Committee outlines three emergency‑management bills for short session

Chair Tran closed the informational panels and gave a brief overview of committee planning for the short session. She said each committee can carry up to three committee bills and described the panel’s three priorities: (1) transferring or formalizing Orserve, the volunteer registry, under Oregon Department of Emergency Management to improve surge volunteer coordination; (2) granting OEM explicit authority to plan for recovery and establishing or designating a fund for individual assistance so the state can receive and manage post‑disaster federal grants; and (3) accelerating study and identification of alternative state fuel storage sites outside a concentrated hub, shortening a statutory review timeline currently due in 2028.

Committee members and staff discussed related member concepts, including a locally developed “crisis card” for veterans and the need to double‑check law‑enforcement acceptance before carrying it forward as a bill. Chair Tran said she had circulated details and invited members to forward concepts for consideration in the short session.