Dalton's Law

SALEM – Oregon State Representative Donna Nelson (R-McMinnville) has introduced House Bill 3176, named Dalton’s Law, in honor of the late Dalton Robertson. Dalton was a close friend of Representative Nelson’s family.

In 2005, Dalton Robertson disappeared, along with his brand new car. The car did not yet have license plates, but was equipped with LoJack. Despite requests by Dalton’s mother and local law enforcement, LoJack was unable to provide information on the whereabouts of the vehicle without permission from Dalton himself. Dalton was found dead five days later; the coroner’s report indicated Dalton died earlier that day.

“It is such a tragedy, and it might have been stopped had emergency services been able to use the information available from his automobile,” said Representative Nelson. “I’m bringing Dalton’s Law to Oregon to help prevent this from happening again, to help save lives.”

House Bill 3176 would give emergency personnel the ability to obtain information from telematic service providers, the companies providing such services as LoJack and OnStar for the owners of new automobiles, when there is probable cause to believe lives are in danger. “This is as appropriate as the Amber Alert System,” Representative Nelson stated. “It takes the search for a missing person from a needle-in-a-haystack to a precise search and rescue—and it protects service providers who risk liability from providing customer information.”

House Bill 3176 has bipartisan support in the Oregon Legislative Assembly. Representative Nelson is currently working with Oregon’s law enforcement community to help garner additional support for Dalton’s Law.

###

News release

SALEM – Oregon State Representative Donna Nelson (R-McMinnville) will chair a new work group organized to ensure state government can function in the event of a catastrophic disaster. Members of the work group include Senators Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose) and Gary George (R-McMinnville); Representatives Jean Cowan (D-Newport), Wayne Krieger (R-Gold Beach), and Brian Boquist (R-Dallas); Director of Oregon Emergency Management Ken Murphy; and Governor’s Policy Advisor Daniel Santos.

Senator Joanne Verger (D-Coos Bay) and Representative Deborah Boone (D-Cannon Beach), the co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Ocean Policy, chartered the work group to produce a solution to problems that could hamstring government in a disaster.

“As a State Representative and a member of the Committee on Emergency Preparedness, my top priority is keeping Oregonians safe,” said Representative Nelson. “If an earthquake devastated the region and made it impossible for the legislature and governor to meet as directed by our Constitution, it would be impossible for government to perform such tasks as funding emergency services.”

The work group will produce a resolution to amend the state Constitution, in order to allow government to continue to function in an emergency. Because the resolution would amend the Constitution, it would have to be approved by voters on the ballot—and voters can be skeptical, believing such measures may give the government too much power. “It won’t do any good for us to produce something that the people would reject,” explained Representative Nelson. “Our goal is to provide for a functional government, while at the same time assuring the people their rights will be preserved.”

###