Rep. Tina Kotek

Adjourns sine die 2021 special session of Eighty-first Legislative Assembly.

Directs Oregon Criminal Justice Commission to convene advisory council to assist with recommendations related to health care standards in local correctional facilities. Requires commission to submit report to interim committees of Legislative Assembly related to judiciary on or before September 15, 2022. Sunsets January 2, 2023. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Extends look-back period used to determine Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund solvency level from 10 years to 20 years. Provides that calendar years 2020 and 2021 may not be considered high benefit cost period for purposes of making determinations of solvency level of fund. Provides that employers' experience ratings used to determine 2020 unemployment insurance tax rates shall be used to determine rates for 2022, 2023 and 2024. Provides deferral of up to one-third of 2021 unemployment insurance taxes for employers whose tax rates increased by 0.5 percentage points or more from 2020 to 2021. Authorizes forgiveness of percentage of deferrable taxes according to tax rate increase brackets. Reduces fund adequacy percentages used to determine employer tax rate schedules. Broadens kinds of property that may be received for Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Establishes program to make forgivable loans to reimburse private owner or operator of brownfield for eligible costs incurred in completion of removal or remedial action at brownfield. Requires Oregon Business Development Department to consider means to encourage participation in reimbursable removal and remedial actions by minority-owned and woman-owned businesses and emerging small businesses. Requires department to submit report to interim committees of Legislative Assembly related to economic development setting forth recipients of forgivable loans and third parties with which recipients contracted to complete removal and remedial actions with respect to which forgivable loans were made. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Permits claims against insurance assets of dissolved business entities notwithstanding certain time limitations that otherwise would bar claims. Specifies manner of service on dissolved business entity. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Requires retail electricity providers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity sold to Oregon consumers to 80 percent below baseline emissions levels by 2030, 90 percent below baseline emissions levels by 2035 and 100 percent below baseline emissions levels by 2040. Requires electric companies to develop clean energy plans and electricity service suppliers to report information for meeting clean energy targets. Directs Department of Environment Quality to determine amount of emissions reduction necessary for each retail electricity provider to meet clean energy targets. Limits cumulative rate impact for compliance to six percent of annual revenue requirements. Permits performance incentive for early compliance. Requires electric company that files clean energy plan to convene Community Benefits and Impacts Advisory Group with input from stakeholders who represent interests of customers and affected entities and communities. Requires electric company to file biennial report with Public Utility Commission that assesses community benefits and impacts of electric company. Directs State Department of Energy to convene work group to examine opportunities to encourage development of small scale and community-based renewable energy projects and report findings to interim committee of Legislative Assembly no later than September 30, 2022. Sunsets December 15, 2022. Permits electric company, if agreed to and in coordination with government, to provide program of rates or charges to serve retail electricity consumers that covers costs of electricity generated from renewable energy resources or nonemitting energy resources or paired with unbundled renewable energy certificates. Defines "government." Requires electricity service suppliers to publicly disclose aggregated energy supply mix and associated emissions of power sources. Establishes contractor labor standards in construction or repowering of large-scale projects. Defines "large-scale project." Prohibits Energy Facility Siting Council from issuing site certificate for new generating facility that produces energy from fossil fuels unless facility generates only nonemitting electricity. Prohibits council from approving amendment of site certificate for generating facility in manner that would increase carbon dioxide emissions from operation of generating facility. Creates grant program within State Department of Energy to provide grants to Indian tribes, public bodies and consumer-owned utilities to plan or develop community renewable energy projects. Establishes Community Renewable Investment Fund within State Treasury for purposes of grant program for community renewable energy projects. Appropriates moneys from General Fund to Community Renewable Investment Fund. Increases, from eight percent to 10 percent by 2030, requirement that aggregate electrical capacity of all electric companies be composed of electricity from small-scale renewable energy projects or facilities using biomass. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Provides tax exemption for property of religious organization held or used solely to provide affordable housing to low income households. Conditions tax exemption on property being subject to covenant to maintain affordability for not less than 60 years. Provides that default six-year sunset of tax expenditures does not apply to exemption. Requires initial claim to be filed with Department of Revenue and annual claims with county assessor thereafter. Restricts conditions that local governments may place on development of affordable housing provided by religious nonprofit corporations and expands zoning where such housing must be allowed. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Authorizes Department of Environmental Quality to require certain information related to history of compliance with environmental quality laws from applicant for license or permit. Modifies authority of department to refuse to issue, modify, suspend, revoke or refuse to renew permit. Modifies authority of department to refuse to issue, suspend or revoke asbestos abatement license. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Requires school district that is making reductions in educator staff positions to retain teacher with less seniority if teacher has more merit and if retention of teacher is necessary to maintain school district's diversity ratio ] release of teacher would result in lesser proportion of teachers with cultural or linguistic expertise . Declares emergency, effective on passage.

Appropriates moneys from General Fund to Housing and Community Services Department Revolving Account for low-barrier emergency shelters and to Oregon Department of Administrative Services for navigation centers ] Oregon Department of Administrative Services to distribute to Oregon Community Foundation to provide grants to support emergency shelters . Requires Oregon Community Foundation to provide report to interim committee of Legislative Assembly on grants no later than September 15, 2022. Declares emergency, effective on passage.