THE STATE LEGISLATIVE session in Salem kicked off last week and already our representatives are pitching more than 1,600 new laws for Oregon. From that pile of policy proposals (most of which don’t stand a chance) here’s a sampling of bills that jump out as important for Portlanders.
IMMIGRANTS! THEY BE VOTING?
Oregon immigrant-rights group CAUSA waited all of three days from the start of session to blast a batch of immigration laws proposed by Keizer, Oregon, Representative Kim Thatcher as “Arizona-style” legislation that will hurt immigrants and create a divisive culture in the state. None of the Republican’s bills are as racial-profile-y as Arizona’s infamous law. But among the bills, the one that jumps out is HB 2804, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. That would likely mean needing your birth certificate or passport on hand when registering. Thatcher responds that the bills are not meant to be divisive, but rather would provide “sensible reforms to hold people accountable who are breaking the law.”
Another pair of bills, one from a Democrat and one from a Republican, propose making it easier to register: The Democratic bill (HB 2885) would require apartment complexes to hand out voter registration forms along with move-in info; the Republican twin (HB 2998) would do the same—for anyone who signs up for a hunting or fishing license.
Also Interesting:
• Making it a crime to “traffic illegal immigrants.” (HB 2760—Representative Brian Clem, D-Salem)
• Require all new sentencing laws to include a racial impact statement that would examine whether the stiffer laws would disproportionately affect certain races. (No bill number yet—Senator Chip Shields, D-Portland)
BICYCLE RIGHTS!
- Jon Sperry
Portland Representative Mitch Greenlick got himself into a firestorm last week, after bikeportland.org posted about the Democrat’s HB 2228, which proposes hitting parents with a $90 ticket if they carry children younger than six years old on their bikes or in bike trailers. Greenlick worries that biking with kids is dangerous. But hundreds of parents who bike with their kids emailed and called representatives to say it’s perfectly safe—and healthy to boot.
Also Interesting:
• A ban on studded car tires, which tear up roads (HB 2333)
• Criminalizing the sale of bikes with scratched-off serial numbers (HB 2824—Representative Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis)
• Studying requiring a bike license statewide (HB 2331)
DRINKING AND DRUNKING
- Jon Sperry
The Oregon State Fair canceled its 22nd annual home-brewing competition last summer after the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) finally started enforcing a long-ignored law banning the sharing of homebrew outside the home. No less than three bills propose nixing that law, legalizing homebrew competitions as long as the beer isn’t actually sold. Another bill, HB 2716, would allow cities to regulate the number of liquor licenses issued in their limits to keep down the number of bars.
Also Interesting:
• Banning anyone with two DUIIs from buying liquor for three years (HB 2769—Representative Thatcher)
• Making it a crime to drive “while drowsy.” (HB 2749—Representative Clem)
MAX MAKEOVER
- Jon Sperry
East Portland Representative Jefferson Smith is pitching three bills aimed at making TriMet safer but on a tiny budget. The most peculiar? Playing classical music at MAX stations that have been identified as high crime. “It has a calming influence,” says Smith, a Democrat. At the other end of the line, Representative Matt Wingard, a Republican from Wilsonville, proposes printing—on every TriMet ticket!—the amount that each ride is subsidized by tax dollars.
Also Interesting:
• Converting TriMet tickets into wearable stickers, to speed along fare enforcement (HB 2883—Representative Smith)
• Training neighbors to do anti-crime TriMet foot patrols (HB 2891—Representative Smith)
PUBLIC SAFETY DANCE
Oregon’s 14,000 inmates can’t vote, but they still count as people when the state is deciding voting districts based on representation. That’s significant, because most prisons are in rural areas, while most inmates are from urban areas. Senator Shields’ “Bill to End Prison-Based Gerrymandering” would have inmates count as part of their home district rather than the prison’s legislative district.
Also Interesting:
• Forcing smoke shops to register with the state, like bars do with the OLCC (HB 2726—Representative Carolyn Tomei, D-Milwaukie)
• Creating an “animal offender database,” like the state’s sex-offender database, that requires convicted animal abusers to register with local police (HB 2742—Representative Deborah Boone, D-Cannon Beach)
CONSUMING CONSUMERS
Should banks be allowed to “swipe information” from your driver’s license if you sign up for their services? Businesses are currently barred from taking info off your driver’s license (like your weight, height, and home address), but at the humble request of the Oregon Bankers Association, Happy Valley Democrat Mike Schaufler introduced HB 2615, which would exempt banks from that law.
Also Interesting:
• Taxing sugar-sweetened drinks sold in Oregon, at .5 cents per ounce (HB 2644—Representative Greenlick)
• Banning the annoying distribution of phone books, except to anyone who actually and specifically requests one (SB 525—Senator Shields)
This story has been updated. The soda tax was originally incorrectly listed as .005 cents per ounce. Clearly, we can’t do the maths.
HB 2804 – Unnecessary. A state id or drivers’ license is all that should be needed to register to vote. If you’re “illegal”, chances are you don’t have either of these. Plus, it’s unlikely that voting will be one of your priorities.
HB 2760 – Now i could’ve sworn that trafficking illegal immigrants was ALREADY A CRIME. You mean to tell me it’s ok now?!
Chip Shields’ proposed HB is a GREAT idea & [bill# or not] really should pass! As detailed in Michelle Alexander’s ‘The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness’, racial “minorities” are disproportionately buggered by cops, arrested, & sentenced to waaay harsher prison terms than whites for committing the SAME crimes. In fact, hasn’t there already been [at least] two studies in recent years showing that cops stop & search black motorists in the metro area waaay more than whites? This, despite the fact that black motorists are less likely to have drugs/weapons on them than whites? So yeah, this bill needs to pass. NO reason why it shouldn’t… especially since it can’t possibly cost that much money.
HB 2228 – What a ridiculous bill this was; i’m glad Greenlick backed down from this – & i don’t even have kids. Looks like ACTIVISM really does work sometimes.
HB 2331 – Stupid, absurd bill – should go down in flames. Just another way for the state to EXTORT money from regular people.
HB 2769 – Well intentioned, but guaranteed to fail if made into law. Major problems with enforcement. Even if chronic drunks were prohibited from buying HA, sells in beer/wine/other will sky-rocket. When will folks learn – targeted prohibition does NOT work.
HB 2749 – Again, well intentioned – but doomed to fail. Enforcement issues. Gives way too much discretion to cops. Hard to prove in court. Plus, isn’t there already a law against driving while “inhibited”?
The myth that classical music somehow “pacifies” criminals or deters homeless people seeking shelter is beyond stupid! I thought this was disproven years ago in much larger cities. Sure, it makes for lovely background noise. Otherwise, you won’t see a drop in drug-dealing, assaults, graffiti, or piss-smelling MAX shelters.
HB 2891 – Nice idea, but will not pass. Too much money. Won’t do a thing to reduce crime.
Chip Shields’ bill to ‘end prison-based gerrymandering’ is also a great idea, is cheap, & should also pass! Will address a racket that sadly most people probably aren’t aware of. Definitely explains why politicians who rep. rural districts (& are usually Republican) are always clamoring for prison construction. Also discussed in ‘The New Jim Crow’. I wonder if Shields read the same book i have?
HB 2742 – Good bill, great cause, should be cheap if it costs anything. Unfortunately, neither politicians not cops give a shit about animals for the most part. Sooo, probably will fail.
SB 525 – The only people who [still] use phonebooks are old people & crazy hoarders. Otherwise, most of ’em either go directly into recycling/garbage, or end up soggy after being left on the porch form months. Only the phonebook/paper industry are against this bill. They’ll argue that this bill will kill jobs. But if the only purpose to having a [particular] job is to create a mostly irrelevant product that almost noone uses & goes right into the trash, we should be able to put everyone to work tomorrow!
Plus, the paper & timber industries go hand ‘n hand – for obvious reasons. Both are major players in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – which gives a shit-ton of money to Republicans. Shields is a Democrat, so expect alot of CONSERVATIVE resistance to this bill. Which would be ironic b/c SB 525 will result in the CONSERVATION of many trees.
Holy tiny taxes, Batman!
The proposed tax on soda isn’t .005 cents per ounce – which would be five-one-thousandths of a cent per ounce, or one cent per 200 ounces, and one dollar per 20,000 ounces. It is one-half cent, or five-one-thousandths of a dollar, per ounce.
A crime driving drowsy?That will shut down the morning commute.
the elephant in the room here is right in the opening of this story. 1600 new laws. Let me say that again……SIXTEEN HUNDRED NEW LAWS!? we will never, I repeat, never see our way out of the quagmire of ineffective governance if the only solution our legislators can come up with is alway MOAR ROOLZ11!!!1
Especially if they are as blatantly unconstitutional as some of these appear. What most of this crap strikes me as is people trying to look busy and justify their pointless existence.
Agreed C.O. Though i don’t think their existence is “pointless”. It’s just that they could be working on far more relevant issues other than bullshit like kids in bike trailers & “drowsy” driving. Chip Shields’ bill proposals are very good ones for sure. I can’t remember if i voted for him back in November. But if he keeps up this type of good work, i’ll definately vote for him next time.
C.O. – there are 1600 bills. That’s actually quite a bit fewer than most sessions, when there are about 4,000 bills introduced – most of which never become law, and many of which never get a hearing. I imagine 400 or so will be passed this session.
But that doesn’t mean they’re all new rules – they’re often adjustments to existing laws, sometimes relaxing the rules. If they’re not there to introduce changes to laws, are they only there to pass the budget? And many of these bills are introduced because citizens came to legislators and asked them to introduce them.
That said, I generally agree passing new laws is often not the best way to address the challenges we face.