LOC News
Senate Hears Police Reform Bills
The Senate Committee on the Judiciary, chaired by Senator Floyd Prozanski, held public hearings this week on three House bills addressing racism in policing, misconduct reporting and “doxing.” Amendments have been offered on two of the bills. All three are sponsored by Representative Janelle Bynum (D-Happy Valley) and supported by the LOC:
- HB 2929 clarifies mandatory misconduct reporting requirements for police officers to ensure that reports of unfitness for duty or violations reach officials with the authority to act on and investigate the matter. An amendment has been offered to alter public records exemptions for police files involving misconduct or allegations of misconduct. The LOC expressed concern over the amendment and conversations are ongoing.
- HB 2936 finds that racism has no place in policing and provides law enforcement agencies with additional authority to vet the backgrounds of police applicants to determine their suitability for the profession. LOC staff have described this bill as the “cornerstone” of the police reform efforts this session.
- HB 3047, while not specifically a policing bill, provides a private right of action for the victims of “doxing,” which is generally defined as releasing a person’s personal information online in an effort to harass or harm them. The LOC has suggested an amendment to clarify the legislative intent of statutes governing the release of public employee private information.
All three bills are scheduled for work sessions in the coming two weeks and are expected to pass. The fate of amendments is unknown at this time.
Contact: Scott Winkels, Lobbyist - swinkels@orcities.org
Last Updated 5/14/21