GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
As Cap And Trade Moves Forward, Oregon Lawmakers Consider Constitutional Tweak
Oregon Public Broadcasting
As
a contentious proposal to enact a cap-and-trade program in Oregon moves
forward, one criticism of the policy has grown louder: Most of the
money generated couldn’t be used to encourage zero-emissions vehicles.
In a state where cars and trucks account for a major portion of
greenhouse gas output, an expanding chorus of lawmakers sees that as a
problem. Now one state senator wants voters to fix it. State Sen. Lee
Beyer, D-Springfield, says he’ll introduce a bill this week asking
Oregonians to tweak the state’s constitution. If lawmakers pass the bill
and voters agree, hundreds of millions of dollars that might currently
be restricted under cap and trade could be used on rebates for electric
vehicles, helping public transit and freight interests switch to
lower-emissions options and more.
As Critics of the New Corporate Tax Increase Ponder Referring It to Voters, Democrats Seek to Hinder Signature Gathering
Willamette Week
The
maneuvering in response to last week’s passage of a multi-billion
corporate tax increase heated up today in Salem. On May 13, Democrats
convinced Senate Republicans to return to work so the full Senate could
vote on House Bill 3427, the “Student Success Act” which will levy a
gross receipts tax on Oregon businesses and provide a modest reduction
in the personal income tax rate paid by most Oregonians. The bill, which
Gov. Kate Brown has already signed into law, is expected to raise more
than $1 billion in new revenue annually and is supposed to be spent on
schools.
Oregon Considers Changing The Way Mentally Ill People Are Committed
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Civil
commitment is a delicate issue for families and authorities. The way it
works now is that when someone threatens a family member or runs
through traffic screaming at cars, police can place a hold on them. A
county judge then decides whether they’re “a danger to self or others.”
But that legal standard has not been defined by the courts. The process
is justifiably difficult. But many think it’s become so difficult that
people only end up getting help after they break the law and are
criminally committed. So Oregon is thinking about changing the way
people with mental illnesses are civilly committed.
School leaders: $2 billion good … and not enough
Portland Tribune
Public
school leaders are praising the passage of a $2 billion school funding
package, but they cautioned that the extra infusion of funds “isn’t
enough.” During a Portland Business Alliance forum Wednesday morning,
May 15, superintendents from Portland, Beaverton, Gresham and east
Multnomah County gathered for a panel on why Oregon schools face steep
cuts to education, despite a prosperous economy. “Just about every
school district … is looking at somewhere between a 6% to 7% increase
in PERS,” Don Grotting, superintendent of the Beaverton School District,
told PBA members and guests over breakfast at the Sentinel Hotel in
downtown Portland. The Public Employees Retirement System, more commonly
referred to as PERS, has been at the center of nearly every discussion
surrounding school funding.
Lawmakers wrestle with plans for kicker ‘windfall’
Portland Tribune
Oregon
has come into an unexpected windfall, and now it’s up to lawmakers to
figure out what to do with it. Personal and corporate income tax
collections during the 2019 tax filing season were dramatically higher
than state economists expected, according to a report that was released
Wednesday, May 15. While much of that money will go back to taxpayers
next year in the form of Oregon’s unique “kicker” rebate, the new
forecast gives legislative budget-writers about three-quarters of a
billion dollars more to work with as they decide how Oregon will spend
its money over the next two years.
Top gun control proposal expected to return after death in 2019 Legislature
Statesman Journal
A
multifaceted gun control bill pushed by Oregon Democrats may be dead
this session, but advocates and opponents alike are confident it will
return. Senate Bill 978 was a casualty of the deal that got Senate
Republicans to end their four-day walkout and return to the Capitol,
allowing Democrats to pass a multibillion-dollar education revenue bill
on May 13. The move to include SB 978 in the trade disappointed gun
control advocates inside and outside the Capitol, particularly since it
dovetailed with the Moms Demand Action lobbying day two days later.
Portland Office of Community and Civic Life Proposes New Commission to Oversee Cannabis Tax Dollars
Willamette Week
Portland
city commissioners disagree about how cannabis tax dollars should be
allocated after a recent audit showed that a majority of the revenue
from tax passed in 2016 went to the Portland Police Bureau. At the
Portland City Council’s 2020 budget work session May 14, the Office of
Community and Civic Life presented a possible solution: a new
five-person committee to oversee who gets cannabis tax revenue and how
it is used. OCCL’s cannabis program supervisor Brandon Goldner said the
group would meet four times or more a year, and their meetings would be
open to the public, which would increase transparency around how the
funds are used.
Bill adding exemption to Oregon’s Death with Dignity law passes Senate
Statesman Journal
People
with less than 15 days to live would be exempted from the 15-day
waiting period in Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act under a bill that
passed the state Senate on Monday. Senate Bill 579 would also allow
doctors to prescribe medication faster than the current 48-hour waiting
period if the requesting patient has less than two days to live.
Proponents described the bill as a way for lawmakers to give people more
control over their end-of-life decisions, while opponents saw it as
another step toward euthanasia in Oregon.
Bill would shorten ‘Death With Dignity’ waiting period in some cases
Oregonlive
People
in the final weeks of their life could obtain deadly prescriptions more
quickly under a bill moving forward in the Oregon Legislature. The
Oregon Senate voted 16-11 on Monday to approve Senate Bill 579. If it
passes the House and is signed into law, it would be one of the only
changes to the state’s landmark “Death With Dignity” law since it took
effect in 1997.
Unions search for path around dues deduction restrictions
Portland Tribune
Up
to 30,000 Oregon workers may no longer automatically support their
union as concerted national efforts to trim the political power of
unions gain steam. A change in an obscure federal rule may pose a
financial threat to one of Oregon’s largest public sector unions while
also crimping the ability of home care workers to save for retirement.
The federal agency overseeing public health care for elderly and
low-income people earlier this month moved to ban certain voluntary
deductions from federally funded paychecks for home care workers. The
new rule may mean that about 30,000 Oregon workers can’t have union dues
and retirement savings automatically taken from their paychecks. But
Oregon and four other states are contesting the move.
Nike, Adidas, Columbia Sportswear sign letter opposing tariffs
KGW
More
than 170 footwear companies, including the biggest in Portland’s robust
athletic and outdoor industry, have signed a letter to President Donald
Trump urging him to reconsider a proposed 25 percent tariff on shoes
from China. The list includes Nike, Adidas America, Columbia Sportswear
and others with Portland roots or operations, including Under Armour,
Baggallini and BOGS. “The proposed tariff of 25 percent on footwear
would be catastrophic for our consumers, our companies, and the American
economy as a whole,” the companies wrote. Last week, the U.S Trade
Representative, at the behest of President Donald Trump, published a
list of $300 billion in Chinese goods that could be hit with new tariffs
as high as 25 percent.
LOCAL
Portland set to approve $5.5 billion annual budget Wednesday
Oregonlive
The
Portland City Council is poised to approve a $5.5 billion budget
Wednesday afternoon that would fund new programs intended to help
mentally ill or homeless people while cutting parks services. The $5.5
billion figure is a nearly 6 percent increase from last year’s $5.1
billion budget. The general fund – a discretionary fund that pays mostly
for police, fire and parks services – is set to increase about 2
percent to $577.3 million.
Sales tax measure before Hood River County voters on Tuesday
Oregonlive
Voters
in Hood River County will decide on Tuesday whether to add a 5 percent
sales tax to prepared food and non-alcoholic beverage sales. Ballot
Measure 14-66 proposes taxing food sold by restaurants, caterers,
bakeries and coffee shops. The measure also proposes taxing dispensed
soft drinks and beverages. If passed, the tax is expected to generate
about $1.8 million a year. According to county documents, the tax would
fund county tourism services, including maintaining public parks and
forest trails, environmental health services and the county History
Museum.
Salem-Keizer committee sends $1.2 billion budget plan to school board
Statesman Journal
After
nearly a month of meetings and hearings, the Salem-Keizer budget
committee has signed off on a $1.2 billion budget plan for Salem-Keizer
Public Schools. The proposed 2019-20 budget — approved by the committee
Monday — now heads to the Salem-Keizer School Board for consideration.
It’s expected to be adopted in June and take effect in July.
Portland student protest against gun violence will fall on anniversary of Thurston High School shooting
Oregonlive
Some
Portland high school students plan to walk out of their classes on
Tuesday to protest gun violence, demand action against it from city
lawmakers and support victims of mass shootings. According to the
Portland Mercury, the rally is organized by a grassroots student group
called the Pacific Northwest Youth Liberation Front, and students plan
to rally in front of Portland City Hall at 1 p.m. The Mercury said it’s
unknown how many students plan to show up, but students from Beaverton
and Lincoln high schools have confirmed they will participate.
Candidates Run To Be 1st Latinos On Salem-Keizer School Board
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Raul
Marquez grew up in Northeast Salem, where he attended some of the
Salem-Keizer district’s most diverse schools. He was surrounded by other
people of color — until he left his neighborhood. “By the time I began
to get involved in the larger Salem community, it was eye-opening to see
that these other spaces — especially decision-making spaces — don’t
reflect what I was so accustomed to,” Marquez said. He felt like he
didn’t belong, didn’t deserve to be in majority white spaces or even
speak to the majority white Salem-Keizer school board.
Hoping For Change, Parents And Community Members Run For Portland School Board Seats
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Last-minute
voters turned in their ballots Tuesday. It’s a small election,
dominated by school board races across Oregon. In Portland Public
Schools, each of the four seats has at least two candidates on the
ballot – though some candidates have dropped out of the race. They
range from an incumbent to a father who entered the race because “he
didn’t see better people out there.”
Landlords still oppose revised Portland renter rights measures
Portland Tribune
The
changes Commissioner Chloe Eudaly made to her most recent renter
protection measures did not satisfy the leading landlord organizations.
The City Council first heard Eudaly’s measures for easing screening and
security deposit requirements on April 3 and 4. Although tenant
advocates supported them, landlords complained about their complexity
and charged they could require them to rent to serious criminal
convicts. Eudaly pushed the next hearing to Thursday, May 23, to work
out compromises.
Latino adviser brings business expertise from U.S., Mexico
The Daily Astorian
Hermenegildo
Ochoa, a Latino business advisor with Clatsop Community College,
remembers managing more than 30 branches of the Bank of Mexico. But he
also remembers the cartels, violence, bribes and death threats faced by
businesspeople large and small, including himself. Ochoa has since taken
to a lower-key role on the North Coast helping the Latino business
community follow the rules and succeed in a more law-abiding
environment.
Killing ravens to save sage grouse in Eastern Oregon is a flawed plan, advocates say
Oregonlive
A
plan by state wildlife officials to kill more than 1,000 ravens in
Eastern Oregon to help the beleaguered greater sage grouse is flawed,
environmental advocates say, and could end up doing more harm than good.
In 2018, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife applied for permits
to kill up to 500 ravens per year over a three-year period in Baker
County. According to some studies, ravens prey upon the eggs of the
greater sage grouse, one of the numerous threats the sage grouse faces.