Document text
Salem roll call SALEM -- Votes of Southern Oregon legislators on selected bills for the week ending July 9. Senate votes are listed for Lenn Hannon, R-Ashland; Brady Adams, R-Grants Pass; Bill Fisher, R-Roseburg, and Veral Tarno, R-Coquille. House votes are listed for Rob Patridge, R-Medford; Jason Atkinson, R-Jacksonville; Judy Uherbelau, D-Ashland; Susan Morgan, R-Myrtle Creek; Carl Wilson, R-Grants Pass; Ken Messerle, R-Coos Bay, and Mike Lehman, D-Coos Bay. OREGON HOUSE SIGNATURE REQUIREMENTS -- Adopted (44-16) House Joint Resolution 21, a proposed constitutional amendment that, if voters approve it in the 2000 general election, would increase the number of signatures required to qualify a constitutional amendment for the ballot. It would leave intact the number required to qualify a proposed law. Voting yes (20 R, 23 D, 1 I) -- Lehman, Messerle, Morgan, Patridge, Uherbelau. Voting no (14 R, 2 D) -- Atkinson, Wilson. PHOTO RADAR FOR RED-LIGHT RUNNERS -- Approved (34-24) House Bill 2071, which would allow four cities, including Medford, to issue traffic tickets from photographic evidence that a vehicle ran a red light. A city that does so must post warning signs. The bill goes to Gov. John Kitzhaber. Voting yes (22 R, 11 D, 1 I) -- Atkinson, Messerle, Morgan, Patridge. Voting no (13 D, 11 R) -- Lehman, Uherbelau, Wilson. Not voting, 1 R, 1 D. LIMIT BUSINESS LIABILITY -- Approved (35-18) House Bill 2985, described below. The bill goes to Gov. Kitzhaber. Voting yes (29 R, 6 D) -- Atkinson, Messerle, Morgan, Wilson. Voting no (17 D, 1 I) -- Lehman, Uherbelau. Not voting (5 R, 2 D) -- Patridge. OREGON SENATE LIMIT BUSINESS LIABILITY -- Approved (19-10) House Bill 2985, which limits the liability of businesses for harm caused by the job-related actions of their workers. The House repassed the bill, 35-18. Voting yes (17 R, 2 D) -- Adams, Fisher, Hannon, Tarno. Voting no (10 D). Not voting, 1 D. TOBACCO LAWSUITS -- Rejected (17-11) a substitute for House Bill 2985, main bill described above, that would have made it easier to sue tobacco companies if a smoker became sick or died more than eight years after buying a tobacco product. Voting yes (11 D). Voting no (16 R, 1 D) -- Adams, Fisher, Hannon, Tarno. Not voting, 1 R, 1 D. LATE-TERM ABORTION BAN -- Approved (18-11) Senate Bill 1330, which would ban a form of late-term abortion. The bill moves to the House. Voting yes (16 R, 2 D) -- Adams, Fisher, Hannon, Tarno. Voting no (11 D). Not voting, 1 R. USE OF TOBACCO SETTLEMENT PROCEEDS -- Approved (23-6) House Bill 2007, which places Oregon's initial $180 million share of the national tobacco settlement into a trust fund, only the earnings from which would go to social programs. The bill moves back to the House for action on amendments. Voting yes (16 R, 7 D) -- Adams, Fisher, Hannon, Tarno. Voting no (6 D). Not voting, 1 R. PHOTO RADAR -- Approved (19-10) House Bill 3085, which allows cities to install radar-activated cameras to catch speeding drivers and their license plates. Speeding tickets can be mailed later to offending drivers. (Only Portland and Beaverton have such cameras now.) The bill moves back to the House for action on amendments. Voting yes (9 R, 10 D) -- Adams, Tarno. Voting no (7 R, 3 D) -- Fisher, Hannon. Not voting, 1 R. MOTORCYCLE HELMETS -- Rejected (15-14) House Bill 3632, which would have repealed for motorcyclists age 21 and older the 1988 requirement that they wear helmets. Although the Senate passed a similar bill April 6 (Senate Bill 583), it died in the House Transportation Committee. A bill requires 16 votes to pass the Senate. Voting yes (13 R, 2 D) -- Adams, Fisher, Hannon, Tarno. Voting no (10 D, 4 R). Not voting, 1 D. WORKING COMPLAINTS -- Approved (16-13) Senate Bill 1115, which as amended would bar farm employers from firing or retaliating against workers who complain about wages or working conditions, and allow workers to sue them for unjust firings. But employers could fire workers if they persist in discussions when employers tell them to return to work. The bill is a second attempt to limit the scope of an Oregon Court of Appeals decision, now on appeal to the Supreme Court, that went against a Hillsboro nursery for firing 11 workers in 1993. The bill goes to Gov. Kitzhaber. Voting yes (14 R, 2 D) -- Adams, Fisher, Tarno. Voting no (11 D, 2 R) -- Hannon. Not voting, 1 R. EVIDENCE ADMISSIBILITY -- Rejected (18-12) House Joint Resolution 91, a proposed constitutional amendment that, if approved by voters, would link the state and federal constitutions on police powers and admissibility of evidence. The Oregon Constitution restricts police powers, including searches and seizures, more than the U.S. Constitution. One Republican switched for purposes of reconsideration, making the official vote 19-11. (The House resurrected the measure.) Voting yes (9 R, 3 D) -- Adams, Fisher, Tarno. Voting no (10 D, 8 R) -- Hannon. POWER DEREGULATION -- Approved (20-9) Senate Bill 1149, which sets up a timetable and framework for deregulation of electric power. Commercial and industrial customers would be able to choose their power suppliers on Oct. 1, 2001; residential customers would have three options. The bill goes to Gov. Kitzhaber. Voting yes (13 R, 7 D) -- Adams, Fisher, Tarno. Voting no (6 D, 3 R) -- Hannon. Not voting, 1 R. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA