In This Issue
 
1. Town Hall Report
2. 2009-2011 Budget Update
3. Senate Votes to Expand Unemployment Benefits
4. Senate Votes to Make Dishwashing Detergent More Environmentally Friendly
5. Survey Results
6. Upcoming Events 

On April 2nd, I co-hosted a town hall with Representatives Ben Cannon and Michael Dembrow. We were joined by Senators Richard Devlin, Margaret Carter, and Vicki Walker as special guests. The town hall was at PCC Center in SE Portland and covered a wide range of issues, though the budget and spending priorities were the principle topics. Other issues we heard about included the spending of federal stimulus dollars, the beer tax, paid family leave, and fishing harvest practices. I appreciated the many people who attended, to share their thoughts and opinions. Thanks to everyone who took the time to come out to the town hall.

 

In the first picture, from left to right, are Senators Walker, Carter, and Devlin, myself, and Representatives Cannon and Dembrow. In the second picture, I am taking a question from a constituent with Representatives Cannon and Dembrow (photo by Otto Schell and used with permission).
 

The Joint Ways and Means Committee, which oversees the state budgeting process, recently released a proposed budget that would reduce all state agency budgets by 30%. This proposal was not intended to be an end point in the budget process but addresses the budget deficit which is expected to grow to nearly $4 billion. As mentioned in previous newsletters, Oregon must adopt a balanced budget, so any revenue losses must be balanced with spending cuts. While there will have to be cuts, hopefully, cuts of this magnitude will be avoided through a combination of new revenue and use of emergency funds. As part of the budget process, on April 21st, the Joint Ways and Means Committee will hold a public hearing in Portland to gain citizen input on budget priorities. More details will be announced soon. 

On April 1st, the Senate voted in favor of Senate Bill 462. This bill was passed in connection to the federal stimulus package and will allow the state to expand unemployment benefits. The bill has now been referred to the Oregon House. I strongly supported this bill and I hope the House will soon pass the expansion of unemployment benefits to assist out-of-work Oregonians. 
 

In the last newsletter, I asked you to complete a survey on the 2009-2011 budget and the results are now available. About 115 people responded to questions. Thanks to everyone who took the time to fill out a survey and share their thoughts.

 

The first question asked for a ranking of spending priorities among six policy areas. Just over 40 percent of respondents felt education should be the top spending priority. Healthcare was generally ranked second, with over 32 percent of respondents ranking it the number two priority. Economic growth and the environment were both generally ranked third, with just over 20 percent of respondents placing those two areas third. Public safety and transportation were both generally ranked last. Roughly 28 percent of respondents ranked public safety as their fifth or sixth spending priority, while just over 40 percent ranked transportations as the lowest spending priority.
 
The second questions asked respondents to share their thoughts on how to address the shortfall in revenue. It asked if the state should cut spending, raise new revenue, or adopt a hybrid approach. Over 55 percent of respondents choose a hybrid approach of spending cuts and raised revenue, just over 31 percent wanted revenue to be raised, and just over 6 percent wanted to exclusively cut services.
 
The third question asked respondents to indicate if they supported various ways to increase state revenue. Approximately 80 percent supported increasing the corporate minimum tax, while just over 80 percent supported creating a new income tax bracket for high income earners. Nearly 67 percent of respondents supported raising the state beer tax, 63 percent supported a general increase in corporate taxation, and 62 percent supported raising the cigarette tax.
 
The final question asked respondents if in the future, the "kicker" money should be placed in the "rainy day" fund instead of being reimbursed. Nearly 82 percent of respondents supported using the kicker to increase the rainy day fund, while just fewer than 11 percent opposed this idea.
 
I would like to thank everyone who took the time to share their thoughts about the budget and spending priorities. 

 

 

On the morning of Saturday, May 9th I will be co-leading a bike tour with State Representative Michael Dembrow of House District 45, which makes up the northern half of my Senate District. We will start at Wilshire park, stopping at Rigler elementary to work in their community garden, and then on to Hacienda CDC for lunch and learning about their micro-lending program. Please save the date; more details will be announced soon. 

 

On May 2nd, Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon and the API Health Network will host an Asian Pacific Health Equity and Reform Conference. It will be at:
 
Saturday, May 2nd, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Portland Community College Southeast Center, 82nd and Division. For more information and to register click here.