LOC News
LOC Makes Significant Progress on Legislative Priorities in 2024 Short Session
The 2024 legislative session ended three days early, just a few minutes past 8 p.m. Thursday, as final votes were taken on budget bills. The LOC’s priorities included Measure 110 reforms, several layers of housing policy, gap funding for shelters, and infrastructure funding for new housing development.
LOC members can expect to receive a detailed “End of Session” summary report in a few weeks. It's evident that a combination of member-led grassroots advocacy and the excellent work of the LOC’s lobby team and partners resulted in substantial progress in 2024.
Significant Measure 110 reforms are now confirmed, largely because of a coalition of public safety interests, led by the LOC. For the first time, the Legislature allocated nearly $200 million in general fund dollars to local infrastructure needs for new housing starts and $65 million to keep existing shelters open, thanks to a pre-session member survey that generated 234 projects from 93 cities. Finally, recreational immunity was restored after an adverse court session, which had resulted in multiple trail closures.
The LOC lobby team helped stop several poorly thought-out property tax measures that would have contributed to an already unfair and outdated property tax system needing serious reform. We also stopped a pre-session legislative concept that would have preempted the local government franchise fee structure. Other wins included a fix for the use of photo radar and an improved broadband grant program.
Keep an eye out for additional updates from the LOC’s lobby team. There is considerable work to do in the interim as we prepare for the 2025 session and ensure commitments are met. It's crucial to remain focused on what lies ahead because we are not done. The LOC’s policy committees begin their meetings in a couple of weeks, state agencies will be gearing up to figure out how the housing infrastructure and shelter funding will be pushed out, and there will be a significant transportation package in 2025.
This session's most important take-home message is that the LOC’s grassroots advocacy is working because of persistent engagement and advocacy from cities. During the interim, cities must reinforce their legislative partners, build on local government education, and let their state legislators know how much they appreciate their support.
The next chance to hear from the LOC lobby team will be a Zoom webinar on March 15 from 12-1 p.m. This will be the final wrap-up of this session. Again, the LOC appreciates every member’s support and commitment to our collective legislative work - we’ve done well!
Contact: Jim McCauley, Legislative Director - jmccauley@orcities.org
Last Updated 3/8/24