The 75th legislative session started like horses out of the gate.  There was very little time to organize before committees commenced to meet and meetings with constituents and advocates began to fill our daily schedules.

My four committee assignments keep me busy addressing issues that concern a wide variety of citizens. I serve on the Human Services, Veterans & Emergency Services, Transportation and Environment & Water committees.  For the past three weeks we have been hearing agency overviews and have been holding informational meetings. A few bills have passed out of some of the committees but for the most part we are receiving hours of PowerPoint presentations and testimony.  There are caucuses for every interest and I am a member of the Coastal Caucus, the Natural Resources Caucus and the Rural Caucus.

The gravest concern that we have is the massive deficit in the current biennium budget for 2007-09.  What started out as $142 million in the hole has grown to over $800 million and we are only in February.  The end of this biennium is June 30, 2009 and we are seeing each day bring more sobering news as to the increasing demand for state services by those citizens who have lost jobs or businesses, had their homes foreclosed, or are unable to find employment.  These are very gloomy times.  But the good news is that we are addressing the situation with some ‘roll up our sleeves and get to work’ job-creating maintenance work in our communities.  There will be several thousand jobs for our citizens in the long list of deferred maintenance of state-owned properties.  There is also a long list of necessary projects to be completed for our community colleges and universities.  This work will provide work for many businesses around the state pumping millions into our local communities and keeping our small businesses open during these challenging times.

I’m working on many varied issues and have several draft bills in process.  Sea floor mapping is up again for consideration.  This important project will enable credible tsunami modeling, updated navigational charts, and necessary marine research.  A bill that will provide breast and cervical cancer screening is one of the prevention-oriented health bills that I am working on. I am also very involved with work in the ocean renewable energy sector and climate change reduction strategies.  Besides the work in my committees, I am engaged in issues including advocating for services to help runaway & homeless youth, helping seniors remain independent, child abuse prevention and moving us from foreign fossil fuels to clean renewable domestic sources of energy.

In striving towards energy independence work has begun on legislation that will pave the way for the use of our own natural gas reserves in North America as well as renewable sources. It is more imperative now than ever that we do not rely on exporters of energy like Russia, Qatar, and Iran who may use our need for energy as a bargaining chip in foreign policy. Further, this legislation will ensure that the State of Oregon has a say in its own energy policy by allowing Oregonians and State agencies to decide what is best for Oregon’s energy policy.

If we develop a need for LNG to fulfill our energy needs then this bill will make sure that any operation of that facility will be congruent with Oregon’s strategies for addressing global warming; the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; protecting our fishing industries; and the health of the Columbia River.