Contact Geoff Sugerman 503-986-1904

 

House Democrats Release List of Top Bills

Going Into Effect on January 1

 

SALEM – Making sure Oregonians feel secure in their homes and safe in their neighborhoods was a driving focus of much of the legislation passed during the 2007 session by Oregon House Democrats. Now, with many of those bills set to go into effect on January 1, 2008, House Democrats said the new laws are evidence of their successful efforts last legislative session to push forward a positive agenda on education, health care, public safety and consumer protections.

 

“As these laws go into effect, Oregonians will feel safer in their neighborhoods and more secure in their homes,” said House Majority Leader Dave Hunt. “Prior to 2007 session, we released a Road Map to Oregon’s Future that pledged House Democrats would take Oregon in a new direction.  These bills include laws designed to protect our children, improve health care access, help our economy grow and improve government accountability. Now, with the implementation of these bills, Oregonians will see the 2007 session was one of the most productive sessions in decades.”

 

Hunt said many of the Road Map bills are already in effect. Key budget issues including increases in K-12 education, reinvesting in colleges, putting 100 more state troopers on Oregon Highways and creating new research centers on wave energy and biofuels went into effect with the new fiscal year in July, 2007. A number of other Road Map bills went into effect 90 days after the session ended. But many bills had implementation dates of January 1.

 

Those bills include:

 

PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN:

 

HB 2872: Bans youth under 18 from talking on cell phone while driving. The offense is a Class D traffic violation carrying a maximum fine of $90.

 

HB 2843 and HB 3515: Gives law enforcement greater tools when trying to convict child internet predators.  House Bill 3515 will make it a crime to solicit minors over the Internet, which will give law enforcement more power to intervene when children are at risk of online sexual predators.  HB 2843 makes it a crime to furnish sexually explicit material to a child – another tool in the fight to keep kids safe in cyberspace.

 

HB 2179:  If a child is at risk of being abused, DHS does not have to gain written permission from the suspected abuser to run a criminal background check.

 

IMPROVING HEALTH CARE:

 

HB 2700: Requires insurance companies to include coverage for contraceptives if they provide benefits for other drugs.

 

HB 2372: Ensures new mothers have a break time and a private place to express milk while at work.

 

HB 3103: Requires state agencies (DCBS) to review rate and fees charged by insurance companies to small businesses (under 50 employees), and to make those findings public.

 

HB 2213: Requires insurance companies to inform customers of expected out-of-pockets costs for medical procedures. (Some provisions of this bill take effect on July 1, 2009.)

 

HB 2517: Requires coverage under health insurance policy for prosthetic and orthotic devices.

 

HB 2635: Provides for protected family medical leave for grandparents to take care of their sick grandchildren.

 

HB 3093: Establishes a bill of rights of residents of long term care facilities, including the right to receive care from staff trained to meet the specific needs of residents’ disease or medical condition, and the right to receive a modified or special diet.

 

SB 329: The Healthy Oregon Act creates the Oregon Health Trust Board to continually look at emerging health care issues and finds ways to make Oregon’s health care system more affordable and efficient.

 

EXPANDED CIVIL RIGHTS PROTECTIONS:

 

HB 2007: Legalizes and establishes procedures for domestic partnership agreements among same sex couples.

           

SB 2: Prohibits discrimination against persons based on sexual orientation.

 

SAFE COMMUNITIES, SECURE HOMES:

 

Alcohol, Minors, and Drunk Driving

 

HB 2147: Increases the age from 17 to 20 for minors who can have driving privileges suspended for possessing alcohol.

 

HB 2148: Expands ORS 471.430 and makes it a Class A violation for underage persons to possess alcohol while driving a motor vehicle

 

HB 2149: Authorizes Court to order alcohol assessment and treatment for persons ages 18 to 20 who violate prohibitions relating to alcohol. For first-time underage offenders, the court has discretion whether to order the assessment/treatment. For repeat underage offenders, the assessment/treatment is mandatory.

 

HB 2774: Provides protection against those convicted of DUII by requiring an ignition interlock device on their car for one year for the first offense, two years for second or subsequent offense.

 

HB 2740:  Creates a new crime (aggravated vehicular homicide) and expands two others (first degree manslaughter and first degree assault) to apply to situations involving persons who drive under the influence of intoxicants and who kill or seriously injury someone and such persons have previously done the same thing.

 

HB 2895: ORS 676.260 requires a health care provider to notify a law enforcement officer or agency within five calendar days if the provider reasonably believes that a person receiving treatment, after a motor vehicle accident in which the person was likely a driver, has a blood alcohol content of .08 or greater (as revealed by a blood test).

 

Meth and Identity Theft

 

HB 3026: Updates meth legislation to attack problem of meth users stealing metal materials, selling the materials for scrap and using proceeds to buy meth.

 

SB 331 A: Creates a new crime of “organized retail theft. To be guilty of organized retail theft, the state must establish that: (1) the person stole merchandise; (2) from a mercantile establishment; (3) the person acted in concert with another person; and (4) the aggregate value of the merchandise within a 90-day period exceeds $5,000. SB 331 A also places organized retail theft within Oregon’s RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act) statute.

 

SB 447: Identity theft is a Class C felony punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a $125,000 fine. Currently, it is illegal to use the personal identification of another person with the intent to deceive or defraud. “Another person” is defined as a real or an imaginary person. SB 447 adds “living or deceased” to the definition of another person.

 

SB 464: Expands offense of identity theft by creating “aggravated identity theft,” a Class B felony. The elements of aggravated identity theft include: (1) committing identity theft 10 or more times in 180 days; (2) committing identity theft and the amount is over $10,000 in a 180-day period; (3) committing identity theft and the defendant has 10 or more pieces of identification from 10 or more different persons.

 

SB 331 A: Creates a new crime of “organized retail theft. To be guilty of organized retail theft, the state must establish that: (1) the person stole merchandise; (2) from a mercantile establishment; (3) the person acted in concert with another person; and (4) the aggregate value of the merchandise within a 90-day period exceeds $5,000. SB 331 A also places organized retail theft within Oregon’s RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act) statute.

 

ETHICAL AND ACCOUNTABLE STATE GOVERNMENT:

 

HB 2088: Directs Secretary of State to accept reports of waste, inefficiency or abuse by state agencies, state employees or persons under contract with state agencies through any method.

 

SB 10: Enacts sweeping government ethics: Restricts the dollar amount of gifts officials can receive to $50; Provides stable funding for the Ethics Commission; Increases penalties for ethics violations; Places restrictions on the ability of legislators to become lobbyists and lobby their former colleagues; Improves access and ability to understand statements of economic interest filed by public officials.

 

CONSUMER PROTECTIONS:

 

HB 2513: Prohibits person from selling gift cards that expires or have a face value that declines over time or with lack of use.

 

SB 431: Protects Oregonians from predatory towing practices by prohibiting landlords from having motor vehicle removed from premises without notice to tenant who owns or operates vehicle except under specified circumstances.

 

HB 2163: Helps to prevent house fires caused by abandoned burning cigarettes by prohibiting the distribution or sell of a cigarette within this state unless the cigarette is of a variety the State Fire Marshal has determined to be firesafe.

 

HB 2096: Allows people living in manufactured home parks to join together to create non-profit co-op to buy land if park owner is selling for development purposes.

 

VETERANS BENEFITS:

 

HB 2208, 2237, 3009, 3201: House Democrats recognize the invaluable service that veterans provide to our country by passing this package of legislation offering emergency financial assistance, grants for part-time study, tax relief, educational benefits and elimination of red tape around homeownership.