The protests of 2020 inspired change. Including some new laws codified in 2022.
In 2021, legislators in Oregon were busy working on bills that addressed an array of reforms, policy modifications and civil rights protections. Here are some of the key bills that legislators put into practice at the beginning of the new year.
Under Senate Bill 569, employers are no longer allowed to require employees or prospective employees to present a driver’s license as a condition of employment unless the ability to drive is an essential part of the job duty.
Legislators also passed House Bill 2935, known as the CROWN Act, which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act. This bill prohibits schools and workplaces from discriminating against individuals based on their physical characteristics that are historically associated with race, including hair texture and hair type.
House Bill 2323, which aims to prevent election misinformation from being spread around, is another new one. It is now illegal to knowingly make false claims with the intent to deceive electors about the date of an election, deadlines for delivering ballots, voter registration deadlines, methods of registering to vote, ballot drop-off locations, qualifications of electors, or voter registration status within 30 days of a primary election or special election or 60 days of a general election. Courts will impose a civil penalty of up to $10,000 upon any individual who violates this law.
House Bill 2542 applies to public universities and community colleges making it now compulsory to prominently display the descriptions of all mandatory fees that they charge students. These fees are meant to be published on the websites, explaining the purpose of the costs and how schools will utilize that money.
With the pandemic, state legislators have also made a permanent change in terms of public meetings. According to House Bill 2560, government agencies must broadcast their meetings online and allow members of the general public to testify remotely through oral and written testimonies.
According to House Bill 2936, the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training is obligated to investigate the background and character of an individual before allowing them to proceed with training and certification to become a police officer. There will be a uniform background checklist and a standardized personal history questionnaire. Agencies are also allowed to monitor and access personal social media accounts of aspiring police officers to weed out applicants who have racist behaviors or who are involved in extremist groups.
With House Bill 2914, April will be known as Arab American Heritage Month from this new year onwards. This is to recognize the valuable contributions that Arab Americans have made towards various aspects of American society.
Legislators have also decided that it is optional for law enforcement officers to instruct the crowd to disperse at gatherings determined to be unlawful assemblies through House Bill 3059. It is also not compulsory for officers to arrest any individuals engaging in illegal activity, but they still have the option to.
A final bill to keep in mind is House Bill 3369, where licensed nurses in Oregon have the opportunity to talk about and discuss the medical use, risks, and benefits of marijuana with patients, and they will no longer be faced with a civil penalty for doing so.
For more information about the other laws, please visit these links:
https://www.kgw.com/article/news/politics/oregon-new-laws-2022/283-dfcb4f80-9af2-473f-bd9d-b18e2dfef47b
https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/20-new-oregon-laws-going-into-effect-in-2022
