The Electronic Government Portal Advisory Board will meet from 9 to 11:45 a.m., Wednesday, March 13, at the Oregon State Library (Conference Room 103), located at 250 Winter St. NE in Salem. The meeting is open to the public, and may be attended in person or via the web; public comments will be taken from those attending in person and online. To join the meeting virtually, please see the instructions. 

The legislature established the advisory board with enactment of ORS 276A.270-276. The board advises the State Chief Information Officer (CIO) on key decisions and strategic choices about how the state CIO manages and operates the state’s web portal services. 

The Oregon.gov portal is the connection point for citizens to access state agency services and information on the internet. The board provides oversight of specific websites, services and online payments where agencies choose to utilize the state CIO’s E-Government Program as their service provider. With the board’s advice, the state CIO wants to make Oregon.gov web portal services and their operation as effective as they can be for citizens to interact with state government. 

The agenda and handouts will be posted on the advisory board’s website seven days prior to the meeting. 

###

In response to the passage of SB 608 (2019), the Oregon Department of Administrative Services today published the current annual maximum rent increase allowed in 2019. The DAS Office of Economic Analysis has calculated the percentage as 10.3%.

SB 608 requires DAS to calculate and post to its website, by September 30 of each year, the maximum annual rent increase percentage allowed by statute for the following calendar year. Because SB 608 has taken effect, it was necessary to calculate the percentage for the current calendar year. Per SB 608, OEA calculates this amount as 7% plus the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, West Region (All Items), as most recently published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The maximum allowable rent increase for the 2019 calendar year is 10.3%. DAS will calculate and post the percentage for the 2020 calendar year by Sept. 30, 2019.

Information about the maximum annual rent increase percentage, as well as the provisions of ORS 90.323 and 90.600 (statutes governing rent increases), can be found on the OEA website at the link below.  

For information on the new law, please see the full text of SB 608 at the link below. DAS does not provide legal advice regarding other provisions of SB 608.

Links

• OEA website with maximum annual rent increase information: https://www.oregon.gov/das/OEA/Pages/Rent-stabilization.aspx
• Full text of SB 608: https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2019R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB608/Enrolled

###

The Oregon Senate confirmed Governor Kate Brown’s appointment of Steve Strode as Real Estate Commissioner yesterday. Strode officially started his duties February 25.

Strode brings over 18 years of real estate expertise to the position. He was first licensed in Wisconsin in 2001, and then in Oregon in 2008. Prior to real estate, he worked in the banking industry for over a decade in the Midwest.

Strode’s extensive management and leadership experience includes managing a real estate brokerage and serving as 2018 President of the Oregon Association of Realtors. He is a recognized industry leader nationally, serving as chair on various committees for the National Association of Realtors.

The confirmation filled the vacancy created by the retirement of Gene Bentley on July 7, 2018.

The Real Estate Commissioner provides leadership and policy direction to the Oregon Real Estate Agency. The agency is responsible for the licensing and regulation of real estate brokers, property managers, real estate marketing organizations and escrow agents. It also registers subdivisions, condominiums, timeshares and membership campgrounds.

###