The 2023 Legislative Session
The 2023 Legislative Session is off and running! Over the next five months, CLHO staff, with the help of CFM Advocates, will strive to keep you apprised of the significant happenings that could impact public health as thousands of bills move through the legislative process. Here are some of the major highlights from January and early February.
On January 9th, Tina Kotek was officially sworn in as the 39th Governor of Oregon. The same day, she issued three executive orders to address the housing and homelessness crisis. On January 31st, she released the Governor’s Recommended Budget (GRB), Mission Forward, which named housing and homelessness; mental health and addiction services; and early learning, child care, and K-12 investment as her key priorities.
The GRB is not binding, but it lays out the Governor’s vision for the state and is a starting point for the Legislature as they craft the 2023-25 budget. Notably, the Governor included a record $50 million for Public Health Modernization (see page 64). While CLHO will continue to advocate for the full $286 million request for Public Health Modernization, this public declaration of Governor Kotek’s commitment to public health infrastructure is worth celebrating!
The 2023 Legislative Session officially opened on January 17th. Each caucus announced its new leadership and released its priorities for the session. There are significant changes among the leadership in both bodies, with Tina Kotek and Christine Drazen stepping down from their roles to run for Governor and Peter Courtney retiring after 20 years as the Senate President. Oregon’s legislative leaders for the 2023 session are:
- Speaker of the House: Dan Rayfield
- Speaker Pro Tempore: Paul Holvey
- House Majority Leader: Julie Fahey
- House Minority Leader: Vikki Breese Iverson
- Senate President: Rob Wagner
- President Pro Tempore: James I. Manning Jr.
- Senate Majority Leader: Kate Lieber
- Senate Minority Leader: Tim Knopp
And more good news - the Senate Democrats also named Public Health Modernization a priority in their Oregon Works agenda! The Legislature is working through over 2000 bills introduced thus far - with more bills trickling in until February 21st (see the graphic below). In general, bills must be scheduled by March 17th and have a committee work session by April 4th to keep moving forward. This rule doesn’t apply to joint committees, Ways & Means, Revenue, or Rules, but these are important dates for most bills. CLHO and CFM Advocates will be tracking all of CLHO’s Legislative Priorities and a handful of other bills that impact public health or partners.
Our lobby team has been busy planning events, organizing partners, meeting with legislators, reviewing bills, and testifying at hearings this past month. Highlights from our work thus far include the following:
- January 4: CLHO and its partners held a pre-session Public Health Town Hall to orient new lawmakers to public health issues
- January 17: On the opening day of session, Sarah Lochner and Ryann Gleason presented the challenges facing the public health workforce to the House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care (watch the recording here)
- February 1: Sarah also testified before the same committee at the public hearing for CLHO’s Public Health Workforce Incentives Package (HB 2773) and organized a host of members and partners to testify in support, too
A huge thank you to CLHO members in Jackson, Multnomah, and Lane Counties; our partners at the Oregon Nurses Association and the Association of Oregon Counties; and Representative Ruiz for their testimony in committee supporting HB 2773! And another thank you to all of our partners who submitted written testimony for HB 2773!
The amazing testimony at this hearing also generated media attention; the Lund Report released an article on February 2nd quoting Jackson and Sarah and referencing the CLHO Workforce Report - read the article here.