Shooting Down Anti-Gun Bills

The unfortunate tragedies at Clackamas Town Center and the school in Connecticut right before the legislative session gave backers of more gun control lots of political ammunition to seek new state laws further restricting the rights of law abiding Oregonians. Representative Thatcher has attended several rallies held by 2^nd Amendment supporters and encouraged folks to contact state lawmakers to share their thoughts. The majority of calls and emails (thousands of email messages) have come from Oregonians who do not want any more regulations.

Representative Thatcher recently pointed out to the Senate Judiciary Committee that the bills they are considering are solutions in search of a problem; that none of the changes being proposed would have prevented any of the recent mass shooting incidents. Click here to see a YouTube video of the Representative's testimony.

Meanwhile, in a recent House Committee, Representative Thatcher spoke in favor of a measure (HB 3009) to clarify current state law that allows people with Concealed Handgun Licenses to carry on the campuses of Oregon's public universities. Representative Thatcher has been working on this issue for several years and she told the committee CHL holders have been allowed to exercise their rights at public colleges for 44 years and have never caused a problem.

If you want to weigh in on the gun legislation a good place to start is the Senate Judiciary Committee. Click here for a link to committee contact information.

The bills currently being considered, with several amendments pending, include:

SB 347   Guns in K-12 schools.
SB 699   Guns in public buildings.
SB 700   Criminal background checks for firearms purchases.
SB 796   Proficiency test to obtain CHL.

Representative Thatcher introduces several bills to protect and enhance our gun laws including:

HB 2365   Allows people from any other state to apply for Oregon Concealed Handgun License.
HB 2366   Switches to Federal System for background checks on gun purchases, instead of
                Oregon State Police process.
HB 2368   CHL privacy law revision to ensure requests for public records are in writing.
HB 2369   Grants retired law enforcement officers the same abilities as CHL holders in public 
                buildings and other parts of state law.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ISSUES

Immigration is another hot button in the 2013 session. So far the legislature has passed and the Governor signed into law House Bill 2787 offering in-state tuition rates at Oregon's public universities to students who do not have proper legal status to be in the United States. Another measure, Senate Bill 833, to give special drivers licenses to illegal immigrants is also headed for approval. Representative Thatcher opposed both measures and testified against SB 833. Click here for YouTube video of her comments at a recent Senate Committee meeting.

Representative Thatcher also sponsored legislation to require state agencies to use the federal employment screening system called "E-Verify" before hiring new workers. House Bill 2358 is not likely to gain much traction this session.

Economic Development

HB 3459 Small Business Assistance. Last session, Representative Thatcher laid the groundwork with legislation to create an agency to help businesses navigate through the sea of red tape they often encounter in state government. The Secretary of State initiated a special website to help Oregonians learn about various programs available to the business community. This session, Representative Thatcher and others are co-sponsoring this new legislation to set up an office that can troubleshoot problems a small business might encounter with state agencies.

Government Accountability

HB 2363 Voter Registration Integrity. Requires Oregonians registering to vote to provide proof of identification before casting a ballot in state or local elections. ID must already be provided when someone registers to vote for federal elections in Oregon and this bill would copy the federal standard into state law. If you support this idea, please urge members of the House Rules Committee to hold a hearing and pass this common sense legislation.

HB 2370 Transparency 3.0. For the 3^rd session Representative Thatcher is working on a bipartisan bill to give taxpayers more transparency in how their dollars are spent in state government. The Oregon Transparency Website www.oregon.gov/transparency was created by Rep Thatcher and others in the 2009 session. This new bill would enhance the ability to analyze economic development tax breaks and state contracts. It would also add state agency meeting minutes, administrative rules and links to local government transparency websites.

HB 2373 State Agency Oversight. Representative Thatcher and Senator Bruce Starr (R-Hillsboro) testified during a public hearing on this legislation to establish a special committee to review all state agencies to see if they should be consolidated, eliminated, or undergo other changes. A similar bill, HB 2927, is more likely to pass. It requires the Governor to report on all the hundreds of boards and commissions across state government.

Public Safety

HB 2384 Driving While Suspended Offenders. Allows police to tow and proceed to possible forfeiture cars driven by chronic offenders convicted of multiple offenses of Driving With a Suspended License(DWS). A Keizer resident who works as patrol officer in a small town in Marion County urged Rep. Thatcher to sponsor this legislation.

HB 2375 Parole Board Hearings. The Oregon Board of Parole and Probation would be able to extend the time that violent offenders have to wait before coming back for a release hearing from 2 to 10 years. Many of these dangerous offenders currently get a hearing every two years and it is often difficult for victims to relive the trauma and have to make repeated trips to testify before the board to plead for keeping these criminals behind bars.

Students Visit the Capitol 

Every session hundreds of students from schools across the state come to learn about the legislative process and tour the Capitol. Pictured right, Representative Thatcher meets with a group of 7th graders from Veritas private Christian School in Newberg.

There is also an Honorary Page Program in the House of Representatives for students who are interested. For more information contact the Honorary Page Coordinator Brian McKinley at 503-986-1882 or email: brian.mckinley@state.or.us

Other Bills on Rep. Thatcher's Legislative Radar

> Here are samples of some of the (possible moles referred to above) measures Representative Thatcher has been dealing with as a member of the House Committee for Business and Labor. See what you think.

HB 2398 Prohibits retailer from selling cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, over-the-counter or prescription pharmaceuticals to consumer through use of self-checkout lane.

HB 2675 & HB 2677 Expands prevailing wage law to add more types of projects.

HB 2702 Allows local governments to set up alcohol impact areas to restrict types of alcohol sold within certain boundaries.

Several bills dealing with "leave" allowed in the workplace. Requiring some public and private employers to provide various paid and unpaid. Leave for things like sick leave, bereavement leave, and domestic violence leave. Some feel expanding these laws beyond the current federal and state policies needs a broader review. Bills being considered include: HB 2645, HB 2950, HB 3026, and HB 3390.

>Representative Thatcher is also tackling some tough issues on the House Committee for Consumer Protection and Government Efficiency. A few examples are:

HB 2127 Requires a company to provide health insurance to employees for period of two years prior to submitting bids on a public works project.

HB 3070 Requires just about any person, who advertises most anything an individual might buy for household purposes, to clearly disclose shipping and handling charges to the consumer prior to the completion of a sales transaction. Violation is Unlawful Practice subject to penalties.

HB 3174 Allows an Oregon resident filing for bankruptcy to choose between either Oregon or federal bankruptcy exemptions, which could lead to fewer people and small businesses being paid back by the debtor.

HB 3116 Requires Oregon University System to follow certain contracting laws which the OUS claims will lead to higher costs and increased tuition.

Thoughts for Thatcher

Do you agree with some at the State Capitol that if reforms are going to be made in PERS impacting retirement benefits for public employees, then there should also be tax increases on certain corporations and higher income individuals?

Click here to respond or email rep.kimthatcher@state.or.us