The conclusion of the
short session in Salem last Saturday produced both wins
and loses for Klamath County.
A variety of bills were
on the table dealing with such issues as irrigation
rights, military college funding, cemetery burials and
pollution regulations.
House Bill 4016 would
have allowed irrigators within the Klamath Project to
temporarily transfer water rights from one property to
another to help mitigate potential droughts, but the
bill did not make it out of committee.
Rep. E. Werner Reschke,
R-Klamath Falls, worked directly with the committee that
submitted the bill. Though local irrigators showed
strong support, Reschke said opposition groups put a
stop to the proposal.
“Despite multiple
supporting testimonies from local constituents, this
bill died in committee, due to opposition from Portland
environmental and local tribal groups,” said Reschke.
Klamath County
Commissioner Derrick DeGroot said he thought passing the
bill was a “no-brainer” given the severe drought
expected this summer in the Klamath Basin and was upset
with legislators for not taking action.
“With what we have going
on, I was pretty disappointed in our legislature,” said
DeGroot.
Two bills improving
access to higher education for Oregon National Guard
members were House Bill 4035 and Senate Bill 1557, which
passed unanimously in each house of the legislature. HB
4035 allows the state to fully fund college tuition for
guardsmen seeking 2-year and 4-year degrees, while SB
1557 affords rights to students attending public
colleges who are called to National Guard duty for 30 or
fewer consecutive days.
Sen. Dennis Linthicum,
R-Beatty, said the new policies accommodate the “dynamic
circumstances” of military members who may need to drop
a class suddenly due to extended deployment or training.
Such students will now be able to re-take a class
without needing to re-pay for tuition.
Col. Jeff Smith,
commander of the 173rd Fighter Wing of the Oregon Air
National Guard, stationed at Kingsley Field, in Klamath
Falls, estimated more than 600 personnel at the base
could benefit from for these new programs. He said
passage of the bills shows how much legislators value
military members and sends a message of support to those
thinking about enlisting.
“This is a huge deal for
recruiting and retention,” said Smith.
Cemetery bill passes
House Bill 4073, which
permanently set in place a policy allowing day-use
permits at unlicensed cemeteries, passed unanimously.
Reschke was a chief sponsor of the bill and said the
policy helps alleviate concerns about Eternal Hills
Cemetery, in Klamath Falls, which has been unlicensed
since March of 2016.
A similar bill passed in
2015 established the permitting process on a temporary
basis and expired on Jan. 1. Until the legislature
renewed the policy, burials could not continue at
Eternal Hills, though the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery
Board (OMCB) did approve an interim policy allowing only
pre-paid burials to be conducted.
OMCB revoked the license
of Eternal Hills, owner Robert Gordon and manager Tim
Lancaster on March 30, 2016, due to repeated violations
of state policy. Gordon has yet to sell the cemetery to
a licensed funeral service provider and a bankruptcy
case against the former business is attempting to force
the sale of the property.
Other highlights
Other bills supported by
local legislators similarly received mixed levels of
success and defeat:
-
House Bill 4005, which regulated the rising cost of
prescription drugs, passed with bi-partisans support
and was strongly backed by Linthicum. The senator
said, as an insulin-dependent diabetic, he knows
first-hand the kind of hit a patient can take when
drug prices rise out of control;
- Senate Bill 1552,
which Linthicum proposed as a way to de-fund the
removal of hydroelectric dams along the Klamath
River, did not leave committee. The owner of the
dams has asked for their removal, though Linthicum
argued preserving the dams was important in
maintaining Oregon’s hydroelectric infrastructure;
- Bill 4057,
sponsored by Reschke, scaled back regulations passed
last year requiring janitorial service companies to
register with the Bureau of Labor and Industries.
The bill passed the House and Senate unanimously;
- House Bill 4057,
supported by Linthicum and Reschke, would have
banned abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy except
for medical emergencies, but the bill did not make
it out of committee. A similar bill also failed
during the 2017 legislative session.
‘No’ to cap and trade
Both men were supportive
of a move to take no action this session regarding a
proposed pollution abatement bill that would have
penalized businesses unable to comply with environmental
standards. Linthicum and Reschke were among many who
said the short session was not the appropriate time to
debate the issue, known as “cap and trade” and the
matter was put off for future consideration.
Linthicum said the
proposed bills “were only used for political posturing”
and would not have made a difference in carbon emissions
as “Oregon is already doing its part as a leader in the
green economy.”
Reschke said he was able
to help lead the charge against cap and trade as
vice-chair of the House Committee on Energy &
Environment. He said the policies “would significantly
increase the cost of living for individuals across
Oregon.”
Cap and trade is expected
to be back before legislators during the regular session
next year.
