UPDATED: Dec. 13, 6:00 a.m.
Oregon lawmakers will meet in special session Monday to help prevent mass evictions, but they鈥檒l have a lot more on their plate, too.
Included in a four-bill package unveiled Friday is money to help farmers and ranchers hurt by this year鈥檚 drought and unprecedented heatwave, and funding to help southern Oregon counties grapple with illegal cannabis growers. The plight of Afghan refugees and curbing gun violence are also on lawmakers鈥� radar.
In total, the package includes roughly $400 million in spending, along with tweaks to laws safeguarding vulnerable renters. Lawmakers have sparred in recent days over whether those priorities required attention in a special session, but it appears they have now reached an agreement.
In a release Friday, Gov. Kate Brown鈥檚 office said the approach was supported by lawmakers in both parties, a sentiment backed by Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, and the Democratic leaders in the House and Senate.
鈥淪enate Republicans will be in the Capitol on Monday if the language of the legislation being drafted is consistent with these goals,鈥� Knopp said in a statement.
The messaging seemed to bode well for the Legislature鈥檚 chances of completing its work in a single-day session. While Republicans are outnumbered in both chambers, they can block legislative action if they refuse to show up en masse. Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, well known for bemoaning the dangers of special legislative sessions, said in a statement he is 鈥渟leeping a whole lot better now.鈥�
鈥淲e may just make this happen,鈥� he said.
But it was not immediately clear Friday whether House Republicans, who about the session, were on board. In a release, state Rep. Christine Drazan, a Canby Republican and candidate for governor, called on Brown to fire the head of the state鈥檚 housing department, saying the agency鈥檚 efforts at distributing rental assistance money had been 鈥済rossly inadequate.鈥� The release made no mention of the forthcoming spending package.
Refilling the rental aid pool
The deal announced Friday would put $215 million toward assisting tenants who have been unable to pay all their rent, recouping lost rent for landlords and to help agencies that have had a hard time getting emergency money out the door to do so more quickly.
A related proposal, Friday, would ensure landlords cannot evict tenants who can show they already applied for emergency rental assistance, so long as that assistance is sought by June 30 of next year. It would protect such tenants from eviction until financial help arrives, their application is denied or Oct.1, whichever comes first. The law would also continue to require landlords to give 10 days鈥� notice before filing for eviction, rather than the typical 72 hours.
Oregon鈥檚 current 鈥渟afe harbor鈥� provision, set to expire Feb. 28, ensures tenants can鈥檛 be rent if they鈥檝e applied for emergency assistance. But that protection once tapped, less time than it has taken aid to arrive in many cases.
Complicating matters, the state has run out of rental assistance money, and recently closed the portal that allows renters to apply for such funds. Legislation next week will boost emergency rent assistance by $200 million 鈥� half for a state-administered fund, and half for eviction protection programs at local agencies.
鈥淲e have a proposal before us to keep thousands of Oregonians from losing their housing while rental assistance is on the way,鈥� House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, said in a statement. 鈥淣ext week, we must honor our commitment to keep Oregonians housed.鈥�
Lawmakers also plan to steer roughly $100 million to drought relief. Much of the money will fund forgivable loans to help farmers and ranchers hurt by Oregon鈥檚 extremely hot and dry summer. Other money will help pay for wells and drought relief in the Klamath Basin, assist farmworkers who can鈥檛 work because of unsuitable conditions and more.
And the state is planning a $25 million package that will allow Oregon State Police to beef up enforcement against illegal cannabis operations that have caused problems in Josephine and Jackson counties. The money will go toward law enforcement efforts, along with staff to enforce labor and code violations.
Also included in the package:
- $18 million to help resettle in Oregon
- $14 million for affordable housing in jurisdictions that could not tap federal funds for that purpose
- $10 million in relief for 鈥渙utdoor recreation outfitter guides鈥� who lost business due to drought or COVID-19
- $2 million to help reduce gun violence in east Multnomah County
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