Police brutality, coronavirus on special session agenda for Oregon lawmakers

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon lawmakers, most wearing masks and trying to maintain social distance, began a special session Wednesday to crack down on police brutality and throw a lifeline to those suffering financially from the coronavirus.

“This is a catastrophic disaster session,” Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, told a press conference on Zoom, saying racial discrimination, police brutality and “a monster disease that won’t let us out” must be dealt with.

Draft measures would mandate rent protections during the coronavirus emergency and prohibit a lender from treating a borrower’s failure to make loan payment as a declaration of default.

They would also prohibit law enforcement officers from limiting the ability of a person to breathe, create a statewide online database of discipline records, prevent an arbitrator from reducing punishments for officers, ban the use of tear gas on protesters and allow the state attorney general to investigate and prosecute when officers kill or seriously injure a person.

Some pushback was expected from law enforcement groups.

“My hope is that decisions will be made based upon facts, evidence and data, not on emotions, politics or perception,” Jim Ferraris, president of the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police and police chief of Woodburn, told a joint panel Tuesday.

Sen. Lew Frederick, D-Portland, who is Black, believes there will be changes after the death of George Floyd.

“I can’t say that they’re going to be all of the changes that I might want to see, but I think we’re going to see some changes,” Frederick said in a recent phone interview. But people also need to start talking about the role of police, he said.

“Is the role for police to be as intimidating as possible? Then don’t tell me that you want to have community policing because that goes against the community policing concept by itself,” Frederick said.

The session convened for an undetermined number of days less than four months after the regular 2020 session ended acrimoniously and early.

Back then, Republican lawmakers, who are the minority in both the House and Senate, staged a boycott to block a bill aimed at reducing Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions, leaving many other bills to wither and die.

On Wednesday, Senate Republicans voted against aspects of the special session, including that only the Senate president and House speaker can create bills or amendments.

“We have no rights to write a bill. We have no rights to amend a bill,” Senate Republican Leader Fred Girod of Stayton told Courtney on the Senate floor. “I’m sorry but that is just plain wrong.”

Special provisions were aimed at preventing those from attending the session from contracting COVID-19. Masks were required for staff but only recommended for lawmakers, some of whom skipped wearing them.

Lawmakers feeling sick or with a temperature, or who live with someone who was recently ill, were told to stay home.

The scene was completely different from past gatherings in the 82-year-old marble-covered capitol building. Instead of lobbyists, lawmakers and visitors wandering the halls or huddled in groups, the building was closed to the public, with access controlled by badges or special permission from legislative leadership.

Dining rooms were closed, drinking fountains turned off and bathrooms restricted to single occupancy.

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Find out more info at the Oregon Legislature's website, https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/ You can also watch livestream and recorded video here: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/citizen_engagement/Pages/Legislative-Video.aspx

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News release from Oregon House Democrats:

Special Session Gets Underway Legislators to tackle critical issues facing Oregonians

SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon Legislature convened today for the first special session of 2020 to tackle two of the most critical issues of the moment – coronavirus relief and police accountability. “Oregonians from all walks of life, in every corner of our state, are counting on the legislature to act now,” said House Majority Leader Barbara Smith Warner. “We have the opportunity right now to make meaningful progress on long-entrenched issues and provide the aid that so many are desperate to receive. I look forward to joining my colleagues from across the state and across party lines this week to do what is right for every Oregonian.”  Among the coronavirus relief measures being undertaken in the special session are: ·      Eviction Moratorium Extension·      Foreclosure protections·      CARES Payment Act Protection·      COVID-19 Race and Ethnicity Data So far this year, the Legislature has allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to aid coronavirus relief. The allocation has supported rental assistance and mortgage relief, funds for displaced workers through the Oregon Worker Relief Fund, support for small businesses and mental health care. Further, a variety of police accountability measures will be taken up in response to nationwide uprisings demanding change. “These measures represent a first step in the long road ahead to reforming institutions throughout our state,” said Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Happy Valley), chair of the House Judiciary Committee. “Oregon can and must do better for all its community members. I am so glad we are making swift progress in this session. We will continue to work with community members and groups going forward to identify next steps.” During the special session, the Legislature will address: ·      Law enforcement arbitration·      A statewide police discipline database·      Use of force investigations led by the Oregon Department of Justice·      Require mandatory reporting by officers of other officer behavior ·      Protecting freedom of speech and assembly from excessive force This work builds on work that has been done in recent years to improve police accountability. Among the most significant actions were bills to prohibit racial profiling, track and analyze law enforcement stops, and require implicit bias training, House Bill 2002 (2015) and House Bill 2355 (2017). The legislature also established a framework for local police departments to implement the use of body cameras, House Bill 2571 (2015). To see a full list of the bills that will be considered during the special session and to keep up with everything happening in the Joint Committee on the First Special Session of 2020, click here. Special Session Fast Facts This is the 42nd special session in Oregon history.The first occurred in 1860, the most recent in 2018.The longest ever special session lasted 37 days in 1982.The record for the most held in one year was five in 2002.There have been three special sessions since the implementation of annual sessions in 2010 (2012, 2013, 2018). Learn more about the history of special sessions in Oregon here.