Chip's Clips
Newsletter from Rep. Chip Shields - District 43 - N/NE Portland
Dear Chip,
It's the half way point of the 2007 legislative session.
K-12 education funding is my top priority, and I'm
proud to report that the co-chairs' budget has put
kids first by funding K-12 education at a healthy
$6.245 billion.
There's still much to do, including increasing funding
for higher education by passing an increase in the
$10 corporate minimum tax, but I'm proud to report
passage of important bills that have been blocked for
years. These include passage of the biofuels
bills, the
rainy day fund bill and a bill that requires contraceptive
equity and access to emergency contraception. I am
truly honored to serve North and Northeast Portland in
the Oregon House of
Representatives. As always, if I can ever be of service,
please don't hesitate to contact me at 503-986-1443
or by e-mail at rep.chipshields@state.or.us.
Rep. Chip Shields
Shields Leads Charge on Iraq War Resolution
House Joint Memorial 9 Passes with Bipartisan Support
Rep. Shields and Rep. Paul Holvey (D-Eugene)
carried House Joint Memorial 9
to passage on the House floor on March 20, one day
after the war in Iraq entered its fifth year. Rep. Shields
garnered bipartisan support of the memorial by
successfully negotiating the resolution's language
with Rep. Brian Boquist (R-Dallas), a former deputy
commander of special forces in Iraq.
Boquist, the House's foremost military expert, said the
U.S. needs to devote its resources to the war on terror,
not on a failed mission to stabilize Iraq.
Rep. Shields, for his part, said, "Our troops have done
their jobs, and it's long past time to bring the troops
home." The Memorial now goes to the Senate where
it has been referred to the Rules Committee.
Minority Business Agenda Advances
Rep. Shields developed agenda with OAME, Hispanic Chamber, SE Asian Chamber of Commerce, Governor's Office and local businesses
Rep. Shields and members of minority chambers of
commerce started meeting in summer 2006 to
identify, discuss and establish the 2007 Minority
Business Agenda for the 74th Legislative Session.
Participants included Sam Brooks of the Oregon
Association of Minority Entrepreneurs, Sal Kadris of
the Southeast Asian Chamber of Commerce, Gale
Castillo of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Leo
McArdle of Huserik Wire, Sharon Maxwell Hendrix of
Boanerges Construction and Tom Hampson of
ONABEN -- a Native American Business Network.
Rep. Shields and the chambers are pressing for:
1) HB 2776, which expands the public works bond
exemption for minority businesses. 2) HB 3235,
which requires that disparity studies be conducted by
the Department of Administrative Services to lay the
groundwork for minority business setasides. 3)
Rapid development of the ORPIN database, which
tracks how minority businesses are faring in state
agency contracting. 4) HB 3027-A, which increases
support for targeted services for minority businesses.
Shields Chairs Public Safety Subcommitte of Ways & Means
Laying the foundation for a "Smart on Crime" approach.
Rep. Shields ran for office because he was concerned
that Oregon was spending more on its youth and adult
prison systems than it was on higher education.
Now, as Chair of the Public Safety Subcommittee of
Ways & Means, Rep. Shields is working to change
that. "We're really trying to broaden the view of what
true public safety is. True public safety is about more
than just building more and more prisons," said
Shields, "It's also about crime prevention, Head Start,
services for victims of domestic violence, better
funding for drug and alcohol treatment, and proper
funding of state troopers and district attorneys.
On March 26, Rep. Shields, Sen. Frank Morse (R-
Albany), Sen. David Nelson (R-Pendleton) and
Speaker Jeff Merkley (D-East Portland)
introduced SB 856, a bipartisan bill which
would create the state's first Smart on Crime task
force. The task force would be charged with reviewing
and making recommendations on the state's
investment in early childhood programs; the state's
criminal justice policies and investments; and state
sentencing policies. The bill is currently in the Senate
Judiciary Committee.
Meet the Staff
Renee’ Ward (Chief of Staff) is a long-time resident of
Northeast Portland. For the past seven years she has
served as a member of the Crisis Response Team for
the Northeast Precinct of the Portland police Bureau
and has been an advocate for health education and
prevention concerning both HIV/AIDS and breast
cancer in the African America community. She has
also assisted young people in their transition from
Oregon Youth Authority institutions back into the
community.
Eamon McCleery (Administrative Assistant) is a
resident of Portland. He recently directed Rep. Chuck
Riley’s field campaign in the 2006 election. He is
responsible for scheduling and helping with
constituent concerns.
Civil Unions and Nondiscrimination Bills Moving
HB 2007 and SB 2 to be heard Monday, April 9
This session, there are two bills that address
discrimination and equal rights for Oregon's GLBT
community. Senate Bill 2 prohibits discrimination
based on sexual orientation. House Bill 2007
establishes civil union contracts between individuals
of the same sex.
Both are scheduled for a public hearing Monday, April
9 in the House Elections, Rules and Ethics
Committee.
One hearing will take place 8:30 - 10:30 a.m. A
second hearing will take place 5:30-9:30 p.m. I
believe that our state is strengthened when all who
live and work here are equal under the law. I am
committed to supporting both these bills.
Full Ways & Means Committee Hearing Tonight at Jefferson High School
Come weigh in on the state budget.
Click on the link to find out more about tonight's (April
5) hearing at 6:30 p.m. at Jeff's cafeteria!
