The Legislature went into “short session” on Wednesday, beginning a new chapter in Oregon political history. Even though we have often had “special” sessions, mostly due to economic crises, 2012 begins the first time that we are meeting in a constitutionally mandated yearly session. It is fortuitous that the voters created this opportunity because we certainly have many issues to deal with this year. Here is an overview of the days ahead…

Paramount, of course, is the effort underway to solve a $300 million budget deficit. Some Ways and Means members have been working for weeks to prepare various scenarios for review by both the legislature and the public. On February 8th, we will receive another Revenue Forecast from the state economist, so that will surely affect the discussion.

At the same time that we are looking for ways to balance the budget, we will also be weighing new ways to provide education and health care in this state. As you may know, the Governor has designed a sweeping new K-16 governance model in an effort to centralize education policy, which the 2011 Legislature approved. This session, the following bills have been introduced to flesh out this model:

• HB 4165 Establishes an Early Learning Council Fund and a Youth Development Council, which will replace the State Commission on Children and Families.
• HB 1581 Furthers the mission of the Oregon Education Investment Board to oversee a unified public education system, and requires very educational entity to enter into an achievement compact with the OEIB.

Governor Kitzhaber has also been trying to design new ways for state government to provide health care services. Over the last couple of months he has held in-depth discussions with the White House and various federal agencies in order to obtain waivers that, if approved, will result in hundreds of millions of dollars over the next five years to facilitate a new health care delivery system. The federal government is looking at this as a cutting-edge demonstration of how to spend less, cover more people and improve delivery. Although this is a very complex issue, here are two bills that will implement these changes

:

• HB 4164 Would approve the business plan for the Oregon Health Insurance Exchange, a central marketplace for individuals and small businesses to shop for insurance plans.
• HB 1580 Establishes Coordinated Care Organizations, a collaboration of local providers expected to deliver more comprehensive care for OHP clients.

We have until February 14th to hold work sessions on these bills, so between now and then there will be lots of public hearings to both gather information and fine-tune the legislation. I will keep you informed as discussions proceed.

Finally, I have introduced two bills this session, both of which deal with serious consumer issues in our state today. The first, HB 4147, requires that each transfer, assignment or other conveyance of residential property secured by a trust deed must be recorded with the county clerk within 15 calendar days in order for the trustee to be able to foreclose on the property. This, along with stronger requirements with respect to documentation and recording, should help reestablish protections for homeowners who have been threatened with foreclosure. Shoddy and fraudulent practices by some lenders have created chaos in our economy, and I’m hoping that this bill will force a return to a sane and trustworthy system here in Oregon.

HB 4148 imposes a fee on the retail sale of studded tires and on the installation of studs in tires. As you may know, there is a petition being circulated that would ban studded tires in Oregon, and although I agree that these tires are a major source of damage to our highways, I do not think that we need to ban them completely. There are times when this kind of traction devise is appropriate, but they need to “pay their fair share,” so to speak. I am hopeful that this bill will provide a means to help us repair our roadways while retaining alternatives for consumers.

Last session I introduced legislation prohibiting anyone from possessing, selling, trading or distributing shark fins. As I described in one of my past newsletters, this lucrative business has decimated certain shark populations and it needed to stop. On Wednesday, the Humane Society of the United States presented me with the “Humane State Legislator Award” in appreciation of this legislation. Presenting the award is Scott Beckstead with the HSUS. It was an honor to sponsor this bill. I’m gratified that other states and countries are following suit and that this has become a world-wide effort.

Thanks for taking the time to read my newsletter…have a great weekend!