Worker-Friendly Benefits
1	SB 485	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.
2	HB 3759	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.
3	HB 2993	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.
4	HB 2891	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.
5	HB 3441	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.
6	SB 134	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.
Adequate and Affordable Health Care
7	HB 3040	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.
8	SB 8	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.
9	SB 819	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.
Fair Pay/Labor Standards
10	HB 2744	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.
11	HB 2867	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.
12	HB 2624	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.
Affordable Energy Supplies
13	HB 3009	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.
Workers' Voice at Work
14	HB 3816	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.
Open and Informed Participation in Our Elections
15	HB 2575	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.
Fair and Adequate Funding for Public Services
16	SB 67	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.
17	HB 2281	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.
18	HJM 28	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.