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LWVOR President:
Marge Easley
LWVOR Action Committee
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Chair:
Norman Turrill
Citizen Access Coordinator:
Paula Krane
Governance Coordinator:
Kappy Eaton
Natural Resources Coordinator:
Peggy Lynch
Social Policy Coordinator:
Karen Nibler
Portfolio members and committee representatives:
Bob Adams
Debbie Aiona
Jane Baumgarten
Diana Bodtker
Anna Braun
Barbara Browning
Sarah Chaplen
Anita Francis
Barbara Fredericks
Liz Frenkel
Norma Jean Germond
Gail Holmes
Ellen Maddex
Janet Markee
Erin Miller
Margaret Noel
Barbara Ross
Nancy Stevens
Pam Vavra
Legislative Report Editor:
Rebecca Smith
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LWVOR Legislative Report, (c) 2008. Information
contained in this report may be reprinted with attribution to the League
of Women Voters of Oregon.
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Volume
18, Issue 3
February 15, 2008
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Full Steam Ahead 
Remarkable! At the end of the first week of
the 2008 Special Session, committees are moving bills to their
respective chambers. They are also holding informational sessions
on issues that are expected to be addressed at the 75th assembly in
2009.
All is not sweetness and light, however, because minority members of
committees often are voting against proposals or seeking amendments,
particularly in some committees, such as Elections and Education.
This last Tuesday, February 12, was the deadline day for most
committees to have taken action on the bills before them. These will be
moved swiftly through the House and Senate, if all goes according to
plan, and will go to respective committees in the opposite chambers for
action by February 19 or 20.
While most agendas were posted 48 hours before the first week's
hearings, the notice will change to 24 hours when bills hit the second
chamber.
The highlight of last week, of course, was the February economic
forecast on Friday, and you will see the impact of this forecast in
almost every article in today's Legislative Report. For
details about the forecast, see "Caution: Rough Roads...,"
below.
Kappy Eaton
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 Caution: Rough Roads May Be Ahead
For the first time since 2003,
the revenue prediction has contracted from the previous forecast,
according to Friday's economic forecast. The December 2007
economic forecast was one of caution, showing slight growth in
individual tax returns and employment figures, with concern for the
housing and financial markets nationally, and in Oregon for wood
products. The February 8, 2008, economic forecast was even more
cautious as the ending balance for 2007-09 has declined from a
projected $207 million to $29 million. The projected 1.2 percent
drop in income tax revenues is $183 million, which will cause
adjustments to the Legislature's adopted budget. Instead of $139
million going to the Rainy Day Fund, the current projection is only $29
million.
The Ways and Means Committee outlined scenarios for dealing with the
forecast the first day of the Special Session, as reported in Legislative
Report #2. (See the Legislative Report Background Page.)
They are now looking at further cuts while still protecting priority
programs. On February 11, the committee heard from the
Department of Administrative Services (DAS) concerning their
compensation package. The committee was quite dissatisfied and
has asked for a comprehensive review of the high percentage salary
increases, some information about longevity of personnel, comparable
private market salaries, and performance outcomes. An answer is
expected from DAS before the special session ends.
The Senate also has considered SB 1081, which updates the
income connection to the federal tax code, and SB 1082, which requires the
Department of Revenue to report on taxpayer compliance.
Kappy Eaton
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 Health Care Rights
HJR 100, stating that health
care is a fundamental right, passed the House floor on Wednesday,
on partisan lines. It will now move on to the Senate Health and
Human Services Committee. It will be a referral to the voters if
it moves on to pass in the Senate.
In earlier committee discussions, Chair Greenlick commended the
members for the nature of the discussion. Rep. Richardson stated that
Oregon would be the first state in the nation to declare that health
care was a right. Other members objected to the obligation to
provide health care for all. The majority supported the concept.
See the Legislative Report Background Page
for more information.
Karen Nibler
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 Defining Marine Reserves
The House Emergency Preparedness and Ocean Policy Committee passed HB 3609, related to
marine reserves, on Tuesday, February 12. Two key amendments have
been added. In both amendments, it is recognized that the Ocean Policy Advisory Council
(OPAC) should define "marine reserves" and has a very real
role in selecting marine reserves. The bill states that these reserves
should be "small enough to avoid a significant negative
impact" to commercial or sport fishing. Currently there is an
ongoing public outreach process related to this issue. See http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/outreach/reserves.html
for details. The next step for this bill is to go to Ways and Means.
The Department of Land Conservation and
Development alone says there is a $375,000 fiscal impact.
Other agencies did not specify the costs, but stated they have been
reducing other programs in order to support the increased work of
OPAC. With the current revenue forecast, it is unclear if the bill
will pass out of Ways and Means.
Peggy Lynch
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 Two bills have passed out of
the Senate Health and Human Services Committee relating to the
evaluation and reporting of underserved mental health populations and
community mental health program delivery systems. SB 1075 would create a
25-member Task Force on Mental Health and Addiction Services for
persons considered underserved, such as the homeless and prison
populations. The bill had a fiscal impact statement from Legislative
Fiscal, which the Department of Human Services challenged as being too
high because of the work already in progress on the issue and the
ability to provide staff. The bill was moved to the Senate with a
"do pass" recommendation and a plea to Senate President
Courtney to rescind the prior referral to Ways and Means.
SB 1089 directs that an assessment
and evaluation of the community mental health services delivery system
be made during the biennium with a report to the 2009 Legislature. It
was passed to the floor with an amendment requiring that a private
entity or individual do the evaluation and report. The Department of Human Services
(DHS) said there would be no fiscal impact, because DHS staff will
provide support staff with existing employees. DHS will report to
the Interim Committee on Health Care by October 2008, and the
information will be used to determine funding and services in the next
biennium.
Karen Nibler and Kappy Eaton
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 Election, Initiative, and Campaign Finance Update
The Senate Elections and Ethics Committee has moved to the floor four
bills that the League is following: funding for statutes created by
initiative (SB 1070), out-of-state
campaign contributions (SB 1071), ballot titles,
petition signatures, and complaints (SB 1083), and SB 1098. See the Background Page for more
information on the first three bills. The League testified in general support of
SB 1083. SB 1098 provides for automatic voter registration
when applying for a Driver's license or ID card unless the individual
opts out of the system.
In an unusual maneuver for three of these bills, the committee chair
had to call in Senate President Courtney to
provide a third vote to move the bills out of committee.
Kappy Eaton
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 Health Care Access Proposals
The House Health Care Committee has proceeded with HB 3614 to improve access to
the Oregon Health Plan with continuous enrollment rather than the
current 6 month re-enrollment requirement. See the Legislative Report Background Page
for more information.
The House Human Services and Women's Wellness Committee passed HB 3617, which requires the Department of Human Services to
create a searchable public database for quality care violations
that occur in facilities that care for seniors and people with
disabilities. A Quality Care Fund supported by licensing fees will pay
for training and technical assistance. See the Legislative Report Background Page
for more information.
Karen Nibler
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 Tracking Greenhouse Emissions
The House Committee on Energy and Environment passed
out of committee with a do pass recommendation and referral to Ways and
Means a bill (HB 3610) to require certain
state agencies to gather data regarding greenhouse gas emissions.
After initial hearings, staff worked with interested parties, and the
dash-9 amendments have replaced the original bill. These
amendments put constraints on the data collected and clarify who needs
to report, specifically importers of electricity and distributors of
fossil fuels.
The Environmental Quality Commission
can already require reporting of in-state sources and is in the process
of rulemaking on this issue. The fiscal impact of this bill is unclear
since state agencies have not had time to analyze the amended bill.
Peggy Lynch
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Telemedicine Support Gets a Boost
Oregon Health and Science University
(OHSU) has proposed consultation with rural health clinics to
provide mental health services. SB 1100 requires health insurers
and the state health plan to provide reimbursement for these
services when medically necessary. The payments would cover
both the rural physician and the OHSU consultant. A pilot program
in four rural counties was suggested as a way to compensate for the
loss of timber revenues. Ways and Means approval is needed since there
will be a fiscal impact.
Karen Nibler
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 Community Water Act
SB 1069 directs the Water Resources Department to
provide grants for studies related to water conservation, reuse and
storage. Now called "ACWA," the Agriculture and
Community Water Act, it passed the Senate Environment and Natural
Resources Committee last week. However, it comes with a price tag
of $3 million. With the new revenue forecast, it is unclear how
much money, if any, will be allocated to this effort.
Peggy Lynch
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 Oregon Health Fund Board
Oregon Health Fund Board (OHFB)
continues to meet and consider reports from its subcommittees with the
goal to submit recommendations for the Healthy Oregon Act by October
2008. The OHFB director has addressed the Senate Health Care
Reform Committee with updates during the interim and special
session.
SB 1093 was passed to create a Health
Insurance Exchange for the purchase of private insurance as a step
in the implementation process. Please refer to the OHFB website
for information about meeting schedules and background materials.
Karen Nibler
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 Higher Reimbursement for Long Term Care Facilities
The Senate Health Care Subcommittee on Seniors and People with
Disabilities has passed SB 1061, which will increase
the Medicaid reimbursement rate for seniors and physically disabled
clients in community long-term care facilities. This increase will
be covered by the Department of Human Services
(DHS) budget rebalance plan. Since there is no fiscal impact, the
bill is likely to be approved.
SB 1065 requires DHS to pay
rural health clinics within a certain time period, which will help
financially strapped rural clinics. This bill will have a fiscal
impact because of increased workload. It will be referred to Ways
and Means Committee. See the Legislative Report Background Page
for more information.
Karen Nibler
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The LWVOR action team has sent two letters recently that you may be
interested to read:
The first was a pre-session letter addressed to
legislative leaders and members of the Ways and Means Committee to give
them the League's perspective regarding budgetary constraints due to
the economic downturn.
The second was a letter sent to the Columbia
Gorge Commission concerning the League's opposition to the
transformation of the Broughton Mill Site to a large-scale private
destination resort.
Marge Easley
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