SALEM- Following the release of the grading on Oregon’s application for federal Race to the Top funds, Oregon Senate Republicans are urging the State Department of Education to implement a professional development program for teachers in the state.

“Oregon could have world-class teachers, but teachers need access to the highest quality tools and training in order to produce excellent rather than average student performance,” said Senator Bruce Starr, R-Hillsboro. “The Department of Education can’t drag its feet on professional development any longer. It is a necessity, and its absence is hurting Oregon students.”

The grading, which was released Monday, showed that Oregon scored 7^th worst out of 40 applicants for the federal grant program. The state scored lowest in the “Great Teachers and Leaders” section, which included evaluations on whether the state has pursued high-quality pathways for aspiring teachers and principals, improving teacher and principal effectiveness based on performance and preparation programs, ensuring equitable distribution of effective teachers and principals, and providing effective support to teachers and principals.

In addition, while Oregon’s charter school law gained support for the state from application reviewers, Oregon still scored low in that area because it funds charter schools at 55-65% of average traditional public schools.

BY SARAH ROSS

PORTLAND- With the arrival of census forms this week, the political question following the 2010 census lies in how the change in population will affect state legislative and Congressional representation.

According to the Legislative Policy and Research Office, counties growing faster than the state average will gain greater representation in the state legislature, meaning the districts in those areas will be made geographically smaller than they currently are.

Estimates put out by Portland State University’s Population Research Center show that Oregon’s fastest growing counties are Crook, Deschutes, Jackson, Jefferson, Morrow, and Washington. Even though these areas fall within more Republican areas, Charles Rynerson, a professor at the Population Research center, said this doesn’t necessarily mean there will be greater growth in Republican legislative representation.

“It depends on who draws the boundaries,” said Rynerson. He indicated that districts could be drawn to make them more swing areas or more partisan.

The power to draw the lines generally lies with the Oregon legislature, although since 1961 it has failed to enact a legislative plan that has been approved by the Supreme Court. Instead, plans for redistricting have been designed by the Secretary of State and then approved by the state’s Supreme Court.

Criteria to be considered when redistricting include contiguity, population equity, use of existing geographic or political boundaries, not dividing communities of interest, and connections by transportation links. Also, law prevents boundaries from favoring political parties or incumbent legislators; and boundaries may not be drawn for the purpose of thinning the voting strength of minority groups.

On a national level, a surprise came in December when population estimates released by Election Data Services showed that rather than gaining a Congressional seat as expected from 2008 estimates, Oregon likely will not gain or lose any seats in Congress following the 2010 census. Oregon may fall short of the cutoff by 15,000 to 22,000 people.

Oregon’s neighbor to the south seems to be in a similar situation, gaining no Congressional seats for the first time since entering the Union. However, California’s rise in population could push it to a two-thirds democratic majority in their state legislature.

Washington State, however, is poised to pick up another Congressional seat, surpassing the cutoff by nearly 25,000 people.

BY SARAH ROSS

SALEM- Shortly after the gavel dropped Thursday on February’s special session, leaders for the state’s two legislative bodies spoke on the progress, or lack thereof, which was made in February.

Senate Minority Leader, Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, spoke about the partisan politics which he says played into the policies passed.

“The majority party has spent the last 24 days using the legislature as their personal political cattle prod, hoping that Oregonians won’t notice the posturing and vengeful, partisan retribution against political enemies,” said Ferrioli.

Contrarily, Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, made an effort to shed light on the body’s accomplishments during the short session.

“We showed that in Oregon when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. We didn’t sit on our hands. We accomplished what we came here to do,” he said. “We brought the state budget back into balance after a revenue forecast that was down and tackled important policy issues.”

Speaker of the House, Dave Hunt, D-Clackamas County, echoed that sentiment saying, “From extending unemployment benefits and funding day care for low income families to adding more dollars for college aid, we’ve helped families today when they need it most.”

Roseburg Republican Bruce Hanna, House Minority Leader, made clear his frustrations on the legislature’s attempts to improve job creation in the state.

“There was a lot of talk about creating jobs, but the only jobs that were created this session were 200 new government positions that’ll be difficult for us to sustain in the future,” stated Hanna.

“It’s unfortunate that rather than curbing spending, legislative leaders drained reserves, increased state debt and then called for a federal bailout for the next budget.”

BY SARAH ROSS

SALEM- The legislature ended their 25 day special session Thursday, passing a controversial constitutional amendment calling for annual legislative sessions.

The bill, SJR 41, created heavy controversy in the past few days which were filled with clear divides not only among parties but also among the two legislative bodies. House leaders were arguing for longer sessions while Senate leaders were pushing for the original time frame of 45 and 135 day sessions.

“After a lot of different tries, we finally came to an agreement that continues to have the length of time that I believe is necessary to get the work done on the budget in the odd numbered years,” said Rep. Arnie Roblan, D-Coos Bay in his introduction of the legislation.

To address the perceived shorter length of 35 day sessions, Roblan stated, “We as a body are going to have to come together and make rules that limit the kinds of things that we work on and release.”

Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, expressed his disappointment in not being able to move the Senate’s original bill.

“I will apologize to you today for where we’re at. Because I keep telling myself, how could I have done this better? What move could I have made to sustain what we experienced just a few days ago on this floor?  I will always wonder about that.”

The final draft of the legislation came with a conference committee amendment proposing a 35 day session during even numbered years and a 160 day session during odd numbered years. This version passed both houses with slim margins costing Democrat and Republican votes on both sides of the issue.

“If we actually care about the institution, we should not run something out to the voters that all of us, with a straight face, cannot say is good,” said Sen. Jason Atkinson, R-Central Point, who had been a co-sponsor of the original bill but voted against the final version.

Following the passage of the amendment by the legislature, it must also be voted on by the state’s citizens in order to be enacted.  If passed by the voters, Oregon will join 45 other states in holding annual sessions.

BY SARAH ROSS

SALEM- The Senate narrowly passed a bill presented by Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, to study lowering

Sen. Peter Courtney, D-Salem

greenhouse gas emissions in vehicles under 10,000 pounds throughout the state’s metropolitan areas.

The legislation, SB 1059, directs the Department of Transportation and the Department of Land Conservation and Development to study and develop plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The vote drew support from 17 members of the body, all Democrats, and drew dissent from all Senate Republicans and one Democrat who voted against the form the bill took.

Sen. Alan Bates, D-Ashland, urged support for the legislation, saying, “It’s basically a study and a good look at what our future might or might not be and getting prepared for that future. And it will lead to, I believe, much better transportation and land use planning. For those reasons alone, I will ask for your support of this bill.”

Multiple requirements are created under the bill for state agencies to provide informational materials regarding the adoption of greenhouse gas reduction programs and their effectiveness and to calculate emissions and reductions from cars to meet 2035 goals.

Coming out of its Senate committee, the bill had a price tag of over $2 million from the state agencies; but after going through the legislatures’ Joint Ways and Means committee, it was toned down to $1.3 million, a 55.9% change from last year’s budget projections.

Sen. Chris Telfer, R-Bend, opposed the bill because of her fears of the future costs it would place on her constituents. “In 1990, which is referred to in this as possibly establishing the benchmark for emissions, Bend has grown 400% since that time,” said Telfer. “So I’m not sure how we’re going to roll back to 1990 in Central Oregon.”

She went on to say, “About 60% of the emissions in the city of Bend are created by people who do not live in the city of Bend. They’re either tourists, people shopping in Bend, people visiting Bend, people working in Bend. So I’m concerned with the cost to the city of Bend, when this eventually does unfold, that they’re going to have to deal with it.”

BY SARAH ROSS

SALEM- In a Tuesday morning vote, the Senate shot down a bill to ban the chemical bisphenol A in baby bottles and sippy cups.

The bill, carried on the floor by Sen. Jackie Dingfelder, D-Portland, lacked just a single vote to pass in the legislature’s smaller body. Failing on a 15-15 margin, three Democrats voted with the Senate Republicans to oppose the bill.

The legislation, SB 1032, was narrowed from its earliest form, which included banning the chemical in cans as well as in bottles. This early legislation was strongly opposed by industry representatives who feared the ban would bring an end to the canned food business in Oregon. Following these concerns, the bill was tapered to include just children’s sippy cups and baby bottles.

Similar bans have been enacted already in Minnesota and Connecticut; and proposals reducing BPA have been proceeding in Washington, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.

Proponents of the bill believe the chemical is a danger to children, potentially causing early onset of puberty, liver abnormalities, diabetes, and some types of cancer. However, the bill’s opponents claim the chemical is not a real danger in small quantities, such as those amounts used to make bottles and cans.

VIDEO COMING SOON…

BY SARAH ROSS

SALEM- A bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in vehicles under 10,000 pounds moved from the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Thursday, following the release of a fiscal report finding the bill would cost between $2.1 and $2.3 million to implement.

The bill, introduced by Senate President Peter Courtney, would create a process for adoption and implementation of plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with recommendations from the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Oregon Department of State Lands and Development in the following session.

While changes to the original bill seemed to settle the nerves of its critics, a fiscal report released Thursday showed that the cost for implementing the plan would be upwards of $2 million, including the costs for five full-time employees at the Department of State Lands and Development and one employee at the Department of Transportation.

After debate on a number of motions to move the bill with a “do pass” recommendation, Sen. Floyd Prozanksi, D-Eugene, made a final motion to move the bill to the Joint Ways and Means Committee with no recommendation due to the high cost.

VIDEO COMING SOON…

BY SARAH ROSS

SALEM- A constitutional amendment allowing law enforcement to establish sobriety checkpoints was given a public hearing Monday morning in the Senate Judiciary Committee.

While the bill, proposed by Sen. Rod Monroe, D-Portland, was given this public hearing, it has not been scheduled to receive a work session and thus is not likely to leave the committee.

Traffic safety activists and Mother Against Drunk Driving (MADD) supported the bill, saying that sobriety checkpoints could save more than 20 lives per year that otherwise would be taken by people driving while intoxicated.

However, citizens and lobbyists from ACLU and other organizations opposed the bill, claiming it is not only a waste of the state’s resources but also would infringe on citizens’ right to privacy.

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YouTube Direkthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqCp6GUkyp4

SALEM- The Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources held a public hearing Tuesday on a plastic bag pan proposed by Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton.

Multiple testimonies were given but the bill was not brought to a vote.

Developing…

BY SARAH ROSS

SALEM- The first day of the Oregon Legislature’s special session turned out to be a long day with, as one lobbyist put it, “a whole lot of nothing” besides mingling in the halls of the capitol.

Between the lobbyists and the politicians, the only thing that remained clear for the session is that the body is trying to squeeze six months’ worth of work into their restricted one-month period. And with staff being cut back to handle about two committees each, the schedule will be even more hectic than during regular sessions.

Legislative concepts were introduced in various committees, as were the members of each committee. Work plans were also approved, laying out the agenda for the next few weeks of hearings.

Bills must leave their original committees by February 11. From there they will proceed to the other chamber’s committee, and then to the respective floor sessions for a full House and Senate vote.

It should be a very interesting month.