Cindy Robert
AIAO Public Policy Consultant
Oregon General Election Results
No great election surprises in Oregon. Senator Shemia Fagan (D) beat Senator Kim Thatcher (R) in the race for the Secretary of State, Treasurer Tobias Read (D) was reelected to a second term, our US Senators and Congressional members remain the same, though with Congressman Walden’s decision to retire, Cliff Bentz (R) will replace him in DC.
In the legislature, the Democrats retained super-majority control of the Oregon Senate and House. But, ultimately, Democrats were unable to pick up the seats needed to assure a quorum-proof body in either the House or Senate (the walkouts in last two sessions were tools used by Republicans to halt action as the Oregon Constitution requires a 2/3 quorum to conduct business). So Democrats can pass tax increases without Republican buy in, but can’t convene for business in either body without Republicans showing up. The tactics of the Republicans in the 2019 and 2020 sessions weigh heavily on the legislative leaders as they plan for the 2021 session. Will we see a less aggressive agenda? Time will tell.
In the Senate, Democrats in the majority lost a south coast seat but gained one in Salem to retain control and remain at 18 Democrats and 12 Republicans.
In the House, Democrats in the majority lost south and north coast seats and Republicans lost a seat in Bend, leading to a net of one Republican seat and new numbers of 37 Democrats and 23 Republicans.
All of our statewide ballot measures passed so the path is paved for campaign contribution caps, cigarettes will be taxed higher and be joined by e-cigarettes and vaping devices, psilocybin mushrooms are legal in therapeutic settings, and some hard drug crimes are decriminalized and addiction recovery centers are funded.
The AIA Oregon Legislative Affairs Committee, lead by co-Chair Kim Olson, AIA and EVP Curt Wilson, AIA are planning for the 2021 session, which will be unprecedented due to social distancing measures. The LAC is working with ACEC Oregon (American Council of Engineering Companies) on a bill to limit the impact of Duty to Defend clauses in contracts, we remain in close contact with the Oregon State Board of Architect Examiners on potential changes to statute, and we are paying close attention to the status of leadership at the Building Codes Division and how that might impact the implementation of the Governors Executive Order 20-04 to increase the minimum energy performance requirements in the code through 2030.
The LAC Steering Committee will be providing an update on the 2021 session preparation at a Zoom event on Thursday, 12/3 at 5:00. Follow this link to learn more and register.