New Speaker of the House
For the first time in 9 years, Oregon’s House of Representatives has a new Speaker of the House: Representative Dan Rayfield of Corvallis. How Speaker Rayfield will differ from the previous Speaker is yet to be seen.
Bills 
I introduced two bills on the opening day of session:
• HJR 201 – Ending the Governor’s State of Emergency
• HB 4069 – Prohibiting discrimination based on medical history
Public reception for both has been very good. Many have asked how they can help these become law. The best thing you can do is to email the Chair and Members of the committees in which these bills currently sit, asking for a public hearing. A public hearing is always the first step to moving a bill closer the House Floor for a vote. For HJR 201, email the House Rules Committee Members. For HB 4069, the House Business and Labor Committee Members.
I am also co-sponsoring several other bills during the legislative session. Some of these include:
• HJR 203 – Grants the legislature the power of impeachment
• HJR 204 – Establishes an independent redistricting committee
• HJR 206 – Prohibits vaccine passports
• HB 4022 – Requires school boards to publish curriculum on their website
• HB 4080 – Allows certain landowners to form a predator control district
• HB 4094 – Exempts pharmacies from Commerical Activities Tax (CAT)
• HB 4097 – An income tax credit for volunteer firefighters
• HB 4151 – Allows gas stations to designate some pumps as self-serve.
Long Lines at Pharmacies
Several people have contacted my office complaining about the long lines at local pharmacies. I completely understand as I have endured the wait several times myself. Much of the reason is due to pharmacies closing their doors because the CAT (Commerical Activities Tax) passed by Democrats in 2019. The CAT made it unprofitable for many businesses to continue with their pharmacy operations. It is exactly why I co-sponsored HB 4094 which exempts pharmacies from this tax.
5 Week Short Session Begins
The first day of session was extremely busy, and included a great meeting with the Young Republicans of Oregon. This group is full of energy and ideas that give us hope for a brighter future in our great state.
Posted at the Oregon Catalyst by Oregon State Rep. E. Werner Reschke news release on 02/04/2022
Date: 2022-02-06 10:44