January 9 was the start of the 2023 Oregon legislative session. This was the day of ceremonial gathering when members were sworn in and officers elected. Senator Rob Wagner was voted in as Senate President and Rep. Dan Rayfield as Speaker of the House. Newly-elected Governor Tina Kotek was sworn in and delivered her inaugural address – see link below. Pre-session filed legislative bills were first-read and then assigned to committees. Following that, training sessions will make up the rest of the week. Committees begin meeting next week.
Gov. Tina Kotek sworn into office – oregonlive.com
Oregon Live 1-9-2023
You can find all the pre-session filed bills on the Oregon Legislative website, Oregon State Legislature (oregonlegislature.gov). I have read through all 2,000 or so bills to make a list for PIA, and then our PIA Oregon Government Relations Committee will hold a conference call to set positions and prioritize them. There will be a lot more bills introduced in the days to come.
Issues sure to be raised come from the Division of Financial Regulation. They have already held a discussion group on their proposed legislative bill to ban certain elements used in insurance rating. They will also introduce a bill to require insurance companies to give credits for hardening of homes in wildfire-prone areas; they have introduced a draft which insurers don’t much like, and hopefully the Division will listen to insurers’ suggestions. There will be many other issues of interest, and PIA will publish our list of bills so you can see what we will be facing this session.
It is important that you know who your state senator and state representative are in the districts where you live and also where you work. You can find out by completing the online form at 2023 Find Your Legislator (arcgis.com). PIA will be asking you to contact legislators by email, phone or in person.
Speaking of in person, while the Capitol will be open this session, it is undergoing major construction, so access and space are very limited. You can always watch hearings online and testify that way, too. You must sign up to testify in advance, so be sure to read the requirements on the various committee pages on the legislative website.
Finally, let me introduce you to our PIA Oregon Government Relations Committee: Chairman Patrick O’Keefe (Bend), Kelsey Wood (Roseburg), Doug Hartley (Silverton), Wendy Abel-Hatzel (Coos Bay), and Paul Haulbrook (Oregon City). If you would like to join our committee, please let me know.
Happy New Year!
Lana Butterfield
PIA Oregon Lobbyist
lanab@teleport.com
503/819-5800
