Town Hall Recap

Thank you to everyone who attended the town hall meetings in Ashland and Medford this past week. It was a pleasure to see everyone and discuss the issues with you. I have attached news articles written by the Ashland Daily Tidings and the Medford Mail Tribune.

Bates: Budget crisis should be Salem's top priority

Medford Mail Tribune

 

Bates discusses dire budget shortfall

Red-Light Camera Op-Ed Excerpt from the Mail Tribune

On March 7, the Mail Tribune printed an article by Chris Conrad, "A stoplight on traffic cameras?" While the article certainly gained a lot of attention, it fell short in describing the bill that is actually before your legislative body, and why I chose to be a chief co-sponsor. I make this distinction because I would not have sponsored HB 2701 if its passage would end Medford's photo red-light program, nor is that the purpose of the bill. Further, the Medford Police Department operates a stellar program, and I would support an expansion of its efforts.

HB 2701 addresses two basic concerns to protect you, the consumer:

First, the bill would prohibit cities that use red-light and photo-radar equipment from compensating manufacturers and vendors of red-light and photo-radar equipment based on the number of citations issued or on a percentage of monies collected from payment of fines. Six U.S. cities (Dallas and Lubbock, Texas; Union City, Calif.; Nashville and Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Springfield, Mo.) have been found guilty of shortening the yellow-light cycles on intersections equipped with cameras meant to catch red-light runners. According to the National Motorists Association, when Virginia officials added 1.5 seconds to the yellow light at an intersection with red light cameras, the number of violations went down 94 percent.

Second, the bill would prohibit any city that uses red-light and photo-radar equipment from collecting more than 5 percent of its annual budget from the citations issued using it. Tim George, deputy chief of the Medford Police Department, is quoted in the article as saying "We don't come anywhere close to generating 5 percent of our budget from the red-light cameras or the two speed vans." It is my understanding that the most recent statewide average for revenue generated from traffic citations is 3 percent; however, there is no cap in place. HB 2701 seeks to remedy this incentive: Public safety should be our goal, not generating revenue.

To read the full text of Sen. Bates' Op-Ed piece click here.

To read the full text of HB2701 click here.

Upcoming Bills

HB 2726 - Menu Labeling

This would require chain restaurants to make nutritional information regarding menu items available to customers.  In order to make healthy choices about what they eat, people must have access to information about food that they are ordering.

SB 355 - Prescription Management Program

Senate Bill 355 creates a prescription monitoring program. This bill is aimed at increasing patient safety and care. It provides practitioners and pharmacists with much-needed information about patients who may be treated by several physicians. Both evaluation and treatment are enhanced when information about controlled substances is readily available to all practitioners. They will be more confident treating pain for those who need relief, better equipped to prevent harmful drug interactions and over-prescription, and less likely to be scammed by those seeking controlled substances for illicit purposes. The prescription database will only contain information about prescriptions that are classified as controlled substances - narcotics that are highly addictive, commonly abused and often illicitly sold. Data about all prescriptions are already stored within individual pharmacy and private insurance company computer systems; SB 355 consolidates that information so that practitioners may access it to ensure proper patient care.

Facts to consider:

·         Prescription drugs are the fastest growing  drug of abuse among teens.

·         Between 2002 and 2003, nonmedical use of pain relievers increased from 29.6 million to 31.2 million. (National Survey on Drug Use and Health)

·         States without Prescription Monitoring Programs are targeted by drug abusers and drug dealers who seek prescriptions for abuse and resale.

SB 845 - Limiting gifts from pharmaceutical companies

This will prohibit pharmaceutical manufacturing companies from providing certain gifts in conjunction with the marketing of prescription drugs.  One of my top priorities this session is to curb the skyrocketing costs of health care.  This bill is intended to limit some of the unnecessary marketing expenses in the pharmaceutical industry so that those savings may be passed on to consumers.

SCR 10 - In memoriam: Dr. Robert Bacon (1918-2009)

I join my colleagues, Senator Betsy Johnson and Senator Margaret Carter in honoring Dr. Robert Bacon's legacy. Dr. Bacon was responsible for making our Oregon beaches open for all.  In 1967 Gov. McCall signed the Oregon Beach Bill culminating the efforts of Dr. Bacon to keep access to our beautiful beaches a treasure for future generations.  Dr. Bacon passed away this past January.