Common Cause  Oregon Endorsed

VOTING & VOTING RIGHTS

• HB 2499 – Automatic Voter Registration: (Reps. Fahey, Rep. Zika) Extends automatic voter registration to Oregon Health Authority and any state agency designated by Governor. Extends automatic voter registration to Oregon Health Authority and any state agency designated by Governor.
  Common Cause Oregon Executive Board endorsed on 2/25/21
• HJR 11 – Same Day Voter Registration: (Rep. Rayfield, Sen. Dembrow) Proposes amendment to Oregon Constitution providing for same-day voter registration. Refers proposed amendment to people for their approval or rejection at next regular general election Sylvia could present or Rep. Rayfield’s staff.
  Common Cause Oregon Executive Board endorsed on 2/25/21
• HB 2366, SB 571 – Voting While Incarcerated: HB 2366 (Reps. Salinas, Gelser, Bynum, Dembrow)  Allows persons convicted of felony to register to vote, update voter registration and vote in elections while incarcerated. Specifies that person’s residence is where person resided prior to incarceration. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die– SB 571 (Sens. Gelser, Bynum, Prozanski, Dembrow, Gorsek, Marsh, Lieber, Salinas) Allows persons convicted of a felony to register to vote in elections while incarcerated.
  Common Cause Oregon Executive Board endorsed on 2/25/21
• HB2323 – Voter Disinformation: (Rep. Fahey) HB2323 Prohibits knowingly communicating materially false statement with intent to mislead electors about date of election, deadline for delivering ballot, voter registration deadline, method of registering to vote, locations at which elector may deposit ballot, qualifications of electors or voter registration status within 30 days of primary election or special election or within 60 days of general election. Authorizes Attorney General to prosecute violation and establishes civil penalty of up to $10,000 for violation.
  Common Cause Oregon Executive Board endorsed on 2/25/21
• HB 2687 – Return Ballot Postmark Date: (Rep. Rayfield) Requires ballots returned by mail to be postmarked not later than date of election. Requires county clerks to announce status of tally of ballots received after election date on third and eighth calendar days after date of election. Applies to elections held on or after January 1, 2022.
  Common Cause Oregon Executive Board endorsed on 2/25/21

RACIALLY JUST DEMOCRACY

• HB 2991, HB 2353 – Racial Impact/Equity statements: HB 2991 (Rep. Smith Warner) Requires Legislative Policy and Research Director or chief sponsor of bill or proposed constitutional amendment to prepare racial and ethnic impact statement. HB 2353 (Rep. Salinas) Requires agency to include in rulemaking notice statement identifying how adoption of rule will affect racial equity.
  Common Cause Oregon Executive Board endorsed on 2/25/21
• HB 2992 – Per Diem Compensation for members of Boards or Commissions: (Rep. Smith Warner) Provides financial support for folks who have volunteered their time to be on a board or commission. This was discussed at the City of Portland, there was some concern about “labor laws” associated with that but that can also be used as an excuse to not fund support for volunteers.
  Common Cause Oregon Executive Board endorsed on 2/25/21

CAMPAIGN FINANCE / TRANSPARENCY / CONFLICT OF INTEREST

• HJM 4 – Article V Convention for CFR: (Rep. Rayfield) Applies to Congress to call convention for purpose of proposing amendments to United States Constitution that address campaign finance reform.
  Common Cause Oregon Executive Board opposed on 2/25/21

Oregon Legislative Bills

There’s a lot to do right now to repair and strengthen our democracy. And much of it needs to happen at the state level. Oregon’s 2021 legislative session is already underway. Here are some of the upcoming state legislative bills aimed at impacting democracy. For more information on any of these, you can click through on the bill number to go directly to the state legislative page for that bill.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE / TRANSPARENCY / CONFLICT OF INTEREST

• SB 336, LC 2276. SB 255, HB 2680 – Campaign Contribution Limits: SB336 (Sen. Golden)  Prohibits candidates for state office from accepting contributions in excess of amounts specified and from sources not specified. LC 2276 (Rep. Salinas) Establishes limits on campaign contributions that may be accepted by candidates and political committees. SB 255 (Senate Pres. Peter Courtney) Establishes limits on campaign contributions that may be accepted by candidates and political committees. HB 2680 (Rep. Rayfield) Establishes limits on campaign contributions that may be accepted by candidates and political committees.
• HB 2921 – Small Donor Elections: (Rep. Rayfield) Establishes Small Donor Elections Program to enable candidates for office of state Representative and state Senator to receive 6-to-1 match on small dollar donations.
• HB 2908 – Transparency for Political Committees: (Rep. Rayfield) Requires Secretary of State to randomly select for examination accounts of political committees.
• HB 2922 – Transparency on conflict of economic interest for elected, public officials and candidates: (Reps. Rayfield and Hudson) Requires statement of economic interest to include certain information about sources of income for business in which public official or candidate, or member of household of public official or candidate, is officer, holds directorship or does business under if source of income has legislative or administrative interest and 10 percent or more of total gross annual income of business comes from that source of income.
• HB 2923 – Regulations on PAC and Candidate spending/conflict of interest: (Reps. Rayfield and Hudson) Prohibits candidate or principal campaign committee of candidate from expending campaign moneys for professional services rendered by certain businesses required to be listed on candidate’s statement of economic interest.
• SJR 20 – Labor and Corporate conflict of interest with the State, Candidate, or PAC: (Sen. Girod) Proposes amendment to Oregon Constitution prohibiting corporation, professional corporation, nonprofit corporation or labor organization that has current contract with state from making contribution to any candidate or political committee.
• HB 2228 – ORESTAR Disclosure of Travel: (Rep. Wilde) Requires public office holder or candidate for public office who uses campaign contributions for travel outside of Oregon to file statement on ORESTAR stating whether travel is for official duties or campaign purposes and identifying name and mailing address of any other persons paying for part of travel expenses.

VOTING & VOTING RIGHTS

• HB 2679 – 17-Year-Old Voting in Primaries: (Rep. Rayfield, Rep. Neron, Ruiz, Rep. Sollman, Sen. Dembrow, Rep. Steiner-Hayward) Permits person who will be 17 years old on date of primary election and 18 years old on date of general election to vote at primary election for candidates of major political party with which person is affiliated if major political party has adopted rule to this effect.
• HB 2681 – Rules for Moving Voters to Inactive Status: (Rep. Rayfield) Requires each county clerk to file annual report with Secretary of State identifying each voter who clerk moved to inactive status during previous calendar year and specifying reason for moving voter to inactive status.
• HB 2684 – Voter Pamphlet Rules: (Rep. Rayfield) Requires Secretary of State or county clerk, rather than filer, to designate argument filed for publication in voters’ pamphlet as either supporting or opposing ballot measure.
• HB 2678 ,SB 343,HB 2685, HB 2686 – Ranked Choice Voting: HB2678 (Rep. Rayfield, Rep. Campos, Sen. Golden, Sen. Dembrow) Establishes ranked choice voting as voting method for selecting winner of nomination for and election to nonpartisan state offices and county and city offices except where home rule charter applies. SB 343 (Sen. Golden) Permits counties to adopt rank-choice voting to conduct county elections. HB 2685 (Rep. Rayfield) Requires Secretary of State to provide official Military and Overseas Elector Ballots for elections held on date of primary election that permit military and overseas electors to rank candidates by order of preference. HB 2686 (Rep. Rayfield) Requires that any voting machine or vote tally system approved by Secretary of State must be compatible with elections conducted by ranked-choice voting and any other form of voting that is authorized under Oregon Constitution and has been used within previous 10 years in any federal, state or local election in United States.

RACIALLY JUST DEMOCRACY

• HB2944 – Language Services: (Rep. Bynum) Requires Legislative Assembly to provide translator and interpreter services free of charge in order to facilitate witness participation in hearings or informal meetings with one or more members of Legislative Assembly, as required by federal Americans with Disabilities Act, or in conjunction with constituent outreach services.
• SJM 4, SB 618, SB 619 – Racial Justice, Reparations for Slavery: (Rep. Frederick) SJM 4 Urging Congress to enact legislation to begin process of implementing reparations for African Americans based on slavery and discrimination. SB 618 Directs Oregon Department of Administrative Services to study methods of providing reparations for slavery to Black Oregonians and report to appropriate committee or interim committee of Legislative Assembly. SB 619 Directs Department of Revenue to establish program to pay reparations to Black Oregonians who can demonstrate heritage in slavery and who submit application.