PLSO The Oregon Surveyor January/February 2020

6 The Oregon Surveyor | Vol. 43, No. 1 Lobbyist Update Darrell Fuller David Williams LOBBYIST UPDATE With Darrell Fuller & David Williams Senate Republican leadership has already indicated that not showing up is on the table again this year after their designee to the Cap and Trade rewrite committee walked away from the table, suggesting the only changes are cosmetic. 2020 Short Legislative Session / Setting the Stage The February “short” session is in swing. Oregon voters approved annual legisla- tive sessions nearly a decade ago, based on a campaign narrative that the “short” session would be limited to adjustments to the state’s biennial (two-year) budget and statutory changes which cannot wait until the following year’s longer legisla- tive session. Two years ago, the Legislature gave us the nation’s first complicated three-tieredmin- imumwage. This year, they are promising us Cap and Trade. There are versions in both theHouse and Senate, eachwith hun- dreds of pages of amendments coming out nearly daily. It is very dense, complicated language. The Legislature’s Fiscal and Reve- nueoffices have indicated they donot have enough time or staff to determine the im- pact of the bills during the short session. Last year, Senate Republicans left the state to keep Cap and Trade frompassing. (The only tool Republicans have in the Senate or House is to not be present, thus denying the chamber a quorum to conduct busi- ness.) Senate Republican leadership has already indicated that not showing up is on the table again this year after their designee to the Cap and Trade rewrite committee walked away from the table, suggesting the only changes are cosmetic. The battle lines between Republicans and Democrats seem pretty simple. Republi- cans in the Senate say they will leave the building to prevent a vote unless the bill includes a provision sending it to the vot- ers for final approval. Democrats insist the legislation is too complicated for vot- ers to understand, so they refuse to refer it. I don’t see either side blinking. Another significant issue during the short session will be changes—technical and substantive—to the state’s newCorporate Activity Tax (CAT). The Department of Rev- enue is still drafting administrative rules to the new CAT, even though the tax began January 1, 2020. So, businesses are cur- rently required to collect a new tax even though the rules on how to comply are not yet available. 2020 Short Legislative Session / PLSO Only one bill appears to be of significance to the land surveying community. The sum- mary to House Bill 4014 is: Exempts dog training facilities from state structural specialty codes. Provides that lots or parcels whose property lines are relocated by certain judgments remain law- ful parcels. Prohibits requiring additional validating procedures or denying permits because of judicial boundary changes. This bill is cosponsored by Rep. Brian Clem (D-Salem) andRep. Bill Post (R-Keizer). Clem is Chair of the House Agriculture and Nat- ural Resources Committee, where the bill was assigned. It was requested by Da- vid Hunnicutt, the President of Oregon Property Owners Association (previously Oregonians in Action). At the state convention, the Board passed a motion to support HB4014. On Febru- ary 3, Chairman Jeremy Sherer testified in support during the public hearing on HB4014. After getting feedback from the membership with various concerns, PLSO was able to add two amendments, 1) add- ed language that would include all legally created units of land, and 2) that the re- location would not create an additional lot or parcel. As PLSO is not the request- or of the bill, we were not in a position to make all the changes suggested by the membership. On February 12, House Bill 4014-A passed the House of Represen- tatives unanimously (58-0-2 absent). The bill still needs to make it through the Sen- ate—before Senate Republicans walk out over Cap and Trade. This bill has an Emer- gency Clause and a retroactivity clause, so it will become law the day the Governor signs it into law.