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Ron Noble: A local take on 2018 legislative session

Although representatives were limited to introducing two bills, and senators just one, 260 measures were introduced during Oregon’s recently concluded 2018 legislative session.

The House passed 163 and the Senate 153 during the abbreviated 27-day run. It may surprise you to learn more than 70 percent of the votes were bipartisan and many were unanimous.

I introduced HB 4115, to remove the conflict of interest created with the inclusion of appellate judges and statewide elected officials in the Public Employees Retirement System.

It’s harmful to the public’s trust in state government, but the bill died in the House Rules Committee. When I attempted to pull it back to the House floor, the motion failed 31-29.

I also introduced HB 4116, at the instigation of the Yamhill County Farm Bureau, to fix a distracted driving bill passed during the 2017 session. Passed by both chambers, it allows wide-load and slow-moving equipment to use electronic communications to safely navigate narrow roads and bridges.

In addition, I was the chief co-sponsor on HB 4005, a bipartisan, bicameral effort to bring transparency to drug pricing.

Guest Writer

Republican Ron Noble , a retired city of McMinnville and Linfield College police chief, represents Yamhill County’s main House district. No one filed to run against him in either this year’s May primary or November general election.

The bill, among 35 I co-sponsored, mandates drug pricing transparency for pharmaceutical manufacturers and convenes a task force to develop a process for drug pricing transparency industrywide. It passed 46-14 in the House and 25-4 in the Senate on its way to the governor.

I opposed several bills, including HB 4145, the so-called “boyfriend loophole” gun bill.

Although this bill purports to close a loophole, current federal and state law already combine to bar gun possession by subjects of restraining orders and domestic abuse convictions. The bill thus does nothing to add to or enhance the ability to keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have them.

We have do have a problem. We need additional resources for those suffering from mental health issues, better resources for families in crisis and improved education as to the tools and resources currently available.

But this bill does not address the underlying issues of stalking and violence against women in general. I hope this helps you understand my reason for voting no.

I also voted no on SB 1528, a federal tax code disconnect that would serve to increase the tax burden on small Oregon businesses by hundreds of millions of dollars. According to data obtained from the Oregon Department of Revenue, 192,000 self-employed Schedule C filers would lose eligibility for a 20 percent reduction in their Oregon income taxes.

I was instrumental in helping remove a dangerous section from SB 1540, aimed at clarifying mandatory reporting status in abuse cases. The section would have had the unintended consequence of weakening mandatory reporting requirements, thus placing children in danger.

I voted yes on HB 4059, helping implement last session’s Transportation Preservation and Modernization package, which includes a small but important clarification to the funding for the next phase of the Newberg Dundee Bypass. I voted to restore a good portion of the funds for Yamhill County’s Court Appointed Special Advocates program, and supported additional funding for emergency winter housing, the Oregon Food Bank, school-based mental health services, foster care and justice reinvestment. 

Comments

Lulu

As to HB 4145, I believe your "No" vote will return to haunt you. The explanation you wrote doesn't validate your decision.

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