Equal Rights 

Clean Indoor Air Act  Rep Rosenbaum drafted, sponsored, and carried SB571. Oregon will join Washington and California in banning smoking in public places. Venues in Oregon that allow smoking were shown to have a level of indoor air pollution that is three times higher than what would be considered "unhealthy" outdoors. The law takes effect January 2009 giving 35,000 workers and countless others the right to breath smoke-free air.

Healthy Kids Ballot Measure  Rep Rosenbaum and her collegues took a bold step toward extending affordable health care to every child in Oregon who isn't otherwise covered by federal or private health plans. The plan would be funded through an 84.5-cent per pack increase in the cigarette tax.  All Oregon families will have access to the low group-insurance rate for their kids. It also makes health care more accessible through additional funding for health clinics in rural areas of the state and school-based health clinics. Oregon voters will be asked to approve the plan on the ballot this November.

During the 2007 Legislative Session, Rep Rosenbaum and her colleagues focused on renewing Oregon's commitment to the environment.  The 2007 Legislative Session passed a record number of bills to conserve, reuse and recycle.

• Bottle bill  Thirty years after its inception, Oregon's landmark "Bottle Bill" was updated for the 21st century. Plastic water bottles will now carry Oregon's five cent container deposit which will increase the recycling of millions more beverage containers, keep them out of the landfills and conserve energy and resources.
• E-Waste recycling  Rep Rosenbaum co-sponsored HB 2626 requiring electronic manufacturers take responsibility for the environmental issues with disposing electronics.  The law will require computer and television manufacturers to either pay into a state-contracted program to recycle used goods or set up their own program.  The program will be free and easily-accessible for consumers, making it easier for Oregonian to recycle their electronic waste.
• Renewable energy  By the year 2025, Oregon will be generating 25 percent of its electricity from renewable resources including biomass, hydropower, and energy derived from wind, solar power, ocean waves and geothermal sources. The Legislature decided to take control of Oregon's energy future using homegrown renewable resources. By cutting our reliance on imported fossil fuels, we can stabilize rates and cut global warming pollution, while building a new economy that benefits communities statewide.
• Biofuels  In her position on the Revenue Committee, Rep Rosenbaum worked to pass legislation designed to jumpstart Oregon's biofuel industry and decrease our dependence on foreign fuel.  The Renew Oregon Plan includes tax incentives for biofuel producers, business and residential consumers, and home builders encouraging energy efficiency and usage of renewable sources.
• Measure 37  Since voters passed it in 2004, implementing Measure 37 has been a challenging and complicated process that threatens to unravel Oregon's land use planning system.  After months of public testimony and debate by the Joint Committee on Land Use Fairness, the Legislature crafted Measure 49. If approved by voters, this M49 will allow for easy processing of small, residential claims over massive industrial or commercial developments and large subdivisions.

Ensuring Fair Access to Birth Control  For years, women in Oregon and across the country have fought to have prescription birth control recognized as basic health care. Rep Rosenbaum spent the past 8 years fighting for this legislation. Finally, the 2007 Legislature passed HB2700, requiring all prescription drug plans to cover prescription birth control. It also guarantees rape victims access to emergency contraception in the ER. Passing this bill has been a top priority for Rep Rosenbaum during her entire legislative career.

Making Family Leave Law Stronger  The Oregon Family Leave Act was one of the first in the nation, and it served as a model for federal Family Leave legislation in the 1990's. For this, Oregonians have reason to be proud, but the law isn't perfect. Currently, some workers are forced to use their Family Leave time for time off due to a work-related injury. This was not the intent of the OFLA when it was written, and in response, Rep Rosenbaum passed HB 2460, which rectifies this problem. She also spearheaded legislation to expand the use of paid sick leave for Family Leave time off, so workers may now use their accrued paid sick leave for all of the purposes under OFLA.

Accommodating Breastfeeding Mothers in the Workplace  Challenges faced by new mothers breastfeeding in the work place include: lack of flexibility in work schedule, lack of pace to pump, and concerns about support from their employer. Numerous studies show that when new mothers return to the workplace they are less likely to continue breast feeding. Rep Rosenbaum sponsored this new law requiring employers to provide rest periods and a private location for new moms expressing milk.

Elections Reform 

In elections, Rep Rosenbaum spearheaded legislation to clean-up Oregon's initiative process. The reform package brings the Oregon's initiative system into the 21st century, utilizing new electronic tools and providing better protections against identity theft and abuse. Campaigns will be able to use electronic petitions, voters will be able to identify signature gatherers that might be misleading them, and State officials will have tools to enforce current campaign laws. She also worked with voter rights activists to pass a hand recount bill to ensure our election results are accurate.  

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