Item 2H: Ratification of Actions of Intergovernmental Relations Committee

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Ms. Wilson said the wording of the bill was due to an error in drafting. She related that the bill was supposed to have a work session and amendments would be added to the bill on April 27. She stated the concern Mr. Cushman raised had been pointed out in the hearing on the bill. Mr. Cushman stated that if the bill expanded the restrictions on access to personal information of people working in law enforcement the Eugene Police Department (EPD) would support it. He commented that it was hard to articulate in words how important it was that a police officer’s address not be easily releasable to anyone who wanted it. Ms. Bettman concurred. Ms. Bettman, seconded by Mr. Pryor, moved to Oppose the motion unless it was amended. The motion passed unanimously, 3:0. HB 2333-A Ms. Wilson reported that the bill had already passed through the house. Mr. Cushman stated that the title of the bill was misleading. He explained that the bill exempted from sex offender reporting certain categories of sex offenses wherein the only reason it was a crime was because the victim was below the age of consent and there was no force involved. Ms. Bettman indicated she supported the staff recommendation to Monitor the bill. HB 2536-A Ms. Wilson stated that the CCIGR had previously adopted a Support with amendments to attach some sort of size requirement to the 13-year-old in order to allow that child to ride in the front seat of a car (the bill would institute a requirement to have all youth 13 and under in the back seat). She said the argument that the CCIGR had made, that 12-year-olds do not like to sit in the back seat, was not a strong argument against the pro argument, which was that statistically everyone who rode in the back seat was safer in the event of an accident. She related that the amendment made to the bill was that if there was no available seat in the back a 13-year-old could ride in the front seat. She added that the pro side had presented actual pictures of decapitated children and children with permanent brain damage that had resulted from an accident and that trauma nurses had testified during the hearing. She underscored that the amendment the CCIGR had sought would be very difficult. Ms. Taylor commented that the problem lay in that some people were a lot bigger at 11-years-old than others. She said it did not make sense to her to dictate an age limit. Mayor Piercy pointed out that the intent of the bill was to try to get children up to a certain age into the back seat. Ms. Bettman indicated she was fine with the existing recommendation to adopt a Priority 3 Support position on the bill. Ms. Taylor agreed. SB 1012 Ms. Wilson reported that the bill was believed to be dead. MINUTES—Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations April 26, 2007 Page 2