E-Update Week 24
June 27, 2003
Friends:
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BUDGET UPDATE: Noticeably absent from my last few weekly writings is a budget update. I trust you did not make the assumption that “no news is good news.” To the contrary, “no news is no news.” However, this week I feel compelled to provide a peek at how things are actually going.
This biennium ends on Monday. Not only do we NOT have a 2003-05 general fund budget, it appears we may not even be close to seeing one. Five days of leadership budget negotiation meetings were scheduled this week. Minority Leader, Deborah Kafoury, took a few minutes at the end of session this morning to remark that of the five meetings scheduled, only two took place. The majority office cancelled two others and another abruptly ended when Speaker of the House, Karen Minnis, walked out. Kafoury concluded with, “Needless to say, we haven’t advanced our cause to reach an agreement on the budget.”
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HOUSE BILL 2652 – POLLUTION CONTROL TAX CREDIT BILL: As I predicted in my remonstrance on House Rule 2.05 (reported to you last week), Dirty Trick #2 occurred this past Wednesday when HB 2652 came to the House floor for consideration.
The bill expands a 1995 tax credit to businesses that invest in pollution control equipment. While the credit sounds environmentally productive, the Department of Administrative Services, which oversees the administration of tax credits, stated that the majority (75%) of the credits issued in 2000 went to businesses that had to install the equipment anyway. Only 25% of the credits were used to promote an investment that would not have otherwise been made. Attention has focused around such corporations as PGE, who used the credit to lower their liability by over $1 million to just $10.
The bill extends a current 2007 sunset (which, by the way, would allow two more legislative sessions to evaluate the issue if left in its current form) to 2014, and will cost the State an additional $12 million each biennium. The bill passed the House with a vote of 35 to 22, further decreasing General Fund dollars while we still have no education, public safety, or human services budgets.
I have inserted below the text from a press release that I issued Wednesday afternoon about the session shenanigans. While the event received little to no media coverage, this maneuver was one of the most emotional and controversial this session.
SALEM—By halting debate on House Bill 2652, and by forcing a vote without allowing Democrats to speak, House Republicans have pulled the “second dirty trick in just one week,” Rep. Carolyn Tomei (D-Milwaukie) said Wednesday. The bill would expand the pollution control tax credit, draining approximately $12 million more in revenue each biennium from Oregon’s rapidly shrinking budget.
After allowing Representative Betsy Close (R-Albany) to speak in favor of the bill, Representative Billy Dalto (R-Salem) quickly called the “previous question,” a parliamentary maneuver that stopped any further discussion of the bill. Calling the maneuver a “second dirty trick in just one week,” Tomei said that the Republican leadership manipulated and abused a legislative tool to suppress open dialogue. “Today was a sad day for democracy, the legislative process, and Oregonians,” Tomei said.
The House passed the bill on a near-party line vote. Determined to keep the dialogue open, several Democrats, including Tomei, delivered portions of their intended speeches in the form of remonstrances at the close of the legislative session.
“Whatever happened to closing tax loopholes?” Tomei asked. “After cutting our children’s school year short and laying off teachers, here we are—19 days past our scheduled sine die—passing a bill that will further limit what we each claim to be our priorities.”
The maneuver came just one short week after what Tomei called “Dirty Trick No. 1,” when House Speaker Karen Minnis (R-Wood Village) forced passage of an amendment to House Rule 2.05. The new rule enables the Republican leadership to bring bills to a vote with virtually no advance notice. Republicans outnumber Democrats in the House, 35-25.
Already having the necessary vote to pass the bill, House Republicans clearly indicated with this maneuver that they do not care to either work with House Democrats or respect their opinions. Often having too few votes to block legislation, we now have to fear even being able to dissent on the record. Even an attempt to negotiate a limited number of speakers from both sides on the bill was nixed by the Majority Leader, Tim Knopp.
The purpose of pulling such a dirty trick in the middle of budget negotiations bears no merit and acts only as a slap in the face to members who thought they were working collaboratively and respectfully with their colleagues. I can only hope that the disturbance that this motion to end debate caused will convince House Republicans to stop wasting time on dirty tricks and begin consideration of our real priorities.
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HOUSE BILL 2537 – the “Small Employer Basic Health Benefits Plan”: This is the bill that wipes out health coverage mandates for small business employees. I have reported on it in two previous updates and simply wish to let those of you who have expressed concern about its passage in the House know that I am part of a Senate work group of stakeholders exploring the issues and options. We have at least one additional meeting scheduled. If you have concerns about this proposed legislation, I would encourage you to contact Senator Kate Brown at sen.katebrown@state.or.us.
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HOUSE BILL 2547 – the “Woman’s Right to Know Act”: The Senate Rules Committee held a public hearing on HB 2547 on Tuesday. This is the legislation requiring that in order to obtain a female’s informed consent to an abortion, certain, designated information must be provided to the woman by the health care provider at least 24 hours before performing an abortion. HB 2547 passed out of the House on March 27 by a vote of 34 to 22, a vote that sent a strong message to the Senate. I was asked to testify at the Senate hearing on Tuesday in my role as a psychiatric social worker. It was a long hearing, with both sides of the issue well represented. A work session was NOT held following testimony. It would appear from follow-up discussions that House Bill 2547 may not advance to the Senate floor for a vote.
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HOUSE BILL 2041 – TRANSPORTATION PACKAGE. I am happy to report that there was some good news this week. The transportation package, House Bill 2041, passed Monday by a vote of 48 to 11. The bill authorizes the state to issue bonds to repair and upgrade 469 bridges and repair and construct roads, streets, and highways. The bonds will be repaid through increased vehicle registration and title fees. Over the next decade, this project will pump $2.5 billion into Oregon’s economy and create nearly 5,000 new jobs for Oregonians.
There were a number of concerns raised on the floor over details buried in the language, such as authorizing $3 million a year in general fund revenues to underwrite the cost of certain diesel engines that meet EPA standards, which one of my constituents actually brought to my attention. As one member stated, there is something for every person to love and to hate in this bill. Overall, however, I believe HB 2041 is good policy and hopefully any kinks will be ironed out in the Senate.
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: I have sent the following letter to the editor of the Clackamas Review, which I hope will appear in next week’s edition. However, since time is of the essence, I wanted to share it with you today. Governor Kulongoski signed our Parents as Scholars bill yesterday, which would be gravely impacted if the “postsecondary education” component of the welfare reform act is eliminated at the federal level. Please join me in contacting Senators Wyden and Smith in support of this valuable program.
“To The Editor:
Low Income Women Need Education To Move Out of Poverty
If we act now, we can make a difference for low income women in our communities. The United States Senate soon will pass its version of welfare reform. Our Senators need to know the indisputable facts – education provides the path for low income women to become permanently self-sufficient and to inspire their children to achieve. But the U.S. House of Representatives’ version of welfare reform would forbid our state from counting postsecondary education as an allowable work activity under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Act – despite substantial evidence that even one year of postsecondary education makes a difference for women of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.
We know the value of a college education in reducing poverty. Research conducted by the Washington DC-based Center for Women Policy Studies shows that after the passage of TANF in 1996, our state – along with 48 other states and the District of Columbia – took advantage of the flexibility offered to provide some form of postsecondary education to welfare recipients, counting it as an allowable work activity. We have done this while still being responsive to the clear “work first” message of TANF, requiring that recipients’ education be directly linked to jobs.
The need remains urgent, as 80 percent of the jobs in the fastest growing employment sectors require some postsecondary education or certification. More education also means better jobs and higher wages. In 2001, Latinas with bachelor’s degrees earned a median weekly income of $676, compared to $467 with an associate’s degree and $406 with a high school diploma. African American women with bachelor’s degrees earned a median weekly income of $692, compared to $502 with an associate’s degree and $395 with a high school diploma. White women with bachelor’s degrees earned $744 weekly, compared to $579 with an associate’s degree and $453 with a high school diploma.
I will be asking our Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith to do the right thing in actually reducing women’s and children’s poverty rather than just reducing the welfare rolls. I hope you will join me in contacting Senators Wyden and Smith. Their contact e-mail addresses and phone numbers are:
Senator Ron Wyden: http://wyden.senate.gov/contact/ (503-326-7525)
Senator Gordon Smith: http://www.senate.gov/~gsmith/webform.htm (503-326-3386)
We want Congress and the Administration to join Oregon in our efforts to empower TANF recipients through education, so that they can achieve true economic self-sufficiency.
Carolyn Tomei
State Representative
District 41 (Milwaukie / SE Portland)”
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FIRST-TIME UPDATE RECIPIENTS: Again, if you are receiving this weekly update for the first time, it is because I am continuing to build a database through which I can reach a greater number of constituents. I am adding the e-mail addresses of many constituents who have contacted me electronically or otherwise, but who are not currently in the database. As noted below, if you prefer not to receive the update, just let me know so I can remove your address from our mailing list.
I will continue to update you on activities in the Capitol every Friday afternoon. I will also post these notices on my website at http://www.leg.state.or.us/tomei/home.htm. Please e-mail me at rep.carolyntomei@state.or.us if you have questions, wish to express concerns and/or share issues important to you - or - if you would like to be removed from the mailing list.
As always, thank you for your interest and continued involvement in our communities and the legislative process. Enjoy the sun!
Carolyn Tomei