TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Legislative Committee
SUBJECT:
title
Priority bills for 2021 Oregon Legislative Session
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
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ISSUE:
Shall the City Council approve the City of Salem’s positions on legislative bills in the 2021 Oregon Legislative Session?
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Approve the City of Salem’s positions on legislative bills in the 2021 Oregon Legislative Session.
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SUMMARY:
During the regular session, when the subject of proposed legislation is outside the scope of the policy statements, City Council’s Legislative Committee reviews bills identified as critical by City staff. The Legislative Committee recommends to City Council the position the City should take on critical bills. Bills reviewed by the Legislative Committee on February 19, 2021 and recommended to the City Council are attached (Attachment 1).
Specific to House Bill 2004, concerning funding for a navigation center in Salem, Councilor Hoy will be testifying on the City of Salem’s behalf. In addition to serving on the City Council’s Legislative Committee, Councilor Hoy serves as Council President, Chair of the Salem Housing Authority Commission, and Vice Chair of the Mid-Willamette Valley Housing Alliance.
FACTS AND FINDINGS:
The Oregon State Legislature convened January 20, 2021 for its regular session. Thousands of bills have been drafted and many await first reading.
The Legislative Committee is Mayor Bennett and Councilors Andersen, Hoy, and Lewis.
BACKGROUND:
As positions are developed for individual bills, staff will use a system of prioritization to identify the City’s opposition (“O”) or support (“S”) for a bill. For a high priority bill with a fiscal or policy impact, classifying the bill with a “1” will allow for the City to work to support or oppose the bill. For medium priorities, a “2”, staff will watch for changes and may become involved if time and resources permit. For a bill of little to no priority to Salem, a “3” will not warrant staff effort. Given limited resources, these bills will be set aside and not referred to the Committee or Council unless amendments change their anticipated impact.
Before any official representing the City of Salem can attempt to influence legislation on an issue, the City Council must adopt a position related to that matter. To continue a coordinated and unified response during the upcoming session, the Mayor and Councilor are asked to communicate the nature of their legislative contacts to staff via an email to Courtney Knox Busch (cbusch@cityofsalem.net <mailto:cbusch@cityofsalem.net>). The email should identify the date of the legislative contact, the legislator(s) with whom contact was made, bill(s) discussed, and a summary of the position(s) and comments shared. Staff will forward the communication to the City’s lobbyist, the Legislative Committee, and City Council as appropriate.
Courtney Knox Busch
Strategic Initiatives Manager
Attachments:
1. Bills Reviewed by Legislative Committee - February 19, 2021