We are half way through this Legislative session but still have a long way to go and many issues to consider before June 30th. I am chairing the Business, Economic Development and Transportation Committee and also serving on the Senate Rule and Legislative Redistricting committees. In this first ten weeks I have heard from many people from across the state expressing their views on an wide range of issues from taxation to health insurance to land use planning. It is always interesting to hear what Oregonians think is important and challenging to balance the differing views. In the final weeks I am hopeful that we can take steps to spur job creation, put a process in place to provide greater access to health care and take a serious look at the governor’s proposed education reforms. The following is a quick glimpse at some of the issues before the Legislature.  ~Senator Lee Beyer
You are Invited to participate in the redrawing Oregon’s Congressional and Legislative Districts
Every 10 years, following the national census, the State Legislature is required to redraw congressional boundaries as well as State House and State Senate lines. In Oregon, we have five congressional districts and thirty senate districts. In each state senate district there are two house districts for a total of 90 state legislative districts. The redistricting process is strictly regulated by federal and state constitutional law. The criteria for redistricting requires that each district be of equal population, be contiguous, utilize existing geographic or political boundaries (such as city/school/county/transit districts), not divide communities of common interest and be connected by transportation links. Under the new population census, each House district must contain approximately 64,000 people. The Central Oregon region and the Portland Metro area have seen far greater growth than the rest of the state necessitating significant reconfiguration of two Congressional districts and most of the state legislative districts. The House and Senate Committees on Redistricting has been holding town halls throughout the state to get the public’s input on potential new district boundaries. The committee will be in Eugene for a public hearing on Saturday, April 16th from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the U of O’s Knight Law Center. I encourage you to participate and share your perspective on how Lane Counties legislative districts and the Fourth Congressional District should be redrawn.
Balancing the State Budget in Tough Economic Times. Unlike Congress, Oregon’s constitution requires the Legislature to adopt a balanced budget. That means we cannot appropriate funds for programs, no matter how badly they are needed, if we don’t have the money. While Oregon state revenue is up slightly this year, unfortunately, we do not have the Federal stimulus dollars that were available last year to backfill our state budget. That means, many state programs will see significant reductions. Following is a summary of the current budget proposal from the Joint Ways and Means Committee Co-Chairmen (Oregon’s Budget Committee). 
Education: The Ways and Means budget allocates $5.7 Billion for public schools. This is $123 million more than Governor Kitzhaber suggested. While this looks like a lot of money, it is still $56 million dollars less than the Legislature provided last year. The Senate passed the education budget on Monday followed by House action on Wednesday (April 20th). This is the first time in many decades that local school district will know what money will be available to them before they complete their district budgets. These numbers are based on the State Economist’s February 2011 revenue forecast. The May revenue forecast might show that we could expect more money, in which case we may re-budget and reallocate those funds. I recognize that the proposed budget will result in layoffs in many of the school districts that I represent. I have heard from many of the teachers and parents affected by this budget. Please know that I share your concerns. I will continue to do all I can to protect our education system and insure that our children get the best education we can offer with the money available. Healthcare: Like all programs funded out of the General Fund, Healthcare is seeing cuts. Governor Kitzhaber proposed in his balanced budget a 19% cut to State healthcare funding. Additionally, the Federal government is cutting roughly $800 million from Medicaid which provides partial support for health care for the elderly, children in poverty, and the disabled. Even with the federal cuts, the Ways & Means co-chairs have countered with a budget proposal that would only cut 10% from the Healthcare budget. We know that when people are not covered, their health care cost go up. Which means that if the state cuts too much from Medicaid, those of us who have private insurance will we end up paying more as rates go up to cover the cost of the uninsured and those on Medicaid. As we approach a decision on the funding level for healthcare, these factors need to be taken into account. There is not enough money to continue to fund the program at its current level, but we also cannot afford to cut too much. When we know what the best level of service is given our finical constraints, I will let you know. If you have any suggestions, please don’t hesitate to give my office a call. Public Safety: Public safety has been getting the most attention during this budget cycle, especially the highway patrol budget. Because the Highway Patrol is not funded from the highway fund, but rather the general fund, our troopers are forced to compete for funding with Seniors and K-12 students. The Legislature has tried in years past to return funding for the Highway Patrol to the Highway Fund; however voters continue to reject that idea. The Governor has proposed such a move again in his budget recommendations. So far, it appears that opposition is too great to make that change – and, there is not sufficient funding in the Highway Fund as it is to maintain our road system. Even though funds are limited, Ways & Means has decided to hold the line on the Highway Patrol budget at $93million dollars. Like healthcare, when we cut too much out of the Highway Patrol budget, there are unexpected costs that result. For example, fewer troopers on the road can result in a rise in drug trafficking, resulting in a rise in drug related crimes and increased cost to investigate and prosecute those crimes. This can be avoided with adequate funding to programs like the Highway Patrol, which is why I support their budget.
I realize that the budget situation is not as positive as we would all like. That said, I am doing all I can to ensure that our essential services and commitments are met and funded. We are looking at sun-setting millions of dollars in tax credits that no longer serve their intended purpose and are not as high of a priority as other services. This could help offset the loss of the millions dollars that we need to keep our schools open, our police on the streets, and Senior and Disabled access to healthcare. The Kicker: Always a Political Challenge Finally, once again there is quite a discussion underway on changing Oregon’s Personal and Corporate income tax rebate program. With the great recession fresh in our minds and the likelihood of a “kicker” in the near future being remote, the discussion about how to build fiscal reserves for the future is being debated. The current proposal – apparently supported by business interest and labor – would take half of any future surplus from the personal income tax and put it into a dedicated education reserve for future economic downturns. Similarly, any corporate tax surplus would be dedicated to supporting Higher Education. As a trade-off, a new capital gains tax would be established at a lower rate than existing income tax rates. Obviously, this is controversial and will not likely happen, if at all, until the end of the session. If you have opinions on this, I would like to hear from you. As you read about the Legislature in the paper, keep me in mind, I always appreciate hearing opinions and suggestions from home. #### | 
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