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Dear Friends and
Neighbors,
Worried about your back
taxes? Save yourself with Oregon Tax Amnesty.
The Oregon Legislature passed a tax amnesty
program earlier this year (SB 880). Tax amnesty is sound
public policy that encourages delinquent taxpayers to settle
up with the state while providing more money to pay for state
services. Oregon will be joining 43 other states that have
conducted tax amnesty programs in the past. The program is
expected to bring in $16 million in taxes already owed to the
state.
If you need to file a return for the first
time, or need to correct a return you have already filed,
amnesty may be an option for you. If you file or correct a
return, you can avoid all penalties and 50% of the interest.
The amnesty period begins October 1, 2009 and runs
through November 19, 2009. Go to www.oregontaxamnesty.com for
more details about qualifications, frequently asked questions,
and information about how you can apply.
2009 Legislative Session
Highlights
The challenges
presented in the 2009 Legislative Session were unprecedented.
In my experience as a legislator, I have never seen a revenue
shortfall so challenging, unemployment numbers so high, or the
people of Oregon so concerned about their future economic
stability.
Through these challenges, my Democratic
colleagues and I focused on meaningful policy that helps
Oregon families stay afloat, find jobs, and keep the services
they need the most. At the same time, we passed a budget that
protects the middle class, keeps our schools open, and ensures
that our court system can continue to provide justice. Our
list of accomplishments is no small feat.
When people look back at this historic
legislative assembly, they will see the major improvements we
made in health care, our significant investment in
transportation, and our initiatives to create jobs as the
defining factors of what, I believe, was a successful session.
Here are some highlights:
Rebuilding Economic Security
for Working Families
• Expanding
unemployment insurance: Permits low wage workers to get
training for better paying jobs while receiving benefits,
counts the most recent work experience when determining
eligibility, and extends relief for all workers facing an end
to benefits. (HB 3483, SB 462)
Education Excellence for All
Oregonians
• Ensuring a full
school year for Oregon kids: Funds a $6 billion K-12 budget,
giving parents and students certainty by preventing drastic
cuts in the classroom. (SB 5520, SB 5554)
Affordable and Accessible
Health Care
• Expanding access to
quality affordable health care: Funds medical coverage for
80,000 children and an additional 35,000 low-income adults.
(HB 2116)
Strong and Sustainable Oregon
Communities
• Housing opportunity
and jobs for Oregonians: Significantly increases resources to
address Oregon’s affordable housing crisis and provides jobs
for Oregon’s construction sector. (HB 2436)
• Addressing
climate change: Creates a low carbon fuel standard to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. (HB 2186)
Find out more about what we accomplished this
Session: http://www.leg.state.or.us/senatedemocrats/2009_accomplishments.pdf
Interim Committee Schedule
During the interim I will
continue to serve as Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance
and Revenue. I also am a member of the Senate Rules Committee
and the Senate Consumer Protection and Public Affairs
Committee.
In order to conduct legislative business in the
most efficient way possible, interim committee meetings will
be held on Legislative Days, which will be held in three-day
sessions in September, November and January. Get the schedule
here: http://www.leg.state.or.us/index.html
Revenue Forecast
When we closed down the
Legislative Session at the end of June, Legislators left an
ending fund balance of $243 million to help cover anticipated
needs in the upcoming two years. As anticipated, the August 27
revenue forecast reported a decrease in anticipated revenue of
$182 million (-1.2%). Unlike the last several revenue
forecasts, these latest numbers are not cause for alarm, but
at the same time, they are not cause for celebration.
Because of our fiscal discipline during the recently
completed session, the drop reported will not put the state's
budget out of balance. The sound budget we crafted will allow
us to continue to protect the services that matter most to
Oregonians: schools, public safety, and programs
for our most vulnerable citizens.
The ending balance for this biennium is now
projected to be $76 million. In February, the Legislature will
reconvene to address the most pressing issues facing our state
– particularly maintaining a balanced budget. My hope is that
the budget we passed, which combines cuts, revenue measures
and savings, will allow us to stay in the black as Oregon
slowly pulls out of the global recession.
Across the state, we are starting to see the
results of our initiatives to create jobs and assist
Oregonians who need help making ends meet. If these glimmers
of hope continue to build, Oregon will soon be back on the
path to prosperity.
Stay in Touch
I encourage you to share your ideas
with me. Please contact my office at (503) 986-1718 or by
e-mail at sen.ginnyburdick@state.or.us
and let me know how I can best represent you.
Sincerely,
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900 Court St. NE, S-213 Salem Oregon
97301 