These bills remain in final hours of Session

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

• HB 3414 is an affordable housing bill that allows cities and counties more flexibility (like most places in America) to expand land for housing by changing the Urban Growth Boundaries.  Environmentalists are asking for no concessions on this even though Kotek wants it and you can’t build more houses to meet supply demands without it.

• HB 5005 which authorizes a billion dollars in bonding and borrowing for a new I-5 replacement bridge.   Washington has teed up a billion as well.   The bridge debate has centered around over-extending Oregon’s bonding authority at the expense of other bond projects as well as driving up the cost by including a pricey light rail component that voters have rejected.

• HB 2757-B is a $50 million cell-phone tax. It aims to pay for suicide prevention services, but as noted, is nearly 500% over-cost compared to what the program needs and other states have the program but without the a new tax.

• SB 5506-1– The big spending bill which includes $450 million in government raises, a combined $600,000 to study prostitution, millions for free lawyers for non-citizens.

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