Oregon
Oregon Legislature adjourns 2024 'short session,' parties tout accomplishments; Gov. Kotek says she'll sign Measure 110 fix – KTVZ
SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Oregon Legislature wrapped up its month-long “short session” three days before the deadline Thursday night, with Democrats, Republicans and Gov. Tina Kotek expressing satisfaction with what got done on Measure 110 fixes, major housing funding and other issues, in contrast to last year’s GOP walkout-hobbled session.
Here’s what each had to say in statements issued after the gavel came down at “sine die” — that means adjournment, including Gov. Kotek’s announcement that she does plan to sign the Measure 110 bill, working with those concerned about its impacts.
Isabella Warren will be reaching out to Central Oregon lawmakers Friday to see how they feel it all went and about major successes or misses from the condensed time in Salem.
Senate Democrats Turn Oregon’s Shared Challenges into Shared Solutions in 2024 Session
Statement from Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber on adjournment of the 2024 Legislative Session
SALEM, OR – Oregon’s 82nd Legislative Assembly adjourned the 2024 Legislative Session today having delivered major victories for the people of Oregon. This session, Senate Democrats worked to turn Oregon’s shared problems into shared solutions. Lawmakers prioritized taking action on the most urgent issues impacting all Oregonians: reducing homelessness, increasing affordable housing, improving public health and safety – including real solutions to the drug crisis – and strengthening our schools and the economy.
Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber (D – Beaverton & SW Portland) issued the following statement on the major wins Senate Democrats delivered for the people of Oregon:
“Oregonians are the winners of this legislative session.
“I’m so proud of the job our caucus did this year, taking on our state’s toughest challenges to make a real, positive difference in peoples’ lives. I’m proud of the way we worked together, with our fellow Democrats and Republicans, to deliver meaningful progress Oregonians’ biggest priorities, including major investments in the homelessness and housing emergencies and common-sense solutions to the drug crisis.
“This responsibility is never easy, and we had to make some really hard decisions this session, but I’m confident that Oregon’s future is brighter because of the victories we secured for communities in every corner of our state.”
Senate Democrats’ 2024 Uniting Oregon Agenda focused on bringing people together to solve our state’s most pressing problems with the goal of making life better for all who call Oregon home. Legislation passed to accomplish this goal includes but is not limited to:
HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS
SAFE, HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
- Oregon Drug Intervention Plan (HB 4002, HB 5204)
- Urgently Expanding Drug Treatment in Oregon (HB 4151, HB 4001, HB 4023, HB 4092)
- Protecting Oregonians on Public Transit (SB 1553)
- Strengthening Support for Survivors of Child Abuse, Domestic and Sexual Violence (HB 4140, HB 4146, HB 4156)
- Improving Government Accountability and Transparency (SB 1533, HB 4117)
- Building on the Success of Oregon’s Marine Reserves (HB 4132)
- Modernizing Oregon’s Emergency Medical Services (HB 4081)
- Protecting Kids Getting On and Off School Buses (HB 4147)
- Safeguarding Oregon’s Economic and Environmental Future (HB 4083)
- Making Prescription Drugs More Affordable for Oregonians (HB 4113)
- Keeping Insulin, Prescriptions Affordable for Oregonians (SB 1508)
- Managing Monsanto Settlement to Protect Oregon’s Environment (SB 1561)
- Defending Voters, Elections from Artificial Intelligence (SB 1571)
- Task Force on Community Safety and Firearm Suicide Prevention (SB 1503)
- Human Services Omnibus to Improve Systems of Care (SB 1521)
- Ensuring Access to Mental Health Care for Youth Under 21 (SB 1557)
- Legislature Passes Bipartisan, Practical Limits on Money in Politics (HB 4024)
STRONG SCHOOLS, STRONG ECONOMY
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2024 SESSION RECAP: Senate Republicans Prioritized Emergencies Like Measure 110 and Housing Supply; Lowered Costs for Oregonians, Protected the Kicker
SALEM, Ore. – This evening, the 2024 Legislative Session adjourned sine die. Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend) released the following statement:
“Since the first day, Senate Republicans have been consistent: this 35-day short session must be focused on bipartisan work to tackle emergencies, fine tune technical fixes, and make reasonable budget adjustments. With few exceptions, the 2024 short session met these criteria. I am proud our Caucus remained dedicated to delivering on these promises by recriminalizing hard drugs, giving law enforcement the tools necessary to crack down on drug dealers, unleashing builders and funding critical infrastructure to boost housing production, strengthening services for children who are victims of abuse, and giving needed financial relief to wildfire victims.”
Republican accomplishments include:
Boosting Housing Production
SB 1564: Allows cities who do not have the bandwidth to create and administer their own model ordinance codes to adopt a code created by DLCD that is aligned with that city’s population.
HB 1530, HB 1537: A bipartisan package of housing bills aimed at boosting housing production, funding critical infrastructure in communities across the state, developing an innovative revolving loan fund, and focusing on workforce housing levels.
Addressing Drug Addiction, Homelessness, and Crime
HB 4002, HB 5204: A bipartisan proposal to give law enforcement, district attorneys, and local government leaders many of the tools they say are needed to get people off the streets and into life-saving addiction treatment. It signifies an end to the nationwide decriminalization movement.
SB 1579: Begins the work of funding and expanding access to underserved, historically marginalized, low-income areas of the state while offering needed services to children who have been abused through Child Advocacy Centers. This critical investment will help ensure equitable access and services for children who have been abused and neglected. It will give all of Oregon’s CACs the opportunity to be accredited with the standards and best practices of the National Children’s Alliance, leading to better standards of care and services.
Defending the Kicker, Growing the Economy, Lowering Costs
SB 1520: Allows Oregon wildfire victims to recover and rebuild their lives without the additional strain of taxation or settlements related to their wildfire losses. The measure proposes to exempt legal settlements from state income taxes for wildfire occurring after January 1, 2020, that were declared state and federal emergencies.
SB 1545: Authorizes a county to allow a homestead rebuilt by the same owner on the same lot to replace the homestead destroyed by the September 2020 wildfires to have a specially assessed value equal to the destroyed homestead’s real market value for the 2020-2021 property tax year, to the extent of the square footage of the destroyed homestead.
SB 1562: Increases the limit for transferring funds from the General Fund to the Rainy Day Fund from 7.5 percent to 12.5 percent of revenue received in the prior biennium. This will allow the state to increase the reserves in Rainy Day Fund as compared to current law.
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Legislative Session 2024: Governor Kotek Issues Statement on Housing and Homelessness, Education, Campaign Finance Reform, and House Bill 4002
Salem, OR – Today, after Oregon lawmakers concluded the 2024 legislative session, marking continued progress on critical issues facing Oregonians, including housing and homelessness, education, and more, Governor Tina Kotek issued the following statement:
“I commend lawmakers for a productive session with bipartisan successes and a strong focus on the top issues facing Oregonians.
“Oregon will now have more tools to meet the urgent demand for all types of housing, in all parts of the state. Senate Bill 1537 will help stabilize housing costs by increasing housing production through cutting red tape in permitting processes, establishing some of the strongest affordability standards for new construction in the country, and other critical reforms. Combined with investments in Senate Bill 1530, I look forward to ensuring that every dollar advances housing production.
“Our students will have more educational supports this summer to offset the learning loss between school years, and we are on track to make budget information that the State already collects from school districts more accessible and easier to understand.
“This session also marks the historical passage of campaign finance reform with strong bipartisan support. I applaud all those who came to the table to find compromise and deliver a policy that will strengthen transparency and confidence in Oregon’s elections. I want to thank legislative leadership for their commitment and urgency in getting it done this session.
“Finally, reforms to Measure 110 will start to take shape, as I intend to sign House Bill 4002 and the related prevention and treatment investments within the next 30 days. As Governor, my focus is on implementation. My office will work closely with each implementing authority to set expectations, specifically in response to the Criminal Justice Center’s Racial Equity Impact Statement, which projected disproportionate impacts to communities of color and the accompanying concerns raised by advocates. House Bill 4002 will require persistent action and commitment from state and local government to uphold the intent that the legislature put forward: to balance treatment for individuals struggling with addiction and accountability.”
The Oregon Ducks are set for one of the biggest timelines of their recruiting cycle, as many top targets are nearing commitments. This time around, the Ducks have a ton of top targets still remaining on their board compared to past seasons, as the Ducks have eight total commitments at this time.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff still need to land a safety commitment, but three-star safety Elijah Butler out of Maryland recently included the Ducks in his final six schools.
Oregon Target Elijah Butler Makes Exciting Recruiting Announcement
Butler announced his top six schools ahead of a crucial part of his recruitment, according to a graphic by Leyton Roberts. The Ducks made the cut alongside the Maryland Terrapins, Virginia Tech Hokies, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The talented prospect would be a great addition for any of these teams, as they could all use a safety prospect at this point in the recruiting timeline.
Butler is from the state of Maryland, which makes the Terrapins one to watch.
It is also worth noting that he has been labeled as one of the best players in the state of Maryland, as he currently ranks as the state’s No. 9 prospect, according to Rivals. This is important as the Terrapins have always made solid attempts to land their in-state stars, including last season when they landed one of the better players in the state’s history, Zion Elee.
As of now, the prospect hasn’t been predicted to land with any of these schools, which means it is likely still a tight race entering the official visit schedule. He has yet to schedule an official visit with all of the schools he has listed in his top six, as he is still missing three key official visits. Butler has scheduled official visits with Alabama, Auburn, and Florida, according to 247Sports. This means he still needs to set one with Oregon, Virginia Tech, and Maryland if he wants to take one to each school.
If the Ducks are able to get Butler on a visit, then they would likely be in a more favorable position to land his commitment, as it currently. seems they are one of the trailing teams from this list. It seems highly unlikely that the Ducks will gain his commitment unless they get him on an official visit, which is still possible at this point, as plenty of top prospects across the nation are still scheduling their official visits.
As of now, the Ducks have 27 prospects set to take an official visit, according to 247Sports. Among all of the prospects who have scheduled a visit thus far, only one of the players is listed as a safety. That player is a three-star target, Junior Tu’upo. This leads one to believe that the Ducks could try to get Butler on a visit, or at a minimum, pitch their program to the prospect from St Frances Academy.
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BLUE RIVER, Ore. (KATU) — The founder of a former disaster relief nonprofit is being sued for allegedly diverting nearly $837,000 in donations and grants for personal gain.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed the lawsuit Thursday against the founder and executive director of Cascade Relief Team (CRT), Marcus Brooks. In the complaint, Rayfield calls CRT “a sham.”
Brooks is accused of stealing donations and government grants meant for disaster relief following wildfires and flooding in 2020, and using it for personal expenses including casino visits, travel, vehicles, and more.
CRT was founded in 2020 and was hired for cleanup and relief services following the Labor Day Wildfires that burned over 1 million acres across Oregon.
In Blue River, an unincorporated community in the McKenzie River Valley, the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire destroyed nearly 800 homes and burned more than 173,000 acres.
I am angry that my community was taken advantage of
Just months after the fire, long-time Blue River resident Melanie Stanley said CRT stepped in and promised help to the community.
“For us, it was…like a savior at that point,” Stanley said.
Stanley was the manager for the Blue River Resource Center and worked for Brooks to help facilitate recovery efforts. She said CRT operations slowly became questionable.
“None of us knew the level at which all of this stuff that finally came out was at,” Stanley said. “We knew that there was some stuff that had started to look hinky or feel hinky, or there was just some lack of communication that was happening. There were some other things that were happening, and so we just all were kind of guarded.”
In fall of 2023 the nonprofit was reported to have run out of money, and Brooks allegedly fired staff without disclosing the organization’s financial conditions and did not notify donors or beneficiaries. Stanley was one of those people fired.
The state now claims the funds that were meant to go towards communities like Blue River, never made it out of Brooks’ hands, including donations given by Blue River neighbors.
“I am angry that my community was taken advantage of, and I am angry that they now have to worry about trusting when something else happens, because we know something else is going to happen,” Stanley said. “We hope to God it’s never anything as big or as bad as what has happened, but you know, we also have learned that groups like Locals Helping Locals…they are our foundation, and they are because they’re us.”
The state is seeking to recover the money, permanently bar Brooks from serving in a leadership role at a charitable organization and dissolve the nonprofit.
Stanley said Brooks’ actions have tainted reputations.
“We as a community and as the people from the community who helped kind of put all of these things together, we did what was asked of us,” Stanley said. “We did help clean things, and we did help get things to provide, you know, more progress and get things moving forward, and we did good work, and so I just really hope that this is not overshadowed.”
According to Stanley, Blue River’s recovery now stands at 50%.
“We will be very picky from here on out about who and what groups gets let in to help with anything,” Stanley said. “And sadly, it may be to our detriment, but he did more damage now, as far as reputations go, and for that I’m angry. I’m very angry.”
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