On February 12 a small group of employees celebrated the fact that it’s been one year since our office fully implemented the OregonBuys program. OregonBuys is the state’s new procurement system. As you can imagine, it takes a lot to run a state—from office supplies, furniture, and complex technology solutions to various professional services and even heavy equipment. In the past, there was no centralized way of tracking what different state agencies were purchasing. Through OregonBuys, the state will be able to better understand what its agencies spend their money on, which will enable us to save money by negotiating better contract terms. The system will also foster efficiency by automating certain processes and eliminating dual data entry, and it will make it easier for smaller vendors to compete for the state’s business. To date, the Secretary of State’s office—including the Oregon State Archives, Business Services Division, Corporations Division, Elections Division, and the Office of Small Business Advocacy—is the only state agency that has fully implemented the system, and that’s quite an achievement!

Travel Oregon

Also on February 13, the Audits Division released a performance audit of Travel Oregon, also known as the Oregon Tourism Commission. Travel Oregon is a state agency that provides the public with information, resources, and trip planning tools in order to grow tourism in our state and thereby strengthen Oregon’s economy. The agency is funded by a 1.8% tax on all overnight stays at transient lodging establishments, which is paid both by Oregonians themselves and tourists who come from out-of-state. Among other things, our auditors found that Travel Oregon’s managers are paid more than the managers of other agencies that have larger budgets and more employees and that perform more critical services such as public health and safety. When asked, the agency was unable to provide detailed documentation to support those compensation decisions. To remedy these issues, the report recommends that Travel Oregon retain such documentation in the future and provide that information to the legislature as part of its annual reporting responsibilities. Travel Oregon agreed with all of the audit’s recommendations, and I thanked the agency’s employees for their candor and professionalism throughout the process. You can read the report here.

Cost Savings

On February 19, the Audits Division released a report explaining how the Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority can save millions of tax dollars. Specifically, the audit recommends that these agencies utilize a service offered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury called Do Not Pay, which identifies, prevents, and recovers improper payments in federally-funded, state-administered programs such as Medicaid. For example, our auditors found that using the Do Not Pay system would help to mitigate the risk of improper payments being made on behalf of deceased individuals. The system can also identify data entry errors that might otherwise result in millions of dollars in improper payments. Due to its national recognition for performing analytics work, our Audits Division was the first in the nation to be granted access to the Do Not Pay system. I want to recognize our auditors for the tremendous work that they do on behalf of Oregonians, and I want to join them in urging other agencies to take advantage of these cost savings. You can read the report here.

Municipal Summary Report

In addition to auditing state agencies, one of the functions of the Secretary of State’s office is to ensure that municipalities, including counties, cities, school districts, special districts, and certain public corporations, are held accountable for spending taxpayer money. The Audits Division does this by preparing an annual report summarizing statewide compliance with Municipal Audit Law. On February 27, the Audits Division released this report for fiscal year 2018. Every year, counties, public schools, and municipalities with larger annual expenditures are required to be audited by independent accountants. Of the almost 1,800 municipalities in the State of Oregon, 1,161 were expected to file a financial audit for fiscal year 2018 with our office by December 31, 2018. As of the start of this year, however, 22 had not done so. Of those municipalities that did, 385 were deemed deficient due to weaknesses in internal control, accounting errors, misstatements, or violations of the law. In turn, 285 of those municipalities have filed a plan of action to address the deficiencies, as required by law. You can read the rest of the report here.

Statewide Facility Planning Process

On March 5, the Audits Division released a report explaining that, while the Department of Administrative Services has improved its facility planning process by enhancing data collection and reporting, more can be done to ensure that the data collected regarding state-owned facilities are accurate—such as requiring independent facility condition assessments rather than asking agencies to self-report their facility needs. In turn, better documenting the criteria used to prioritize investments in state-owned facilities and making the results of that process more transparent would improve public accountability and help legislators to make more informed funding decisions. Finally, the report recommends that DAS create a statewide plan for its facility portfolio to guide future investments from a holistic perspective. Although one of the Audits Division’s functions is to let agencies know what they can be doing better, another is to let agencies know what they are doing well. I want to acknowledge DAS for their recent improvements with respect to facility investment, and to encourage them to keep up the good work! You can read the rest of the report here.

On February 18, Deputy Secretary Jeff Morgan met with advocates from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFPS), who were in Salem speaking with legislators. Founded in 1987, AFPS is a nationwide voluntary health organization that is dedicated to saving lives as well as bringing hope and providing resources and aid to those affected by suicide. The group raises awareness by educating the public about mental health and suicide prevention, funds scientific research to improve interventions, trains clinicians, and advocates for supportive public policies. New CDC data shows that suicide was the leading cause of death among Oregon youth in 2018, up from the second leading cause of death in 2017 and making Oregon the 11th highest state in the nation for youth suicide death rates. If you’ve been touched by suicide, you know how life-altering it can be in so many ways. I appreciate organizations like AFPS that work to spread awareness and amplify the voices of those affected by suicide.

On February 24, I spoke at the Oregon Dairy Farmers Association Convention in Salem. Founded in 1892, the ODFA works on behalf of Oregon’s 200 licensed Grade A dairy-farming families. The association frequently appears before the Legislature to weigh in on bills relating to the environment, food safety, animal welfare, and immigration. It also collaborates with Oregon State University on its Dairy Processing extension program to promote the production of safe and high quality dairy products and to support the dairy industry in Oregon. ODFA also supports youth activities like Future Farmers of America and 4-H.

All elementary and middle school-aged children are invited to compete in the 2021–2022 Oregon Blue Book Essay Contest. This year, the contest’s theme is “100 Years of Oregon’s State Parks,” since it was just under 100 years ago that our first state park opened to the public. Essays should answer the following question: What is your favorite Oregon State Park and why? Students are also encouraged to illustrate their essays with drawings. The winners’ essays will be included in the 2021–2022 edition of the Oregon Blue Book, and the winners will be invited to the Capitol for the official Blue Book release party and celebration in early 2021. The deadline for submitting entries is October 22, 2020. For more details, please click here.

On February 27, I welcomed Summit High School’s Robotics Team, Team 5468 Chaos Theory, to the Oregon State Capitol. Through this program, Summit’s students design, build, and program their own robot while developing skills in mechanical engineering, computer-aided design, electronics, and collaboration. While they were here, the team demonstrated their work in the galleria, showing us how quickly their robot could navigate obstacle courses. The team itself has won numerous awards and advanced to the national FIRST (For Inspiration & Recognition of Science & Technology) Robotics Competition in Houston for the last three years. In addition, their coach, Charlotte VanValkenberg, was recently given the prestigious Woodie Flowers Award, which honors outstanding mentors in the robotics competition. Charlotte was tragically killed in an automobile accident at the start of this season. The team’s current coaches are Janette Haines and David Dallas. We are lucky to have such distinguished students representing the State of Oregon and sharing their talents with us in the Capitol. It was a fun, educational afternoon. I want to extend a special thank you to Rep. Cheri Helt, from Bend, for bringing these students by my office to visit with me.

Also on February 27, I hosted a group of over 30 students from Crook County Middle School in my office, where we discussed state government in general, the role of the Secretary of State’s office in particular, and what they were learning in school. While they were here, they also got to see the demonstration by Chaos Theory in the galleria.

On March 7, I attended the Mid Oregon Credit Union’s 63rd Annual Membership meeting in Bend. Created in 1957 by a group of teachers and school employees in Prineville, the Mid Oregon Credit Union was the first credit union established in Central Oregon. Unlike banks, which are owned by shareholders who elect a paid board of directors to maximize shareholder return, credit unions are non-profit organizations that are owned by their customers, called members, and run by a volunteer board of directors that is elected from the members and by the members, which ensures lower loan rates, higher saving rates, and enhanced services. I was asked to attend the meeting in order to discuss how state government impacts the MOCU’s 35,000+ members and Central Oregon’s economy. Thank you to MOCU’s Vice President, Kyle Frick, for inviting me to attend and speak to their members.