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Board of Governors Hosts 2019 President’s Reception in Salem
Every year, the Oregon State Bar’s Board of Governors holds its February meeting in Salem. This year, in conjunction with the legislative session, the BOG hosted the 2019 President’s Reception at the Salem Convention Center on February 21. The reception provides an opportunity for practitioners, judges, legislators, and bar leadership to discuss many of the issues that are affecting the practice of law and the judiciary. During the reception Christine Costantino, 2019 OSB President, spoke about the important role the Bar plays in public protection, access to justice, and supporting the judiciary and highlighted the Bar’s legislative priorities: adequate funding for the courts, civil legal aid, and indigent defense.
The next OSB legislative event is the Oregon State Bar Day at the Capitol. Scheduled for May 8, 2019, this is an opportunity for practitioners to meet with legislators, experience the legislative process, and advocate for the Bar’s legislative priorities. Please contact Kellie Baumann at [email protected] for more information.
Eddie Medina, Senator Floyd Prozanski, Dawn Evans, and Eric Foster
OSB Past President Vanessa Nordyke, Representative Mike McLane, and OSB President Christine Costantino
John Bachofner and Justice Thomas A. Balmer
Oregon State Bar Focuses on Consumer Protection in Salem
HB 2460 – Provides that transferee of homestead is not liable for amounts of outstanding deferred property taxes due on homestead if transferee receives no interest in real or personal property from estate.
HB 2588 – Requires certain persons that service student loans in this state to obtain or renew license.
HB 3022 – Makes various changes to workers’ compensation laws of this state.
SB 388 – Directs Governor or designee to notify presiding judge of circuit court of county of conviction within 10 days of granting pardon.
SB 608 – Prohibits landlord from terminating month-to-month tenancy without cause after 12 months of occupancy.
SB 681 – Prescribes optional form for supported decision-making agreement.
SB 684 – Specifies requirements for covered entities that own, license, maintain, store, manage, collect, process, acquire or otherwise possess personal information, and for vendors that provide services to covered entities, to notify consumers of breach of security.
Chief Justice Hosts Court Funding Breakfast in Portland
On February 19 the Citizens Campaign for Court Funding (CCCF) held its first nonprofit breakfast at Mercy Corps in downtown Portland. The event, hosted by the Oregon State Bar and the Oregon Judicial Department, was an opportunity for nonprofit organizations throughout Oregon to meet with Chief Justice Martha Lee Walters and discuss the need for adequate funding for Oregon’s court system. Representatives from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Central City Concern, the ACLU, the Oregon Law Center, Catholic Charities, and the Nonprofit Association of Oregon, among others, spent the morning discussing the challenges of providing needed services to Oregonians. Participants focused on the intersection of social services and the court system and the need to provide adequate funding across programs and agencies to strength the system as a whole.
Additional information on the CCCF can be found on its website.
Chief Justice Martha Lee Walters
OSB President Christine Costantino
Legal Aid Funding Bill Moves Out of Committee
On February 18, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a public hearing and work session on Senate Bill 357. The bill increases the statutory allocation for state legal-aid funding, ties legal-aid funding to the consumer price index, and clarifies the Oregon State Bar’s commitment to the efforts of Oregon courts to ensure access to justice.
Amy Edwards, the president of the Oregon Law Center’s board of directors, Monica Goracke, the executive director of the Oregon Law Center, and Bill Penn, the associate director of the Oregon State Bar’s Legal Services Program and the associate director of the Oregon Law Foundation, testified in support of the bill. Each of the speakers focused on a different aspect of Oregon’s civil legal-aid services.
Discussion in committee ranged from the types of services provided by legal-aid attorneys, the regulatory and funding oversight provided by the OSB Legal Services Program, and the 2018 Legal Needs Study.
SB 357 moved out of committee with a unanimous vote and will now go to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means for further consideration.
Important Dates
February 27, 2019 – Revenue Forecast
April 9, 2019 – First Chamber Deadline
May 8, 2019 – Oregon State Bar Day at the Capitol
May 24, 2019 – Second Chamber Deadline
Archives
Thank you for reading the Oregon State Bar’s CAPITOL INSIDER.
The archives are available here.
2018 Public Affairs Committee Members
Eric Foster, Chair
Eddie Medina, Vice Chair
Whitney Boise
John Bachofner
Kate Denning
Kamron Graham
Bik-Na Han
Michael Rondeau
Public Affairs Department
Susan Grabe, Public Affairs Director
Amy Zubko, Public Affairs Legislative Attorney
Matt Shields, Public Affairs Staff Attorney
Kellie Baumann, Public Affairs Assistant