Held June 1-3, the Oregon State Legislature and its committees convened for its quarterly interim, three-day lightning-round of committee meetings. Over the course of three days, regular committees for the House and Senate convened to receive reports, hear presentations, and conduct the state’s business.
Included in this series of legislative days was a meeting of the Legislative Emergency Board.
Among the sixty-nine authorizations and allocations, the Emergency Board:
- Approved a $13 million federal grant application for projects benefiting wildfire impacted communities near the Opal Creek Wilderness Area and a $20 million federal grant application for infrastructure improvements to Oregon Highway 99 in the Phoenix area.
- Approved $42.5 million for the recruitment and retention of behavioral health workforces across Oregon through funding established in HB 5202 during the 2022 Legislative Session. The $42.5 million leverages $112 million in federal matches to increase Medicaid rates for behavioral health providers by an average of 30 percent.
- Allocated $100 million to the Oregon Public Defense Service Commission to address the case backlog and attorney shortage.
- Allocated $1.2 million committed to cricket and grasshopper suppression in rural regions.
This powerful body convenes during the interim when the Legislature is not in session. The board, in consideration of agency requests, allocates emergency funds (authorized by the Legislature), increases expenditure limitations, authorizes transfers, receives reports, and approves submissions of federal grant applications.
“Investments like these help support counties in providing critical services. Counties were and continue to be the boots on the ground in addressing top issues impacting our local communities whether it be the pandemic, wildfire response, natural resources, or public safety issues,” said AOC Legislative Director Mallorie Roberts.
“We are grateful for legislative champions and leaders like Representative Rob Nosse who are bringing critical support to county-based behavioral health infrastructure and to the dedicated people who provide them. The rate increases approved by the Legislative Emergency Board are especially crucial in this moment of cross-sector workforce recruitment and retention challenges,” said AOC Legislative Affairs Manager Jessica Pratt.
At committee meetings, legislators considered several key topics impactful to counties, including:
Governance and Revenue
- The House and Senate committees on revenue heard a presentation from the Legislative Revenue Office (LRO) on the tax credit and expenditure review process and presentations from LRO, the Department of Revenue, and the Oregon State Association of County Assessors on maximum assessed value calculations.
Health and Human Services
- Both the Senate Interim Committee on Judiciary & Measure 110 Implementation and the House Interim Committee On Behavioral Health heard testimony from the Oregon Health Authority and advocates on the delays in distribution of Measure 110 addictions treatment dollars to community providers.
- The Senate Interim Committee on Housing and Development heard presentations from Oregon Housing and Community Services and invited stakeholders on housing supply issues and recent investments, successes, and challenges to address houselessness.
- The Senate Interim Committee On Health Care heard invited testimony on preventing opioid-related overdoses in Oregon.
Natural Resources
- Both the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire and the House Committee on Agriculture, Land Use, and Water heard a presentation about proposed Poultry Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). The House committee also received an update on 2021-2022 investments through the Oregon Water Resources Department and a 2022 drought update.
- House and Senate committees also received an update on the implementation of the 2021 Legislative Session comprehensive wildfire bill, SB 762.
Public Safety
- The Senate Committee on Judiciary and Ballot Measure 110 Implementation heard a presentation on equity initiatives and workloads from the Oregon Judicial Department and Marion and Multnomah county judges. The committee also heard Ballot Measure 110 grant funding distribution progress from Oregon Health Authority and members of the Oversight and Accountability Council.
- In addition to a statewide workload update, the House Committee on Judiciary heard a presentation on policing in Oregon from the Oregon State Police and the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training.
Transportation and Community Development
- The Oregon Department of Transportation joined the Joint Committee on Transportation to provide an update on major projects, the I-5 bridge replacement project, Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services (DMV) service improvements, and the status of the department’s operations and maintenance budget shortfall.
- The House Committee on Housing heard a broad overview of interim housing policy work – housing affordability and economic impacts in Oregon; Goal 10: Housing and Land Use task force work; Mass timber for modular housing; Community ownership models; and rental assistance and eviction prevention.
- The Senate Committee on Housing and Development heard updates from Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) on legislatively directed investments and an update on work occurring related to housing supply from OHCS, the League of Oregon Cities, the Department of Land Conservation and Development, and the Oregon Homebuilders Association.
Veterans
- The House and Senate committees on veterans and emergency management received updates from the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs on the veterans home loan servicing information technologies project.
Contributed by: Megan Chuinard | Public Affairs Associate