2011 Session Summary
Dear Neighbors and Friends,
I am proud to have been part of the 2011 Legislative session. Although we faced a number of daunting challenges this session, we were able to work together, in the face of a $3.5 billion shortfall, to find solutions to some of Oregon’s toughest problems.
This session we passed groundbreaking education reform, an overhaul of our healthcare system, a bipartisan redistricting plan, significant measures to help small businesses and create jobs, and produced a balanced budget. Our efforts were recognized by Governor Kitzhaber who declared, “Rather than succumbing to partisanship, Democrats and Republicans came together and focused on finding solutions to the tough issues facing Oregonians.”
Although we have not solved all the problems Oregonians are facing during these tough economic times, I am confident the work that was done in Salem this past session puts us on track for recovery. With the transition to annual sessions and the strong foundation we established, we now have the tools to closely follow and respond to emerging economic trends. While our state suffered deeply in the recent economic downturn, and will probably experience an extended recovery, the most recent economic forecast indicated we were moving towards a healthier economy.
Below I have outlined some of the key pieces of legislation passed this session. While this is not a comprehensive list, it does highlight issues that I was actively involved in over the past six months. You can find more information about these pieces of legislation and many others on the Oregon Legislature’s website. As always, please feel free to contact me with any thoughts or questions.
Sincerely,
Senator Richard Devlin
Senate District 19
Education
SB 909: Creates the Oregon Education Investment Board, streamlining and laying the groundwork for an efficient and accountable education system from grades 0 through 20.
SB 242: Increases autonomy for Oregon’s universities while encouraging innovation and collaboration amongst all levels of post-secondary education.
SB 248: Sets the stage to provide full-day kindergarten. This will allow students to spend more time learning earlier in life. Early childhood education has been proven to provide long-term benefits to the student and the community.
SB 480: Provides assistance to school districts, government agencies, and community groups in order to encourage participation in the U.S. Dept of Agriculture’s After-school Meals & Snacks Program. This program provides low-income kids with nutritious meals.
Job Creation
HB 3247: Streamlines the process of doing business or starling a business in Oregon by establishing a “One Stop Shop for Oregon Business” Internet portal.
HB 3362: Establishes and funds the Career and Technical Education Revitalization Grant Program for the purpose of awarding grants to encourage the development of technical education. These programs give students valuable, hands-on experience in high-demand careers that require specific technical skills.
SB 219: Establishes the Oregon Business Retention and Expansion Program. The Oregon Business Retention and Expansion program is an incentive for companies to bring a large number of high wage jobs to the state of Oregon. Included within the provisions of the program are regulations that prevent participants from relocating after receiving benefits – ensuring that taxpayers won’t be left on the hook for unfulfilled loans.
HB 2960: The “Cool Schools” bill establishes a clean energy deployment program to provide grants and loans to support energy efficiency or clean energy projects, including projects to weatherize, upgrade or retrofit public school buildings. This legislation not only creates jobs, it will also provide our children with a safe, healthy place to learn while saving valuable education dollars that would otherwise go to utility bills.
Health Care
HB 3650: This legislation is the cornerstone of Oregon’s Health Care Transformation. HB 3650 allows the state to provide quality services at a reduced cost, changing the focus and financial incentives of the Oregon’s Health Plan from acute care to preventative care. The establishment of Coordinated Care Organizations will integrate physical health, oral health, and mental health while eliminating redundancies within in the Oregon Health Plan.
SB 99: Creates the Oregon Health Exchange – an insurance marketplace where plans can be compared “apples to apples.”
HB 2366: Develops a strategic plan for recruiting primary care providers to the state of Oregon. Lack of primary care is a major impediment to providing quality, preventative care to more Oregonians.
HB 3616: Requires health benefit plans to cover all mastectomies and mastectomy related services.
SB 433: Expands eligibility for medical assistance for low-income and uninsured women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer. Previously, a loophole meant that some women were unable to receive treatment just because they were diagnosed outside a state program.
Public Safety
HB 2940: Increases the penalty for the crime of strangulation to a maximum of five years’ imprisonment, $125,000 fine or both. This legislation appropriately aligns the severity of the crime with a serious punishment.
SB 803: Strengthens anti-child pornography laws to provide greater protection for children and greater punishment for those who view child pornography on the internet.
HB 3075: Requires installation of ignition interlock device as a condition for deferral of Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicants offenses.
SB 976: Establishes the Law Enforcement Medal of Ultimate Sacrifice and creates the process for awarding a medal to the family of a law enforcement officer who died while performing duties or was killed because of employment as a law enforcement officer.
Human Services
SB 964: Implements the Strengthening, Preserving and Reunifying Families Program. This legislation will help to decrease the number of children in Oregon’s foster care system, assisting families in need, and keeping families together whenever appropriate.
Government Accountability
HB 2825: Requires state agencies to submit information about tax expenditures with an economic development purpose to an Oregon transparency website for posting. This will allow taxpayers to measure the results of the state’s tax incentive programs.
HB 2634: Creates a citizen review board to develop nonpartisan voter pamphlet statements for ballot initiatives.
Budget Process
SB 676: Fundamentally changes Oregon’s budgeting process by directing the Department of Administrative Services and the Governor to utilize performance management concepts in the budgeting process.
HB 2020: Regulates the manager to staff ratio within state agencies. In the face of one of the largest deficits the state of Oregon has ever seen, we were able to come together to find more efficient ways to provide quality services Oregonians rely on while saving front-line positions. This legislation will prevent agencies from increasing the number of management employees, providing for smoother operations, fewer positions cut, and greater budget savings.
