Sen. Chris Gorsek

Digest: The Act requires ODOT to study a section of U.S. Highway 30. ODOT must make a report of the study and share its findings with the JCT. ODOT may start work on the study 91 days after sine die. (Flesch Readability Score: 69.9). Requires the Department of Transportation to conduct a review of a specific portion of U.S. Highway 30 and present a report to the Joint Committee on Transportation no later than September 15, 2025. Sunsets on January 2, 2026. Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Digest: The Act directs an agency to expand programs related to wildlife illness. The Act directs an agency to perform a review. The Act directs an agency to establish a program for living with wildlife. The Act makes changes related to wildlife paths and roads. The Act gives moneys for related purposes. The Act goes into effect when the Governor signs it. (Flesch Readability Score: 63.3). Directs the State Department of Fish and Wildlife to expand programs related to wildlife disease. Directs the Invasive Species Council to undertake a review of council programs and activities. Directs the department to establish a wildlife coexistence program. Makes certain changes concerning a program to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. Appropriates moneys out of the General Fund for implementing the expansion, review, new program and changes to wildlife programs. Declares an emergency, effective on passage.

Digest: The Act creates the Task Force on Improving the Safety of Behavioral Health Workers. The Act says who must be on the task force and the duties of the task force. The Act creates a program in which OHA pays persons who run places that provide mental health care or substance use care so that the persons can provide their workers with on-the-job training or other types of training. (Flesch Readability Score: 69.4). [ Digest: The Act requires each person who runs a place that provides mental health care and substance use care to have a safety plan to protect the person's workers. The Act sets out how a safety plan must be created and requires a person to submit the safety plan to OHA by a certain date. The Act puts civil penalties on persons who do not have safety plans, who do not submit the plans to OHA by the due date or who fail to comply with the safety plans. ] [ The Act creates a program in which OHA pays persons who run places that provide mental health care or substance use care so that the persons can provide their workers with on-the-job training or other types of training. (Flesch Readability Score: 61.4). ] [ Requires a behavioral health care facility to have in place a safety plan to ensure the safety of the employees of the facility. Specifies procedures for creating the safety plan that include involving the exclusive representative of any employees who are in a collective bargaining unit. Requires behavioral health facilities to submit safety plans to the Oregon Health Authority by September 1, 2025, and every two years thereafter. ] [ Requires the authority to establish a process for individuals to file a complaint regarding a violation of a safety plan and allows the authority to audit a facility for compliance with a facility's safety plan. ] [ Authorizes the authority to impose specified civil penalties. ] Establishes the Task Force on Improving the Safety of Behavioral Health Workers. Specifies the membership and duties of the task force. Requires the task force to provide a preliminary report on its recommendations for improving worker safety by September 1, 2024, and a final report by December 1, 2024, to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to health. Establishes the United We Heal Medicaid Payment Program in the Oregon Health Authority to make payments to behavioral health facilities to offer apprenticeship and training opportunities to their employee behavioral health providers. Appropriates moneys to the authority to distribute to the United We Heal Training Trust to provide grants to employers of behavioral health workers to make safety improvements. Declares an emergency, effective on passage.

Digest: This Act changes the state's greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. The Act changes the term "global warming" to "climate change" in some laws. The Act declares an emergency and takes effect when it passes. (Flesch Readability Score: 68.4). Modifies state greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. Replaces the term "global warming" with "climate change" in provisions related to the Oregon Climate Action Commission. Declares an emergency, effective on passage.

Digest: The Act makes some forensic science workers who work for OSP police officers under PERS. (Flesch Readability Score: 63.6). Provides that forensic scientists and evidence technicians employed by the Department of State Police qualify as police officers under the Public Employees Retirement System.

Digest: The Act funds matching deposits for IDA accounts. (Flesch Readability Score: 61.2). Appropriates moneys from the General Fund to the Housing and Community Services Department for the purpose of making matching deposits into individual development accounts. Declares an emergency, effective on passage.

Digest: The Act changes the state law that prohibits housing discrimination. The Act removes an exemption from the law. (Flesch Readability Score: 61.4). Removes from state law an exception that allowed for residential property owners to engage in housing discrimination based on certain protected characteristics in certain circumstances.

Digest: The Act allows DHS to license adult foster homes with up to seven residents. The Act sets out the requirements for licensing an adult foster home with six or seven residents. (Flesch Readability Score: 60.1). Authorizes the Department of Human Services to license adult foster homes serving up to seven residents if the home meets specified criteria and pays the appropriate fee. Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Digest: The Act requires the Oregon Health Plan to pay for certain health services for people with mental deficits. (Flesch Readability Score: 61.6). Requires medical assistance reimbursement of cognitive assessment and care planning for recipients who experience the signs or symptoms of cognitive impairment.

Digest: Stops people in charge of companies that do medical work from running both the company and other business that does work that is not medical work. Stops the people in charge from hiring, firing or telling medical workers when and how to do their jobs. Stops companies from giving control of the company to other businesses that do work that is not medical work. Lets the Secretary of State punish bad actors. Stops companies that give medical care from telling their workers that they cannot work for someone else, say that the company is bad or speak out about the company's bad acts. Stops companies from punishing those who speak out. (Flesch Readability Score: 60.7). Prohibits a shareholder, director or officer of a domestic or foreign professional corporation organized for the purpose of practicing medicine or naturopathic medicine, or for the purpose of allowing physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners to jointly render professional health care services, from owning or controlling shares in, serving as a director or officer of, being an employee or contractor of or otherwise participating in managing both the professional corporation and a management services organization with which the professional corporation has a contract. Prohibits shareholders, directors or officers from participating in hiring, terminating or specifying the terms of employment for medical professionals that the professional corporation employs or with which the professional corporation has a contract for services while owning or controlling shares in, serving as a director of or being an employee or contractor of a management services organization with which the professional corporation has a contract. Specifies exceptions. Prohibits a professional corporation from relinquishing or transferring control over the professional corporation's assets, business operations, clinical practices or decisions or the clinical practices or decisions of medical professionals the professional corporation employs or with which the professional corporation has a contract. Specifies examples of prohibited methods of transferring control and exceptions to the prohibition. Provides that requirements that apply to domestic and foreign professional corporations organized for the purpose of practicing medicine or naturopathic medicine, or for the purpose of allowing physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners to jointly render professional health care services, also apply to domestic and foreign limited liability companies, partnerships, limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships organized for a medical purpose. Provides the Secretary of State with authority to enforce violations of the requirements by administratively dissolving or revoking or inactivating the registration of entities that engage in violations. Voids noncompetition agreements, nondisclosure agreements and nondisparagement agreements between certain business entities and medical professionals, with specified exceptions, and prohibits the business entities from retaliating against the medical professional for violating the void agreements. Punishes retaliations as an unlawful employment practice. Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die.