PLSO The Oregon Surveyor January February 2021

Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon | www.plso.org 9 Here in Oregon, Democrats—who had supermajorities in the Senate andHouse— predictedmaking gains in both chambers. In the state Senate, one Democrat seat was won by a Republican while one Re - publican seat was won by a Democrat. So, there was no change at all to the 18- 12 Democratic majority. In the House of Representatives, like in the U.S. House, Re - publicans actually made gains. Before the election, Democrats held a 38–22majority. But Republicans won two Democrat seats along the coast while Democrats turned one seat blue in Deschutes County. But that is still a +1 increase for Republicans. In the end, good policy is made in the middle. And, sadly, more and more the candidates being elected are either far to the right or far to the left. It is more and more challenging to find enough lawmak - ers willing to occupy the middle ground. Much Is Still Unknown About The 2021 Legislative Session With the pandemic still impacting daily life, the 2021 Legislative Session remains a big question mark, even though it has already started. Legislative leaders have hinted that the capitol building will re - main closed to the public (and lobbyists) at least until April 1—perhaps much lon - ger. Legislators must be in the capitol and on the floor to vote. But committee hearings are all being held virtually with most legislators clicking in from their bed - rooms, kitchen tables, or home offices. So, too, is the life of lobbyists trying to impact public policy. It’s just plain weird. PLSO Legislative Agenda PLSO has requested two bills. House Bill 2312 would assure that property line disputes settled in court are recognized by other state and local governments. House Bill 2884 extends the time al - lowed to record a land partition after tentative approval, from the current 90 days to 365 days. Additionally, PLSO has endorsed Senate Bill 213 which limits a design profession - al’s indemnity agreements to only within the scope of the work they provide. To read the actual text of the bills, go to OregonLegislature.gov and click on “2021 Senate / House Bills.” If you have any questions, just let me know. Both HB2312 and HB2884 have been as - signed to the House Committee on Rules. If you live in the districts of the following legislators, please let me know! House Rules Committee Chair, Rep. Barbara Smith Warner (D-Portland) Vice Chair, Rep. Christine Drazen (R-Canby) Vice Chair, Rep. Paul Holvey (D-Eugene) Rep. Daniel Bonham (R-The Dalles) Rep. Julie Fahey (D-Eugene) Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-Lake Oswego) Rep. Jack Zicka (R-Bend) In addition to the bills above, I am mon - itoring more than 50 bills. They include bills which may impact surveyors, or are of interest to surveyors, including bills related to development, COVID rules, workersʼ compensation, independent contractor regulations and other issues impacting businesses. By the time the session ends, likely at the end of June, I will have monitored more than 100 bills on behalf of PLSO. PLSO regularly participates as a member of broad coalitions of business asso - ciations supporting or opposing these related bills. We have been especially ac - tive as state agencies have been creating COVID rules for all employers. Redistricting One of the most interesting issues (well, for political nerds, anyway) facing the Leg - islature this year is redistricting. After the decennial census, each state is required to redraw all of their congressional and state legislative districts to ensure their populations are roughly equal. In Ore - gon, Democrats control the process, so they get to redraw the lines. If projec - tions hold true, Oregon will move from five members of Congress to six. This will require Democrats to reimagine the state. How the state population will be divided evenly in six, instead of five, districts will be very interesting to watch. Stay tuned. Congress Finally, Oregon faced a huge loss of influ - ence with the retirement of Congressman GregWalden, Oregon’s only Republican in Washington, D.C. Walden was either the Chair or Ranking Member of the influen - tial Energy and Commerce Committee. He was replaced by fellow Republican Cliff Bentz, who left his seat in the state Senate to run for Congress. But Oregon still has a seat on the Energy & Commerce Com - mittee. Congressman Kurt Schrader, who represents the central Willamette Valley, is a member, and he continues to gain seniority. Moreover, Oregon’s own Con - gressman Peter DeFazio is Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Com - mittee. This committee, along with E&C, are the two most significant to surveyors. Conclusion If you have any questions or comments about the information presented here, please give me a call at (971) 388-1786 or email me at fuller_darrell@yahoo.com. If you have a good relationship with your state Senator or state Representative, please let me know. It might be very help - ful for you to contact them. It is a privilege to serve as your lobbyist and I always ap - preciate hearing from those I represent. x Darrell Fuller hails from Klamath Falls. He has been involved in Oregon’s legislative and political process for more than 30 years. His clients include auto dealers, RV dealers, power sports dealers, auto repair shops, auto dismantlers, professional land surveyors, and plumbing- heating-cooling contractors. Darrell earned a degree in Political Science from Willamette University in 1988. In addition, he studied at Xiamen University in China, and at American University in Washington, D.C. In his spare time, Darrell serves on the board and volunteers as a Disaster Responder with the Red Cross, serves on the Board of Hope Station (an independent food bank), and is a certified Emergency Medical Responder. He also serves on the Keizer Rural Fire District Civil Service Commission and is the Alumni Chapter Advisor to the Sigma Chi Frater- nity at Willamette University. Lobbyist Update