Oregon AFL-CIO COPE

Good Jobs
1	SB 5-B	Baseball Stadium Financing. This bill authorizes the state to back bonds for construction of a major league baseball stadium with income tax revenues from the salaries of players and team executives – subject to agreement on an overall financing package at the city level and a firm commitment from a major league baseball team to locate in Portland. The Oregon AFL-CIO supported the bill on the condition that the local financing package not divert revenues from schools or other local government services. Conference Committee Report passed the Senate 16-11. Passed the House 31-24. Signed by the Governor. Right vote: Yes.
2	SB 899	Made in Oregon License Plates. This bill extends a “Made in Oregon” preference to manufacturers of license plates. This preference should enable a Portland company and the Graphics Communications union to regain a dozen family-wage jobs lost when the state’s business went to a Canadian firm last year. Passed the Senate 28-2. Passed the House 53-2. Signed by the Governor. Right vote: Yes.
3	HB 2041-B	Transportation Funding Package. This bill will provide funding to repair Oregon’s broken bridges and rutted roads from increased vehicle registration and license fees. It will create and sustain 4,700 family-wage construction jobs in each of the next ten years and accelerate economic recovery. Passed the Senate 23-4. Passed the House 45-10. Signed by the Governor. Right vote: Yes.
4	HB 2299-C	Prevailing Wage in Rural Enterprise Zones. This bill would have allowed local jurisdictions to require payment of prevailing wages on construction projects in rural enterprise zones in order for a new business to receive a 4th and 5th year of tax abatements. This section was later stripped from this bill in a Conference Committee. Passed the Senate 20-8. Not counted in the House after it was amended to delete the prevailing wage language. Signed by the Governor. Right vote: Yes.
Right to Organize
5	SB 494-A	Taxpayer Neutrality Act. This bill prohibits the use of taxpayer funds to interfere with workers’ right to choose a union. After the Senate passed this bill, the House Budget Committee used it as a vehicle to “gut and stuff” an inferior farm worker collective bargaining amendment on the last day of the 2003 legislative session. Passed the Senate 17-13. In House Committee upon adjournment. Right vote: Yes.
Taxes and Revenue
6	SB 362-A	Tax Freedom for Venture Capitalists. This bill would have exempted upper income executive managers of venture capitalist firms from personal income taxes for up to 7 years if they invested in Oregon businesses. Passed the Senate 21-6. At the Speaker’s Desk upon adjournment. Right vote: No.
7	HB 2186-B	Disconnect from Federal Tax Code. This bill temporarily suspended the state tax policy of automatically adopting federal tax law changes (usually tax giveaways) in Oregon’s tax system. Passed the Senate 17-12. Passed the House 41-16. Signed by the Governor. Right vote: Yes.
Jobless Benefits
8	SB 2	Unemployment Insurance (UI) Extension #1. This bill restored a UI extension approved in 2002. It provides up to 13 weeks of additional benefits for Oregon’s jobless families, not to exceed $29 million. Passed the Senate 25-0. Passed the House 57-0. Signed by the Governor. Right vote: Yes.
9	SB 903-A	Unemployment Insurance Extension #2. This bill provided 7 weeks of additional benefits, 6.5 weeks of contingency benefits, and continues benefits for dislocated workers in training programs. Passed the Senate 27-0. Passed the House 54-0. Signed by the Governor. Right vote: Yes.
Workers’ Rights
10	SB 40-A	Redefines Workers As Independent Contractors. This bill sought to exempt whole categories of workers from unemployment insurance and workers’ comp benefits. Passed the Senate 21-9. In House Committee upon adjournment. Right vote: No.
PERS
11	HB 2003-A	Rollback of PERS Benefits. This bill cuts public employee pensions by as much as a third. It is now being challenged in court as a violation of contractual retirement obligations. Passed the Senate 19-10. Passed the House 39-20. Right vote: No.
Initiative Reform
12	SB 102-A	Curbs Ballot Title Shopping. This bill would have established a more reasonable signature threshold for launching the expensive and time-consuming process of providing final ballot titles for prospective initiatives. Passed the Senate 20-10. Amended in the House and at the Speaker’s Desk upon adjournment. Right vote: Yes.
13	SB 678	Requires Signature Gatherers to Witness Signatures. This bill would have required petition circulators to directly witness and certify the signatures they collect. Passed the Senate 28-2. In House Committee upon adjournment. Right vote: Yes.
14	SB 706-A	Prohibits “Writers” From Filling in Petitions. This bill would have prohibited the use of third parties to fill in the required information from petition signers. Passed the Senate 27-2. In House Committee upon adjournment. Right vote: Yes.
Injured Workers
15	SB 757-A	Increase Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) Benefits. This bill increases PPD benefits based on the loss of bodily functions and earnings capacity. It also provides future increases in PPD benefits based on the average weekly wage in Oregon. Passed the Senate 29-0. Passed the House 57-0. Signed by the Governor. Right vote: Yes.
16	SB 932	Extends Workers’ Comp Claims Filing Deadline. This bill allows Workers’ Comp claims to be filed from 90 days to up to one year for “good cause.” Passed the Senate 24-0. Passed the House 52-0. Signed by the Governor. Right vote: Yes.
17	HB 3669-A	Authority of Nurse Practitioners. This bill allows Nurse Practitioners to treat injured workers for up to 90 days. This will give injured workers more options for treatment and reduce costs for employers. Passed the Senate 27-0. Passed the House 58-1. Signed by the Governor. Right vote: Yes.