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Hello Friends.
End of April Newsletter.
We have now passed the half-way point in the 2017
legislative session with no substantive legislation being passed. Minor pieces of legislation have passed both
houses, but nothing to really “hang your hat on”. Many of the bills passed out of the Senate are
either bad public policy or don’t pass the common-sense test. As an example, we recently passed a budget
bill, SB 5513. It combined two small
agencies into one. Both agencies were
deficient on their key performance measures so one would assume that combining
these agencies, with some sanctions for their poor performance, would bring
about cost savings. Instead, this new
combined agency was rewarded with a 19.1% increase and substantial fee
increases. This is typical of the
legislation moving through the Legislature.
Deadlines have passed for bills to be heard in their
originating chamber. But much of the
legislation still in play has been moved to either Rules, Revenue, or Ways and
Means which are not affected by deadlines. This will allow these bills to be heard later,
or in most cases, become bills to trade for special interest projects.
A transportation package, a very important issue, is still in the
“closet” as to what it will look like and how much it will cost. I have not even heard a dollar amount that
will be needed to fix roads and bridges, or to even fill potholes. It appears that the end of this session will
be very, very busy.
And then there is the budget. Predicted $2B more in revenue. Absolutely amazing. $1.6B in spending above income, unconscionable. Cost controls must be put in place to retard
this spending spree. The Legislature knew
we would have rising costs related to Medicaid, or Obamacare, but we did
nothing to plan for the inevitable. This
inept budgeting process will either bankrupt the state, or make taxes so high
that we, the people, will not be able to afford to live here. I know the question will of course turn to
taxing corporations so they can pay their fair share. Some don’t believe this, but the prices for
goods and services provided by these corporations will be increased, and we
will pay more.
On the lighter side, I do have several bills that are still
in play, including providing a larger property tax exemption for those veterans
who are disabled SB 694. Also in play is a
bill that gives a tax deduction for the adoption of shelter animals SB 1035. The most important bill still in play, SB 952 A, is the
reconstruction of the Department of Energy(DOE), which has been mismanaged resulting in wasting millions of taxpayer dollars. It was amended, per my request, and sent to Rules
Committee. This legislation could make a significant change to the operation of
the DOE. I look forward to continued
work on this legislation hopefully to final passage.
Until next month,
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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