Sen. Betsy Close has written a summary of key votes from the 2013 Regular Session and all votes from the September Special Session. Let's help Sen. Close circulate this document. Please share with any person or group you think would be interested. Thank you!
Sen. Close: 2013 Regular and Special Sessions Report
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Showing posts with label Special Session. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Special Session. Show all posts
Friday, October 11, 2013
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Oregon: Lawmakers Must Address Revenue Shortfall
Press release by the Senate Republican Office issued August 26,2010. Contact: Jonathan Thompson (503) 986-1957
Lawmakers Must Address Revenue Shortfall Salem, OR – Thursday lawmakers received news the state’s expected revenues are down another $377.5 million. This brings the total decline since the end of the 2009 Legislative Session to $1.268 billion. Still, the halls of the State Capitol in Salem remain largely empty. Senator Chris Telfer (R-Bend) wants to change that and renewed Republican calls for an emergency session of the Oregon Legislature. ∴ “It is long past time for members of the Legislature to return to Salem and do the job for which we were elected,” said Telfer, who serves on the Senate Finance and Revenue Committee that received the revenue forecast. “Allowing another round of across-the-board reductions to all agencies is just plain wrong.”
The Governor has the ability to deal with budget shortfalls by reducing all budgets equally, regardless of priority to Oregonians. After the last revenue forecast agency heads were directed to cut 9% from their budgets. At the Department of Human Services, which has a total budget of more than $15 billion, the reductions included ending programs like Oregon Project Independence which helps keep seniors in their homes and out of more expensive nursing homes. The total cost of this vital program was just $7.6 million out of a $15 billion budget for the department.
“We have seen too many cases where state agencies look to punish Oregonians for revenue shortfalls by cutting the most vital programs first,” said Senator Bruce Starr (R-Hillsboro). “It is long past time for legislative leadership to step up and do the work Oregonians expect.”
Should the Legislature come into emergency session, one option for budget reductions include removing just the general fund money from the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD). The savings this biennium would be about $7 million and could be used to fund a more important program like Oregon Project Independence. Any functions DLCD is no longer able to afford would fall to counties which have a vested interest in the local economy.
“We must make sure anything we fund from this point forward helps create jobs,” said Telfer. “We will not fix our budget problems until we get Oregon families back to work.” Republicans in the Legislature are in the process of putting together plan to help balance the state budget without the need for across the board cuts. Read More......
Lawmakers Must Address Revenue Shortfall Salem, OR – Thursday lawmakers received news the state’s expected revenues are down another $377.5 million. This brings the total decline since the end of the 2009 Legislative Session to $1.268 billion. Still, the halls of the State Capitol in Salem remain largely empty. Senator Chris Telfer (R-Bend) wants to change that and renewed Republican calls for an emergency session of the Oregon Legislature. ∴ “It is long past time for members of the Legislature to return to Salem and do the job for which we were elected,” said Telfer, who serves on the Senate Finance and Revenue Committee that received the revenue forecast. “Allowing another round of across-the-board reductions to all agencies is just plain wrong.”
The Governor has the ability to deal with budget shortfalls by reducing all budgets equally, regardless of priority to Oregonians. After the last revenue forecast agency heads were directed to cut 9% from their budgets. At the Department of Human Services, which has a total budget of more than $15 billion, the reductions included ending programs like Oregon Project Independence which helps keep seniors in their homes and out of more expensive nursing homes. The total cost of this vital program was just $7.6 million out of a $15 billion budget for the department.
“We have seen too many cases where state agencies look to punish Oregonians for revenue shortfalls by cutting the most vital programs first,” said Senator Bruce Starr (R-Hillsboro). “It is long past time for legislative leadership to step up and do the work Oregonians expect.”
Should the Legislature come into emergency session, one option for budget reductions include removing just the general fund money from the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD). The savings this biennium would be about $7 million and could be used to fund a more important program like Oregon Project Independence. Any functions DLCD is no longer able to afford would fall to counties which have a vested interest in the local economy.
“We must make sure anything we fund from this point forward helps create jobs,” said Telfer. “We will not fix our budget problems until we get Oregon families back to work.” Republicans in the Legislature are in the process of putting together plan to help balance the state budget without the need for across the board cuts. Read More......
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Oregon House: Bipartisan Legislation Passed in Special Session
In his March 5, 2010 newsletter, State Representative Greg Smith (R-HD 57) reports on bipartisan legislation passed during the February Special Session by the Oregon House of Representatives. See legislation...
- House Republicans pushed for legislation that would require legislators to wait before they can take high-paying positions in the executive branch. Though we were successful in passing the bill through the House, it was killed by Senate Democrats (HB 3638).
- To help unemployed workers, House Republicans supported extending unemployment
benefits to an estimated 18,600 Oregonians who were about to exhaust their existing benefits (HB 3655).
- We supported giving tax credits to laid-off workers to obtain state tax deductions for investing their severance pay in starting an Oregon-based business (HB 3627).
- House Republicans supported legislation to prohibit insurers from denying coverage to sexual assault victims by treating their injuries as a preexisting condition (HB 3631).
- We worked to reform the Business Energy Tax Credit, which the Governor allowed to
spiral out of control. We believe that savings from BETC reform should be re-directed to schools and other critical services (HB 3680).
- To fight waste and abuse in government, we supported expanding “whistleblower”
protections for state employees (SB 996).
- House Republicans supported giving district attorney greater discretion in offering qualified veterans the option of diversion programs when convicted of certain crimes (SB 999).
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Legislative leaders speak out on special session
OREGON POLITICO, 2/28/2010 - [Excerpt] Roseburg Republican Bruce Hanna, House Minority Leader, made clear his frustrations on the legislature’s attempts to improve job creation in the state. ∴ “There was a lot of talk about creating jobs, but the only jobs that were created this session were 200 new government positions that’ll be difficult for us to sustain in the future,” stated Hanna. ∴ “It’s unfortunate that rather than curbing spending, legislative leaders drained reserves, increased state debt and then called for a federal bailout for the next budget.” Read more at Oregon Politico...
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Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Legislative Update: Rep. Linda Flores
Newsletter, 2008 Volume 1 (January)
Dear Friends,
As we enter 2008 and look to the future, I wanted to give you an update on some of the important things going on in state government. Many of the new laws the Oregon Legislature enacted in 2007 will impact our state in the years to come; many will have a positive effect, some perhaps not so good.
The Legislature also meets for a Special Session in February this year. While I’m not convinced there are 100 emergencies facing our state which justify this session, I’m hopeful it will be brief and the political games will be kept to a minimum. Oregon faces many challenges ahead such as escalating traffic congestion and a growing population of senior citizens. We need to look for creative solutions that don’t always involve raising taxes. There are also opportunities in front of us to enhance public safety and education accountability. I’m proud of some of things we’ve accomplished but also concerned about the future.
Our state budget saw a record level of revenue — up nearly $3 billion — thanks to hard working taxpayers. That’s allowed us to reduce class size, add more police to our roads, and fund other critical services. We now have money set aside for a rainy day, but the legislature diverted tax dollars owed to businesses in order to create that fund. I opposed that move and voted against more than $600 million in new fees. State spending is also up over 20% and I’m concerned cuts will be made if the economy takes a turn for the worse. It’s rewarding to work with residents of my legislative district to solve problems and make Oregon a better place to live for everyone.
My top priority is to work on the issues that matter most to you. I hope you will find this newsletter helpful and you’ll send back the survey on page two. Your comments are always welcome.
Sincerely,
Linda Flores Read More......
Dear Friends,
As we enter 2008 and look to the future, I wanted to give you an update on some of the important things going on in state government. Many of the new laws the Oregon Legislature enacted in 2007 will impact our state in the years to come; many will have a positive effect, some perhaps not so good.
The Legislature also meets for a Special Session in February this year. While I’m not convinced there are 100 emergencies facing our state which justify this session, I’m hopeful it will be brief and the political games will be kept to a minimum. Oregon faces many challenges ahead such as escalating traffic congestion and a growing population of senior citizens. We need to look for creative solutions that don’t always involve raising taxes. There are also opportunities in front of us to enhance public safety and education accountability. I’m proud of some of things we’ve accomplished but also concerned about the future.
Our state budget saw a record level of revenue — up nearly $3 billion — thanks to hard working taxpayers. That’s allowed us to reduce class size, add more police to our roads, and fund other critical services. We now have money set aside for a rainy day, but the legislature diverted tax dollars owed to businesses in order to create that fund. I opposed that move and voted against more than $600 million in new fees. State spending is also up over 20% and I’m concerned cuts will be made if the economy takes a turn for the worse. It’s rewarding to work with residents of my legislative district to solve problems and make Oregon a better place to live for everyone.
My top priority is to work on the issues that matter most to you. I hope you will find this newsletter helpful and you’ll send back the survey on page two. Your comments are always welcome.
Sincerely,
Linda Flores Read More......
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