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CLHO Legislative Priorities Archive

Welcome to our CLHO Legislative Priorities Archive Page.

CLHO 2024 Legislative Priorities

2024 Legislative Session

The CLHO Board of Directors and Legislative Committee does not put forward a policy platform for the short Legislative Sessions. Instead, CLHO supports a handful of bills and will work in coalitions with other advocates. CLHO will also monitor the session for bills of interest to public health. To receive legislative updates, sign up for the quarterly CLHO Newsletter. If you are part of a local health department in Oregon, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to receive weekly legislative updates during the session.

CLHO Federal Priorities

The CLHO Legislative Committee and Board of Directors approved CLHO’s priorities for federal advocacy for 2024. These priorities include (click on each priority to learn more from national partners):

CLHO advocates for these priorities in partnership with national organizations, such as the National Association of County and City Health Officials.

Check out CLHO’s two-pager on our Federal Priorities: CLHO Federal Two-Pager 2024

CLHO 2023 Legislative Priorities

CLHO’s 2023 Legislative Priorities

CLHO had three legislative priorities for the 2023 session:

  • Fund Public Health Modernization at $150 million
  • Pass a $47 million Public Health Workforce Incentives Package
  • Pass a restriction on the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine products in Oregon.

You can learn more about each of the priorities below.

Public Health Modernization: $150 million

CLHO supported $150 million* in funding for Public Health Modernization. This funding allows Oregon’s public health system to continue implementing HB 3100 (2015) and provide essential services and protections to everyone in Oregon no matter where they live. You can learn more about Public Health Modernization here.

*CLHO originally supported the Oregon Health Authority Agency Request of $286 million (Policy Option Package 406 on pg. 1376 of the linked document). In March 2023, the CLHO Board voted to reduce that ask to $150 million due to a constrained budget environment.

Outcome: Public Health Modernization was funded at an additional $50 million.

Public Health Workforce Incentives Package: $47 million

CLHO put forward a Public Health Workforce Incentives Package (HB 2773) for $47 million. This funding would provide:

  • Scholarships for public health programs to students from underserved populations
  • Barrier removal for underserved populations completing public health education
  • Student loan repayment for people who work in local governmental public health
  • A retention bonus for local public health professionals at 5 years of service
  • Supervision stipends to local public health agencies that host students for nursing programs, internships, and fellowships

This one-time funding will be administered by the Oregon Health Authority through the new Local Public Health Incentive Fund. The funds will be spent within six years of passage.

Outcome: HB 2772 passed out of the House Behavioral Health and Health Care Committee with amendments and was referred to Ways and Means on March 17th. The bill was still in committee upon adjournment and did not pass.

Tobacco Flavor Restriction

CLHO supported partner organizations - including the American Heart Association (Oregon/SW Washington Branch), Smokefree Oregon (part of the Oregon Health Authority), Flavors Hook Oregon Kids, and others - in advancing HB 3090, a restriction on the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine products.

Outcome: HB 3090 passed out of the House Behavioral Health and Health Care Committee with amendments and was referred to Ways and Means on April 4th. The bill was still in committee upon adjournment and did not pass.

Public Health Town Hall

On January 4th, 2023, CLHO and partners hosted a Public Health Town Hall. This event included an overview of public health services in Oregon communities, Public Health Modernization, examples of this work from multiple local public health departments, the workforce challenges public health is facing, and CLHO’s legislative priorities for the 2023 Legislative Session. This event was attended by over 60 Oregon legislators and staff, county commissioners, public health officials, and community partners. You can watch a recording of this town hall below.

Public Health Townhall 2023 Presentation Slides

CLHO 2022 Legislative Priorities

The CLHO Board of Directors and Legislative Committee did not choose any priority issues to lead during the short 2022 Legislative Session. CLHO supports a handful of bills and will work in coalitions with other advocates. In addition to supporting some legislation, CLHO will also monitor the session for bills of interest to public health. To receive legislative updates, sign up for the monthly CLHO Newsletter. If you are part of a local health department in Oregon, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to receive weekly legislative updates during the session.

CLHO 2021 Legislative Priorities

The Coalition of Local Health Officials (CLHO) sets legislative priorities for each session and actively works with members and public health partners to support strong public health policies for the state of Oregon.

CLHO has three legislative priorities for the 2021 session. These priorities are summarized below and in our 2021 CLHO Legislative Platform

Public Health Modernization: Budget Request of $68.9 million for the 2021-2023 Biennium

2021 Public Health Modernization One-Pager

Public Health Modernization ensures basic protections critical to the health of all in Oregon and future generations. A $68.9 million biennial investment will continue the great work started in communicable disease control, health equity, and assessment and will expand the work into environmental health threats and emergency preparedness. This will allow the local public health system to be ready to protect and serve all Oregonians.

Public Health Modernization Town Hall

To bring attention to this budget request, CLHO, in partnership with AFSCME and the Association of Oregon Counties, held a virtual Town Hall on January 7th, 2021. This event was attended by over 60 Oregon legislators, county commissioners, public health officials, and community partners and featured speakers from a wide array of organizations. The message of this Town Hall was that public health is powered by people and partnerships, and funding Public Health Modernization invests in both the people doing the work and the partnerships that serve our communities. The recording and presentation of this Town Hall can be found below.

Public Health Modernization: Public Health is People-Powered Presentation

 

Universally-offered Home Visiting: Budget Request of $5 million for the 2021-2013 Biennium

2021 Family Connects Home Visiting One-Pager

Universally-offered home visiting by a public health nurse promotes safe and healthy environments during early childhood. This creates the foundation for lifelong physical and mental well-being.

Investing an additional $5 million in universally-offered home visiting for the biennium will continue the work started in 2019 by providing training and support to local partners. These partners can connect with all new parents giving Oregon families the support they need so all children can thrive.

Tobacco Retail Licensure

2021 Tobacco Retail Licensure One-Pager

A statewide TRL would require all retailers of tobacco products and e-cigarettes to become licensed, just like retailers of other age-restricted products. Without TRL, tobacco control policies are challenging to enforce.

Data show that most tobacco use begins during a person’s teenage years. TRL allows for greater oversight and enforcement of tobacco control policies and protects young Oregonians, particularly BIPOC youth, from developing harmful habits.

CLHO 2020 Legislative Priorities

CLHO’s 2020 Legislative Priorities

The CLHO Board of Directors did not choose any priority issues to lead during the short 2020 legislative session. CLHO supports a handful of bills and will work in coalition with other advocates on passage. In addition to supporting some legislation, CLHO will also monitor the session for bills that may put the public’s health at risk.

CLHO 2019 Legislative Priorities

CLHO’s 2019 Legislative Priorities

  1. PUBLIC HEALTH MODERNIZATION: $47.7 MILLION BUDGET REQUEST

    • Public health modernization ensures basic public protections critical to the health of all in Oregon and future generations.
    • A $47.7 million biennial investment will continue the great work started in communicable disease, health equity, and assessment and expand the work to focus also on environmental health threats so that all Oregonians will have equal access to the same protections.

    2. Outcome:

    SB 5525 - This funding package increases General Fund by $10 million, increases Federal Funds expenditure limitation by $0.3 million and establishes six positions (5.28 FTE) to advance public health modernization activities. The additional investment will increase communicable disease prevention and response activities, support efforts to improve health equity, increase emergency response planning, and help develop tribal modernization plans, among other key modernization priorities.

    The total investment for the 2019-21 biennium for public health modernization is $15 million.

  2. UNIVERSAL HOME VISITING: $8.7 MILLION BUDGET REQUEST

    • Universal home visiting promotes safe and healthy environments during early childhood which forms the foundation for lifelong physical and mental well-being.
    • Investing $8.7 million in universal home visiting will phase in a plan to support all families and connect them into their community system of care and refer them into other home-visiting programs, giving Oregon families the support they need so all children can thrive.

    3. Outcome:

    SB 526 Enrolled establishes a voluntary home visiting program in Oregon. The purpose of the program is to strengthen families and support child development. The bill also requires commercial insurance to cover the benefit without any cost sharing. For those who do not have health care through the commercial market, OHA is seeking a Medicaid State Plan Amendment for these services to be available to families who receive health care through the Oregon Health Plan.

    SB 5525 Enrolled invested $2.9 million General Fund and increases Federal Funds expenditure limitation by $1.8 million and establishes four positions (3.00 FTE) to implement a new voluntary universal nurse home visiting program for families with newborns.

  3. TOBACCO & NICOTINE TAX INCREASE

    • Tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of death and disease in Oregon. Increasing taxes on tobacco and nicotine products will prompt quit attempts, reduce consumption, and prevent youth from ever starting.
    • Raising the price of cigarettes $2 per pack and enacting a 65% wholesale price tax will save lives and money in lost productivity while investing in healthcare and prevention.

Outcome:

HB 2270 Enrolled, was introduced by the Governor, has these major policy and revenue components:

  • $2.00 per pack tax increase on combustible tobacco
  • First ever 65% wholesale tax on e-cigarettes
  • Exempts from taxation any e-cigarette that has been approved by the FDA as a cessation device and devices that are used solely for marijuana
  • Includes little cigars in the definition of cigarettes
  • Raises the cigar tax cap from $.50 to $1.00 per luxury cigar
  • 90% of the moneys are continuously appropriated to the OHA for the purposes of funding the maintenance and expansion of the number of persons eligible for medical assistance and funding the maintenance of benefits available under the medical assistance program, including mental health services
  • Allocates 10% of the revenue for distribution to tribal health providers, Urban Indian Health programs, regional health equity coalitions, culturally specific and community-specific health programs and state and local public health programs that address prevention and cessation of tobacco and nicotine use by youth and adults, tobacco-related health disparities, and the prevention and management of chronic disease related to tobacco and nicotine
  • Refers the proposal to the votes in November of 2020.

For more information about session accomplishments, check out CLHO’s
2019 End of Session Report.

CLHO 2018 Legislative Priorities

CLHO’s 2018 Legislative Priorities

During the short 2018 legislative session the CLHO Board did not prioritize any issues.  We supported a handful of bills and worked in coalition with other advocates on passage.  In addition to the bills we worked in coalition we also opposed at least one bill that would have further put the public’s health at risk. 

Find out more in our DRAFT 2018 Legislative Report

CLHO 2017 Legislative Priorities

CLHO’s 2017 Legislative Priorities

  1. Support and Improve the Public Health System
    • Continue to fund important public health programs
    • Fund Public Health Modernization with a $30 million first step investment
  2. Enact Tobacco Prevention Policies To Decrease Youth Use Of Tobacco/Nicotine
    • Enact a e-cigarette tax at a level high enough to discourage youth use to prevent the next generation of cigarette users
    • Enact a statewide Tobacco Retail Licensure program to create a better enforcement system and punish bad actors from selling to youth
    • Raise the age of sale of cigarettes/ other tobacco products and nicotine from 18 – 21 to ensure youth don’t get addicted while their brains are still developing
  3. Support Clean Diesel Legislation To Protect Fragile Children From Diesel Particulate Exposure
    • Enact diesel legislation and incentive programs created to protect everyone in Oregon from the health impacts of diesel pollution

2017 CLHO End of Session Report

CLHO 2016 Legislative Priorities

CLHO’s 2016 Legislative Priorities

  1. Implement a statewide e-cigarette tax
  2. Implement a statewide tobacco retail license program
  3. Raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21
  4. Support public health modernization

2016 CLHO End of Session Report

You can help support CLHO’s legislative priorities by visiting our Legislative Toolkit.