In addition to my work as Co-Chair of the House Committee on Energy, Environment and Water and as Co-Vice Chair the House Committee on Health Care, I was chief sponsor on the bills listed below. Some of these bills were top priorities for passage this session. Others are brand new ideas that I introduced in order to begin a conversation, with the possibility that they would someday be ready to be law. Finally, still others were ideas that I introduced as a courtesy to constituents of House District 46.

Passed into law:

HB 3000 – Buy Oregon – Passed

In 2009, Rep. Brian Clem and I co-sponsored a bill that permits, but does not require, public agencies to spend up to 10 percent more in order to purchase local agricultural products. This year, we collaborated again to pass a bill that extends the “Buy Oregon” concept to additional goods and services.

HB 3106 – Extended Expanded Options Program – Passed
Increases the number of at-risk students earning college credits or preparing to enroll in post-secondary institutions through the Expanded Options Program if a school district has met the credit hour cap. Directs school district to ensure that at-risk students who are eligible are allowed to participate in the program if credit hour cap has not been exceeded.

HB 3145 –Bottle Bill Modernization – Passed
Updates the 1971 Bottle Bill by incorporating more recyclable beverage containers and establishing a statewide redemption goal that, if unmet, could trigger a deposit increase. Continues work to establish a network of redemption centers that are convenient for consumers and more effective than the current grocery store-based system.

HB 3149 – Paving the Road for Car-Sharing – Passed
Establishes insurance guidelines for peer-to-peer car-sharing.

HB 3150 – Neighborhood Greenway Speed Limits – Passed
Allows cities to lower speed limits by 5 miles per hour on low-speed, low-volume residential streets. Supports the City of Portland’s efforts to establish a network of neighborhood greenways, pedestrian and bicycle-friendly streets that serve as alternatives to car-congested, higher-speed arterials like Foster Road.

HB 3148 – Signature Requirements for Voters’ Pamphlet – Passed
Some constituents might remember that I gathered signatures as an alternative to paying a the large fee associated with having my voters’ pamphlet statement published. Along the way, I discovered that the law was written so that signatures could be collected from anywhere in the state. This bill would change the law so that signatures could only be gathered from residents of the district that the candidate is running to serve.

HB 3105 – Paperless Rulemaking Notices and Executive Summaries for Legislators – Passed
This is a measure that only affects how state agencies interact with legislators. It requires executive summaries of reports and notices of proposed rulemaking to be sent electronically to members of the Legislature.

HB 2702 – DUII and Military Service – Passed
Provides flexibility in diversion for DUII offenses for service members on active duty to ensure that they are eligible for the same treatment options and relief from conviction that are generally available to the public. This bill concept was brought to me by a constituent.

HB 3516 – Rooftop Solar Fix – Passed
Allows the sale of electricity to the grid from rooftop solar installations, and removes obstacles to rooftop solar installations.

Bills that did not pass into law:

HB 3060 – Redirecting Ballots
Would have required that all ballots returned to a county elections office 10 days before an election that include a forwarding address within the county be resent to the new address.

HB 3061 and HB 3062 – Automatic Voter Registration at DMV
Would have integrated voter registration into all DMV driver license, permit, and ID applications, but applicants may choose to opt out. County elections officers may either send a ballot to voters registered this way, or choose to make a ballot available to them at county elections offices instead.

SB 695 – BPA Ban – Passed Senate, failed to pass House

Would have banned a known toxin, bisphenol-A, from baby bottles, sippy cups, and reusable water bottles. Would have also established a work group to look into creating an Oregon BPA-free label.

HB 3063 – Online Voter Change of Address
Would have qualified people who do not have Oregon driver licenses, Oregon driver permits or state identification cards to electronically update their registration information, but they must have been previously registered to vote.

HB 3134 – Teacher Personality Tests
Would have limited education employer’s use of personality tests when they are making employment decisions about school employees. Allows participant to review test results, provide evidence to counter test results, and retake the test. This bill was brought to us by a constituent.

HB 3135 – Health Care Providers and the Oregon Savings Growth Plan
Would have provided incentives for health care providers who treat patients receiving medical assistance under state’s medical assistance program by allowing them to participate in the public employee state deferred compensation plan, the Oregon Savings Growth Plan. This bill was brought to us by a constituent.

HB 3059 – Clotheslines
Would have prevented Home Owners Associations from banning the use of clotheslines. This is a repeat of 2009 legislation that passed the House, but not the Senate.

HB 3136 – Requirement to Call for Help in a Medical Emergency
Would have created a crime of failing to summon assistance when the person knows another person is experiencing a medical emergency without attempting to notify law or medical personnel within a reasonable period of time. This is a bill that was submitted on behalf of a constituent.

SB 536 – Plastic Bag Ban
Would have prohibited the use of single-use plastic bags and established a fee to obtain a paper bag instead.

HB 3147 – Car Bumper Clearance
Would have prohibited operation of motor vehicle with bumper clearance that exceeds the original manufactured bumper clearance by more than three inches. This is a bill that was submitted at the request of a constituent. 

HB 3159 – Local Contracting

Would have permitted local governments to give preference to a company that is headquartered or owned locally, will obtain equipment, material and supplies locally, or that employs workers locally in considering construction contracts.

HB 3193 – Budget Task Force
Would have created Budget 2020 Task Force to study the challenges facing the state budget over the next 10 years and recommend budgeting strategies and a budgeting model to the Legislative Assembly and Governor.

HB 3517 – National Popular Vote
Would have enacted Interstate Compact for Agreement Among the States to Elect the President by National Popular Vote.

HB 3518 – Lodging Tax Revenue
Would have allowed local governments a more flexible use of lodging tax revenues to meet the increased demands placed on both essential services and infrastructure as a result of tourism-related activities.

HB 3524 – School Grant Funding
This was a constituent bill that was initially written to encourage local governments to maximize property tax revenues in order to receive the maximum amount back from the state for school funding. The bill has become a vehicle for a different concept that would allow school districts to bring in more local revenue without sacrificing as much state school funding.

HB 3535 – Energy Efficiency Package
Would have…

• Established a statewide energy performance rating system
• Required landlords and sellers to disclose energy performance of buildings and units for rent or sale to prospective tenants and buyers.
• Required utilities to share information about commercial building energy use with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE).
• Required owners of commercial buildings to annually report energy performance of commercial buildings to ODOE.
• Established exemption from property taxation for buildings, structures and improvements that meet specified criteria relating to energy efficiency
• Required electric and natural gas utilities to prioritize measures that increase energy efficiency and develop integrated resource plans for the purpose of developing those measures.

HB 3630 – Intellectual Property

Would have limited employers’ ability to claim credit for inventions by employees on their own time. This concept was brought to us by a constituent.

HJR 21 – Same Day Voter Registration
Would have allowed Oregonians to choose whether or not to allow voter registration up to and on Election Day

HJR 29 – Measure 76 Fix
During the 2010 campaign season, it became clear that Measure 76 – which dedicates lottery revenue to parks and other natural resource agencies – was in trouble. Opposition was mounting amidst budget cuts to public services like education and senior services. Along with Representatives Jules Bailey and Dave Hunt, I helped to broker a deal that would allow Oregonians to vote on some sideboards to Measure 76 after its passage in exchange for support from some key groups that were concerned about the ballot measure. This bill is the result of that effort.

HJR 30 – 3-Day Voter Registration
Would have allowed Oregonians to choose whether or not to allow voter registration up to 3 days before an election

SB 517 – Genetically Engineered Seafood
Would have required labeling of genetically-modified seafood and shellfish. This bill was drafted t the request of a constituent who had passed similar legislation in Alaska while working for their Legislature.