The Beaver Caucus

Beaver Caucus Legislative Session Recap

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OSU COVID-19 Information: Oregon State University has added a link on the OSU homepage to a new page that provides detailed and up-to-date COVID-19 information.

2020 Legislative Recap
By Bill Perry – Beaver Caucus President

The 2020 Oregon Legislature adjourned abruptly last Thursday when Democratic leaders announced there would be no further floor sessions prior to the constitutionally mandated end of the legislative session on Sunday, March 8 at midnight.

Two weeks ago, Senate Republicans, followed by their colleagues in the House, walked out of the Capitol to protest cap and trade legislation. The Republican walk-out denied majority Democrats a quorum necessary to consider final passage of bills on the House and Senate floors. The denial of a quorum prevented not only passage of the cap and trade bill, but also halted the passage of all other legislation, including bills to fund and support OSU projects and programs.

What was the impact on the Beaver Caucus’ legislative priorities?

OSU and the Beaver Caucus should be extremely proud of what we accomplished. Due to your advocacy, the Ways and Means Committee approved $34.5 million in bonding authority for the Arts and Education Complex on the OSU main campus and $12.9 in general funds for the Student Success Center on the OSU-Cascades campus in Bend. Unfortunately, an agreement to bring the Republicans back to the building was never reached, therefore, preventing final votes on these bills.

What’s next?

Legislative leadership and the Governor are developing plans to call the Legislature back into “special session” sometime in the next 30 days. However, due to new public health and safety measures related to COVID-19 the timing is uncertain. It is also important to note that a special session will likely have the same dynamics if the stalemate over cap and trade has not been resolved. The Governor did take the first step to move carbon decisions away from the Legislature with an Executive Order directing state agencies to implement some of the measures in the cap and trade bill.

Once leadership announces when the legislature will reconvene, we will renew our efforts to ensure continued support for our projects and get them over the finish line (which was, prior to the early end of the session, in sight).

Stay informed

We will share more information and updates on our website, Facebook and Twitter accounts during the special session.

For more information on legislative action related to OSU, please see the OSU Government Relations legislative update.

Thank you for your support. Go Beavs!

Beaver Caucus Legislative Update: March 6

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March 6 Legislative Update by Jon Eames

Late yesterday afternoon, the Speaker of the House, Tina Kotek, announced from the floor that the House will effectively end their work this legislative session.  Speaker Kotek, in an impassioned and emotional speech, announced no further floor sessions will occur prior to the constitutionally mandated end to the Legislative session on March 8th at midnight.

For a refresher on how we got to this point:

In a typical session you’d expect to see a Sine Die announcement at the exact time the House and Senate finished their legislative business, adjourning for the year. However, this is not a typical session. A week and a half ago, Senate Republicans, followed shortly thereafter by their colleagues in the House walked out of the Capitol building and have yet to return.

Oregon’s House and Senate Republicans hold enough seats in each chamber to deny the majority Democrats a quorum necessary to consider final passage of bills on the respective chamber floors. The walk-out is centered on one bill: the Cap and Trade climate policy which Democrats have publicly set as their top priority this session. The denial of quorum prevents not only passage of the climate bill, but also halts the passage of all other bills on chamber floors.

Over the last couple weeks Democrats engaged in contingency planning by moving all bills which have the support to pass to a place in the process where they could move most expediently if Republicans were to return to the Capitol.

Today, House and Senate Republicans announced their willingness to return to the building on Sunday March 8th, the constitutionally required end date of session, to complete the unfinished business of the 2020 session. Implicit in this announcement was the understanding Republicans would have the authority to use procedural hurdles to prevent the passage of any legislation of which they did not approve, meaning they would still be able to prevent passage of Cap and Trade should Democrats attempt to move a vote of the bill on the floor.

In light of the early end to the session, Speaker Kotek also announced the Governor’s plan to exercise executive action on climate change in the coming days and that the emergency board will meet on Monday March 9th to distribute emergency funds to address Coronavirus and the Umatilla Basin flooding.

This premature end to session means many bipartisan policies and critical agency budget adjustments have been caught in the crosshairs.  Speaker Kotek indicated Legislative leadership and the Governor are developing plans to call the Legislature back into “special session” at some time in the next 30 days. However, no formal announcements have been made.  It is also important to note a special session is no different than a regular session in that the same dynamics could be at play if the Cap and Trade policy is still on the table.

We will continue to update you as new information becomes available.

Thank you to the Beaver Caucus for all your work in this area. Follow us for more updates.

Beaver Caucus Legislative Update: Week 4

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Katie Fast, OSU Government Relations
Week 4 – February 28, 2020

Cap & Trade legislation continues to dominate the Oregon Legislature. On Monday, the Senate Ways & Means Committee passed SB 1530 to the floor. Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem) added himself to the Committee to break a tie vote of Senators. Immediately after the Committee vote, Senate Republican members left Salem and, except for Senator Tim Knopp (R-Bend), are denying a quorum of the Senate. On Tuesday, the House Republicans, except for Cheri Helt (R-Bend), joined their colleagues in the walkout.

Adding to the drama, the House Rules Committee voted to issue subpoenas to missing House Republicans that would require them to testify at the Capitol on March 5 regarding the reasons behind their boycott. Democrats have also advanced three new pieces of legislation that represent “more aggressive” potential paths to regulate carbon emissions than the current Cap & Trade bill.

With only 9 days remaining until lawmakers must adjourn, the Oregon Legislature has passed just three bills, and resolution to bring the Republicans back seems bleak.

In other political news, Senator Shemia Fagan (D-Portland) announced a run for secretary of state. Former House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson pulled out of the race over a Willamette Week investigation over the use of her campaign funds. The Democrats will have a five-way primary with Senator Mark Hass, Cameron Smith, Jamie McLeod-Skinner and Jamie Morrison already filing to run. Earlier this month, Republican Senator Kim Thatcher announced her candidacy; no other Republican candidate has filed or announced.

Thank you to the Beaver Caucus for all your work in this area.

Beaver Caucus Legislative Update: Week 3

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Katie Fast, OSU Government Relations
Week 3 – February 21, 2020

This was a great week for OSU in Salem! On Tuesday, Senator Arnie Roblan invited President Ed Ray to be his guest on the Senate floor. Besides kind remarks by Senator Roblan, Senators Courtney, Hansell and Gelser all extended courtesies to President Ray and commented on his contributions to OSU and Oregon. You can find those clips here.

On Wednesday, both OSU Cascades students and Now 4 OSU Cascades were in Salem advocating for the Student Success Center. Efforts like these and Beaver Caucus’s advocacy elevate OSU’s capital funding requests. We have been getting good feedback about the presence of OSU’s advocacy efforts in Salem this session.

Negotiations around capital are currently on-going. We know OSU’s three projects (Cordley Hall, Arts & Education Complex and Cascades Student Success Center) are in the mix. The Capital Construction subcommittee received a presentation from HECC Director Ben Cannon last Friday, who implored the committee to fund university capital projects. The written testimony for the hearing included submissions from the Beaver Caucus, the Associated Students of Cascades Campus and the Oregon Student Association in support of OSU projects. Beyond a certain measure, we are not able to handicap the politics that drive the outcomes on capital construction. That is why the Beaver Caucus’s continued efforts are so important.

Next Monday, SB 1501, which allows collegiate athletes to earn compensation for their name, image and likeness, will be heard in the House Education Committee. OSU is neutral on the legislation. OSU gymnast Halli Briscoe will testify in Committee giving a student’s perspective on the bill. Other higher education policy priorities including student food/housing insecurity and transfer are awaiting action in the Ways & Means committee.

Thank you to the Beaver Caucus for all your work in this area. Let’s keep it up!

Beaver Caucus Legislative Update: Week 2, 2020

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Katie Fast, OSU Government Relations
Week 2 – February 14, 2020

University Day at the Capitol was held on Thursday, with over 150 students, staff, and alumni from all over the state supporting shared public university priorities. This included legislation on student food and housing insecurity, underrepresented students, student transfer and capital construction.

This Thursday also marked the deadline for bills to move out of their committee of origin. Here is an update on several of the policy bills Oregon State University’s government relations team is working on:

  • HB 4055 – HECC to study and develop recommendations on how community colleges and public universities can best combat food and housing insecurity among their students. Referred to Ways & Means.
  • HB 4057 – Bans Lottery from offering betting on collegiate sports. Referred to House Revenue.
  • SB 1501 – Allows collegiate athletes to earn compensation for their name, image and likeness. Will be third read in the Senate on Monday, February 17th.
  • SB 1554 – Appropriates funding for several ocean programs including ocean acidification and hypoxia. Referred to Ways & Means

Today, the Ways & Means Capital Construction Subcommittee will hear from the Higher Education Coordinating Committee on the university bonding proposals. We will be watching to see if the committee gives some indication on the direction they will take.

Thank you to the Beaver Caucus for all your work in this area. Let’s keep it up!

Join us for Beaver Caucus Day at the Capitol on November 20

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Beaver Caucus Advocate —

You can make a difference for OSU! Can you join us on November 20 at the State Capitol in Salem to advocate for our OSU legislative agenda?

REGISTER NOW

Our primary mission will be to meet with legislators and talk about the importance of higher education and OSU.

The key issues we will be advocating for:

  • Funding for the Arts and Education Complex on the OSU Corvallis campus
  • Funding for the Student Success Center on the OSU-Cascades campus in Bend
  • Funding for the renovation of Cordley Hall on the OSU Corvallis campus

We will meet in the State Capitol Building at 9:30am to discuss strategy, messaging and logistics for the day. Never met with a legislator? No problem! We will walk you through how it’s done, and you will go around to your meetings with several other OSU advocates as a team.

We hope you can join us!

Beaver Caucus Day at the Capitol
Wednesday, November 20
9:30am
Room 350 Oregon State Capitol Building

REGISTER NOW

The Beaver Caucus is an independent, alumni led organization. It is a 501(c)4 with an independent board of directors. The Caucus works closely with the OSU Foundation to engage alumni and supporters, giving them the opportunity to amplify their voice and have a substantive impact on state government.

Reinvest in the OSU Statewide Public Service Programs

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During the 2019 legislative session we will be seeking a $30 million increase to reinvest and expand OSU’s statewide public service programs: the OSU Extension Service, Agricultural Experiment Station, and Forest Research Laboratory, which support agricultural, natural resource and community development programs across the state.

Beaver Caucus Advocacy Day

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Thank you so much for all of the support, energy and time you devoted to joining us for Beaver Caucus Advocacy Day. We walked the halls of the Capitol, met with legislators and staff and shared the message of prioritizing higher education and OSU projects. We helped legislators see the importance of music and the arts with the Arts and Education Complex; the continued expansion of the OSU-Cascades campus with the Student Success Center; the economic and community impact with the OSU Statewide Public Service Programs and the true benefit of an Oregon State education. Thank you for lending your time and sharing your stories to ensure that the future of Oregon State University remains healthy and strong. We look forward to working with you in the new year! Go Beavs!

Homecoming Brunch A Success

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We had a record turnout on Saturday for the Third Annual Beaver Caucus-ASOSU Homecoming Brunch! It was a great event that included students, alumni, faculty, past and present ASOSU officers and Beaver Caucus members. The audience heard remarks from President Ray, ASOSU President Justin Bennett and Vice President Aiden Tariku, Dean of Students Kevin Dougherty and OSUAA Executive Director and Beaver Caucus board member John Valva. It was a great way to kick off Homecoming weekend!

Thanks for spending your Homecoming Saturday with us. We look forward to working with you during the 2019 Oregon legislative session to advocate for issues that are critical to OSU.

Go Beavs!

Investment in Oregon Higher Education

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During the 2019 Oregon legislative session, the Beaver Caucus will work hard to continue and increase state investments in higher education. Together with Oregon’s other public universities, we will support a strong future for all students, staff, faculty and our state’s economy. All seven public universities will work collectively to make higher education a priority for the legislature.

The seven public universities have sought at least a $120 million increase in operating funds from $737 million, for a total investment of $857 million. This request would ensure that tuition increases would stay below 5% per year each for the next two years. Last August, the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) recommended a $186 million increase in operating funds for a total of $923 million. This request is a significant improvement and would enable meaningful investments in student success and access while keeping tuition affordable.

Oregon is better off when we invest in our students. In 2019, the Beaver Caucus is committed to building on the progress made in public support for higher education.