Dear friends and neighbors,
Thank you for subscribing to my electronic newsletter. It is
an honor to represent our coastal communities as your state Senator and I
sincerely appreciate your interest in the legislature's work. Here are some
important legislative updates about our central coast communities:
Federal Stimulus
Money comes to Central
Coast
Last month we received more information from the Oregon
Transportation Commission about how some of Oregon's Federal Stimulus money will be
spent. I am very pleased that the Central
Coast will be receiving
over $4 million for critical infrastructure programs in our community.
The Oregon
state government previously allocated over $6.5 million to the region in its
own stimulus plan. Additional federal funds will jumpstart many other projects
on Oregon's coast,
providing improvements to local infrastructure and creating job opportunities:
-
$2.5 million for the Port of Coos Bay to
purchase the Eugene
to Coquille rail line
-
$770,000 for Lincoln County Transportation to
expand its vehicle facilities
-
Almost $600,000 for improvements to Bay Boulevard in Newport
-
$23,000 for Winchester Avenue sidewalks in Reedsport
-
Funding for guardrail replacement and repair
along OR 126
-
Funding to pave Highway 38
Whether you are bringing goods to market or taking your
children to school, there have always been transportation challenges for people
living on the coast. As a member of the Senate transportation committee, I know
how important these projects are to our communities. We have been waiting a
very long time for this.
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Challenges Ahead: The 2009-11 Budget
As a member of the legislature's Joint Ways and Means Committee, I have spent
a good portion of the first two months of session working to address an
unexpected budget hole in the 2007-2009 biennium. The Legislature worked
hard to reconcile our budget while doing the least possible damage to the
services Oregonians depend on. Using a combination of cuts and federal stimulus
dollars we were able to find a rebalance that kept both our schools and courts
open.
A much larger task faces us now. The Legislature must work
to create a budget for the next biennium, which starts July 1, 2009. The state
economist's latest forecast shows a budget shortfall for the 2009-2011 biennium
of over $3 billion. This is a shortfall figure that could leave us with
state-wide budget reductions of up to 20 to 25 percent. While this is certainly
a daunting task, I do not believe it is insurmountable.
Now that the Legislature has a better handle on the
magnitude of the problems we face for the next biennium, we will soon begin
public hearings in order to get a better understanding of how these potential
cuts will affect Oregonians. Along with my colleagues in the Legislature, I will
work diligently to find future economic security for Oregon's working families and businesses.
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The Future of Public Safety Communications on the South Coast
The State of Oregon
has begun an ambitious and essential public works project to upgrade radio
communications for our emergency responders. The Oregon Wireless
Interoperability Network (OWIN) project promises to give public safety
personnel something they don't always have: interoperability, the technology
that allows agencies to communicate with each other when responding to a crisis
situation.
As a member of the OWIN Legislative Work Group, I intend to
make sure the needs of our firefighters, police officers, emergency medical
technicians and rescue crews are met. As we learned with the search for the Kim
family and when communications were wiped out by winter storms on the North Coast,
lives and property are at great risk when public safety agencies can't talk to
each other.
OWIN is setting an example for how local communities and
the State can cooperate. Partnerships will save taxpayers millions of dollars.
The first OWIN partnership was formed with Siuslaw Valley Fire and Rescue.
Chief John Buchanan says OWIN's expertise and cooperation were essential to
securing a federal grant to build a communications tower on Herman Peak.
"I think the bare necessity of government is providing emergency services for
our common protection and OWIN came through for us," said Chief Buchanan.
OWIN's partnership with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office resulted in a
$754,000 federal grant. Sheriff Dennis Dotson says that funding, combined with
money from his office, is allowing Lincoln
County "the opportunity
that has escaped us for decades: upgrading and updating this county's
communications system."
I look forward to working closely with the OWIN project
team as they develop additional cooperative partnerships with South Coast
communities. There's much more information about the OWIN project at http://www.oregon.gov/OSP/OWIN/.
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Supporting our
Veterans: House Joint Memorial 4
With many of our military service members facing long tours
of duty away from their homes and families, the Senate has passed several bills
designed to ease the transition back to civilian life. The latest, House Joint Memorial 4 passed unanimously during our March 25th floor session.
HJM 4 urges Congress to pass legislation and approve funds
for the transition of National Guard Reserve members to civilian life following
active service. HJM 4 recognizes that an appropriate reintegration of a 90- to 120-day
transition for National Guard Reserve citizen soldiers provides a period for
soldiers and their families to gradually readjust to civilian life, ensuring
accessible medical care, time for combat decompression, and reunification with
family members.
Some of our National Guard members are being deployed for
the 4th time to Iraq and Afghanistan
- It is time the Federal Government does their part.
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Committee Reports: Business and TransportationWhile the federal stimulus dollars should give our community
a boost with these infrastructure projects, more work is needed to guarantee
our long-term economic security. One area that leadership is working on is a
statewide Jobs and Transportation Package to bring more investment to Oregon's coast.
It is our hope that we w
ill be able to put together a
package that creates jobs, helps business, and is sensitive to the challenges
we face raising resources. There is broad consensus in the Capitol that a
transportation package will happen this session and I will keep you updated as
the details emerge.
Human Services and Rural Health Policy Committee
Probably one of the more controversial bills to come to the
committee is SB 388, a compromise bill that will provide more accountability to
Oregon's
medical marijuana program.
Oregon's
medical marijuana program was established in 1998 under strong leadership from
the Stormy Ray Foundation, an organization that has championed the issue for
patients suffering from chronic illness. Now over a decade later, we know more
about the program and how to better to administer it.
SB 388 is the result of cooperation between the Stormy Ray Foundation
and law enforcement officials to address what aspects of the program are
working and how to curb reported abuses. This is a controversial and emotional
issue for many Oregonians and I was glad to hear many differing points of view
during this debate.
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Events in Our Community
Your opinions about the work I do in Salem are valued tremendously. Oftentimes,
residents of the coast describe their distance from the state capitol as a
source of frustration. In an effort to engage with you, I am hosting another
town hall. This one is in Florence
on April 4. Details are listed below:
What: A Town Hall with Senator
Joanne Verger
When: Saturday, April 4 - 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Where: Siuslaw Public Library
1460 9th Street, Florence (please click here for a map with directions)
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Contacting my Office
Thank you for your continued support of my work as your Senator. If you ever
have questions, comments or concerns about my work in Salem, please contact my office at (503) 986-1705
or by e-mail at sen.verger@state.or.us
to share your thoughts with me.
Sincerely,
Joanne Verger
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