Legislature coming to a Town near You
The
Ways & Means Committee, the legislature's budget writers are
spending the next two weeks on the road throughout Oregon.
Meetings will be held in five cities outside Salem. The purpose
of the meetings is to give the opportunity for the public to express
their opinion on the significant budget cuts the legislature is facing
in response to the continually growing revenue shortfall.
Agencies
were directed to prepare 30% Cut Lists that represented how the agency
would respond should their budget be reduced by 30%. Lists of
proposed cuts can be found at: http://www.leg.state.or.us/comm/lfo/home.htm
ALL STATE AGENCIES HAVE HAD TO PREPARE TO CUT THEIR BUDGETS UP TO 30%.
IF
YOU ARE CONCERNEDCONCERNED ABOUT
FUNDING FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY'S FIRE AND
PRIVATE FORESTRY PROGRAMS, the Agricultural Experiment Station,
OSU Extension Service and the Forest Research Laboratory, IT IS URGENT THAT YOU ATTEND ONE OF THE FOLLOWING MEETINGS TO EXPRESS YOUR VIEWS.
OSWA has prepared talking points for your use at the hearings which can be found on OSWA's website homepage.
SCHEDULED MEETINGS
April 20th - Lincoln City
Lincoln City Cultural Center
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
April 21st - Portland
Portland Community College
Cascade Campus Moriarty Arts and Humanities Building Auditorium
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
April 23rd - Salem
State Capitol, Hearing Room F
(Video links to communities TBD)
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
April 29th - Bend
Location TBD
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
April 30th - Ashland
Southern Oregon University
Stevenson Union, Rogue River Room
6:00 - 9:00 p.m.
May 1st - Eugene
University of Oregon
Prince Lucien Campbell Hall, Room 180
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Last Week
4-17
The
legislature's self-imposed deadline to schedule a hearing for any bill
that further action is expected. Unfortunately, HB 3319, a bill
to allow small woodland owners to obtain farm license plates for
vehicles used in the management of family forestlands did not make the
list of bills the House Transportation Committee will consider before
the end of April, the deadline for a bill to move from its originating
house. House Transportation Committee Chair Terry Beyer,
D-Springfield, is a long-time opponent of 'special" license
plates.
OSWA
thanks the Rankins of Florence who took time out of their
travel schedule to meet with Chair Beyer last week in Salem on the
farm plates issue.
OSWA will continue to pursue equity in the treatment of agriculture and forestry.
4-16
HB
2015, OSWA members Richard & Anne Hanschu and Paul Sanone & Sue
Vosberg attended a public hearing in the House Sustainability and
Economic Development Committee to support this bill that makes it more
difficult for issuing permits for a Liquefied Natural Gas plant and
related pipeline.
This Week
4-21
The
House Revenue Committee will conduct a work session on HB 2646 that
changes the tax treatment of Hybrid Poplar plantations. OSWA will
deliver a letter outlining the reasons we do not support this
bill. OSWA members Ken Faulk and Al Thayer testified in
opposition to this bill last month.
4-23
The
Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee will hold another
hearing at 3:00 on SB 80, the continually evolving climate change
legislation that began as a Cap & Trade bill and is currently a cap
& no trade proposal that has been tagged with an $11.5 billion
price tag by Oregon's two largest utilities. Click on the below
link for The Oregonian's editorial on the bill.
The climate isn't right for state emissions cap
For the report on OSWA legislation, click on:
OSWA Bill Tracker
Login: OSWA; Password: session09
For more legislative information, click on:
Conkling Fiskum & McCormick Insider Online.
