HB 2456 Text (Section5-6)

Continued from previous discussion

House Bill 2456

A BILL FOR AN ACT Relating to liquor licenses; creating new provisions; amending ORS 471.313 and 471.315; and repealing ORS 471.329. Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:

SECTION 5. { + ORS 471.329 is repealed. + }
SECTION 6. { + Section 2 of this 2001 Act and the amendments to ORS 471.313 and 471.315 by sections 3 and 4 of this 2001 Act apply to all licenses issued under ORS chapter 471, whether issued before, on or after the effective date of this 2001 Act. + } ----------

By Amy Cammack,

How to Testify Before a Committe

How To Testify Before a Legislative Committee
Committees are the heart of Oregon's legislative process. The committee process provides legislators more opportunity to closely study a measure than would be possible in a floor debate. Committees may hear from many people who support or oppose the measure.

Giving public testimony before a legislative committee can be an exciting and fulfilling experience if you are prepared.

Your testimony may influence the committee's action. It also becomes part of the permanent record and may be used in future research.

Listed below are suggestions to help make your presentation successful.

* Know Your Audience
The members of the committee are ''citizen legislators.'' They care that you have taken time out of your day to come and testify before them.
* Be respectful.
* Don't accuse committee members of causing your particular problem.
* Resist the temptation to scold, put down, or insult the decision makers or other witnesses. This tactic will likely alienate them from your cause.
* Know the Issue
Support your personal opinions with as many facts as possible. Be knowledgeable of the ''other side of the story.'' You may be asked to discuss the differences. Draw from your own knowledge and experience.
* Be Familiar with the Committee Process
* Know the location of the building, the meeting room, and the meeting time.
* Agendas will be posted outside the meeting room. Check to make sure the measure you are interested in has not been removed from the agenda. The measures may not be heard in the printed order.
* If possible, attend a committee meeting before you testify to become familiar with the process and room layout.
* When you arrive at the meeting, sign the witness registration sheet. Witnesses are not necessarily called in chronological order.
* Presenting Your Written Testimony
When you are called to testify, give copies of your testimony to committee staff before you begin your presentation. The number of copies requested is printed on the bottom of the committee meeting agenda.

Begin your presentation by addressing the chairperson first, then members of the committee. ''Chair___, members of the committee . . .'' For the record, state your name, address, and the organization or group you represent. State whether you support or oppose the legislative measure being heard and briefly explain. Do not read your testimony to the committee word for word. Prepare an outline.

Keep in mind you may have a ten minute version of your testimony--be prepared to summarize it in one minute--that may be all the time you are allowed!

Thank the committee members and offer to answer any questions. ''Thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today. I would be happy to answer any questions.

When a member asks you a question respond: ''Chair ______ , Senator/Representative (state name), the answer to your question is . . .''
Relax! The members understand that this can be an intimidating experience--they don't expect a perfect presentation.
* Group Testimony
* Select several people to cover different topics so the testimony i not repetitive.
* Address the problem, possible solutions, and your group's best solution.
Special Needs
If you require special accommodation in order to testify before a committee, please contact the committee administrator or support staff 24 hours BEFORE the meeting with your request.

Contact Numbers: (503) 986-1813 or (503) 986-1187
TDD (503) 986-1467 (inside Salem)
1-800-375-2861 (outside Salem)
________________________________________
Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Program
Sabrina Freewynn
Community Organizer
sabrina@seul123.org
(503) 232-0010 x21

By Amy Cammack,

How to Make Comments on HB 2456

Below is Marge Kafoury's (City of Portland Government Relations) message with the Chair's contact information. She also indicated that it could be faxed to her attention at 503-378-1323. I would suggest sending a copy directly to the chair and send a copy to Marge Kafoury.
Thanks,
Amy

The letter should be addressed to:

Bill Witt, Chair
House Committee on Smart Growth and Commerce
State Capitol
Salem, Oregon 97302

Dear Chair Witt and Committee members:

Your comments regarding HB 2456.

Noise/liquor bill to impact you

From: ''Cammack, Amy''
Subject: Noise/liquor bill that will negatively impact neighbors
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 13:36:06 -0700

Earlier this year I sent a message regarding a bill proposing to eliminate obtrusive or excessive noise as a consideration in liquor licensing matters (HB 2456). Over the past month, the situation has worsened and the resulting liquor law could have a significant impact on neighborhood livability relating to noise issues. The Senate has passed Senate Bill 383 which integrates a range of issues relating to liquor laws, including noise.

This bill is now being considered by the House and has been referred to their Rules, Redistricting and Public Affairs committee for review.

Our opposition to SB 383 is based on the section regarding ''Noise on and Around Licensed Premises''. At the end of this message is a copy of section 4 relating to noise and a link to the state legislative website with the full text of the bill. Currently the OLCC can respond to and investigate licensees due to noise complaints regarding noise from inside the premises or with noisy patrons outside of the premises. These violations can be taken into consideration for issuance, renewal or discipline of licensees. If SB 383 passes, the OLCC could only consider excessive noise if the licensee was CONVICTED of violating the City's noise ordinance. In addition, this would limit the regulation since the City's noise ordinance cannot regulate patron noise outside of the premises. Noise is a livability issue that has a significant impact on neighbors and the OLCC should not be limited in consideration of problems that are clearly associated with the sale or service of alcohol.

Although the City is formally opposing this bill, we expect that it will require much more pressure and opposition to have an impact on stopping it's passage (it passed Senate despite our opposition). Unfortunately, I am not positive whether the Rules committee will actually be reviewing the bill or whether it will be referred to another committee. Although it is not on any schedules for public hearing or worksession at this time, those usually have very short notice so I wanted to give as much advance notice as possible to get neighbors involved in the process. It will be beneficial to have letters and/or calls from neighborhood associations or individual neighbors voicing opposition and requesting that the section be stripped out of the bill. I will forward information (name/address/phone) as soon as it is clear who should be contacted.

Please let me know if you have questions. I will mail a copy of this message to neighborhood representatives without email once I have the legislative contact info.
Thanks,
Amy Cammack
Liquor Licensing Specialist
Office of Neighborhood Involvement
City of Portland
1221 SW Fourth Avenue, Room 110
Portland, Oregon 97204
(503) 823-3092

Link to view full text of amended bill:
http://www.leg.state.or.us/01reg/measures/sb0300.dir/sb0383.a.html



By Amy Cammack