Lincoln County’s two legislators pleased with speed, compromises — and results — of just-completed short session

 

By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews

The two legislators who represent Lincoln County in Salem are pleased with the results of the recently completed short, off-year session that concluded last week.

They credit a smaller and more focused agenda, court rulings that punished Republican senators who in 2023 were able to derail much of the work by walking out, and a May primary where all 60 House members and 15 senators are up for election.

“Everybody was good,” said Sen. Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City. “Everyone stayed at the table.”

Things went so well that the session concluded Thursday — three days before its 35-day limit.

Both legislators say much of the reason was a narrower focus — a limit on just 300 bills that could be introduced in the short session compared with 3,000 during the six-month sessions held in odd-numbered years. Because of that, 115 pieces of legislation passed, compared with the usual 600 during a regular session.

The big issues involved amending Ballot Measure 110 passed by voters in 2020 that loosened many drug crimes and is believed to have resulted in an explosion of fentanyl use and overdoses, and $376 million for a package of bills intended to address housing and homeless issues.

The legislation addressing Measure 110 issues “is a start” and resulted because both Republicans and Democrats “found some common ground,” said Anderson.

“It’s a good compromise, he told YachatsNews. “It provides a stronger incentive to make drug use illegal and still provide a path to rehabilitation. We ended the (Measure 110) experiment but didn’t uncouple the funding for treatment.”

Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, agreed with Anderson’s assessment.

“We just didn’t see that (Measure 110) was working very well,” Gomberg said. “Now we have a more balanced approach. Now, if you don’t go into treatment, there will be consquences.”

Gomberg played a big part in Gov. Tina Kotek’s housing proposals, setting up a process before the Legislature convened in early February to compile 200 statewide ready-to-go infrastructure projects that could help spur more housing. While just 50 made the cut, several coastal projects were funded.

“We are making major investments in water and sewer infrastructure on the coast,” Gomberg told YachatsNews.

Here’s a rundown of legislation specific to Lincoln County:

• The Legislature’s infrastructure appropriation included $3 million to the city of Siletz, which needs $12 million to expand its wastewater system to help develop housing; $3 million to Lincoln City for a wastewater pump station to open land for housing; $640,000 to Toledo for water and stormwater work, and in Lane County, $1.3 million to the city of Florence for water and sewer projects;
• Senate Bill 1537 created a statewide housing office “with someone responsible and accountable” for overseeing the burst of housing programs, said Anderson. Among its new programs is a $75 million zero-interest loan fund to help cities pay for infrastructure, pre-development, and construction costs for affordable housing and then repay using property tax proceeds from the development. The legislation is already drawing some interest in Yachats;
• Among appropriations for drug treatment programs was $1.3 million to the Pacific Communities Health District to complete financing on $13 million project converting a Newport adult foster care home into an 8,300-square-foot facility with 16 inpatient beds;
• The Legislature approved Senate Bill 1576 adjusting Oregon’s “recreational immunity” law to protect public and private landowners from lawsuits if someone is injured while using their property for recreation. But it doesn’t apply to landowners who charge a fee for access. The legislation was the result of a lawsuit in Lincoln County that led a major government insurer to recommend closing some public trails.
• House Bill 4132B restored personnel cuts made during the 2023 Legislature to the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s marine reserves program on the Oregon coast. It allocates $894,000 through 2025 and $1.14 million in 2025-27 to add four positions to the program. The Legislature also allocated $572,000 for continued research by the Oregon Ocean Science
• House Bill 4080 was approved on party-line votes in response to what Oregon legislators felt was inadequate outreach and response by the federal agency overseeing two wind energy projects on the southern coast. The split in Democrat and Republican votes came after language was added to ensure labor union issues were accounted for. Gomberg said the bill “proposes an offshore wind roadmap to engage stakeholders thoughtfully and to ensure that the consideration of offshore wind is transparent, robust, and inclusive.”

But there were also some local projects that were left on the cutting room floor. These include:

• The city of Yachats missed out on a $600,000 request to help fund its proposed $1.5 million library remodel and expansion, said David Rivinus, chair of the city’s Library Commission. The commission now intends to seek foundation grants to help pay for the project.
• A request by the Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue District for $1.35 million to complete the $1.02 million purchase of its main station in downtown Waldport from the city of Waldport, reimburse money spent on interest payments and make upgrades to the building’s exterior and roof.