Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in Oregon Politics: 2014-15 Legislative Session
Friday, June 26, 2015
HOT
Governor Kate Brown
A year ago she was known as Secretary of State Brown. That is, until a scandal involving a love struck statesman and power-hungry girlfriend thrust her into the governorship. She has proven herself more than worthy of the post. And she has been busy. She sponsored and then signed into law bipartisan ethics bills, she championed the bill that made voter registration automatic for eligible voters using information collected at the DMV, and more recently she brought the parties together to craft a much needed transportation bill (It was unsuccessful, but not because of her efforts). With a 55% approval rating, she is going to be calling Mahonia Hall 'home' for a long time.
The "Motor Voter" Bill
To the chagrin of voter fraud believers and Republicans (is that redundant?) House Bill 2177 was signed into law making Oregon the first state in the country that will automatically register voters by drawing data from their driver's license records. Governor Brown has been promoting this idea since she was Secretary of State Brown, but she got a lot of help from outside groups like The Bus Project and the League of Women Voters who have been right there with her leading the fight. It is estimated that 300,000 people out of the estimated 900,000 eligible unregistered voters will be added to the voter registration records.
Recreational Marijuana
People of Oregon rejoice, the cops will no longer be trying to snatch your crops. Last November voters approved recreational marijuana in the state beginning July 1st. It was up to the people down in Salem to establish a framework for the new marijuana market. Introducing House Bill 3400. This bill establishes new limits on medical marijuana growers, makes it easier for counties to prohibit retail sales and reduces penalties for many of the remaining marijuana-related crimes. This was no small feat and credit goes to Representatives Ann Lininger and Andy Olson who chaired the committee for getting this to the House floor. It still needs to pass the Senate and get signed into law by the Governor, but that is looking pretty certain at this point. Much of the debate centered around how much power cities had to regulate sales. In fact, the only thing that everybody agreed on from the outset was that the state was going to tax the shit out of it. So everybody hop on board the Pineapple Express, this is going to be one interesting summer.
Low-Carbon fuel Standards
One of the Democrats priorities coming into this session, Senate Bill 324 extended Oregon's clean fuels program in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental groups wanted this so badly, they worked tirelessly in the last election to ensure the Dems would have a significant majority in both the House and the Senate. This bill was not well received from the start. Republicans hated it because they thought it would increase gas prices and this issue was a signature policy of ex-Governor Kitzhaber. Which made it unpopular with both parties. Republicans threatened to walk away from the transportation bill negotiations if this was passed. Governor Brown signed this into law. Bluff Called. It should be noted that the bipartisan transportation bill Governor Brown focused her attention on and supported included a repeal of this newly minted law. The environmental groups let out a collective "um, hell no!" and now that transportation bill is dead.
Birth Control
Birth control is not so much a female issue, but a human one. Everybody is affected when access to birth control is limited. That is why this bill is so important. House Bill 3343 requires insurers to pay for 12 month refills of birth control pills, up from the one to three month refills typically covered. This makes Oregon the first state to mandate year-long access to oral contraceptives. This law had bipartisan support passing 28-0 in the Senate and 55-2 in the House. If you are curious as to why this law is a bad idea, maybe you should ask Representatives Julie Parrish and Bill Post.
Fair Shot For All
With Democrats holding a sizable majority in both houses, progressive groups saw this as their time to shine. No more pesky Republicans to get in their way. One of the more productive groups was Fair Shot For All, a collection of labor and advocacy groups fighting for the interests of women, people of color, LGBTQ communities and working families. Fair Shot's agenda focused on the minimum wage, retirement security, banning the box, racial profiling and paid sick leave. With a few weeks left in the session, laws have been passed addressing retirement, banning the box and sick leave. Some of the laws were watered down, but a watered down good law is still a good law. Their other policy initiatives (racial profiling and minimum wage) faced steep opposition and are likely going nowhere. But hell, you can't win them all. At least they are being discussed, that is something. Right?
NOT
Republicans
The only difference between Wile E. Coyote and the Senate and House GOP is that Wile E. brought to work with him a healthy sense of optimism. It must be a long drive to Salem each day knowing you are going to get, legislatively speaking, an anvil dropped on your head. As the minority in both houses, the Republicans played mainly spoiler this session with their most notable accomplishment involving people being able to pump their own gas in the sticks rural communities. The good news for them is that things will get better with the next election cycle. Haha, that was a good one. The truth is, things are only going to get worse. This is a Blue state and it will be for a very long time. Some estimations have the population increasing by more than a million people in the next ten years. A majority of these new residents will be card-carrying democrats and a lot of them will be settling outside Multnomah County (Read: Swing Districts). State Republicans have a lot of work to do if they will have any kind of significant impact in Salem in the foreseeable future.
Senator Betsy Johnson
Oh how the mighty have fallen into irrelevancy. This DINO out of Scappoose has been a thorn in the sides of progressives for a very long time. Until this session. Thanks to a dramatic shift in the makeup of the Senate, she has barely been heard from. Her name usually pops up when she casts the deciding vote to shoot down a particular bill. In 2013, she was responsible for blocking the DMV voter registration bill that passed in this session, and she let a bill that would require DEQ to make a list of toxic chemicals used in children’s products die in committee. In 2014, she blocked a bill that would have directed a portion of class action law suits to go to legal aid services to help low income Oregonians. Lest you think she has softened up this session, she was the lone democrat to vote against SB 454 requiring employers to give employees paid sick leave. And it didn't matter.
Guns
In 2000, voters approved an initiative requiring background checks for all gun sales at gun shows. In the fifteen years since that law was passed, the NRA and other firearm lobbying groups have successfully prevented any further meaningful legislation restricting the access of guns. That drought came to an end this session with Senate Bill 941. SB 941 requires background checks for most gun transactions involving private parties. This is to prevent sales to people prohibited from owning guns, i.e. felons and those with mental illness. The measure includes several exemptions, including transfers among family members. This was one of the most contentious bills in Salem this year with protests and counter-protests clogging up the steps to the Capitol. One Sheriff went on record saying he would not enforce this new law. It has even led to recall efforts of some legislators, although these efforts are going nowhere fast. It must be exhausting to always be thinking the government is out to get you.
Conversion Therapy
House Bill 2307 was signed into law this session prohibiting mental health professionals from practicing conversion therapy, the highly controversial attempt to "cure" gay people of their homosexuality, to children under 18 years old. Oregon became the third state to outlaw this practice. LGBT youth are already struggling with their sexual orientation and this "therapy" inflicts more damage and has led to suicides. Much of the credit goes to Senator Sara Gelser and freshman Representative Rob Nosse for their efforts moving this bill through the legislative process.
Campaign Finance Reform
You know that thing that progressives are always complaining about? Too much money in politics! Campaign contributions are not free speech! Candidates are beholden to the haves and not the have-nots! With a majority in both houses, Democrats could finally do something about that. And they didn't. Joint Resolution 5 would let voters decide if they want to amend the Oregon Constitution to limit campaign contributions. It is now dead in the water. The resolution had bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, but Democratic leaders didn't want to endanger the golden goose that got them into power. And the resolution, drafted by Secretary of State Kate Brown turned out to be not that big a deal to Governor Brown. Well, at least we got our weed.
John Kitzhaber
Remember him? He was the three term governor who ran for a fourth term on his record of costing the state nearly half a billion dollars on a failed health exchange website and consultant fees for a bridge that was never built. He also hired an 'education czar' that stayed on the job for about a year and did nothing but travel a lot on the public dime. Unsurprisingly he won a fourth term thanks to a well oiled democratic machine and an opponent who looked like everybody's crotchety old grandpa who bores people with stories that begin, "When I was a kid...". Well this shining example of common sense experienced his downfall, not because of the aforementioned missteps, but because of his love for a woman. Ah love, that one emotion that has sent many men to their doom. Unfortunately for the ex-gov, his heart belonged to Cylvia Hayes, a former marijuana farm-owning, fraud marriage entering, tax evading woman with her sights set on milking the highest office in the state for everything it had. As she spiraled down, she took him with her. A very tragic end to a man who was once a very effective statesman. He has stayed out of the public eye since he resigned as Governor in February, but with a federal investigation still underway, we have not heard the last of him.
Related Articles
- Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in Oregon Politics: Kate Brown, Racial Profiling, Women’s Rights
- Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in Oregon Politics: Knute Buehler, Rose City Baseball, Portland Taxis
- Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in Oregon Politics: Medical Marijuana Users, Tobias Read, Sara Ryan
- Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in Oregon Politics: Grant High School, Lazy Candidates, Chuck Riley
- Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in Oregon Politics: Jeanne Atkins, Tobias Read, Oregon Right to Life
- Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in Oregon Politics: The Race for Mayor, Education, Ducks
- Who’s Hot and Who’s Not: Bike Ranking Down, Measure 91 Fundraising Up
- Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in Oregon Politics: Teressa Raiford, Nick Fish, GMOs
- Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in Oregon Politics: Steve Novick, Reservoir Dogs, Working Class Oregonians
- Who’s Hot and Who’s Not in Oregon Politics: Ted Wheeler, Tina Kotek, Loretta Smith
- Oregon Politics, Who’s Hot and Who’s Not: GMO Recount, Amanda Fritz, Portland Police
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It