| Capitol Update
State Representative Jackie Dingfelder
House District
45
N.E. Portland, Maywood Park, &
Parkrose
Dear Friends and
Neighbors,
The Oregon Legislature has been in
session for three months, and the roughly 3,000 measures under
consideration are working their way through the various legislative
committees. Over the next few weeks, most of these committees will
finish their work and the Legislature will focus primarily on
balancing the budget, an effort that is already underway.
I hope you have all recovered from Tax Day. In honor of this
important day I have included a brief article about how Oregonians'
tax burden compares to that of other Americans (it is comparatively
quite low), and links to two reports detailing how the state spends
your tax dollars. I have also included news about the recent Supreme
Court ruling addressing same sex marriage and Senate Bill 1000, a
newly announced bill that would bring equal rights to members of the
gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have
written letters, sent emails, or visited my office to discuss the
challenges facing our state. I truly value your advice, suggestions,
comments, and even your criticism. I hope that you will all continue
to be a part of the political process by sharing your opinions on
matters of concern to you.
Thank you for subscribing to Capitol Update. You may
unsubscribe at any time by using the link at the bottom of the
newsletter. As always, I am honored to represent you. 
Jackie Dingfelder
State Representative
House
District 45
In This Issue
- Supreme Court rules on Same Sex Marriage
- Senate Bill 1000 Seeks to Legalize Civil Unions
- Tax Day Comes, Goes
- Legislators Go Back to School
- School Based Health Centers
- Instant Runoff Voting
- CORRECTION: $5.4 Billion in Funding Will Harm Education
- Hollywood Farmer's Market Opens
- Additional Resources
- Tune into Legislative Hearings
Supreme Court Rules on Same Sex Marriage
Ruling invalidates marriage licenses issued by Multnomah
County
On Thursday, April 14, the State Supreme Court issued its
ruling on the case of Li and Kennedy v. State of Oregon,
invalidating the more than three thousand marriage licenses that
Multnomah County issued to same-sex couples last spring. Nearly a
year ago today, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Bearden held
that the state laws violated the Oregon constitution but gave the
legislature 90 days after session began to bring the law into
constitutional compliance. He also ordered the county to stop
issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples during that period.
Judge Bearden did not address the validity of the marriages that had
already been performed, and the issue was left to the Supreme Court
to decide. The case was complicated on November 4th by the passage
of Ballot Measure 36, which amended the state constitution to define
marriage as a union of one man and one woman. Thursday's ruling
voided the marriages, not because Ballot Measure 36 was deemed to be
retroactive, but rather because the judges found that the county did
not have the authority to determine the constitutionality of
Oregon's state laws on marriage.
The ruling does not address the issue of whether the state
must find a way to extend the legal protections and benefits of
marriage to same-sex couples. The judges carefully avoided the equal
rights issues, saying that it "is not properly before the court."
The state legislature still has the authority to enact such a law
and to create civil unions, and in fact, last week Senate Bill 1000
was introduced to do just that (see article below). In a separate
case, the ACLU is proceeding with a legal challenge under the Oregon
constitution seeking all the benefits of marriage for same-sex
couples.
Senate Bill 1000 Seeks to Legalize Civil Unions
A first step toward full equality
Last week was not all bad news for Oregonians who believe in
extending equal rights to the GLBT community. Senate Bill 1000,
sponsored by Kate Brown of Portland, was submitted in the Senate. SB
1000 would create civil unions for members of same- sex partnerships
in order to provide the same legal responsibilities, rights, and
protections currently afforded only through marriage. SB 1000 does
not change the legal definition of marriage and is consistent with
the language of Ballot Measure 36. In addition, the bill would
finally make it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation
in housing, employment, public accommodation, education, and public
services. I absolutely support this bill as a first step toward full
equality for all Oregonians.
Thanks to the many constituents who have already written to
me to share their support for Senate Bill 1000. If you support this
bill, please take a few minutes to share you concerns with
House Speaker Karen Minnis.
Tax Day Comes, Goes Oregon taxes among lowest in nation
Anti-tax advocates love to hate April 15, when they get to
stoke the resentments of harried last-minute income tax filers. But,
in fact, Oregon taxpayers, when compared with citizens in other
states, bear a relatively light tax load at the state and local
level. The most recent complete analysis from the Federation
of Tax Administrators pegged Oregon at 45th of the 50 states in
total state and local taxes, based on data compiled for 2002. A new
survey by the Tax
Foundation, based on more recent but still preliminary data,
ranks Oregon 36th nationally. According to this survey, our state
and local tax burden amounts to 9.6% of per capita income, compared
to 10.1% as the average for all 50 states.
Steve Novick, communications director for Citizens
for Oregon's Future, believes that we probably moved up on the
list since 2002, because that was a low year for revenue in Oregon
and because the Multnomah County income tax took effect thereafter.
But Novick notes that most states collect between 9% and 11% of
their residents' income in total state and local taxes, so minor
variations can move the rankings several slots every year.
For more information on how our state government obtains and
spends its money, see the links below.
Legislators Go Back to School
This Friday, April 22, is Legislative Back to School Day, and
as I mentioned in my last newsletter, legislators will be returning
to their districts to visit with students, teachers, and parents. I
plan to participate in classes and discuss school funding with
teachers and students. In the morning, I will be attending an Earth
Day celebration at Sunnyside Environmental School. Although
Sunnyside is not located in my district, several of my student
constituents attend this elementary school. Next, I'll visit with
the students of a Parkrose High School government class, and later
in the day I will be attending an economics class at Madison High
School.
School Based Health Centers Health security for our children
This week, I'd like to take some time to tell you about a
worthwhile program that deserves more community recognition.
School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) are invaluable resources for our
community. Working parents often find that the inconvenient
locations and workday hours of clinics and hospitals make health
appointments difficult to arrange. SBHCs deliver basic health
services, increasing access to quality healthcare for busy families.
So far, Oregon has opened 43 School-based Health Centers, located in
high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools, in 14 counties
throughout the state.
SBHCs deliver a wide variety of quality primary care and
preventive health services. All centers are staffed by licensed
health professionals such as nurse practitioners, physician
assistants, registered nurses, and mental health counselors. SBHCs
can provide everything from physical exams to diabetes management,
and from substance abuse treatment to basic immunization. The SBHCs
are funded by state and local government, grants, fundraising,
insurance reimbursement and community partnerships.
Perhaps most importantly, these centers provide healthcare
for the numerous children of families that cannot afford health
insurance. Of the $2.3 million that Oregon spent on these centers in
2001-02, over $1 million of the healthcare services went to
uninsured children. Several of these centers are located in our
district, and they return our investment many times in increased
access to healthcare for our families, communities, and
youth.
Instant Runoff Voting Allowing voters to express preferences
If you've ever wished you could vote for more than one
candidate in an election, you will be interested in House Bill 2638,
which has been referred to the House Committee on Elections and
Rules. The bill would allow counties and cities to adopt the Instant
Run-Off Voting (IRV) system for elections of local officials. The
bill would give cities and counties the choice to use this voting
system, but it would not require its usage or have any effect on
state and national elections.
Instant Run-Off Voting was invented in the 19th century by an
MIT professor and has a long history among election reformers. It
uses a ranking system that allows voters to approve of more than one
candidate. In closely contested local elections, IRV ensures that
voters get to express their top choice while eliminating the need
for costly second round elections. The system is currently used to
elect the Australian House of Representatives, the President of
Ireland, and local officials in at least two U.S. cities, including
San Francisco. Last month, the students of Portland State University
voted to adopt IRV for some of the University's student body
elections. For a primer on how this system works click on the links
below.
Current Status: This bill has been assigned to the House
Committee on Elections and Rules, but has not yet been scheduled for
a hearing.
Action Alert: It is the Committee Chair's discretion when
and if to schedule a hearing and if that never happens, the bill
dies in committee. If you think SB 2638 deserves a public hearing,
please email Committee
Chair Derrick Kitts and House Speaker Karen
Minnis to share your opinion.
Correction: $5.4 Billion Not "No-Harm" for Multnomah
County
It is often said that the minimum "do no further harm" level
of state funding of K-12 education is $5.4 billion over the next
biennium. In my last newsletter, I repeated that statement myself in
an article on the House Democrats' attempt to force a vote on $5.4
billion in education funding. I neglected to point out that even
that amount, which is higher than both the competing budgets
proposed by the bipartisan Co- Chairs of the Ways and Means
Committees, would result in significant cuts to K-12 education in
Multnomah County. Currently, the Multnomah County Income Tax (ITAX)
accounts for 13% of yearly revenues for the Portland Public and
Parkrose School Districts, but the tax will expire during the second
year of this biennium. For Multnomah County Schools to avoid cuts,
state funding would have to fill the gap left by the ITAX, requiring
at least several hundred million more than the often cited $5.4
billion. Thanks to Parkrose School District Superintendent Michael
Taylor for pointing out this omission from my last
newsletter.
Hollywood Farmer's Market Opens
If you love to cook, you will be excited to learn that the
Hollywood Farmer's Market will resume on Saturday, May 7. I have
volunteered as a greeter at the market for the past two years and
will likely do the same this year. It is a great place to shop for
farm fresh produce and mingle with your neighbors. The market will
be open 8 AM - 1 PM every Saturday through the end of October and is
located on NE
Hancock between 44th and 45th Avenues.
For more information about this and other Farmer's Markets in
Oregon, including a handy table of which produce is available at
which times of year, visit the Oregon
Farmer's Market Association.
Additional Resources Websites for tracking bills
 You may use the links below to track bills as they make their
way through the legislature. You may search bills by number or text.
See the article "How a Bill Becomes a Law" for more information on
the legislative process.
Tune into Legislative Hearings Streaming audio and video
 To
hear live audio or view streaming video from the Oregon Senate,
House Chambers, or committee meetings, use the links below (requires
RealPlayer). Consult the online agendas to learn what topics the
various committees will address in the next few days.
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