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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
House Joint Memorial 3
Sponsored by Representative EVANS (Presession filed.)
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced.The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: The measure asks for a special master to have a role in changes to U.S. laws about the
environment and nature to make sure that the views of the states are thought about. (Flesch Read-
ability Score: 63.1).
Requests the federal government to appoint a special master to ensure that any restructuring
of federal environmental and natural resource laws and policies be undertaken in cooperation and
collaboration with the states.
JOINT MEMORIAL
To the President of the United States, the Attorney General of the United States and the Senate
and the House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled:
We, your memorialists, the Eighty-third Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon, in legisla-
tive session assembled, respectfully represent as follows:
Whereas the United States Constitution establishes a federal system of government under which
a national government has some powers and responsibilities, some powers and responsibilities are
shared between the national government and state governments and some powers and responsibil-
ities are solely the province of state governments; and
Whereas the environmental stewardship of this nation’s natural resources is a critical respon-
sibility of the national government of the United States that is also a shared responsibility of the
states;and
Whereas the President of the United States and certain Congressional leaders have expressed
an interest in rolling back federal environmental protections and environmental laws and regu-
lations;and
Whereas the repeal of federal environmental standards will have a significant impact on federal
and state lands in Oregon, on Oregon’s economy and on cultural and historic values shared by all
Oregonians; and
Whereas any major restructuring of federal environmental standards must be done thoughtfully
and with cooperation and collaboration with those states that are impacted by federal actions; and
Whereas Oregon has decades of successful experience promoting a model of environmental and
natural resource stewardship that results in high standards of livability and sustainability while also
having long-term economic growth; and
Whereas the appointment of a special master would facilitate communication and collaboration
between the states and the federal government in any significant restructuring of federal environ-
mental and natural resource protection laws; and
Whereas there is precedent for the executive branch appointing a special master, as for example
when then-Attorney General of the United States John Ashcroft appointed Kenneth Feinberg as
NOTE:Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 3472 HJM3
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special master to oversee compensation for victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks; now,
therefore,
Be It Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon:
That we, the members of the Eighty-third Legislative Assembly, respectfully request the ap-
pointment of a special master to ensure that any restructuring of federal environmental and natural
resource laws and policies be undertaken in cooperation and collaboration with the states and to
ensure that Oregon’s model of natural resource stewardship be considered by federal authorities;
and be it further
Resolved, That a copy of this memorial shall be sent to the President of the United States, to
the Attorney General of the United States, to the Senate Majority Leader, to the Speaker of the
House of Representatives and to each member of the Oregon Congressional Delegation.
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