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Hello Friends,
Introduction to the 2017 Legislative Session.
Rather than writing this newsletter before session started,
I thought it would be a good idea to get the first week under our belts to see
the tenor of what is to come in the future.
I am glad I waited, because what is coming is at times unbelievable.
To start, I thought I would look at the state of our State
and see if there are any patterns that are evident.
First and foremost, the state budget, as
developed by the Governor, is intended to increase by over 17% while income
is only projected at 8.6%. I would think
that this budget would draw some skepticism, but all that is being heard around
the state is we have a $1.7 Billion shortfall.
Out in the real world, we call this a bad case of overspending. The problem is that the state has increased its’
spending by double digits since I was first elected in 2011. If our economy was booming, that is one
thing, but it is not and as we have these massive increases in spending, all
the government agencies expect to get more the next budget cycle. This is a losing proposition. I will review
the tax structure in future newsletters, but just remember if you require
someone else to pay their fair share, the tables could be turned- and who determines
what is fair?
We need to fund schools at a level that produces highly
educated graduates that can go out into the workforce without employers having
to provide extra training. This is true whether
you want to be a rocket engineer or an operating engineer. We have underfunded schools continually, but
we also use the “children” as bait for many new taxes. It hasn’t worked. Our education system is in shambles with
graduation rates at the bottom of the barrel.
Some school districts, like Oregon City, have found the solution to
provide a good education at a reasonable cost.
I know they would like to have more resources, but in times of austerity
they have shined a bright light on success.
They should be held up as a model to the rest of the state.
We have a transportation problem that costs Oregonians
hundreds of thousands of dollars per year as they sit in perpetual traffic jams
while the producers of our goods pay higher and higher shipping costs to get
those goods to market. We even lost our
ability to ship out of our ports, which has increased traffic on the highways.
Yes, you are right.
It is a pretty bleak picture. It
can be improved, but it will take a bipartisan effort to bring Oregon back up
to the standards Oregonians deserve.
There are proposals that would help, such as bringing in new
employers that will pay family wage jobs.
We lost nine companies headquartered in our state to out of state
purchasers who saw the value of these companies and realized they could be much
better than they were in a different business climate. Why did they move. I don’t have an exact answer, but the onerous
rules and regulations to operate a business in Oregon could be high on the
list. Or perhaps the 2015 mandates made
them move, such as increasing the minimum wage and mandatory time off. Don’t get me wrong, everyone should have the
opportunity to make a decent wage, see my discussion on education above, but
when the state steps into your business, increasing costs, employers look to
other options. This year the discussion
is on prescriptive scheduling, where the employee can demand certain hours, or
have 14 days of scheduling, so they can plan time off. If you do not meet the requirements you must
pay a penalty to the employee. Think
about that mandatory time off again and see how difficult it will be for
employers to operate.
We can make this state function properly again
and the answer I have had since I have been a Senator is a simple four letter word,
“JOBS!” More jobs create competition for
employees in the workplace. That
competition drives up wages and benefits for all workers without state
intervention. This is good for both the
employee and the employer. With larger
payrolls in the state, state income taxes will increase, the economy will run
like a finely tuned engine, and people will be able to afford those new houses,
a larger apartment, or perhaps that new electric vehicle we all drool
over. This is what will bring us back
from the edge, not taxes on coffee or on twenty-year-old cars. “Jobs” has always been the answer and will
always be the answer to a vibrant and sustainable economy. We do have a low unemployment rate right now,
but it is not to be cheered as they are lower end paying jobs, not the family
wage jobs we need. That is proven by the
state mandating all the benefits employers must pay. As stated before, many jobs bring higher
wages. North Dakota was a great example
of that before the oil industry hit a downturn. Fast-food establishments were paying as much as $20/hr.
Thank you for following my newsletter. In future additions, I will tackle the
difficult problems of Human Services, Transportation, Veterans, even a small discussion
on jobs, and perhaps all the new taxes and fees in the pipeline..
Yours truly,
Senator Alan Olsen
Senate District 20
Email: Sen.AlanOlsen@oregonlegislature.gov
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1720
District Phone: 503-266-4599
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, S-425, Salem, OR 97301
District Address: 675 Northwest 2nd St., Canby, OR 97013
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/olsen
Senator Olsen's Committees:
Vice Chair of Senate Committee Environment & Natural Resources
Vice Chair of Senate Committee Human Services & Early Childhood
Senate Committee on Veterans & Emergency Preparedness
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