Call for Abstracts – Due Jan. 3, 2025

Abstract Submission Form

 

 

2025 Surveyors’ Conference | April 16-17, 2025

Knife River Training Center | Albany, OR

Event Web Page

 

We want the Surveyors’ Conference to reflect a diverse group of voices and ideas in the world of survey.

Share what you know! Abstracts selected for presentation will be notified by Jan. 31, 2025.

Are you interested in making a very real impact on future land surveyors? We are currently looking for someone to take over chairing the Scholarship Committee. Daren Cone, our current chair, is looking to work with someone for awarding scholarships this year for an easy transition process. Please check out the volunteer duties below and contact Scott Freshwaters if you're interested.

The role of the Scholarshsip Committee requires about 8-16 hours per year, and includess:  

• Work with auction committee on fund raising efforts for the scholarship fund (has included being the emcee for the live auction- but that’s not written policy anywhere)

March/April

• Review current available funds for distribution from OCF and make request to board for current years scholarship fund amounts.
• Review scholarship committee roster and confirm contact list with Oregon Community Foundation and confirm that conflict of interest policies are signed by all committee members.

Mid to late June

• List of applicants is made available to committee members. 
• The chair reaches out (by group email) to both the primary committee members and the oversight committee members to have the members review the applicant list and determine if any have a conflict of interest.
• If any members declare a conflict of interest the chair determines if there are sufficient remaining members to move forward with the selection process.  If not the chair reaches out to find alternates to fill in for that years selection process and notifies OCF.
• When there are sufficient members to move forward with the selection process the chair sets up virtual meetings with the primary selection committee first followed by the oversight committee.
• Members of the primary selection committee rank the applicants independently before the committee meets.  At the primary committee meeting- the members review and discuss rankings and come to consensus on the rankings and then select recipients and award amounts. 
• At the oversight committee meeting the scholarship chair reviews the recommendations made by the primary committee. The oversight committee can either approve the recommendations made by the primary committee or suggest changes for the primary committee to consider. (hasn’t happened yet)
• Once consensus is reached by both committees the committee chair reports the scholarship recipients and award amounts to OSAC portal using the online distribution form and notifies the PLSO executive director.

Other duties of the scholarship chair:

• Member recruitment for the primary and oversight committees
• Review of scholarship questions and policies from the PLSO board or OCF/OSAC

OSU is hosting a multi-organization surveying conference June 2-4th. (ASCE UESI, AAGS, SaGES) which will have a lot of talks on the new national spatial reference frames, new state plane coordinate system, hydrographic surveying, reality capture, and more. 

(https://www.surveyingconference.org/)

In conjunction with the conference, the National Geodetic Survey will be holding a VDatum workshop (see below for details) at OSU to learn more about methods to transform between different vertical datums.  Note the conference has a registration fee; however, there is no charge for the VDatum workshop and you can register separately. You can sign up for the workshop here: https://forms.gle/M4Kvn3FXQKMfgPNz9

Article courtesy of Joe Young, Secretary of South Central Chapter and 173FW Oregon National Guard

Orginal posted August, 15, 2023

The 173 Civil Engineer Flight mission-ready Airmen executed a unit-led Field Training Exercise to bring a former DOD facility back online for future mission readiness.

Fourteen engineers deployed to a remote tower site constructed and used by the USAF Air Defense Command in the 1950’s. Like many ADC sites across the western US, this one was decommissioned, mothballed, and left for nature to reclaim. This site, in particular, though not actively used by the DOD, remained under the span of control of the USAF and made for an ideal sitting location for proposed future development. Initial site surveys determined that the remaining facility, while in good condition, needed a little elbow grease to cut back on nearly 40 years of overgrown brush and vegetation that swamped the once-booming outpost. The exact location of the site is excluded from this article, however, if you know your Air Force history and how to read a paper map you may be able to get in the neighborhood, as the site is not indicated on any version of Google/Apple Maps.

This FTX aimed to accomplish two objectives for the 173CEF. One, practice real-world examples of Bare-Base Expeditionary contingency skills under an Agile Combat Employment construct not typically afforded at home station. Two, perform real-world maintenance on a historic USAF property that will be used by the 173FW for future mission operations.

While the 173CEF has only 5 AFSCs to pull from, a majority of airmen comprising the Flight were prior-service members and engineering professionals in their community. The final on-site team consisted of over 16 different AFSC skill sets and a plethora of additional civilian career disciplines that formed the epitome of what a Multi-Capable Airman team should look like.

Traveling lean with cross-utilized skill-set teams brings a sharpened edge to Agile Combat Support. The team practiced alternative radio communications and convoy operations of vehicles laden with camping gear, food supplies, and construction equipment necessary for the week-long exercise. Among the skills honed, the Flight used GPS and old-fashioned land navigation techniques to find a remote location not listed in a phonebook or located on any street map.

On-site CEF personnel trained on the operation and safety of various hand tools, such as chainsaws, brush trimmers, machetes, and light-duty construction equipment. By the end of the first 48 Hours, the team had cleared nearly an acre and a half of overgrown brush that presented a fire hazard to the facility. An amazing feat considering 1.5 acres is roughly 65,000 square feet or the size of a college football field goal post to goal post. Indoors, the team removed failing partition walls, repaired exterior doors, and restored electricity to portions of the facility which circuitry dated roughly 1965. In addition to fieldwork, the team was able to document and upload various facility condition reports, inspections, and documents to USAF systems utilizing STARLINK terminal.

Because of the team efforts during the FTX, the aged facility is again ready for operations and can quickly be reconfigured, upgraded, and modernized to meet future mission requirements. Although this was just one small unit performing at one remote location in the Western US, the team demonstrated what the USAF Civil Engineers do for Resilient Forward Basing around the globe every day

Oregon’s engineers, architects and land surveyors thank the Senate for passingSenate Bill 1575, urge quick action in House

SALEM, Ore. — Today, the Oregon Senate passed Senate Bill 1575 to end unfair contract practices in public sector projects that harm small businesses, particularly emerging, women and minority owned businesses. The bill now heads to the House for further consideration.

“Oregon’s engineers, architects and land surveyors care deeply about our communities, which is why we invest in our local economy, creating jobs and building affordable housing for Oregonians,” said Alison Davis, Executive Director of American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon. “Passing Senate Bill 1575 would eliminate bad and unfair contract practices in the public sector and ensure everyone involved in a project pays their fair share of legal expenses. This isn’t about shirking responsibility – it’s about ensuring fairness so everyone is paying their own way and adequately protected by their insurance.”

Oregon professional service contracts often require design professionals – including engineers, architects, surveyors, landscape architects and planners – to defend others involved in projects for legal claims or damages even though the design professional is not responsible. This “duty to defend” language is legally problematic, expensive and a barrier to entry for many small, emerging, women and minority owned businesses, and is uninsurable by professional liability insurance carriers. 

“As a Hispanic woman who founded and owns a small engineering firm, I’m urging Oregon lawmakers to pass Senate Bill 1575, which will protect businesses like mine from state and local government’s unfair contract practices. It will also allow our industry to help Gov. Tina Kotek meet her affordable housing project goals,” said Tina Adams, Professional Engineer and President of Casso Consulting, Inc. “It’s hypocritical and patronizing that we should be forced to risk financial ruin by agreeing to a government contract to build affordable housing for the houseless people in our communities. It is particularly offensive that state and local governments require a 20% to 30% small business participation goal for public works projects but still allow their legal counsel and procurement officers to include this small business killer clause.”

Businesses purchase liability insurance to protect themselves from legal harm. However, there is limited professional liability insurance available to engineers, architects and land surveyors that covers the legal expenses for others involved in construction projects. This leaves Oregon’s design professionals stuck in an unfair situation with no way to protect themselves other than to unfairly assume the risk and hope for the best or forgo designing projects. Often, design firms do make the tough decision to walk away from contracts, but they cannot walk away every time. When designers are compelled to sign these agreements, they are committing their business assets to pay these costs, regardless of fault. Because these risks are significant, and potentially catastrophic, the result is fewer firms seeking such work at a time when the Governor has prioritized affordable housing projects.

SB 1575, introduced by state Sens. Floyd Prozanski and Kim Thatcher, would require each party to a construction contract be responsible for their own negligence or fault. This means parties will pay damages based on the actual liability, rather than mere alleged liability, allowing them to purchase the proper insurance and compete on an even playing field.

Oregon is home to more than 100 engineering and surveying businesses, which employ nearly 4,000 people. With Senate passage of SB 1575, Oregon is one step closer to joining California, Colorado, Utah and Washington in having laws stating a design professional will only be responsible for defense costs to the proportionate extent of their liability or fault. The bill will now be considered in the 

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the issuance of the final rule “Updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts Regulation” to update regulations that implement the Davis-Bacon Act and Davis-Bacon and Related Acts to reflect better the needs of construction workers on federal construction investments.

The announcement follows a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on March 18, 2022, which received comments from construction industry and labor stakeholders that helped inform the regulatory updates. The updates are the most comprehensive in decades.

The final rule provides greater clarity and enhances the DBRA regulations’ effectiveness in the modern economy. These updates strengthen and streamline the process for setting and enforcing wage rates on federally funded construction projects to make sure that federal government infrastructure investments are also investments in U.S. workers.

“Modernizing the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts is key to making sure that the jobs being created under the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda are good jobs, and that workers get the fair wages and benefits they deserve on federally funded constructions projects across the nation,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “This updated rule will create pathways to the middle class for more families and help level the playing field for high-road employers because companies who exploit their workers, or who don’t pay workers fairly, should never have a competitive advantage.” 

The final rule’s regulatory changes improve the department’s ability to administer and enforce DBRA labor standards more effectively and efficiently. These changes include the following:

• Creating new efficiencies in the prevailing wage update system and making sure prevailing wage rates keep up with actual wages which, over time, would mean higher wages for workers.
• Returning to the definition of “prevailing wage” used from 1935 to 1983 to ensure prevailing wages reflect actual wages paid to workers in the local community.
• Periodically updating prevailing wage rates to address out-of-date wage determinations.
• Providing broader authority to adopt state or local wage determinations when certain criteria are met
• Issuing supplemental rates for key job classifications when no survey data exists.
• Updating the regulatory language to better reflect modern construction practices.
• Strengthening worker protections and enforcement, including debarment and anti-retaliation provisions.

The DBRA requirements apply to an estimated tens of billions of dollars in federal and federally assisted construction spending each year and provide minimum wage rates for hundreds of thousands of U.S. construction workers. The department expects a significant increase in the numbers of industry workers due to the historic investments in federally funded construction projects made possible by legislation such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

“In light of recent investments in our nation’s infrastructure, modernized regulations are more important than ever to ensure fair wages and benefits for the workers who build and repair our roads, bridges, federal buildings and energy infrastructure,” said Principal Deputy Wage and Hour Division Administrator Jessica Looman. “They will help set correct wage rates for workers on these federally funded construction projects that better reflect the realities of today’s labor market.”

New federal investments will support projects related to clean energy, power and water infrastructure improvements, legacy pollution remediation, and renovation to the nation’s broadband and transportation infrastructures.

The DBRA’s purpose is to ensure employers on federally funded or assisted construction projects pay locally prevailing wages to construction workers and to prevent the unintended consequence of depressing workers’ wages during the government’s construction contracting activity.

The final rule will be effective 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register. Learn more about the final rule to modernize Davis-Bacon Act regulations.

Learn more about DBRA worker protections or the Wage and Hour Division. You may also call toll-free 1-866-4US-WAGE to speak directly and confidentially to a trained Wage and Hour Division professional. The division protects workers regardless of where they are from and can communicate with workers in more than 200 languages.

BLM is excited to announce the newly released Cadastral Surveying Classroom Investigation - Secondary School Teaching Guide

Classroom Investigations Teaching materials address topics related to the programs and mission of the BLM, and are targeted to learners in secondary schools.

An excerpt from the introduction: Students will apply cadastral surveying knowledge, history, and techniques to their school environment. From its three activities, students will:

1. Describe how and why Congress developed the Public Land Survey System, define land tenure and public domain in the United States, and discuss how public domain, land tenure, and the Public Land Survey System shaped the United States.
2. Understand the basic design of the Public Land Survey System, interpret aliquot descriptions of land, and map a location in their classroom using an aliquot description.
3. Review surveying methods and tools, calculate acreages and angles using survey computations, and map an area at their school using survey computations.

Through this teaching guide, students will learn how the development of the Public Land Survey System was vital to the establishment of land ownership and government revenue in the early days of the United States. They will also learn how the survey system promoted European-American settlement in newly acquired areas of the country. The lessons will introduce students to public domain, the Public Land Survey System, and surveying methods and tools. Students will use surveying techniques to map their classrooms and to practice being a surveyor for a day. They will also complete calculations using measurements from the survey system.

Although designed for middle school students, the unit can be adapted for high school and upper elementary levels. Students engage in diverse cognitive skills such as speaking, drawing, interpreting graphics, problem solving, and teaching roles as they progress through the unit.

The unit supports innovative strategies in education, such as:
● Social and emotional learning: Students participate in small groups in which they work together, listen and speak to one another, and collaborate.
● Interdisciplinary instruction: As they progress through the unit, students define and discuss the historical background of the Public Land Survey System, interpret aliquot descriptions of land, and map an area at their school using survey computations.

The curriculum is flexible. It can be adapted so each activity in the unit takes one 45-minute class period, for a total of three class periods. The activities work best as a collective unit that progresses from Public Land Survey System development, to describing surveyed lands, to being a surveyor for a day.

Click for the guide:

https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2023-05/Classroom%20Investigation%20Cadastral%20Surveying.pdf

By Darrell W. Fuller, PLSO Lobbyist [Click to where July eNews left off]

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

It will take a few weeks -- perhaps longer -- to really understand what happened in the Capitol DMZ that was the final days of the 82^nd Legislative Assembly.

News stories, legislators, reporters, lobbyists, and pundits alike have been using words like “turbulent”, “frantic”, “rancor”, “chaotic”, “exasperating” and “tumultuous”. Here are some of the better stories if you’d like to do a deeper dive in to our political dysfunction:

• Oregon Capital Chronicle
• Oregon Capital Chronicle 2
• OregonLive
• OPB

One of the Governor’s highest priority bills – HB3414 – died in the final day of the session. It was a centerpiece of her drive to combat homelessness. You can read more here. Even a crime victim nonprofit inadvertently (apparently) lost funding. You can read more here.

This session was the most frustrating I’ve endured in my thirty years of Oregon politics (sheesh, I’m really old). Not because of the historic walk out by Senate Republicans, but because they returned. Whether you think they should, or should not, have walked out, the move killed everything in the legislative pipeline – good and bad. And, there was definitely more bad than good. But it only worked if they stayed out. And they didn’t.

The walk out was generally based on gun rights, abortion, and “gender affirming care”. These are not business issues, nor PLSO issues. But when the Senate GOP cut a deal to return, some bad business bills which might have been dead prior to the walkout quickly moved from the dustbin to the fast track. And PLSO was victimized -- twice.

One bill PLSO strongly opposed – HB3187 relating to Certified Water Rights Examiners – would have died if the Republicans had stayed out. But once they returned, the spigot was turned on as Senate Republicans apparently agreed to let bills on their “bad bill” list pass through the process (HB3187 was on the Senate Republican bad bill list at one time. We weren’t told when it was negotiated away).

Supporters of HB3187 went a step further to ensure their success, adding the text of HB3187 as part of a 50-page amendment to House Bill 2010. HB2010 – relating to water – started out as a nine-line bill to study water issues (we call them “placeholder” bills). At 11:16 AM on June 8^th, the 50-page amendment was published. Less than two hours later, the amendment was adopted by a Ways & Means Subcommittee. I don’t even track bills “relating to water” for PLSO. Pure and simple, we (I) got rolled, and then rolled again.

The faint silver lining for HB3187 and HB2010 is the new law does include a 2027 “sunset” clause. That means the law expires in 2027. So, the legislature will need to reauthorize it. We have between now and 2027 to work on the issue through OSBEELS and our Legislative Committee.

Adding insult to injury, another bill – this time one PLSO supported – Senate Bill 848 (protection from duty to defend provisions in certain contracts), was left in the dustbin. SB848 had no known opposition. It was a hard-fought compromise. It was bipartisan. It was championed by the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee (Senator Floyd Prozanski). But the bill ended up in Ways & Means and did not make it onto the list of bills to be “worked” at the end of the session. I think this bill has a chance of success during next year’s short 35-day session in February. Stay tuned.

Such a frustrating session.

The 82^nd Oregon Legislative Assembly began on January 9, 2023 with fanfare and new leadership. The Constitution required them to finish by midnight, June 25^th. They beat the clock by about six hours, leaving the still-under-construction-Capitol with plenty of bumps and bruises. It wasn’t pretty.

During the Session, lawmakers introduced 2,970 bills, memorials, and resolutions. Of those, 697 were passed by both Chambers.

With this report are two PDFs. One includes all the bills I tracked specifically for PLSO (I added HB2010 even though I hadn’t been tracking it), one lists the general business bills I tracked on behalf of all my clients.

PLSO PRIORITY BILLS

On behalf of PLSO, I follow bills which will, or may, have an impact on land surveyors. I also track bills with a general impact on business in Oregon. Below are links to both the industry-specific bills I tracked, and the general businesses bills I tracked. Here is some information on just a few of the major bills of interest:

House Bill 2029 / Bill Information

Summary: Increases minimum type size for instruments presented for recording to county clerk.

Relating To: Relating to instruments presented for recording to county clerk.

Status: 3/24/23 H          Chapter 3, (2023 Laws): Effective date January 1, 2024.

House Bill 2010-A / Bill Information

Summary: Directs Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board to establish program to provide grants to water suppliers. Details of bill include making certain changes related to requirements for certification as a water rights examiner.

Relating To: Relating to water; and declaring an emergency.

Status: 6/25/23 - Effective date January 1, 2024.

House Bill 2057 / Bill Information

Summary: Makes contractor jointly and severally liable in civil or administrative action for unpaid wages, including other benefit payment or contributions] of unrepresented employee of subcontractor at any tier. Provides statute of limitations for actions regarding recovery for unpaid and overtime wages. Permits third party owed payment or contribution made as part of employee compensation to bring action against contractor on behalf of employee for unpaid wages. Requires subcontractor to provide certain payroll records and other information to contractor upon request. Permits contractor to withhold payment to subcontractor for failure to comply with request for records under certain circumstances. (Bold added by amendment, italic deleted by amendment from original bill)

Relating To: Relating to wages.

Status: 6/25/23 – At President’s desk upon adjournment, Sine Die. Dead for this session.

House Bill 3187 / Bill Information

Summary: Makes individuals who possess relevant technical experience and are employed seven or more years by certain types of districts, and certain types of registered professionals, eligible to apply for certification as water right examiners. Sunsets July 1, 2027.

Relating To: Relating to water right examiners.

Sponsors: Rep Owens, Rep Helm

Status: 6/28/23 - Effective date January 1, 2024.

House Bill 3362 / Bill Information

Allows county to validate unit of land that had been approved for recognition that was later revoked after sale to innocent purchaser. Sunsets January 2, 2025. Until April 1, 2024, allows additional appeals to Land Use Board of Appeals challenging certain [template dwelling] land use approvals based on forgery for noninnocent purchasers.

Relating To: Relating to validation of unit of land acquired by innocent purchaser; amending ORS 92.176.

Status: 6/28/23 - Effective date January 1, 2024.

Senate Bill 304 / Bill Information

Summary: Establishes Task Force on Occupational Licensing. Directs task force to study value of occupational licensing regulatory agency. Permits task force to presession file legislation. Requires task force to report to Legislative Assembly. Sunsets December 31, 2024. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Relating To: Relating to a task force on occupational licensing; and prescribing an effective date. Sponsors: Sen Dembrow, Sen Jama

Status: 6/25/23 S - In committee upon adjournment, Sine Die. Dead for 2023.

Senate Bill 848 / Bill Information

Summary: Extends provision relating to indemnification provisions in construction agreements to all types of damages. Provides that extent of obligation of person providing certain services to defend, indemnify or hold harmless another may be determined only after person's liability or fault is determined by adjudication or alternative dispute resolution or otherwise resolved by mutual agreement.

Relating To: Relating to construction agreements; creating new provisions; and amending ORS 30.140.

Status: 6/25/23 S - In committee upon adjournment, Sine Die. Dead for 2023.

If you have questions about this report, or anything related to the Legislative Session, politics, policy, regulatory enforcement, or the upcoming elections in 2024, reach out to me at your convenience.

Darrell Fuller has been a lobbyist since 1996. He started his career in politics and policy as an intern in the Capitol in 1987. You can reach him at fuller_darrell@yahoo.com, or at 971-388-1786.

By Darrell W. Fuller
PLSO Lobbyist

FEDERAL UPDATE

The U.S House Agricultural Committee held a “listening session” in Albany on Friday, June 2^nd, to take testimony on the 2023 Farm Bill. Two Oregon members of Congress – Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-5^th) and Andrea Salinas (D-6^th) sit on the Agriculture Committee.

Working with NSPS Lobbyist JB Byrd and PLSO Lobbyist Darrell Fuller, local Professional Land Surveyor Tony Brooks provided testimony on behalf of surveyors during the hearing. NSPS is lobbying members of the Agricultural Committee to include the BASE Mapping Act as an amendment to the 2023 Farm Bureau. Both before and after the hearing, Brooks and Fuller met with members of the Congress attending the hearing (including Chair Glenn “GT” Thompson from Pennsylvania, and two visiting Members from California, Doug LaMalfa and David Valadao) to answer questions.

PLSO members also lobbied for the BASE Mapping Act and FEMA NFIP during a trip to Washington, DC in late March. NSPS Director from Oregon, Pat Gaylord, joined Brenton Griffin, Ben Stacy and Fuller to visit Oregon’s delegation of Senate and House Members. It was a very productive trip.

OREGON LEGISLATURE

The 82^nd Assembly of the Oregon Legislature began on January 9, 2023. The Constitution requires them to finish by June 25^th. But the session appears to have ended in early May when Senate Republicans started a “work stoppage” or strike. By refusing to attend the daily floor sessions to vote on potential legislation, Senate Republicans have brought the Capitol to a screeching halt. Democrats, who have a commanding majority in the Senate (and the House), do not have enough members to constitute a quorum to do business. So, when the Republicans walk out, the Democrats can’t do anything.

At this point, it appears the Republicans will stay until, forcing the session to end with no budget and hundreds of bills dying without final action on the Senate floor. Lacking a budget, the Legislature will need to return at some point to pass a budget – the only constitutional obligation of the Assembly. Earlier this year, the Legislature did pass a Continuing Resolution which allows the government to continue operating without a new budget (the fiscal year begins July 1^st) until September 30^th.

Without getting into the reasons for the walkout, which have nothing to do with land surveying or business-related issues, the walkout does impact issues of import to surveyors. It is best to categorize it as “good news/bad news”.

The good news is the walkout has effective killed House Bill 3187 (see below), which would have allowed someone who is not a surveyor, engineer or geologist sit for the CWRE test. This is bad public policy and PLSO and ACEC were in the pitched battle to stop the bill from becoming law.

The bad news is the walkout has also frozen Senate Bill 848 (also see below), which PLSO has been working on for years. SB848 would have protected design professionals from some so-called Duty to Defend provisions in contracts. SB848 was carefully negotiated and no opposition. It is in the queue to pass without opposition, but only if Republicans return before the June 25^th deadline.

I don’t have any special “insider” information, but my prediction at this point is the session ends June 25^th, the politicians all go home to celebrater Independence Day and after a cooling off period (tensions are pretty high at the Capitol right now), staff and leadership will begin looking for a path forward. Then, they will return in late August or early September to adopt a consensus budget (before the September 15 shut down deadline). The special session may also include a small number of bills. But this is truly just a guess. It is possible an agreement will be reached before the June 25^th deadline.

PLSO PRIORITY BILLS

On behalf of PLSO, I follow bills which will, or may, have an impact on land surveyors. I also track bills with a general impact on business in Oregon. Below are links to both the industry-specific bills I am tracking, and the general businesses bills I am tracking. Here is some information on just a couple of the major bills of interest:

House Bill 3187 / Bill Information

Summary: Makes individuals who possess relevant technical experience and are employed seven or more years by certain types of districts, and certain types of registered professionals, eligible to apply for

certification as water right examiners. (Bold added by amendment, italic deleted by amendment from original bill)

Relating To: Relating to water right examiners; amending ORS 537.797 and 537.798.

Status:

5/30/23 S           Recommendation: Do pass with amendments to the A-Eng. bill. (Printed B-End.)

5/17/23 S           Work Session held (bill amended and passed out of committee)

4/19/23 S           Public Hearing held (PLSO testified against the bill).

3/31/23 S           Referred to Natural Resources.

3/28/23 S           First reading. Referred to President's desk.

3/27/23 H           Third reading. Carried by Owens. Passed.

3/23/23 H           Rules suspended. Carried over to March 27, 2023 Calendar.

3/22/23 H           Second reading.

3/21/23 H           Recommendation: Do pass with amendments and be printed A-Engrossed.

3/14/23 H           Work Session held.

2/14/23 H           Public Hearing held.

2/2/23   H           Referred to Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water.

2/2/23   H           First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk.

Senate Bill 848 / Bill Information

Summary: Extends provision relating to indemnification provisions in construction agreements to all types of damages. Provides that extent of obligation of person providing certain services to defend, indemnify or hold harmless another may be determined only after person's liability or fault is determined by adjudication or alternative dispute resolution or otherwise resolved by mutual agreement.

Relating To: Relating to construction agreements; creating new provisions; and amending ORS 30.140.

Status:

4/12/23 S           Referred to Ways & Means by order of the President.

4/12/23 S           Recommendation: Do pass with amendments and be referred to Ways & Means.

4/3/23 S             Work Session held.

3/1/23 S             Public Hearing held.

2/23/23 S           Public Hearing Cancelled.

2/3/23 S             Referred to Judiciary.

2/2/23 S             Introduction and first reading. Referred to President's desk.

Darrell Fuller has been a lobbyist in Salem since 1996. He can be reached by phone at 971-388-1786 and by email at fuller_darrell@yahoo.com.

The Chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, Republican Rep. Glenn "GT" Thompson (PA-15), will host a Farm Bill listening session in Albany, Oregon, on Friday, June 2^nd at 10:30 AM. It will be held in The Forum at the Linn-Benton Community College. Land Surveyors play an important role in Agriculture, and we need to speak up during this important Listening Session.

Mr. Thompson will be joined by Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) and Democratic Rep. Andrea Salinas (OR-06), along with bipartisan Members of the House Committee on Agriculture. The event will bring together farmers, ranchers, producers, agribusiness owners, and more to solicit public feedback—an integral part of the Farm Bill reauthorization process. All members of the Committee have been invited to participate as well as the Oregon Congressional delegation. 

Land Surveyors able to attend the Listening Session can register to provide input during the meeting here (you will be limited to two minutes, but the link also has an email address to which you can send written comments even if you don’t attend in person). Signing up is not a guarantee you will be called to offer comments during the meeting. However, if you can attend and are willing to offer comments on behalf of PLSO, here are some brief “talking points”:

If you can’t attend, please consider using the link to email comments to the committee.

Click here to see the DRAFT language for the BASE Mapping Act.

If you plan to attend, will you please let our lobbyist, Darrell Fuller, know? You can email him at fuller_darrell@Yahoo.com. And, if you have any questions, he will be happy to help. You can also reach him by phone at 971-388-1786.