Hi Everyone,

I’m sure this newsletter could be filled with stories about the weather in District 31: wind, snow and rain and plenty of it! The same is occurring in Salem as the Legislature meets for three days of hearings. Over the last two days, more than 4 inches of rain have fallen here. Consequently, some of the inmates at the state prison are filling and placing sandbags to protect a number of state office buildings, particularly those with underground parking facilities. The Capitol is safe, but some buildings border Mill Creek, which is close to overflowing its banks. Never a dull moment…

And never a dull moment in my Veterans Affairs Committee! Today, we listened to testimony on four Legislative Concepts (LCs), which is our description for legislation in draft form. The Committee approved these Concepts and they will now become bills for consideration by the whole body in February. Here, briefly, is an overview of what they would accomplish:

• LC 4 This will become a Memorial to Congress urging them to add Chiropractic care to the Federal “All Veterans Act.”
• LC 194 Directs the Oregon State Lottery Commission to establish lottery games to benefit veterans’ education and economic development, and continuously appropriates money to Dept. of Veterans’ Affairs for education training and job creation.
• LC 195 Requires Commissioner of Bureau of Labor and Industries to inform Director of Veterans’ Affairs when a veteran has filed a civil rights complaint. (Codifies current practice)
• LC 204 Requires certain professional licensing agencies to accept applicant’s military training or experience as substitute for education or experience requirement for licensure. This is a companion to HB 275 passed last session that allows some training and experience to qualify for community college credit.

Bills Taking Effect January 1, 2012:

A lot of new laws went into effect with the advent of the New Year. This is not a complete list by any means, but there may be a few things here that will interest you and/or affect you or someone you know:

HB 3207 Requires public employers to interview each veteran who applies for a civil service position, and who has obtained through military education or experience, skills that substantially relate to civil service position.

SB 275 Requires Board of Education of Community College District to develop standards for community college credit for education/training obtained in the Armed Services.

HB 2694 Allows the court to extend the eviction time beyond 30 days for the elderly and disabled upon proof of need.

SB 292 Free Means Free! Prohibits imposing financial obligation on consumer who accepts free offer unless offer complies with disclosure and billing information requirements.

SB 487 Protects consumers from becoming trapped in costly cyclical automatic contract renewals.

HB 2463 Requires computer technicians and photo processors to report evidence of child pornography.

HB 3075 Requires the installation of ignition interlock device as a condition of diversion agreement.

HB 3085 Requires health care facility to report the presence of a controlled substance in the blood of a patient who was operating a vehicle involved in an accident.

SB 433 Expands eligibility for medical assistance for low-income and uninsured women diagnosed with breast of cervical cancer.

Finally, I want you to know that my colleagues and I are focusing on the upcoming Session in February, particularly with reference to balancing the budget, spurring job creation and expanding access to capital for Oregon’s small businesses.

Many middle class Oregonians are still suffering because of this recession. In addition to the hardships of unemployment, they’re struggling with foreclosure and are worried about cuts to services they count on. We know that we must protect education by preventing further teacher layoffs, increased class sizes and shortened school years.

We need to provide homeowners the protection that they deserve by enacting foreclosure reforms and increased oversight of insurance companies. With this in mind, I have introduced a bill to assist those who are facing foreclosure.

I look forward to working for you and with you in this upcoming session, and welcome any and all comments and concerns at any time. Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter. Have a great weekend!