OTA Dispatch Issue 2 2018

Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch Waylon Buchan OTA Director of Government Affairs LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 6 T his Monday, the Oregon Legislature convened for a one-day special session. Governor Brown called for the emergency session to consider a controversial tax bill which would extend a tax cut to owners of sole proprietorship businesses. The controversy here stems from the fact that in 2013, the legislature passed a law which would allow certain businesses, such as S corporations and partnerships, to pay a reduced tax rate on their earnings. Sole proprietors were excluded from this law. The failure to connect to the new federal tax deductions for businesses last session marked the second time in five years that a Democrat-controlled legislature refused to extend a tax cut to sole proprietors. As I write this, the special session tax bill makes up for excluding these businesses in 2013, but goes no further. The special session coincided with what are called legislative days, which occur periodically between sessions to allow legislators to participate in work groups, task forces, and interim committees. It is clear from activity in the Capitol that legislators are focused on the environment coming into the 2019 legislative session. As they have attempted multiple times over previous sessions, the majority will push for California-style ‘Cap and Trade’ emission regulations in Oregon. A few weeks ago, legislators kicked off the Joint Committee on Carbon Reduction, which is poised to consider a variety of environmental bills which could negatively impact the trucking industry. If this all sounds like the same, tired news from Salem—you’re right. But this time, things are different. One vote shy of a supermajority in each chamber, Democrats are but a couple electoral victories away from a situation where they can pass tax legislation without a single Republican vote. Democrats are confident that the midterm November elections will bring a “blue-wave” of state legislators to Salem. While that may be up for debate, the May primary election results do not paint an optimistic picture. Liberal candidates prevailed against moderates in key races, moving the majority caucus farther to the left. In 2019, expect an emboldened democratic majority, and quite possibly a supermajority, to push hard for environmental policies they believe are long overdue. Of course, OTA will use every tool at our disposal to oppose or mitigate these attempts to increase costs for truckers. But we need your help! It is imperative that we band together now. Consider strengthening our grassroots efforts by joining OTA in Action. Join the fight against poor policies and questionable candidates by contributing to Truck PAC. We will continue to provide updates as the election unfolds and more information becomes available. For now, contact us to get engaged—and remember to vote this November!  To join or donate, go to www.ortrucking.org/ truck-pac! Special Session Oregon Legislature You can support the Truck PAC by participating in the golf tournament July 24, 2018. Visit www.ortrucking.org/events for details.