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Worker-Friendly Benefits
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1
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SB 485
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Better Benefits for
Injured Workers. Implements a package of Workers' Compensation
reforms fashioned by the Governor's labor-management group,
which offers long-overdue improvements for injured workers.
With this bill, more injured workers will qualify for benefits,
benefit amounts will be increased, and claimants will be
treated more fairly. Passed the Senate 23-3. Passed the
House 51-2. Right vote: Yes. |
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2
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HB 3759
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Extended UI Benefits
for Dislocated Workers. Extends maximum unemployment
insurance (UI) benefits from 26 to 52 weeks for dislocated
workers who enroll in retraining programs. Designed to
benefit dislocated workers who don't qualify for federal
benefits under NAFTA and Trade Act programs. Passed the
House 52-0. (Rep. Rob Patridge, Medford, voted "No" in
committee and spoke against this bill on the floor, but
left the floor and did not vote.) Passed the Senate 28-0. Right
vote: Yes. |
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3
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HB 2993
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No UI Penalty for
Use of Retirement Funds. This bill removes the UI benefits
penalty for dislocated workers who cash out accumulated
retirement funds to get them through their period of unemployment.
Passed the House 46-0. Passed the Senate 23-0. Right
vote: Yes. |
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4
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HB 2891
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Task Force on UI
Benefits for birth or Adoption. This bill creates a
task force to study the use of unemployment insurance or
other funds for up to 12 weeks of leave from work for birth
or adoption of a child. Passed the House 40-5. Passed the
Senate 24-0. Right vote: Yes. |
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5
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HB 3441
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Funding of JOBS Plus. This
bill diverted funds from the Unemployment Insurance Trust
Fund to the JOBS Plus program s to subsidize primarily low-wage
employers who participate in a "workfare" program.
Passed the House 38-22. Passed the Senate 18-12. Right
vote: No. |
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6
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SB 134
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PERS Pension Rollbacks. This
bill reduced the number of member representative on the PERS
Board and changed the formula for funding a contingency fund
that used the interest from members' benefits. Passed the
Senate 16-13. Right Vote: No.
Note: A modified version of SB 134, without the objectionable
provisions described above, eventually passed both chambers.
Only the Senate vote on the original version of SB 134 is
counted as part of this vote record. |
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Adequate and Affordable Health Care
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7
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HB 3040
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Patients' Bill of
Rights. With this bill, Oregonians in managed care
plans regulated by the state will be able to count on continuing
care when their treating physicians leave a plan, better
access to specialists and the right to independent, third-party
review when care is denied. Passed the House 57-0. Passed
the Senate 27-0. Right vote: Yes. |
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8
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SB 8
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Basic Health Benefits. This
bill would have reduced benefits covered by the basic benefit
plan that must be offered by all insurers in the small employer
market. It would have capped the employer's premium at a
level so low that it would have eliminated coverage of services
necessary for maintenance of good health. Failed in the Senate
14-15. Right vote: No. |
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9
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SB 819
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Prescription Drug
Formulary. This bill implements Governor Kitzhaber's
plan to control expenditures for prescription drugs in
the Oregon Health Plan by creating a list of the most cost-effective
drugs to be used to treat certain common conditions --
unless a physician determines another drug is medically
necessary for a particular individual. Passed the Senate
21-7. Passed the House 42-16. Right vote: Yes. |
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Fair Pay/Labor Standards
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10
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HB 2744
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Local Minimum Wage
Laws. This bill limits the authority of local governments
to enact minimum wage laws for private employers. Passed
the House 36-24. Passed the Senate 17-13. Right vote:
No. |
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11
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HB 2867
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Penalty for Failure
to Pay Wages. This bill reduces employer penalties
for failure to pay wages when employment ends if the employer
hasn't repeated the offense in one year. Passed the House
35-25. Passed the Senate 16-10. Right vote: No. |
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12
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HB 2624
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Accurate Wage Surveys
for Prevailing Wage. This bill promotes accurate prevailing
wage determinations by requiring contractors and subcontractors
on public works projects to prepare weekly certified payroll
statements and submit them monthly. Passed the House 55-1.
Passed the Senate 26-0. Right vote: Yes. |
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Affordable Energy Supplies
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13
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HB 3009
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Minority Report:
Energy Deregulation. A Minority Report to HB 3009 offered
on the floor of the Senate was the only opportunity legislators
had to vote on repeal of the state's electricity deregulation
plan which was passed in the 1999 legislative session and
was scheduled to take effect in October 2001. Failed in
the Senate 8-22. Right vote: Yes. |
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Workers' Voice at Work
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14
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HB 3816
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Voice at Work for
Home Care Workers. This bill establishes the Home Care
Commission mandated by Measure 99 and provides an employer
of record for the state's 14,000 home care workers. This
will enable these workers to gain a voice at work and fair
pay and benefits for the services they provide to the elderly
and disabled. Passed the House 59-0. Passed the Senate
26-4. Right vote: Yes. |
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Open and Informed Participation in Our
Elections
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15
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HB 2575
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Initiative Campaign
Funding Disclosure. This bill now requires that campaigns
submit contribution and expenditure reports during the
signature gathering phase of initiative campaigns. Passed
the House 57-1. Passed the Senate 25-1. Right vote:
Yes. |
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Fair and Adequate Funding for Public
Services
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16
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SB 67
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Capital Gains Taxes. This
bill cuts capital gains taxes and shifts more of the tax
burden to working families. But the cut - totaling $588 million
per biennium -- was postponed to future years, setting the
stage for massive reductions in public services for future
legislatures to deal with. Passed the Senate 17-12. Passed
the House 40-20. Right vote: No. |
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17
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HB 2281
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Corporate Income
Taxes. This bill changes the formula for business taxation
to benefit corporations with high proportions of out-of-state
sales and penalize those with predominately in-state sales.
It will reduce corporate income taxes - and funding for
public services -- by $65 million in 2003-2005. Passed
the House 49-11. Passed the Senate 16-13. Right vote:
No. |
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18
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HJM 28
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Bush Tax Cut. This
joint memorial urged Congress to support President Bush's
tax cut, which provided a windfall for the wealthy and undermined
funding for Medicare and other federal programs. Passed the
House 43-14. Passed the Senate 16-13. Right vote: No. |
