Of the over 3,500 bills submitted this Oregon legislative session, less than half now remain following the end of March legislative deadlines. Not all bills can make it so the first legislative "deadline" is designed to begin weeding out the ideas and priorities through a scheduling process. This first deadline cuts the number of bills by over half and bills that don't advance are often referred to as "dead". On the still "alive" side, most Surfrider Oregon priority campaign bills have risen to advance, some needed good news at the state level as federal threats continue. Track full actions and legislative opportunities on the Oregon Legislative Webpage, below are some key updates on our coastal efforts
Both the Stop Microfiber Pollution Campaign bill and the Stop Chemical Recycling bill were subject to the deadline and will not be advancing. However Surfrider Oregon legislative campaign efforts for Beyond the Bag Ban (SB 551), the Eelgrass Action Now (HB 3580), and the Rocky Stewardship Campaign (HB 3587) are all advancing and still very much alive! Making it past this first deadline is a huge testament to the legislative engagement of hundreds of volunteers supporting these bills across our network. This year's legislative momentum is also attributed to key partnership and coalition we've strategically worked with and developed over the past few years help lead on these ocean and coastal priorities - we can't do it all alone!
Surfrider and our Oregon Ocean Alliance coalition partners hosted a Lunch & Learn at the Capitol to educate legislators about key ocean habitats and protection policies. We brought sustainable Oregon seafood—fresh albacore & black cod - and over a great meal, we discussed two of our key legislative policies to protect Oregon’s coastal ecosystems!
This and much of the remainder of the session will be very focused on how much money does the legislature have to spend on our state budget and new legislative ideas. The budget committee is called Ways & Means and much of the remainder of our advocacy this session will be focused on this committee. In particular for the Eelgrass Action Bill & the Rocky Stewardship Bill. An important consideration this session is our state natural resource agency budgets, all which heavily rely on federal funding - Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Land Conservation and Development are two critical state agencies for ocean and coastal conservation efforts which will face cuts and reductions from federal sources. Surfrider has been extremely active organizing testimony on behalf of key state agency budgets during this period.
Other Key Coastal Bills We Are Supporting That Are Advancing:
Ocean Science Trust Bill (HB 3786) - Supports ocean and coastal climate science
Marine Cleanup (SB 795) - Supports cleanup and enforcement of derelict vessels, docks and marine debris
Ocean Shore Protection (HB 2925) - Directs rulemaking for improved beach management
Nature Based Solutions (SB 504) - Directs rulemaking for defining nature-based solutions to support beach and shoreline erosion
Recreational Immunity (SB 179) - Makes permanent solutions for recreational liability concerns that were impeding public access to certain public lands (including beaches).
Bills of Concern
We continue to track and engage in a number of bills of concern related to water quality, estuary management and coastal land use. Not all bills of concern become bills we oppose, in fact many we actively work on to improve and become neutral. One good example of that is HB 3814, a bill that aims to evolve seafood processing permits and water quality standards. Surfrider coordinated significant bill amendments to better protect public health and recreational water quality standards, a critical concern for our membership and Blue Water Task Force volunteer programs!
New Surfrider Oregon Legislative Resource!
Inspired by our Hawaii Chapters testimony toolkit, we've now developed an Oregon Legislative Testimony Toolkit to help you engage in the legislative process! Whether interested in providing written or oral testimony, the simple step-by-step guide is a great visual to helping you make your voice heard in Oregon's legislative process. Download it from the link above or find it on our Oregon Legislative and Policy Page.