Chamber signs on; Oregon passes HB4002
On March 1st, Senators voted on yes House Bill 4002 at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem. The bill, which has now passed both the House and Senate by substantial margins, not only recriminalizes hard drugs as an ‘unclassified’ misdemeanor, but also strengthens treatment options as an alternative to jail, and expands funding for community-based treatment.
On February 29th, the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce signed on to an action letter urging legislators to vote yes on HB4002A, a letter which also thanked the members of the legislative assembly and others for bipartisan action that “takes bold and meaningful steps to provide and restore tools to our local communities to tackle the drug crisis facing Oregon.” The coalition letter was supported by over 70 Chambers of Commerce, law enforcement agencies, and municipalities across the state.
The Springfield Chamber will continue to follow and report on this vital community issue. Click here to view a digital version of the letter, along with the Oregon organizations that signed on. See below for the content of the letter.
Urge Your ‘YES’ Vote on HB 4002A and say ‘THANK YOU’
Thank you to the to the members of the Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response, legislative leadership and the members of the legislative assembly for developing a bipartisan solution to provide and restore tools to our local communities to tackle the drug crisis facing Oregon. As families, businesses and communities throughout Oregon face the devastating impacts of our addiction and fentanyl overdose crisis, we believe this measure takes bold and meaningful steps to address the crisis. Thank you for answering our calls for solutions that acknowledge the real public safety issues experienced by Oregon’s families, employees, customers, business owners, and tourists throughout Oregon and thank you for developing this proposal in consultation with local governments, public safety experts, business leaders, behavioral health specialists, and addiction service providers. Thank you for taking bold action to solve this problem during the 2024 Legislative Session. As we shared with the Committee, communities throughout Oregon simply cannot wait until 2025 and beyond for real solutions. Vote YES on HB 4002A.
The Springfield Chamber advocates for business-friendly policy in support of private enterprise, entrepreneurial endeavors, and an economically competitive business climate. Economic opportunity and growth lead to stronger, more resilient communities, and advocating for business by increasing visibility, dialogue, and representation is a mainstay priority for the Chamber.
Visit our website for more on our Business Advocacy efforts.
