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House committee scales back HB 4139, debates shifting marijuana tax dollars toward enforcement
Summary
The committee adopted dash-3 narrowing provisions in HB 4139 and debated a proposal to increase enforcement grant funding — raising quarterly distributions from $750,000 to $3,000,000 — with members split over diverting funds from behavioral health programs; the bill was referred to Ways and Means.
Staff summarized the dash-3 amendment to HB 4139, saying the amendment significantly narrowed the original omnibus bill and included: (1) additional professional discretion for medical providers in prescribing medical marijuana; (2) conforming statutory changes including repeal of ORS 475C.913; and (3) an increase in funding for the legal marijuana market enforcement grant program from $6,000,000 to $24,000,000 per biennium.
Representative Isidore said she would vote "no" on the measure as written because it would take money from the Behavioral Health Resource Network — programs for treatment, intervention and prevention — at a time when treatment programs operate with limited funds. Representative Juncker and others echoed the concern, urging a better balance between enforcement and behavioral health funding.
Supporters argued enforcement funding is necessary to address large illegal grows and cartel activity in parts of rural Oregon. Representative Osborne said: "There's only 1 thing that works when it comes to drugs, that's enforcement," and described on-the-ground problems he has seen during search-and-rescue and law-enforcement responses to illegal grows. Rob Bovette, an adjunct professor at Lewis & Clark Law School, explained the fiscal history: the enforcement grant program had a statutory distribution that was $750,000 per quarter and the proposal would raise it to $3,000,000 per quarter; he noted the program has been supplemented by general-fund allocations that may no longer be available, putting the program at risk without this adjustment.
Committee members stressed this is a funding-level question that will be further considered in Joint Ways and Means; Chair Winn closed the work session and later the committee adopted the dash-3 amendment and moved HB 4139, as amended, to Ways and Means with a due-pass recommendation. Roll call showed a majority in favor with at least one recorded no vote (Vice Chair Isidore).
