User:Halvorsen brian/60th Oregon Legislative Assembly

The 60th Oregon Legislative Assembly connived beginning on January 8, 1979. Jason Boe (D–Reedsport) served as the Oregon Senate President. Representative Gary Wihelms (R–Klamath Falls) served as the minority leader in the Oregon House of Representatives.

House leadership crisis
Going into the 60th Oregon Legislative Assembly, the Democrats in the Oregon House of Representatives, who were in the majority, had failed to install a firm leadership. Representative Hardy Myers (D–Portland) was seen as the front-runner in the race for Speaker of the House. His challenger was Rep. Jeff Gilmour (D–Jefferson). The failure to elect a leader was due in part to Myers lack of support. He needed 31 votes to be elected speaker, but was stuck at just 30 firm supporters until a group of 34 Democratic lawmakers voted to elect Myers on January 15, 1979. It was a full week since the legislature first connived. The Oregonian commented that the struggle to elect a leadership was reflective of the conflicting views between many of the urban liberal Democrats and rural conservative members of the party.

Workers compensation reform
Four bills that were introduced in the Oregon State Senate in March 1979 (Senate Bills [S.B.] 48, 255, 379, and 476) were designed to reform Oregon's workers' compensation system. Senate Bill 379 was written to increase workers compensation benefits to people who had lost a limb, or appendage. Senate Bill 479 clarified the definition of independent contractors required to cover workers compensation. The State Accident Insurance Fund was designated an official state agency under Senate Bill 255. Insurance companies were given the power under Senate Bill 48 to choose when to close temporary disability accounts. S.B. 379, which was sponsored by Senator Dick Groener (D–Milwaukie), increased the compensation of a lost arm from $16,320 to $19,200; for a lost hand or leg $12,750 to $15,000; and for loss of both eyes from $25,500 to $30,000.

Homosexual rights
Senate Bill 599 was the assembly's first homosexual rights bill of the 60$th$ legislature. The bill stated the state had no right to discriminate against employees on the basis of sexual orientation. The bill was killed in the Senate Committee on Aging and Minority Affairs by a 1–4 vote. Among the no votes, Senator Jan Wyers (D–Portland), Senator L. B. Day (R–Salem), Senator Dell Isham (D– Lincoln City), and Senator Tony Meeker (R–Amity). The only vote in favor of the bill was cast by Senator Bill McCoy (D–Portland). On the issue, McCoy was quoted in The Oregonian as saying, "It's not very much to ask the state not to arbitrarily [...] fire somebody because of their sexual orientation." In opposition, Senator Wyers said, "there is no doubt in my mind that the people I represent oppose this [bill]."

Gender rights
Designed to mandate the state to change its terminology to be "sex-neutral", House Bill 2248, which was sponsored by Representative Gretchen Kafoury (D–Portland), passed the Oregon House of Representatives by a 45–6 vote. An example of this change is the term "fireman" and "policeman" were rephrased "firefighter" and "police officer".

House Bill 2165, which was sponsored by the entire House Judiciary Committee, was a bill deleted a part of Oregon's rape laws that stated the attacker must be male and the victim must be female. The bill passed the Oregon House of Representatives with unanimous consent on April 4, 1979.

Wildlife preservation
On April 4, 1979 the Oregon House of Representatives passed House Joint Memorial 1, which asked the United States Congress to act to restore the Nehalem River jetties.

Other bills
Senate Bill 329 was crafted to limit the damages a skier can claim after an injury at a ski resort, affirming that people must assume certain risks.

House Bill 2332, which imposed a $1,000 fine to railroad companies who violated safety regulations, was passed by the Oregon House of Representatives on April 4, 1979.

Senate members

 * Senate President: Jason Boe (D–Reedsport)

House members

 * Speaker of the House: Hardy Myers (D–Portland)
 * Speaker Pro-Tem: Kurt Wolfer (D–Silverton)
 * House minority leader: Gary Wihelms (R–Klamath Falls)