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To contact me, please click here: Rep.VirgleOsborne@oregonlegislature.gov
Hello Friends & Neighbors,
Here are some moments from the past few of weeks and valuable community insights to help you stay informed.
~ Virgle
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SENATE DEMOCRATS PUSH BACK ON GOVERNOR’S TAX-AND-SPEND TRANSPORTATION TO END OF SEPTEMBER
On Sept. 16, the night before the Senate would have reconvened to vote on the governor’s transportation tax package, the Senate President’s office put out a press release announcing the vote would now be suspended until Monday, Sept. 29.
As a refresher, HB 3991, the governor’s tax-and-spend package, would implement:
- A six-cent increase to the gas tax
- An increase in car registration fees by $42
- An additional $30 registration fee for electric vehicles and vehicles that get high gas mileage
- Increasing titling fees by $139
- Double the 0.1% payroll tax for the State Transportation Improvement Fund, which pays for transit services
- A new road user charge (RUC)
According to the Legislature’s nonpartisan fiscal office, ODOT needs $5 million a month to avoid layoffs. This bill would raise $4.3 billion over ten years, taking more money from Oregonians who have overwhelmingly said they cannot afford it. Written testimony on LC 2 and HB 3991 totaled approximately 4,600. Of those, 93% were in opposition.
Previously, the Senate put the Special Session on pause for a little over two weeks to allow Senator Gorsek time to recover from his medical complications. However, this time around, Senator Gorsek’s doctors advised the leadership team that he should not leave the hospital.
It seems Gorsek’s medical complications were much worse than the Democrats wanted to let on. No one wants to see the senator in the hospital. While it remains unclear whether Gorsek will be able to vote by the end of September, I pray for his full recovery and for him to be released soon.
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I-5 bridge replacement slogs through permitting as costs rise
Oregon Capital Chronicle ~ The torturously slow pace and increasingly expensive price to replace the Interstate 5 bridge across the Columbia River have some Oregon and Washington lawmakers growing uneasy and frustrated. After years of planning and lining up billions of dollars in state and federal funding, it continues to be an educated guess when construction will start, how much the project will cost and what the new bridge will look like when traffic finally drives over it. Project planners had estimated the price tag for replacing the bridge would range from $5 billion to $7.5 billion, with a likely figure of around $6 billion. But legislators said last week that they now expect the total could reach $10 billion as costs have escalated 30% on transportation projects in the Seattle and Portland regions in recent years.
WATCH: Interstate Bridge Replacement project held up by federal delays, leaving lawmakers anxious
KGW ~ Lawmakers in both Oregon and Washington are getting anxious as delays impacting the Interstate Bridge Replacement project pile up, which is likely to hike the cost.
WorldAtlas names Roseburg one of the 10 best places in PNW to call home | News | nrtoday.com
In a region known for its scenic small towns, rich culinary scenes and gorgeous nature, it can be difficult to narrow down which places are the best of the best. According to WorldAtlas — a 165 million-reader publication that highlights geography, travel and more — Roseburg is one of them.
This week in 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the Bonneville Dam and Timberline Lodge.
The Bonneville Dam was constructed between 1933 and 1938 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It was a uniquely difficult achievement because of the complex geology of the Columbia River Gorge. Engineers had their work cut out for them due to the need to achieve stability on weak foundation rock while at the same time passing large and variable stream flows. The Columbia River itself presented additional problems: the water depth, current velocity, harsh weather conditions and annual summer flooding.
The Timberline Lodge is the crown jewel of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects in Oregon. A million dollars of WPA funds went into the construction, with additional funds for the furnishings and art. Some of Oregon’s most accomplished artists of the day contributed to the project. Construction took place from 1936-1938. Workers were primarily from the WPA, but some of the jobs were completed by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
President Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt dedicated the Bonneville Dam first and then traveled in an open car up to Timberline Lodge. President Roosevelt remarked, "This Timberline Lodge marks a venture that was made possible by WPA emergency relief work in order that we may test the workability of recreational facilities installed by the government itself and operated under its complete control.”
Source: Oregon Encyclopedia.
Here’s a selection of the many historic images of both these iconic Oregon places from our collection:
For this and other fun bits of Oregon History, visit the Oregon State Archives Facebook Page here.
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Yours truly,
 Representative Virgle Osborne
House District 2
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1402
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-375, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.VirgleOsborne@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/osborne
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