The good, the bad and the Capitol
By Jerry Ritter
Published: Friday, March 23, 2007

"It's gonna be different this time!" Such was the prevailing attitude at the State Capitol as the 74th Oregon Legislative Assembly convened in January. With one party (the Democrats) now in control of the Legislature and the governor's office, the new leadership pledged to make changes.

One change was immediate and welcome. Ample notice is now provided for legislative hearings. In previous sessions, hearings sometimes were scheduled with less than a day's notice, which prevented many citizens from participating in the legislative process.

Another change was the implementation of a Web-based subscriber system for people to automatically receive legislative committee schedules of their choosing by e-mail.

These changes have given Oregonians a greater ability to participate in the making of public policy.

But some things haven't changed. As in all previous legislative sessions, the 74th has good, bad and downright silly bills on its docket.

In a typical session, 2,500 to 3,500 individual bills are introduced. Many of these are carefully crafted to address real and pressing problems.

Among the good bills in this session are Senate Bill 473, creating the crime of sexual solicitation of a minor. House Bill 2984 addresses the growing problem of metal theft. SB 447 broadens the scope of the crime of identity theft. And a "rainy day" fund has been established - HB 2707.

Finally recognizing the increasingly negative impacts of illegal immigration on Oregon, legislators have introduced nearly two dozen bills (for example, HB 2680-86, SB 424, others) to bring the state into compliance with the federal Real ID Act and to make Oregon less illegal-friendly.

These are only some of the good bills - there are many others. But there are many bills that the people almost certainly would never enact into law.

Arguably the worst of the bunch is HB 2705, to provide in-state college tuition to non-U.S. citizens. This same bill surfaced in the past two sessions and was wisely rejected.

HB 2572 grants an "emergency" $1 million in taxpayer money to Gresham for the construction of an arts center. SB 467 is a special interest favor to the Oregon Landscape Contractors Association.

HB 2441 requires a person to take and pay for a drug test in order to obtain unemployment benefits. SB 64 exempts certain state investment records from public disclosure.

Other examples are easily found.

Leading the "downright silly" category is HB 3521, which would allow dogs to accompany patrons into restaurants and bars. Fortunately, it requires that Rover be "well-behaved."

We also have HB 2439, mandating a speed bump study.

Other things that haven't changed from previous sessions include bushels of bills to raise or impose new taxes or fees (for example, HBs 2657, 2691 and many others). Ditto for new offices, departments, task forces and commissions (SB 56, HB 2550 and others). Rarely, if ever, do we see a proposal to reduce the size of government.

Controversy still can be found. HB 2007 is a civil unions bill. HB 2530 includes a sales tax. Both should stir much public interest as they advance through the process.

Some things do change. Measure 37 has presented Oregon with a monumental and unprecedented challenge. The Legislature is struggling to find workable solutions. It is a formidable task.

Other changes include an abnormally high number of bills designed to protect us from ourselves. Big Brother knows what's best for us. One example is HB 2536, which would require children younger than 13 to ride in the back seat of a vehicle.

There also are a larger number of bills requiring more work from state agencies. It is unclear how all this additional work would be funded.

Bills of local interest include SB 417, to abolish the Lane County Local Government Boundary Commission, and several bills to place restrictions on "island" annexations.

In Salem, some things change and others don't. And while full-time lobbyists still have an advantage, all Oregon citizens now have a better opportunity to participate in the legislative process.

We encourage those interested to visit the Legislature's Web site, www.leg.state.or.us, for more information on how you can make your voices heard. It's your future.

Jerry Ritter of Springfield is the secretary and legislative affairs representative of Oregon Communities for a Voice in Annexation, www.ocva.org.

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