Legislative Info.

2007 Committee Appointments:

Chair, House Committee on Business and Labor
Vice-Chair, House Committee on Veterans Affairs
House Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Ocean Policy

Note From Mike

Dear neighbor:

I’m honored to serve as your representative in the Legislature, and I’m proud of my accomplishments in my three terms in Salem.

One of my proudest achievements has been my attendance record: I have always believed in putting in a good day’s work, and during the 2007 session I was the only one out of 90 legislators to have zero absences.

As Chair of the House Business and Labor Committee, I had the opportunity to work on a variety of important issues during this last session. This page spotlights some of the bills that I championed during the 2007 session. Please take a minute to read through and find out what I’ve been working on.

Mike Schaufler

To read Mike’s most recent newsletter from the end of the 2007 session, click here.

Ending Unwanted Robo-Calls:

Spearheaded the passage of a law that will protect consumers from unwanted automated phone calls. Now, these “robo-call” outfits won’t be able to contact subscribers to the National Do Not Call Registry, including more than 1.7 million numbers placed on the list by fellow Oregonians like you. If you want to add your number to the Registry, you can do so at www.donotcall.gov or by calling toll free 1-888-382-1222.

Restoring Fairness to Foster Care:

One of my priorities this session was to protect some of our most vulnerable residents – Oregon children without a voice. Working together in a bi-partisan effort with Representative Wayne Krieger, Senator Kate Brown and Senator Jeff Kruse, we sponsored a package of eight bills to strengthen our foster care system. The passage of six of these bills means the restoration of fairness and justice to foster care in Oregon, and ensures that the state foster care system has a consistent mission that all employees are aware of.

Fire-Safe Cigarettes:

Cigarette-related fires led to 37 deaths in Oregon between 1999 and 2005. In addition, these fires caused $32 million in damages. As Chair of the House Business and Labor Committee, I helped facilitate passage of a law that bans the sale of cigarettes that are not self-extinguishing. Now, stores can only sell “fire-safe” cigarettes that put themselves out, greatly reducing the chances of fire. I’m proud that we were able to make Oregon the ninth state to take this important step for public safety.

Streamlining the Permitting Process:

Sponsored a bill to expand and improve Oregon’s first-of-its-kind “e-permitting” system. In the years to come, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical contractors across the state can visit a one-stop Web site to apply and pay for permits from various jurisdictions. Oregon is leading the nation with this statewide system. Simplifying the permit process will save contractors time and money, and keep Oregon workers on the job.

Majority Sign-Up for Workers:

Under a bill that I sponsored, public employees will now be able to form a union at their workplace when a majority of workers sign cards authorizing a union to bargain for them. This fair and simple process replaces the previous system that allowed for interference and intimidation by employers and restores a more democratic way to organize a union.

Environmental Protection/ Energy Policy:

Protecting Oregon’s environment and family farmland is important to me—the livability and the economy of our great state depend on it. These are some of the bills dealing with environmental protections that I supported during the 2007 session:

(More information including bill text can be found on the Legislature’s Website)

SB 29	SB 103	SB 104	SB 107	SB 235
SB 375	SB 432	SB 643	SB 790	SB 737
SB 875	SB 883	SB 1011	HB 2106	HB 2118
HB 2294	HB 2294	SB 223	HB 2210	HB 2211
HB 2212	HB 3201	HB 2620	HB 2876	HB 3244
HB 2626	HB 2925	HJM 22	HB 3353	HB 3543
HB 3540	HB 3546