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Dear friends,
I hope you enjoyed a happy and healthy Thanksgiving together with family and friends. While it's understandable that people want to get back to "normal," COVID is still out there, and so are the seasonal flu and RSV — threatening to ruin holiday plans. For health's sake, please get your COVID booster shot and your flu shot. If you interact with children or vulnerable elderly people, remember that masking in crowds and washing your hands frequently will help protect you and your loved ones. Keep in mind that pediatric hospitals in particular are already reporting trouble handling all the patients coming in with respiratory illnesses.
The Legislature held its last set of "Legislative Days" this week. Committees met both in-person and virtually for informational hearings and to preview legislation for the 2022 regular session. Agendas and materials are available on the Legislature's website. The Senate also met in person to consider confirmations of the Governor's appointments to various boards and commissions.
Please tune in to KQEN on December 21 at 12:30 p.m. for my final on-air conversation with Kyle Bailey as state senator representing North and Eastern Douglas County as well as Southern and Eastern Lane County. Beginning January 1, Senate District 4 will shift from an urban-rural district to a more urban district. The vast majority of the district, which I'll represent, will be within the city boundaries of Eugene and Springfield. It also includes limited rural areas between Eugene and Cottage Grove, but not Creswell.
Below you will find information on:
- December Revenue Forecast
- 2022 Session Accomplishments: Improving Public Education
- Oregon Women Veterans Conference to Return to In-person Format
- Scam Alert: Be Cautious During Holiday Shopping
I hope this information is helpful and informative for you or someone you know. As always, feel free to share your comments, questions or concerns with me by phone, mail or e-mail. Please stay healthy and safe this holiday season. Remember to check ODOT's TripCheck.com for road conditions and traffic information if you're traveling around Oregon.
December Revenue Forecast
Another strong economic and revenue forecast was released at a joint virtual meeting of the Senate and House Revenue Committees last month by the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis (OEA). The positive forecast is due to prudent investments in individuals and Oregon families trying to make ends meet amid record inflation.
Revenue Outlook
The net General Fund resources for 2021-23 are up $429.7 million from the September 2022 forecast. The current General Fund ending balance is $4.141 billion versus September's projected ending balance of $3.711 billion. The ending balance is also up $3.578 billion from the 2021 Close-of-Session estimate. Projected 2021-23 Lottery resources are up $10.1 million from the September 2022 forecast.
Reserve accounts are currently at $414.6 million (Education Stability Fund) and $962.2 million (Rainy Day Fund). The projected ending balances for the reserve accounts for the 2021-23 Biennium are as follows: Education Stability Fund: $705.8 million and Rainy Day Fund: $1.334 billion. The Rainy Day Fund is projected to receive $278.6 million following the end of the 2021-23 Biennium.
Kicker Outlook
A personal kicker of $3.683 billion is projected for 2023. The projected corporate kicker of $1.304 billion will be dedicated to K-12 education spending in the 2023-25 Biennium.
OEA Economic Outlook
Slowing economic growth, high inflation, and rising interest rates are a potent combination. The overall assessment of the economy today is not fundamentally different than last quarter, however, with inflation holding at or near 40-year highs and the Federal Reserve committed to bringing inflation down, the risks have shifted further. A recession now appears more likely than not.
2022 Session Accomplishments: Improving Public Education
Following the 2022 Legislative Session, I'm sharing in-depth summaries of bills passed by subject area. Below is a comprehensive listing of accomplishments related to improving public education — by Senate/House bill and in numerical order:
Senate Bills
SB 1521 - School District Leadership Stability: Oregon students, teachers, and administration leadership deserve a school environment safe from outside intimidation. Our schools are experiencing polarization focused on political views instead of safety for children and staff. This legislation creates employment protections for superintendents being removed without cause. SB 1521 limits the ability of the school board to require them to take action that conflicts with local, state or federal law.
SB 1522 - Expanding Oregon Promise for College Affordability: Oregon Promise, originally passed in 2015, provides Oregon students the ability to attend community college in Oregon. In the 2022 session, this legislation went further by expanding the tuition reduction to distance education courses for undergraduate and graduate students in public universities and community colleges, and for those who have served in the Armed Forces, making college accessible to all.
SB 1583 - Minimal Summative Assessment Exams: For many years, Oregon schools have emphasized standardized tests to understand how students are doing, identify gaps and understand where improvement is needed. This legislation directs the Department of Education to ensure that standardized summative assessments are administered to a minimum extent while still providing an effective evaluation of academic achievement. This bill directs the Department of Education to apply for a federal waiver to shorten assessments and use sampling models or other strategies to assess academic achievements.
House Bills
HB 4026 - Wildfire-Impacted School Districts: Extreme weather events have had devastating impacts on the schools in communities hit by wildfires. This legislation establishes the School Stabilization Subaccount for Wildfire-impacted School Districts and adds $25 million to create a grant program. The program provides funding for schools experiencing a decrease in students due to displacement. These grant programs will help stabilize our schools through these next few years while we rebuild infrastructure and work to return to a new normal.
HB 4030 - Education Shortage and Solutions to Teacher Challenges: Oregon is grappling with a shortage of educators to work in our public schools. This legislation will appropriate $100 million to the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to recruit and retain educators, especially those in high-need specialist positions, while also reimbursing substitute teachers and instructional assistance for costs associated with training. HB 4030 also appropriates almost $700,000 to the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission to update background requirements; to establish a statewide portal that provides a single location for job positions and common background checks; and to update rules for professional requirements that must be completed before renewal of license, registration or certifications.
HB 4031 - Establishing Diversity Goals for Oregon Schools: To promote equality and representation in our schools, this legislation creates a goal to have the percentage of diverse employees employed by ODE match the percentage of diverse students in our public schools.
HB 4124 - Survey and Best Practices for School Assessments: Oregon schools administer a wide range of standardized tests to identify student progress, barriers and improvements needed. While standardized tests are helpful, we must understand which are the right types of assessments and when is the best time to administer them. This legislation creates a work group to administer a survey to gather information about assessments mandated by the state, federal government, and school districts. The survey will capture who provides these tests, how much they cost, the purpose, and what data this information provides back to the schools. In partnership with ODE, this work group will develop recommendations and best practices to ensure mandated academic assessments are used effectively.
Oregon Women Veterans Conference to Return to In-person Format
The Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs (ODVA) is excited to announce that the Oregon Women Veterans Conference will return as an in-person event in 2023, celebrating 25 years of recognizing women veterans of all eras of military service from every corner of the state. The theme of next year's conference is "Stronger Together: Voices of Service."
The free, two-day conference will take place May 20 and 21, 2023, at the Salem Convention Center. Hosted by ODVA since 1998, this biennial event has celebrated the contributions, diversity and strength of Oregon's women veteran community, and is the largest gathering of women veterans from every era of service in the state.
Women veterans make up one of the fastest-growing segments of the Oregon veteran community, with more than 25,000 women veterans living in the state today, representing one-tenth of the overall veteran population.
The conference will include inspirational speakers, informative seminars and breakout sessions, as well as opportunities to network with other Oregon women veterans and receive assistance in accessing earned benefits and other resources.
Conference registration for women veteran attendees is free. Those interested in attending are encouraged to save the date and subscribe to e-mail updates from ODVA to receive conference information as it becomes available. More information about conference reservation and lodging will be announced online in early 2023 at wvc.oregondva.com.
Scam Alert: Be Cautious During Holiday Shopping
Every year, the holidays draw millions of buyers looking to score deals, compete for hot products, and cross names off their shopping lists. Oregon's Attorney General is warning that if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Gift Card Scam
In this scam, an online store will ask that you pay using a gift card. If this happens, it should raise big red flags. Gift cards are often utilized by cyber-criminals to steal your money because these types of purchases cannot be tracked, and it is impossible to get your money back. Treat gift cards like cash, never giving out your gift card number or PIN, and using them only with the issuing merchant. For example, you'd use a Target gift card at a Target store or on the company's website.
Fake Order Scam
Phishing is one of the oldest tricks in the book, but modern-day phishing attacks have become more sophisticated. In the fake order scam, con artists will send cryptic text messages or unsolicited emails to notify you of a "problem" with your online order.
But you never ordered anything! They want you to click the link in the phishing e-mail, which leads to a website asking for your banking credentials or other sensitive information, which they can use to commit other frauds. These emails are designed to appear like they came from a legitimate sender, like Amazon or Walmart. Please look out for these and don’t fall for them!
Fake Delivery Scam
Phishing attacks go a step further in this scheme, as criminals will send fake delivery notifications by text or email. Usually, these notifications are disguised to be from FedEx, UPS, or the U.S. Postal Service. Just like the fake order phishing scam, you'll be invited to click a link to accept your delivery, where they’ll steal your personally identifying information.
Fake Website Scam
Cyber-criminals are setting up imitation websites of popular online stores. These copycat websites look exactly like the official retailer, and the untrained eyes of an average consumer can easily fall for the trap. When making online purchases, you should always receive an order confirmation with a tracking number. But in this scam, you won't, then the package never arrives. When you attempt to contact the seller for help, you learn they have disappeared. If you have unsuspectingly made an online purchase from a fake retail website, criminals may have stolen your credit card information and other personal details, and you should contact your credit card and/or bank immediately.
To avoid falling victim to one or more of these scams, be sure to shop wisely and protect your personal information online. If you have fallen victim, be sure to report it to the Oregon Department of Justice online at www.oregonconsumer.gov or by phone at 1-877-877-9392.
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