Sen. Chuck Thomsen

Establishes Willamette Falls Locks Commission as advisory body for issues relating to repair, reopening, operation, maintenance and future transfer of ownership of navigational canal and locks. Appropriates funds from General Fund to Higher Education Coordinating Commission for purposes of Act. Sunsets commission, program and account on December 31, 2023. Declares emergency, effective on passage.

Increases penalties for assault committed against flagger or highway worker who is performing official duties. Punishes by maximum of five years' imprisonment, $125,000 fine, or both. Declares emergency, effective on passage.

Establishes Affordable Housing Land Acquisition Revolving Loan Program within Housing and Community Services Department to make loans to eligible organizations to purchase land for affordable housing development and to provide supportive services to residents and low income households. Authorizes department to contract with nonprofit organization to serve as program administrator. Provides for repayment of loans for noncompliance with development plans. Requires completion of development within eight years. Requires development of performance measures and report to Legislative Assembly on December 1 of each year.

Creates Office of Outdoor Recreation within State Parks and Recreation Department. Creates Associate Director of Outdoor Recreation. Prescribes duties of office and of associate director. Becomes operative January 1, 2018. Declares emergency, effective July 1, 2017.

Permits Port of Hood River to enter into agreement for bridge project that is partially or completely within port's district. Specifies purpose and minimum provisions of agreement. Exempts agreement from Public Contracting Code and other statutes, except provisions related to prevailing rate of wage and certain other requirements. Requires port to adopt rules that substantially conform with rules Department of Transportation has adopted to implement provisions of Oregon Innovative Partnerships Program. Specifies elements port must consider in evaluating proposals for bridge project. Requires port to select proposal that provides best overall public value. Permits port, or private entity or governmental unit that port designates, to establish, collect or alter reasonable toll, administrative fee or civil penalty in connection with bridge and to deposit proceeds into account established under agreement for bridge project. Requires department to assess and collect amount of toll that person fails to pay and to refuse to renew vehicle registration of person that fails to pay. Permits port to sell or transfer ownership of bridge or bridge project under specified circumstances.

Establishes Oregon Agricultural Heritage Fund and continuously appropriates moneys in fund to Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. Authorizes use of moneys for purposes associated with supporting use of land for agricultural production, maintenance or enhancement of fish or wildlife habitat, improvement of water quality or support of other natural resource values. Establishes programs to provide grants for qualifying conservation management plans, working land conservation covenants or working land conservation easements on agricultural lands. Establishes Oregon Agricultural Heritage Commission and specifies duties of commission. Makes provisions related to supporting use of land for agricultural production, fish and wildlife habitat, water quality and other natural resource values, fund establishment, grant programs and establishment and duties of commission operative January 1, 2018. Appropriates moneys from General Fund to Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board for 2017-2019 biennium for carrying out provisions. Requires Legislative Policy and Research Director to study effect of financial incentives, incremental tax reduction and tax elimination on transfers and succession planning for land used for agricultural production, maintenance or enhancement of fish or wildlife habitat, improvement of water quality or support of other natural resource values. Requires director to complete study and report findings to interim legislative committee on or before September 15, 2018. Declares emergency, effective on passage.

Directs Oregon Criminal Justice Commission to study expenditure of public moneys on alcohol and drug treatment and report results to interim committees of Legislative Assembly related to judiciary on or before September 15, 2019. Appropriates moneys from General Fund to commission for purposes of study and report. Declares emergency, effective on passage.

Amends Oregon Promise program to remove prohibition on awarding more than $10 million in grants per fiscal year. Makes requirement that person participating in program pay $50 per term in tuition payable by reducing amount of grant awarded, instead of requiring separate payment by person. Requires Higher Education Coordinating Commission to determine prior to start of fall term each academic year whether sufficient moneys exist to award grant to each person who qualifies. Permits commission to limit eligibility to receive grant based on expected family contribution. Permits commission to decrease total amount of grant awarded or increase amount person must pay for each term person receives grant if at any time commission determines that insufficient moneys exist to provide grant to each person who was awarded grant. Permits commission to at any time reduce or eliminate any limitation on eligibility imposed by commission due to shortage of moneys. Allows person to continue to qualify for program if, after being awarded grant, person enters into service with career and technical student organization relating to agriculture or farming that is approved by Department of Education before attending community college. Exempts person serving in Oregon National Guard from requirement to enroll in community college courses within six months of attaining previous highest level of education in order to qualify for Oregon Promise grant, provided that person enrolls in community college courses within six months of completing initial active duty training. Allows commission, upon showing of significant hardship, to waive requirement that in order to qualify for program person start attending classes at community college within six months after person completed previous highest level of education. Declares emergency, effective on passage.

Directs Early Learning Division to support Relief Nursery programs statewide. Requires Relief Nursery programs to participate in statewide independent evaluation. Describes how funding to support Relief Nursery programs may be used. Excludes statutory forfeiture proceeds distributed to Relief Nursery program from calculation of amount of required matching community financial support. Declares emergency, effective on passage.

Directs certain agencies to allow informational materials about human trafficking to be posted at roadside rest areas. Establishes Department of Transportation Human Trafficking Awareness Fund. Establishes State Parks and Recreation Department Human Trafficking Awareness Fund.