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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 2020)
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020 ❚ SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Plastic bag ban among new laws in 2020 Connor Radnovich Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK A ban on single-use plastic bags, an expansion of who is required to report child abuse and a require- ment that research facilities offer up for adoption dogs and cats used in research are among the 328 laws passed by the Oregon Legislature during the 2019 ses- sion. Here are 11 new laws Oregonians should be aware of that took effect Jan. 1. Plastic bag ban While Salem residents have gotten accustomed to a ban on single-use plastic bags since the city’s ban took effect last April, a similar ban went statewide on Wednesday. In place of plastic bags, grocery stores are required to charge at least 5 cents for a paper checkout bag, fab- ric bag or reusable plastic bag. Shoppers are encour- aged to bring reusable bags with them to the store. The statewide ban also prohibits single-use plastic bags at restaurants. More child abuse mandatory reporters Two laws passed last legislative session that ex- pand whom is required to report suspected child abuse, so-called “mandatory reporters.” Senate Bill 415 expands the list to include school district board members, public charter school govern- ing body members and employees of the Oregon De- partment of Education. House Bill 2227 expands the list further to include animal control officers. Other public or private officials who were already required to report suspected child abuse include: phy- sicians, dentists, chiropractors, school employees, firefighters, police officers, attorneys, marriage and family therapists, state lawmakers, and coaches. Abuse can include: non-accidental physical injury; mental injury caused by cruelty; rape; sexual abuse; sexual exploitation; negligence or maltreatment; threats of harm; and exposure to controlled sub- stances. Parking exemptions Two new laws will also allow certain individuals to park on Oregon’s roads in an expanded legal manner. See NEW LAWS, Page 2A It’s going to cost more to play outside in 2020 Zach Urness Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK The Scotts Mills Dam, seen from above, has been neglected for decades as no one was sure who owned it, but a proposal could have it torn down within the year. DAVID DAVIS AND KELLY JORDAN / STATESMAN JOURNAL Should Scotts Mills Dam be torn down? Bill Poehler Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK The first time Anna Rankin went to the Scotts Mills Dam, she noticed crosses and flowers on the banks below the dam. When Rankin, the executive director of the Pud- ding River Watershed Council, asked about the mark- ers, she learned there had been a number of deaths from people jumping off the dam or rocks on a nearby bank into the pool below the dam. Like many older dams in Oregon, Scotts Mills Dam has been poorly maintained. The decaying structure is slowly crumbling, and that debris has fallen into the pool below and become a hazard. The Pudding River Watershed Council, with assis- tance from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wild- life, is proposing to demolish the dam to eliminate the safety hazard and give the environmentally threat- ened native salmon some of their native habitat for spawning. “The thing is there’s not much left of the dam,” Scotts Mills Mayor Paul Brakeman said. “It’s been bro- ken. There’s a large piece missing. If it had been main- tained, I would say there is a historical value in it. I don’t have anybody looking to keep it.” Tearing down the dam is estimated to cost New permit and fees required for rafting, kayaking and drift boats Photo taken of the dam on Butte Creek in Scotts Mills during a survey of chinook salmon spawning habitat in 1940. PACIFIC NORTHWEST STREAM SURVEY COLLECTION, OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES $98,000. It could start in September 2020. The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board is ex- pected to decide if it will fund the project in April. The Marion County Commissioners are scheduled to have a work session about the removal Jan. 21. See DAM, Page 3A DHS months behind on pay raises for hundreds Connor Radnovich Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Around 375 Oregon Department of Human Ser- vices employees who care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in group home set- tings have yet to receive a pay increase promised this summer. Some employees within the state’s Stabilization and Crisis Unit say they are owed more than $1,000 in back pay dating to July 1 after their jobs were reclassi- fied. Others are owed a few hundred dollars. At least 50 employees are planning to file wage complaints with the Bureau of Labor and Industries, Oregon’s outdoors is getting a little more expen- sive in a lot of different ways in 2020. The cost to hike, boat, fish and visit Oregon’s pub- lic lands is increasing on multiple fronts while new permit systems limit access to large swaths of the state’s backcountry. Fueled by the state’s population growth, which has led to frequently overwhelmed scenic areas and facilities, the new fees and permits target groups un- accustomed to paying much, such as hikers and non- motorized boaters. But the cost of traditional fishing and hunting licenses is also going up. In general, the fees are small and geared at im- proving the outdoor experience, land managers say. But taken together, it does raise the question of affor- dability, especially for lower socioeconomic classes to experience public lands. Here are six new permit systems and fee increases that will impact Oregon’s outdoors beginning in 2020. The cost of floating Oregon’s waterways with a raft, kayak, canoe or stand-up paddleboard is going up in 2020. Passage of Senate Bill 47 means anyone paddling a non-motorized boat over 10-feet long will need to purchase a Waterway Access Permit for $17 annually or $30 for two years — typically with an extra $2 processing fee. A $5 weekly option will also be avail- able. The permit will be required on all rivers, lakes and reservoirs — any “boatable waterway.” The permit replaces the previous $5 invasive spe- cies permit and is currently on sale through the Ore- gon Department of Fish and Wildlife website. The permit can be transferred from boat to boat, and those under 14 won’t need one, but the new rule goes into effect Jan. 1. The Oregon Marine Board will give boaters a grace period from Jan. 1 to Aug. 1 to get used to the new sys- tem before a fine of $115 will be considered for failing to have the permit, officials said. Revenue from the new system will go into a fund to improve boat ramps, parking lots and even purchase land to improve access to Oregon’s waterways, offi- cials said. For the past decade, Oregon has seen a growing number of non-motorized boaters at facilities funded largely by motorized boaters, officials with the Ore- gon Marine Board said. See COSTS, Page 2A and a couple dozen already have been submitted, ac- cording to Jade McCredy, union representative from Oregon AFSCME. An official union grievance also has been filed with DHS and the Department of Adminis- trative Services. DHS spokeswoman Christine Stone acknowledged that some staff have not received pay raises they are owed, but did not know the exact number of impacted employees, nor why the implementation has been de- layed. DHS and DAS most recently promised that em- ployees would receive compensation on Jan. 2, but when pay stubs were released on Dec. 30, the addi- See RAISES, Page 2A Online at SilvertonAppeal.com Vol. 139, No. 3 News updates: ❚ Breaking news ❚ Get updates from the Silverton area Photos: ❚ Photo galleries Serving the Silverton Area Since 1880 A Unique Edition of the Statesman Journal QEAJAB-07403y ©2020 50 cents Printed on recycled paper Kayaks and rafts over 10 feet long will need a $17 permit under the new Waterway Access Permit system hitting Oregon in 2020. ZACH URNESS / STATESMAN JOURNAL