Image provided by: SEIU Local 503; Salem, OR
About The 503 voice. (Salem, OR) ????-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2003)
2003 Legislative Bill Descriptions Nursing Homes HB 2747 Health Care Provider Tax The bill, which allows skilled nursing facilities to tax themselves at a higher rate in order to receive a greater Federal Medicaid match, was amended into HB 2152 which was the final legislative revenue package. With looming threats of HB 2152’s referral to the ballot, the bill was once more passed as part of a larger health care bill relating to the taxation of various medical providers. By passing the bill a second time (and therefore repealing it from the initial bill), the threat of referral was nullified. PASSED. RIGHT VOTE: YES Initiative Reform/Elections SB 102-A - Curbs Ballot Title Shopping This bill would have established a more reasonable signature threshold for launching the expensive and time-consuming process of providing final ballot titles for prospective initiatives. FAILED. RIGHT VOTE: YES SB 678 - Requires Signature Gatherers to Witness Signatures This bill would have required petition circulators to directly witness and certify the signatures they collect. FAILED. RIGHT VOTE: YES SB 706-A - Prohibits Writers From Filling in Petitions This bill would have prohibited the use of third parties to fill in the required information from petition signers. FAILED. RIGHT VOTE: YES HB 2825-A - Reduce Days to Vote The original bill would have reduced from 18 to 10 days the period of time allowed for vote-by-mail elections. It also would have restricted carrying ballots to ballot drop-off sites. This bill number was later used to pass an unrelated elections issue (not counted). Reducing days to vote FAILED. RIGHT VOTE: NO Privatization HB 3023 Collections privatization This bill is an attempt to enable private collection agencies to take over work currently being done by our members. We were able to get the bill amended to provide an exemption for the Revenue and Employment Departments. That version was passed in the House and Senate and signed by the Governor. PASSED. RIGHT VOTE: NO Collective Bargaining SB 444 and 446 Collective Bargaining Bills SEIU worked in coalition with the Firefighters Union and AFSCME on these two proposals. SB 446 would have expanded collective bargaining rights by making staffing in public safety units a mandatory subject of bargaining. Currently management can choose whether to bargain these issues or not. SB 444 would have changed the language and criteria that arbitrators must use when evaluating bargaining proposals in a way that is more favorable to working people. FAILED. RIGHT VOTE: YES Injured Workers SB 757-A - Increase Permanent Partial Disability (PPD) Benefits This bill increases PPD benefits based on the loss of bodily functions and earnings capacity. It also provides future increases in PPD benefits based on the average weekly wage in Oregon. PASSED. RIGHT VOTE: YES SB 932 - Extends Workers’ Comp Claims Filing Deadline This bill allows Workers Comp claims to be filed from 90 days to up to one year for good cause. PASSED. RIGHT VOTE: YES HB 3622 - Exemption From Workers’ Comp This bill would have set a harmful precedent by excluding from the state s Workers Comp requirement a low-wage employer who threatened to move his business to China. FAILED. RIGHT VOTE. NO HB 3669-A - Authority of Nurse Practitioners This bill allows Nurse Practitioners to treat injured workers for up to 90 days. This will give injured workers more options for treatment and reduce costs for employers. PASSED. RIGHT VOTE. YES 7
