Back to full Legislative Report

Campaign Finance Reform

Redistricting

Cybersecurity and Privacy, Elections

Public Records, Meetings and Ethics

Rights of Incarcerated People

Campaign Finance Reform (CFR)

By Norman Turrill

Nothing except some hearings happened on the two major bills on campaign finance reform, SB 1526 and SB 1561, in spite of voters overwhelmingly passing Ballot Measure 107 in the 2020 election. After similar bills failed during the 2021 session, it would appear that legislative leadership does not want CFR.

Initiative petitions 43, 44, and 45 are now dead since the Oregon Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal of a Secretary of State's disqualification of these petitions. The SoS said that they did not include the full text of statutes that they were amending. We expect one or more new CFR petitions to be filed in 2024.

Redistricting

By Norman Turrill

The People Not Politicians coalition is still continuing with IP 34; it is still waiting on the ballot title appeal by opponents, in the Oregon Supreme Court. Time is running out to collect the 150,000 valid signatures that must be delivered to the Secretary of State by July 8.

Cybersecurity and Privacy, Elections

By Becky Gladstone

League members were appointed to a DAS Data Sharing Work Group and Elections Focus Group. A League member serves as the Public Member of EPAB, the state Electronic Portal Advisory Board.

HB 4155: With active cyber-attacks from known “bad actors” against the Ukraine, we urged MOST STRONGLY for support of this cybersecurity omnibus bill. We are appalled that it did not move forward, with extensive collaboration, no opposition, and League support. Oregonians and our “critical infrastructure”, anything connected digitally, are not adequately protected.

HB 4017: Despite LWVOR support, this bill for the AG’s Data Broker Registry bill did not pass.

HB 4092 Enrolled and signed by the Governor, for statewide broadband expansion with LWVOR support.

HB 4133 Enrolled and signed by the Governor, to align paper and online voter registration and to allow registered 3rd parties to use an API to help online voter registration. See League support.

HB 4144 Enrolled and signed by the Governor, for election worker security. See League testimony.

SB 1527 Enrolled and signed by the Governor, references “secrecy envelopes” and revises elections recount timing. See League support.

Public Records, Meetings and Ethics

By Chris Cobey

HB 4114 Enrolled and signed by the Governor: Requires members of district school board for common school district or union high school district to file verified statement of economic interest with Oregon Government Ethics Commission.

Other bills in this governance issue area all failed.

Rights of Incarcerated People

By Marge Easley & Jaime Carleton

SB 1584 Enrolled and signed by the Governor, defines the criteria for a wrongful conviction determination and establishes a procedure for allocating compensation. It sets a restitution cap of $65,000 for every year of incarceration and $25,000 for every year of parole or probation, with an annual cost-of-living adjustment. It also orders the court to award punitive damages not to exceed $100,000 for the initial payment and the remainder awarded as an annuity not to exceed $80,000 per year.