Item 3: Discussion and Approval of IGR Positions

Home Browse Search

SB 0665 Relating to employment practices Relating Clause: Permits administration of polygraph examination to police officer applicants and reserve Title: officer applicants. Provides that decision by employer to disqualify applicant solely on basis of polygraph examination is unlawful employment practice. COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY Sponsored by: http://www.leg.state.or.us/09reg/measpdf/sb0600.dir/sb0665.intro.pdf URL: ContactRespondentDept Updated Priority Policy Poli Numb Recommendation E. Cushman S. Swenson EPD-ADM 3/10/2009 Pri 2 Yes YesV. C9 Support Comments: We strongly support this bill, which would allow the use of the polygraph as part of the hiring process for police officers and reserve police officers. This is the subject of Legislative Policy V.C.9. Because of the significant authority vested in police officers, it is important to hire the best candidates, and extremely important that unsuitable applicants be eliminated during the hiring process. To accomplish this task, it is important to use every tool at our disposal. Oregon law currently prohibits the use of the polygraph during the police officer hiring process, although many other states use the polygraph as a standard part of the hiring process, and some (such as Washington) actually require it. To not be able to avail ourselves of this tool deprives us of a significant means to learn if an applicant is being untruthful about some of the information s/he has provided. The bill contains protections which limit the use of the polygraph solely to hiring police officers and reserve police officers. The bill does not otherwise change the current prohibition against using the polygraph for any other aspect of employment, such as promotion or internal investigations. It also prohibits disqualifying an applicant solely on the basis of a polygraph examination. SB 0698 Relating to thermal field sanitation Relating Clause: Changes 'field burning' and 'open field burning' to 'thermal field sanitation' for provisions Title: relating to air quality. Reduces amount of acreage allowed to be propane flamed. Senator FERRIOLI Sponsored by: http://www.leg.state.or.us/09reg/measpdf/sb0600.dir/sb0698.intro.pdf URL: ContactRespondentDept Updated Priority Policy Poli Numb Recommendation Eric Wold Eric Wold PW-POS 3/9/2009 Pri 1 Yes YesVII. A2 Monitor Comments: SB 698 is the third bill introduced this session that addresses the topic of "field burning". The other two, related bills were introduced by the Governor and Representative Holvey (and both of these bills have provisions to eliminate field burning within 0-2 years). The main intent of SB 698 is to change all references to "open field burning" and "field burning" to the term "thermal field sanitation". I do not fully understand the motivation for this change or the implications of this change. It seems like this change may have broader implications than is immediately apparent from the bill. I am looking for the City's IGR staff to follow-up with people in Salem on whether this change has other implications. There are no provisions in this bill to reduce the acreage of allowed, annual field burning. SB 0800 Relating to the pesticide use reporting system; declaring an emergency. Relating Clause: Eliminates sunset for pesticide use reporting system. Reduces size of identifying Title: hydrologic unit to be used when reporting pesticide use. Declares emergency, effective on passage. 9