2023 Legislative Session In Review
Posted on June 27, 2023 by Charlie Krouse and Kate Ayres
Tags, Energy, Telecommunications, General Interest
The 2023 Legislative session ended on June 25th, with crucial bills making it to the Governor’s desk in the nick of time. The passage of these bills happened largely due to the hard work of everyday Oregonians, pushing for their voices to be heard by their lawmakers. Here at CUB, we advocated for the passage of bills that will directly help Oregon utility customers.
CUB Priority Bills That Passed This Session
Investments in Broadband Internet (HB 3201)
This bill will help implement better broadband internet for rural communities which require more infrastructure throughout the state. This bill will help Oregon maximize its access to millions of federal broadband investment funds by amending outdated and limiting language in the broadband statutes. It also gives the Oregon Broadband Office and the Oregon Broadband Advisory Council the ability to keep our Broadband Fund requirements modernized. Even though this bill received pushback from cable industries, it passed on June 25th.
Climate Resilience Package Investment
This package invests $90 million in community-focused and forward-looking solutions to increase our energy efficiency, keep Oregonians safe from extreme weather, maximize federal funding opportunities, and build a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable energy system. The bill package was supported by CUB along with many climate-forward organizations across the state. The package included CUB priories:
- HB 3409: Requires the Oregon Department of Energy to report on the number of homes implementing heat pump systems. Works to reduce barriers to home energy efficiency and resilience. This bill directs the Department of Consumer and Business Services to facilitate greenhouse gas emission reductions.
- HB 3630: Directs the State Department of Energy to establish a program to provide assistance related to energy projects and activities to environmental justice communities.
This package included CUB priorities, such as the Building Resilience Package (SB 868 - SB 871), Statewide Energy Strategy (HB 2534), and more! To read more about the details of each of these priorities, read CUB’s Mid-Session Update.
Anti-Robocall Bill (HB 2759)
Unwanted robocalls are a widespread problem. A new anti-robocall bill, HB 2759, will further protect Oregon households from financial scams that take away the hard-earned money of our well-meaning friends, family, and neighbors. With HB 2759, Oregon can help the fight against these manipulative scammers. This bill holds phone companies accountable, helps Oregonians recover lost funds, and can help prevent future robocall scams.
CUB Supported Legislation That Did Not Pass
The six-week Senate Republican walkout started on May 3rd and lasted until June 15th. This walkout led to the stalling of important bills for Oregonians. Unfortunately, it stalled important progress that would have led to these bills making it out of committees and onto the floor to be voted on.
Democrats worked with Republicans in the last ten days of the session to prioritize bills that would be able to be passed in the last ten days of the session. Unfortunately, that means that many of the bills supported by CUB did not make it to Governor Kotek’s desk this session.
HB 3152: Utility Customer Protection Act
CUB co-authored this bill with Climate Solutions, working closely with Representative Pam Marsh. This bill would have reduced financial risks for households while we move to a clean energy future. The bill would have mitigated the energy burden and risks of stranded assets for residential utility customers.
The gas industry heavily attacked this bill, making it more about optics and politics than the truth. Contrary to NW Natural’s and its front group’s (NW Energy for Choice) opposition narrative, it did not ban natural gas. Unfortunately, the gas industry spread a false gas-ban narrative. This resulted in this bill not being moved forward from the House Climate, Energy, and Environment Committee. While we were unsuccessful in passing this bill, this opened dialogue on the costs of subsidizing natural gas in a decarbonizing world.
SB 542: Right to Repair
Repairing items you already own is less expensive and better for the environment. This bill would have expanded your ability to repair consumer electronic equipment by requiring manufacturers to allow access to parts, tools, and repair manuals so you can fix what you already own. This bill passed out of the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment and was voted on the Senate floor in April and was sent to the Rules Committee right before the walkout. Unfortunately, this bill never made it out of the Rules Committee this session.
Looking Forward to 2024
This legislative session demonstrated how important clean and efficient energy is to Oregonians. We saw lawmakers and organizations work together to push for bills highlighting building resilience, showing Oregon is stepping in the right direction of energy efficiency.
Already, we are looking forward to 2024. Next year, we will continue to push for strong consumer advocacy legislation. We know that there is strong support for policies like Right to Repair, Resilient Buildings, and more. CUB will not give up on these important protections for people in Oregon.
Stay Up to Date on Oregon Utility Issues
CUB will continue to advocate for people in Oregon on major utility issues. Sign up for the CUB email list for the latest updates, action alerts, and news on policies that affect the utilities your home relies on.
To keep up with CUB, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
06/29/23 | 0 Comments | 2023 Legislative Session In Review