November Legislative Update

David Gomberg

November Legislative Update

Hello Friends!

I want to begin by thanking the good people of our district for honoring me with the responsibility to represent them another two years in Salem. I take that responsibility very seriously.

You will continue to see me in our local schools, service organizations, business grand openings, and community events or fundraisers. I will continue to listen. Then, late in January, I return to the State Capitol for the six month legislative session. I will work very hard to bring your voice, your vision, and your priorities to the Capitol and ensure they hear our unique coastal and coastal range perspective.

With the November General Election behind us, I am once again sending regular email updates.


Legislative Priorities

Over the past two months, I’ve been working on the proposals I plan to present for legislative consideration. Here are three priorities:

1) Small Business Tax Cut. I am renewing efforts to reduce taxes for our smallest small businesses. In particular, I want to include firms that hire part time or seasonal workers. Those are the S Corporations, LLCs and Sole Proprietors that make up our fishing, farming, and tourism economy.

To see my floor speech on this issue last session, click here.

2) Senior Property Tax Deferral. Too many fixed-income retirees are at risk of losing their homes because of property tax expenses.  A state program will pay those taxes for you and be reimbursed when the home sells. But the program has limited funds and equally limited qualification requirements. I want people to stay in their family home as long and as securely as they choose. So I’ll be asking the legislature to expand this program and make it more widely available.

3) Preparing Kids for Natural Disasters. One day here at the coast, the ground will start shaking. How can we be better prepared? One answer is to enlist our schools to properly train young people.

Current law requires schools to conduct monthly drills. But there is more to getting ready than hiding under the desk. I want to use the same allocation of time to offer an age-appropriate curriculum that teaches students how to prepare and how to recover. That can include emergency planning, necessary supplies, first aid, CERT, and community volunteerism. It can consider earthquakes and tsunamis, but also fire, flood, snowfall, or even water contamination. My thinking is that learning is generational. Parents learn from their children. And if we begin to better prepare our students, all of us will be better prepared.

If you are interested in more details on any of these proposals, please email us for a one page summary.


Out and About in House District 10

What a treat to serve as “MC” for Dancing With the Coastal Stars. We raised money for Samaritan House, had good fun, and changed lives. Congratulations to all the local competitors who practiced for months to get ready for the show.

Dancing with the Coastal Stars

Dancing with the Coastal Stars


 

I attended the ribbon cutting for a new shooting and archery range at Boy Scout Camp Meriwether just north of Pacific City in Tillamook County. Taking a turn with the targets, I placed all ten rounds in the black center.

Camp Meriwether

Practicing marksmanship at Camp Meriwether


 

Earlier this month, I rode along for a shift with Lt. Cari Boyd of the Oregon State Police. I’ve done these visits before for a better understanding of traffic, crime, how budgets affect coverage, and the safety and concerns of those men and women who work to protect us all.

OSP

Rep. Gomberg (left) with Lt. Cari Boyd of the Oregon State Police


 

I joined US Congressman Kurt Schrader for a recent series of meetings in Lincoln County. We visited Depoe Bay to discuss harbor dredging and met with fisherman in Newport. A highlight of the day was opening the new Veterans Service Center. Programs there and in north Lincoln County have been expanded based on money appropriated by the budget committee I chair in Salem.

Celebrating a new veterans center with Congressman Schrader

Celebrating the opening of the new Veterans Service Center with Congressman Schrader


 

I spent an afternoon serving dinners at the annual Depoe Bay Salmon Bake. City volunteers have a real “machine” in place and I worked up a sweat scooping coleslaw.

Salmon Bake

Depoe Bay Salmon Bake


Odds and Ends from the Past Two Months

  • Spectrum Internet Assist, a new service from Charter Communications, offers high-speed internet for $14.99 per month for qualifying households. Click here to learn more and to see if you qualify.
  • The Mid-Coast Water Planning Partnership wants to hear how you view water in our region. Until November 30, click here to share your ideas and values about your water and our community’s water.
  • Workers' compensation costs will drop in Oregon for the sixth straight year. For more info, click here.
  • The Oregon Department of Revenue has designed a new worksheet to help taxpayers avoid unforeseen financial burdens. Some Oregon taxpayers aren't having enough withheld from their wages to cover their tax liability following the 2017 federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Click here to learn more and access the worksheet.  
  • The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality will be holding a public hearing on Biosolid Site authorizations in the Siletz-Logsden Oregon area for the City of Toledo, the City of Siletz, and the Inn at Otter Crest on Thursday, Dec 13, 2018 at the Newport Visual Arts Center.  Written comments will also be accepted until 5 pm on Friday, Dec 21, 2018. More information about the hearing and these site authorizations is available here.
  • Small Business Scam: Don’t Pay for Annual Reports In response to a call from our office, Secretary of State Dennis Richardson issued an alert to all businesses in the state regarding sales of annual reports that are normally available for free. You can see it here.
  • No Drilling on the Oregon Coast! On October 24th, Governor Brown released an Executive Order: “It is the policy of the State of Oregon to oppose the exploration and production of oil or gas off the Oregon Coast, including on the OCS, and to prevent development of any infrastructure associated with offshore oil or gas drilling in order to protect coastal economies, marine fisheries, the environment, public health and safety, and cultural resources.” You can view my remonstrance on the House floor in Salem against offshore drilling here.

 

Speaking out against offshore drilling

Speaking out against offshore drilling on the Capitol steps in Salem


 

Thanks for taking the time to read these updates and stay informed. As always, please be in touch if I can ever be of assistance.

 

Warm Regards,

Representative David Gomberg
House District 10

Email: Rep.DavidGomberg@oregonlegislature.gov

Phone: 503-986-1410
Capitol address: 900 Court St NE, H-471, Salem, OR 97301

District address: PO Box 113, Neotsu, OR 97364
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/gomberg