings to the authority’s website. 

HB 2395 Opioid Harm Reduction Package

Allows specified persons to distribute and administer short-acting opioid antagonist and distribute kits, streamlines youth overdose death reporting. The bill also updates outdated statutory language.

HB 2773 Local Public Health Workforce Development

Requires Oregon Health Authority to provide incentives to increase recruitment and retention of local public health professionals.

SB 624 Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Program

Establishes a certified community behavioral health clinic program in the Oregon Health Authority.

SB 319 Indemnification of Counties, Providers for Community Aid and Assist Services

Provides that a person who contracts with a public body to provide services for purposes of community restoration or to restore fitness to proceed is a state officer, employee, or agent for purposes of indemnification under Oregon Tort Claims Act under certain circumstances.

SB 470 State/Federal Coverage of Youth in Detention

Prohibits the denial of medical assistance on the basis that an individual under 19 years of age is in detention pending adjudication.

HB 2651 Extension of Behavioral Health Workforce Recruitment/Retention Funding

Appropriates moneys from the state General Fund to the Oregon Health Authority to be used for specified purposes related to expanding behavioral health provider workforce.

HB 2977 Behavioral Health Workforce Development 

Requires the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, in collaboration with the Oregon Health Authority, to establish a grant program for the purpose of distributing moneys to institutions of higher education to develop programs that prepare students to enter into the behavioral health workforce.

HB 2463 Reducing Administrative Burden

Requires the Oregon Health Authority to convene two work groups to study statutory and regulatory framework for behavioral health systems and make recommendations to reduce administrative burdens on behavioral health care providers and increase system efficiencies.

HB 2544 Funding for Behavioral Health Residential Treatment Facilities

Appropriates moneys from the General Fund to the Oregon Health Authority for costs related to increasing statewide capacity of licensed residential facilities serving individuals with substance use disorders or mental health concerns.

HB 2405 Fitness to Proceed

Requires that the court dismissing charges due to defendant lacking fitness to proceed also order transport of defendant back to jurisdiction in which charges were initiated.

HB 2506 Supersiting of Residential Treatment and Supported Housing  

Expands the definition of “residential homes” and “residential facilities” that local governments must approve under the same standards as other residential uses.

HB 2001 Emergency Homeless Response Omnibus

Expedites the disbursement of funds set aside for communities in the federal “Balance of State” counties.

HB 5019 Funding for Emergency Homeless Response Omnibus

Dead

SB 219 Implementation of Debra Pinals Report Recommendations

AOC Legislative Committee voted to support this bill with amendments. Those amendments did not come to fruition and the bill was allowed to die in favor of ongoing discussion with stakeholders and legislative leadership.

HB 2431 State/Federal Coverage of Adults in Jail

AOC Legislative Committee voted to support this bill after its first and only public hearing. Prohibits the termination of medical assistance for a person who is residing in a correctional facility in pretrial detention pending adjudication.

HB 2448 Reclassification I/DD Case Managers

The needed remedy in this bill was achieved administratively with the Department of Administrative Services and the Oregon Health Authority, so while the bill is dead, this is a victory for community developmental disabilities programs for staff recruitment and retention as it will begin to accurately set the pay scale based on the current scope of work for program staff after a couple of decades of neglect.

HB 2652 Emergency Fund for Local Health Staff

The AOC Legislative Committee voted to support this bill after its first and only public hearing. Authorizes a county to declare shortage of healthcare and human services personnel and apply to the Oregon Health Authority for moneys to make grants to employers to alleviate shortage by offering certain benefits to potential workers and educators.

Natural Resources

Alive

HB 2527 Habitat Conservation and Management Plan

Modifies several provisions of the wildlife habitat special assessment program related to conservation and management plan approval, monitoring, and compliance. AOC supported the bill as drafted.

HB 3021 Water Right Forfeiture Exemption if Owner Engaged in Conservation Practices

AOC supported the bill as drafted.

SB 718 Water Right Forfeiture Exemption if Governor Declared a Drought in Area

This bill provides that a year in which the governor declares that drought exists or is likely to exist within a county does not count toward the five-year water right forfeiture time period. AOC supported the bill as drafted.

HB 2687 A Native American Tribe Noxious Weed Applicator License

This bill allows for tribal employees to obtain an applicator license to address noxious weeds on and adjacent to reservation land. AOC was in support with amendments. 

SB 471 Wolf Depredation Funding 

This bill would allocate additional funding, $800,000, to the wolf depredation fund that county programs administer. AOC supports the bill as drafted. 

HB 3163 Place-Based Planning

This bill would establish a permanent place-based planning process and ensure the program does not sunset on July 1. AOC was in support with forthcoming amendments from Representative Mark Owens (R-Crane).

HB 3368 Responsible Water Accounting Legislation

AOC took a support and seek amendments position to this bill at its most recent meeting. HB 3368, as drafted, is undergoing significant rewrites, however, the portion of the bill that will remain consists of having the Oregon Water Resources Department conduct a study of all groundwater in the water basins in Oregon and discover which areas have been over appropriated and fully appropriated. AOC is working with the bill sponsor to ensure counties’ concerns are addressed in the forthcoming amendment.

SB 644 Rural Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Decoupled from Wildfire Risk Map

This bill would allow a county to issue and site an ADU in zoned rural areas of a county. The current statute ties this ability to the wildfire risk map being operational. AOC supported the bill with the -4 amendments.

Dead

HB 2940 Counties Take Specific Actions in Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) to Prevent Wildfires 

AOC was opposed to the bill unless amended. The reason was due to the potential fiscal impact that would occur if passed. This bill would require counties to remove any vegetation or tree in county land adjacent to the WUI and build roads to act as fire break lines.

SB 90 State Forest Task Force on Long-Term Management

AOC was opposed to the bill unless amended. The bill would have created a task force to look at long-term state forest management, however, counties were not included in the bill drafting, nor in the base bill make up.  

SB 795 Counties to Re-acquire State Forest Lands

AOC was in support of the concept to give the state forest land back to the counties if the counties believed they could better achieve “greatest permanent value.” This bill received a courtesy hearing but was not advanced.

HB 2547 Additional Funding for Wildlife Services 

This bill would have increased the statutory dollar allocation from $60,000 to $400,000 – the amount it has received in previous biennial expenditure allocations. AOC was in support of this bill as drafted. It is possible this bill is alive though the final appropriations bill of the session.

SB 199 Rulemaking by Oregon Fish and Wildlife on Predatory Animals

SB 199 would give all rulemaking authority on how the taking of predatory animals could occur to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. This bill would have impacts on county vector control as well as how county employees could go about addressing issues of rodents or animals in buildings and causing problems for docks and wharfs. AOC opposed the bill, unless amended.

Public Safety

Alive

HB 2308 District Attorney Salaries

Eliminating the lower salary for district attorneys in less populous counties has been scheduled for a public hearing March 21 and a work session March 29.

HB 2391 Crime Victim Assistance Programs

Providing state funding for crime victim assistance programs has been scheduled for a public hearing March 21 and a work session March 28. 

HB 2054 Adding District Attorneys to the Police and Fire Public Employee Retirement System

The bill had its first hearing on Feb. 28.

HB 2467 Public Defenders Student Loan Assistance

Establishing a student loan repayment assistance plan for public defenders has been scheduled for a public hearing March 29 and a work session April 3.

HB 2645 Penalties for Fentanyl Possession

Increasing penalties for possession of five or more fentanyl pills has been scheduled for a work session March 23. 

SB 766 Modifying the Illegal Marijuana Market Enforcement Grant program

The bill was moved out of the Senate Committee on Judiciary by unanimous vote. It now moves to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means.

HB 3581 Courthouse Expansion

Columbia County’s bill allows for Article XI-Q bonds to be used for courthouse expansion projects.

SB 962 Emergency Preparedness Coordinators

Creating a grant program to help counties hire emergency preparedness coordinators. The bill has been scheduled for a hearing on March 23 and a work session on March 30.

SB 953 State Medical Examiner’s Office Service to Counties

SB 953 potentially allows the State Medical Examiner’s Office to shift their work and costs onto counties without providing any funding to support the work. The bill is scheduled for a public hearing on March 20 and a work session March 28.

HB 2732 Continuing Funding for Childrens’ Advocacy Centers

Dead

HB 2311 Raising Salaries for District Attorneys

SB 779 Requiring Law Enforcement Officers to Obtain Post-Secondary Education

SB 781 Reassigning Local Law Enforcement

Allows the governor to reassign local law enforcement officers in case of heightened danger or unrest.

HB 2392 Storage of Body Camera Footage

Appropriates money to the Department of Justice for distribution to district attorneys to pay for review and storage of body camera footage.

HB 2394 Prison Medical Care Study 

Directs the Department of Corrections to study ways to improve medical care for incarcerated adults.

HB 2123 Giving County Board of Commissioners Authority to Appoint County District Attorney in Case of Vacancy

HB 2134 Directing Department of Public Safety Standards and Training to Establish Training Program for Deputy District Attorneys.

HB 2212 Including 9-1-1 Operators in Police and Fire Public Employee Retirement System Program

HB 2948 County Fairgrounds Improvements

Providing grants for infrastructure improvements to county fairgrounds that are designated emergency evacuation points.

SB 302 Psilocybin and Cannabis Production

Requiring producers of psilocybin and cannabis to show proof of landlord permission before being granted permission to produce these products legally.

SB 762 Creating Crime of Controlled Substance Homicide

HB 2854 Grants for Disaster Response

HB 2852 Disaster Mitigation and Recovery Managers

Grants for counties to hire disaster mitigation and recovery managers.

HB 2848 Community Based Organization Networks for Emergency Response

Directs Oregon Department of Emergency Management to establish a program for fostering networks of community organizations to help with emergency prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.

Transportation and Community Development

Alive

HB 3201 Maximizing Oregon’s Share of Federal Broadband Infrastructure Funding

Passed out of the House Committee on Economic Development and Small Business on March 16. It will now head to the House floor for a vote.

HB 3414 Local Land Use Variances

Requires local governments to approve variances that allow developers to violate local housing regulations unrelated to health, safety, habitability, and certain other subjects within urban growth boundaries.

HB 3174 Land Use and Construction Permitting

Local capacity bill providing state funding for additional local government staff to process permits and land use decisions and eliminate delays in construction permitting.

SB 847 Omnibus Housing Bill 

Freezing assessed value of newly constructed middle housing for five years, limiting the Land Use Board of Appeals review of middle housing development, providing for supersiting of homeless shelters, and including several other provisions.

HB 2510 and SB 451 Remove the Cap on Transfers to the County Fair Account so that the Account Receives One Percent of Lottery Proceeds.

Both have been moved out of their policy committees and into the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, though HB 2510 was amended to redirect a portion of the money to horseracing.

HB 2727 Childcare Facility Siting

Creating a workgroup to study barriers to childcare facility siting. The bill received a work session on March 20 and was voted out of committee.

HB 3197 Rural Land Use

Eliminating the requirement that development regulations applying to land outside urban growth boundaries be clear and objective, has been posted for a hearing on March 28 and a work session March 30.

HB 3220 Modernizing the E-Cycles Program 

This program for electronic waste that often includes hazardous materials, was moved out of committee on March 16 on a partisan vote. It heads straight to the House floor.

SB 835 Allowing ADUs to Share a Septic System 

The bill allows ADUs to share a septic system with a single family dwelling. SB 835 has been posted for a work session on March 20.

SB 885 Broadband for Libraries

Helping libraries go after federal grants for broadband infrastructure, has been scheduled for a public hearing and possible work session on March 30.

Dead

HB 2207 Limits Appeals of Local Land Use Decisions

Limiting standing in appeals of local government land use decisions to those living or working within 25 miles of the local government.

HB 2766 Barriers to Broadband Study

Requiring the broadband office to study barriers to placement of broadband access points.

HB 3249 Telecommunications Broadband Bill

Reforms broadband improvement grant programs.

SB 930 Housing Project Appeals

Providing that when local governments’ approval of a needed housing project is appealed and the local governments’ decision is affirmed, attorneys fees for the prevailing applicant would be paid by appellant. 

Contributed by:

Anna Braun | AOC Contract Lobbyist

Michael Burdick | Legislative Affairs Manager

Jessica Pratt | Legislative Affairs Manager

Branden Pursinger | Legislative Affairs Manager

 

Governor’s Recommended Budget Just the Starting Point

Governor’s Recommended Budget Just the Starting Point

Feb 24, 2023 | AOC Advocacy

While a lot of state agency work and stakeholder engagement by the governor’s office goes into the crafting of the Governor’s Recommended Budget (GRB), it’s important to remember that the GRB is in fact only a recommendation and could look significantly different from the Legislatively Adopted Budget (LAB) we see at the end of session. Below are brief summaries of the GRB by AOC portfolio area, with notes on potential impacts to county services and any early developments in legislative activity.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

The GRB for the 2023-2025 biennium prioritizes housing and homelessness, behavioral health, and education. It is a good starting point for negotiating behavioral health care investments in the coming months but creates a lot of extra ground to cover to reach needed investment in local public health modernization. Intellectual and developmental disabilities services have a good starting point with a recommendation to fully fund the new rate model for the entire biennium. There is an expedited “first 60 days” emergency homelessness response package in the works, but otherwise, the health and human services budget is usually among the last to be solidified.

Behavioral Health

Key components in the GRB for behavioral health include:

  • Continuation of the $1.2 billion invested by the Legislature in 2021 and 2022 for behavioral health system infrastructure improvements. 
  • $14.9 million General Fund for:
    • Enhanced precommitment services for patients; 
    • A team at the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to improve civil commitment services; and
    • Expansion of jail diversion services to counties currently without it.
  • Oregon State Hospital Stabilization
    • $34.5 million General Fund to fund a sustainable 24/7 staffing model at the Oregon State Hospital;
    • $4.2 million General Fund for the care of patients with complex psychiatric needs;
    • $3.5 million General Fund for a dedicated health equity team for Oregon State Hospital (OSH) staff; and
    • $10.0 million General Fund to provide evidence-based transition case management for patients who are leaving OSH houseless.
  • Harm Reduction Clearinghouse – $40.0 million request from recent opioid settlements to continue support of the harm reduction clearinghouse to reduce preventable deaths associated with opioid use.
  • Behavioral Health Crisis Line – $18.6 million in additional funding to support the 9-8-8 behavioral health crisis line, along with a legislative concept to require commercial payers to reimburse for mobile crisis services, and a $0.40 per line per month charge on phone lines to support 9-8-8 crisis intervention (HB 2757).
  • Suicide Prevention/Intervention Services – $7.7 million General Fund to expand the child and adult suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention program to reduce suicide in Oregon.
  • Behavioral Health Facility Investments 
    • $100 million Lottery Bond proceeds to expand acute psychiatric facilities in the community;
    • $15 million General Fund for substance use disorder facilities and recovery centers; and 
    • $2.3 million for additional children’s psychiatric residential treatment capacity.
  • Oregon Behavioral Health Coordination Center – $1.5 million General Fund to coordinate the availability of behavioral health residential beds statewide.
  • Children and Youth Services – $11.5 million General Fund to support the expansion of behavioral rehabilitation services to all Medicaid clients who need it, the expansion of service hubs for transition aged-youth, and for targeted investments in the workforce for additional child psychiatrists and developmental pediatricians. 
  • Workforce Incentives – $20 million General Fund, nearly doubling the OHA’s Health Care Provider Incentive Program, with a priority to increase Oregon’s behavioral health workforce and to continue to recruit and retain diverse health care providers and attract providers in underserved areas.

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD)

“The budget fully funds the new rate model for the entire 24-month period of the biennium, using the new service groups based on the Oregon Needs Assessment and new rate model payment categories. The budget also includes funding for staffing and to secure a case management system, a universal provider portal, and a robust agency provider system to improve provider reporting capabilities and to replace the state’s antiquated system. These projects obtain a 90 percent federal match rate. The I/DD budget includes funding for two positions for cross-systems coordination with child welfare and other systems to ensure optimal services to parents with I/DD whose children receive services from child welfare and children with I/DD involved in the child welfare system. Finally, the I/DD budget includes funding and position authority for the Model Employer Program by funding a dedicated pool of positions within the Office of Developmental Disabilities Services to facilitate the hiring of people with I/DD throughout the department. The 2023-25 GRV for the I/DD program is $4,632.2 million total funds, a 9.4 percent increase from the 2021-23 LAB. The budget funds 1,005 positions.”

(Source: GRB p. 59)

Public Health

Despite the June 2022 Public Health Modernization: Funding Report to Legislative Fiscal Office detailing a conservative request for $256 million for the coming biennium and noting the continual massive underfunding of the initiative since its inception in 2015, the GRB allocates only $100 million for modernization.

Revenue Summary: “the state’s ability to provide program services is greatly influenced by Federal Funds availability and by the rules guiding the use of those funds. In addition, the rate of federal revenue matching for many programs is tied to the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) rate, which changes annually and is not controlled by state policy. This greatly impacts the amount of General Fund needed to maintain programs. The standard FMAP rate will decrease from 60.3 percent in 2023-25 to 59.3 percent next biennium. However, for 2023-25, there are two other primary changes to the FMAP adjustment, including the expiration of the enhanced public health emergency FMAP rate and the expiration of the enhanced Home and Community Based Services FMAP rate approved for part of the 2021-23 biennium through the American Rescue Plan Act. The combined impact from these changes results in a need for an additional $413.4 million General Fund in 2023-25. This assumes the wind down of the enhanced public health emergency FMAP rate in the first six months of 2023-25 as approved through the 2023 federal omnibus bill.” (GRB p. 55)

Key components in the GRB include (GRB p 64-65):

  • Public Health Modernization –$50.0 million General Fund to sustain public health capacity to respond to emerging needs for local public health authorities, tribal governments, reproductive health providers, and community-based organizations, all to help modernize the state’s public health system. This investment includes $3.4 million to support enhanced access to reproductive health care across the state by increasing opportunities to support the health care workforce, reducing administrative barriers to participation in public programs, and improving and standardizing reproductive health reimbursement rates across OHA programs. This investment also funds the development of a statewide public health system plan to maximize upstream investments to address disparities for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), and rural Oregonians. 
  • Universally Offered Home Visiting –$5.9 million General Fund to fund the full statewide expansion of the Universally Offered Home Visiting program for families with newborns so all parents have access to critical services, skills, and additional resources supporting healthy families.  
  • Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Mitigation –$3.0 million General Fund to address drinking water contamination in the Lower Umatilla Basin, paying for outreach, coordination, domestic well testing, and water treatment systems for affected households, as well as providing funding for statewide infrastructure for the drinking water safety program at OHA. 
  • Environmental Public Health – $1.0 million General Fund for a study to investigate the consumption of contaminated fish in Oregon, $0.2 million General Fund for a position focused on mapping for the Environmental Justice Council, and $0.1 million for an environmental public health inspector for Curry County.  
  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Stockpile – $1.0 million General Fund to continue support for OHA’s stockpile of personal protective equipment, vaccines and vaccine kits, tests and testing supplies, and other medical equipment for use in response to a major disaster or public health emergency.  
  • Emergent Public Health Issues – $1.0 million General Fund for an investigation of contaminated fish consumption in the Lower Columbia Basin, $0.2 million General Fund for environmental justice data mapping work, and $0.1 million General Fund to support a public health investigator position in Curry County. 
  • Psilocybin Regulation – $6.6 million Other Funds from revenues to provide program development, regulatory oversight, and consumer protection related to the use of psilocybin.

NATURAL RESOURCES

The GRB for the 14 agencies that fall under the natural resources program area is a 12 percent reduction from the previous biennial allocated funds. A big portion of this reduction is because of the one-time funding that was allocated in 2021 and not slated to continue in 2023 ($500 million). The GRB does call for the allocation of $23.9 million for continued investments in the Private Forest Accord; it extends funding to support communities working to recover from the 2020 wildfires; funding for a water package that prioritizes data collection, drinking water, conservation efforts, and addressing agricultural needs. 

Key components in the Governor’s Recommended Budget to flag include:

  • A 35.8 percent reduction at the Department of Agriculture with the phase out of Oregon Agricultural Disaster Relief, meat inspection programs, as well as other one-time funding allocations. 
  • A 49.7 percent decrease in the Department of Energy’s budget with the elimination of investments made during the 21-23 biennium around energy incentive investments.
  • A 2.5 percent increase for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to continue work on culvert repair to aid in further fish passage and deferred maintenance on department buildings.
  • A 57.9 percent decrease from the previous biennium allocation to the Department of State Lands. This is coming from a separating of the Elliott State Forest from the Common School Fund, as well as a phase-out of the investments to the Oregon Ocean Science Trust.
  • The Oregon Department of Forestry has a 16.3 percent decrease from the last biennial budget. There is a significant decrease in the Fire Protection Division – this is being driven by not continuing one-time investments.

It is important to note across all budgets, that the governor proposes a budget, and the Legislature produces a budget. If the Legislature wants to fund programs and agencies at different amounts, they have that discretion.

TRANSPORTATION

The GRB for the transportation program area is $5,772.2 million total funds, a 9.2 percent increase from the 21-23 biennium LAB. General Fund and Lottery Funds total $155.5 million, a 21.8 percent decrease from 21-23 levels. The decrease in General Fund and Lottery Funds is attributed to one-time funding supporting aviation construction projects to both state and privately-owned airports, as well as one-time funding provided to complete the 2020 wildfire cleanup efforts by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), and debt service for previously authorized projects.

The GRB for ODOT does not address the agency’s impending operations and maintenance deficit or the current planned reductions to local government programs.

Key elements of the GRB for the transportation program area include the following:

  • The Local Government program – provides project delivery oversight and program administration to assist with transportation improvement projects within local jurisdictions. The program accounts for approximately 25 percent of Oregon State Transportation Improvement Program funding and up to 30 percent of the projects delivered by ODOT. The GRB is $565.4 million Other Funds and supports 55 positions. The budget supports the continuation of the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act (IIJA) ODOT projects. Funding for this program comes from the State Highway Fund and the Federal Highway Administration.
  • Dundee-Newberg Bypass – A $9.6 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) carry-forward to complete phase 2 construction at OR 219 through the south side of Newberg connecting the bypass to Oregon Highway 99W, east of Newberg.
  • Interstate Bridge Replacement Project – Oregon needs a safer bridge that will serve future generations, provide transportation choices like high-capacity transit, and is a better solution to helping solve our climate crisis. The Interstate Bridge Replacement Project is an important partnership with Washington State and the federal government and this budget supports continued planning for a new Bridge. The governor has directed ODOT to develop funding options other than solely a gas tax, to limit the burden on working families as much as possible. The governor believes all options should be considered before a gas tax is put on the table to fund Oregon’s share of the bridge replacement. The governor expects ODOT to work closely with the Legislature and stakeholders on a viable path forward.
  • Facilities Capital for ODOT – The budget invests in the second phase of the South Coast regional readiness facility, located outside of Coos Bay.
  • Urban Mobility Strategy – The budget supports “Keep Oregon Moving,” the ongoing efforts of HB 3055 from the 2021 Legislative Session, which promotes the creation of the Toll Program Fund to reduce congestion in the Portland-Metro area.
  • Road Usage Charge Program – The budget supports forward movement to transition the OReGO program, from a voluntary pay-by-the-mile road usage program, to a mandatory program.
  • Small Business Development -The budget invests in expanding the Small Business Development program to improve and monitor ODOT’s performance and delivery to Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program.
  • Aviation Operations and Improvements to State Airports – The budget provides funding for five capital projects at the Chiloquin, Aurora, Cottage Grove, and Lebanon State airports.
  • Cape Blanco State Airport – The GRB includes $2.4 million of carry forward funding to complete the airport runway replacement and the electrical system upgrades. 

Contributed by: Jessica Pratt | Legislative Affairs Manager, Health and Human Services

Branden Pursinger | Legislative Affairs Manager, Natural Resources

Brian Worley | County Road Program Manager

 

AOC Releases Guide to 2023 Legislative Session

AOC Releases Guide to 2023 Legislative Session

Jan 24, 2023 | AOC Advocacy

 

The Oregon State Legislature began the 2023 Legislative Session on January 18, 2023.

As a resource for navigating the Legislative Session, AOC has provided an overview of the legislative process, information on how to participate during a typical legislative session, and context for participation in the 2023 Legislative Session.

Click here to access the 2023 Guide to the 2023 Legislative Session.

For questions, please reach out to any member of the AOC legislative affairs team.

Contributed by: Megan Chuinard | Public Affairs Associate