Chair Grayber, Vice-Chair Elmer, Vice-Chair Muñoz, and Members of the Committee,

My name is Tyler Mac Innis, Policy Analyst for the Oregon Center for Public Policy, and I respectfully submit this testimony in support of HB 3193 on behalf of the Center.

The Oregon Center for Public Policy is a nonpartisan think tank dedicated to improving the economic outcomes for all Oregonians, particularly low-income families and Oregonians of color, through research and analysis.

I am writing in support of HB 3193, the Farmworker Disaster Relief Fund. Farmworkers are often the first to experience the impacts of extreme weather conditions. Sadly, this comes as no surprise, as federal labor law has excluded agricultural workers from labor protections workers in other industries enjoy for nearly a century.[1] Extreme heat and drought are fueling more intense wildfire seasons, and outdoor workers are increasingly having to deal with harmful exposures to wildfire smoke and unhealthy air quality.

HB 3193 will provide temporary financial relief to farmworkers in Oregon who lose work or wages due to extreme weather conditions. HB 3193 will define a “qualifying disaster” in regards to extreme weather as more than just extreme heat and smoke. This includes snow storms, ice storms, heavy raining, flooding, pandemics, and more. These are conditions in which farmworkers have had to continue working, despite the dangers to them physically and mentally.

HB 3193 is a sensible policy to ensure farmworkers are not forced to choose between working in unsafe conditions and losing the wages their families depend on. We urge you to support HB 3193.

[1] Mac Innis, Tyler and Janet Bauer, Oregon Should Ensure All Workers Have the Right to Organize, Oregon Center for Public Policy, August 30, 2023.