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Capitol Update
State Representative Jackie Dingfelder
House District 45
N.E. Portland, Maywood Park, & Parkrose
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
In a little over one week the 2009 Legislative
Session starts. On January 12th, which is opening
day, I'll take the oath of office for Senate District 23,
and Michael Dembrow will take his oath of office for
House District 45. It's been an honor, privilege, and
absolute pleasure to represent you in the House and I
know I am leaving this district in the very capable
hands of Michael Dembrow. If you would like to
contact Rep.-elect Dembrow, you can reach him at
rep.michaeldembrow@state.or.us or at
503-986-1445. You may wish to email or call him to
sign up and receive his newsletters, as well.
In future newsletters of mine, you'll notice a slight
change--beginning with new contact information. I've
listed below my contact information for when I officially
move over to the Senate. I want to specifically
highlight here that next week will be the last week
when my House contact information will work, after
that you'll need to use my Senate contact information.
It's been an incredible experience representing you in
the House, and I'm excited to start a new chapter in
the Senate. Here's to a great 2009 Session!
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
- A New Session, New Address Information, and
New Committee Assignments
- No Need to Toss That Old Television Set
- Low Income Energy Assistance Funds Approved
by E-board
- Town Hall This Month
A New Session, New Address Information, and New Committee Assignments
Contact information and committee assignments for 2009
As discussed above, January 12th marks the opening
day for the 2009 Legislative Session, and with the new
session comes new contact information for me. The
change over from my current email address and
phone number to my new ones will occur next week.
Then, on Monday, January 12th, everyone should use
the following to connect with me:
- Phone: 503-986-1723
- Email:
sen.jackiedingfelder@state.or.us
- Mail: Sen. Jackie Dingfelder
900 Court St. NE, S-407
Salem, OR 97301
If you would like to call me, but don't wish to make a
long-distance phone call, please leave me a
message at the district office number which is
503-493-2804. We will be checking messages
periodically throughout the session at this number
and can respond to a message you leave there.
I'm looking forward to hearing from you, whether it's by
email, phone, or letter. Additionally, if you happen to
be in the Capitol, please stop by and see me. I'm
located on the 4th floor on the Senate side, and my
staff and I would enjoy the opportunity to visit with you.
One last item, in December I learned my committee
assignments for 2009. I will serve on the Senate
Judiciary Committee and the Ways and Means
Subcommittee on Natural Resources. Plus, I will
Chair the Senate Environment and Natural Resources
Committee. As excited as I am by my committee
assignments, I'm still concerned by this next session,
which is shaping up to be a particularly difficult one.
However, the challenges we have require hard work
from all of us, and I will appreciate hearing from you
as we face some very difficult decisions ahead.
No Need to Toss That Old Television Set
You can recycle it for free!
The date when we must switch to digital-only
broadcasting is approaching quickly. In 2005,
Congress passed legislation which requires all
television stations to switch from analog to digital
broadcasting by February 17, 2009. Many of us have
questions about whether our current television sets
will continue working after the switch. The best thing
to remember is that we have several options and do
not necessarily need to purchase a new TV. If you
have cable or satellite, you may need to contact your
subscriber to see if there is any action that is needed,
such as a new cable box. If you are using a TV with an
antenna, you will need to make a one-time purchase
of a converter box. You can find information about
receiving a coupon for a converter box at www.dtv2009.gov.
If you do decide to purchase a new TV, you may want
to donate your old TV to someone else or drop it off at
a second-hand store. Or, you may want to recycle it.
Starting this month--January 1st, 2009, to be
exact--Oregonians will be able to recycle used
televisions (as well as computer monitors, CPUs, and
laptops) for free through our statewide electronics
recycling program. We worked very hard to pass
legislation in 2007 that set up this recycling program,
so there's no need to toss your old TV in the trash. All
you need to do, if you would like more information
about where or how to recycle your used electronic
items, is call the Department of Environmental
Quality's Electronics
Recycling Program at 503-229-5830, or visit its
website.
Low Income Energy Assistance Funds Approved by E-board
An additional 35,000 Oregon families will receive help with heating bills
It's been a particularly harsh winter for us here in
Portland and across the state. Just looking out the
window we can still see traces of the arctic blast we
received in December. For thousands of Oregonians
who are stuggling to just get by, the extremely cold
winter we've had is another layer of complication on
top of the problems they are already experiencing
trying to heat their homes.
However, a measure of help is on the way. As one of
the last actions to take place for the 2007-2009
biennium, the Emergency Board (or E-board)
approved a federal grant that will help Oregonians pay
for their heating bills. There were very few
expenditures that were approved by the E-board at its
December meeting, but committee members voted
yes toward receiving these additional federal dollars.
There will not need to be any new state expenditures
in order to receive the federal grant, and the increased
funds will mean that the number of low-income
families in Oregon receiving assistance for heating
bills will increase to nearly 100,000.
Energy experts and consumer advocates warn us,
though, that even with the additional assistance the
need for help with heating bills far out paces the
amount of help available. In 2007, hundreds of
thousands of Oregonians qualified for low-income
assistance, yet only about 23% of that need was able
to be met before funding ran out. The federal grant,
however, will go a long way toward narrowing the gap
between the need for help and the resources actually
available. If you or someone you know needs
assistace with heating bills, please visit Oregon Heat's
website. You can also make a donation to Oregon
Heat to help others in need this winter.
Town Hall This Month
Our first Town Hall of the 2009 Session is
approaching quickly. We're still finalizing all the
details, but it will be on Saturday, January 24th. Rep.
Ben Cannon, Rep.-elect Michael Dembrow, and I are
looking forward to meeting you and discussing what
we can expect in the upcoming session. We're
working out the last details on the location, but for now
please remember:
- What: Town Hall with Rep. Ben Cannon,
Rep.-elect Michael Dembrow and Sen.-elect Jackie
Dingfelder
- When: Saturday, January 24th, 2009
- Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
I will have more information about the Town Hall in my
next newsletter, but for now please mark your
calendars for January 24th. The Town Hall is open to
everyone. Hopefully, we'll see you there.
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