Oregon Trails

An Occasional Newsletter

from

The Association of Oregon Counties

Week Two 

Salem  Still Standing 

February 15, 2013

The Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Services heard testimony this week from the Oregon Health Authority about OHA's agency budget (HB 5030). Legislators heard testimony outlining service provision based on the Governor's Recommended Budget (GRB). Next week the subcommittee will begin holding public testimony on different departments in the agency. The public health system is on the schedule for Thursday afternoon.

The House Human Services and Housing committee heard public testimony on HB 2392. The bill would require county commissioner and department representation on the Youth Development Council (YDC). The bill would also increase the scope of the funding and the allocation process. There was about an hour of public testimony and the committee also heard from the director of the YDC, Iris Bell. 

The House Health Care committee held a public hearing on HB 2133 which would require a coordinated care organization to submit a business plan to community advisory councils for approval. During Wednesday's hearing Representative Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, and Senator Chip Shields, D-Portland, testified in favor of the bill. The public hearing was carried over to Friday's meeting.

Early next week the House Health Care Committee will hear HB 2136 which deals with how the funds from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (TMSA) are spent. AOC's Legislative Committee supports the bill with amendments that would direct a percentage of the TMSA funds into prevention programs at the local level. In the past few years there have been cuts to tobacco prevention programs and this is an opportunity to make these programs whole.

Washington, D.C. - Three Oregon Congressmen, DeFazio, Walden, Schrader, have sent letters to Senator Ron Wyden and U.S. Reps. Doc Hastings, R-WA, and Rob Bishop, R-UT, asking them to schedule and hold hearings on proposals to turn millions of acres of federal land into long-term revenue for counties and communities. Sen. Wyden is chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Rep. Hastings is chair of the House Natural Resources Committee and Rep. Bishop is chair of a key House subcommittee.  

The three Oregon Congressmen plead their case in letters sent earlier this week. They cite Governor Kitzhaber's efforts to resolve federal land management issues in a 94-page report based on the recent work of a task force the Governor convened. While the task force failed to reach consensus, it did manage to find agreement on several key issues, a point the Governor and the Congressmen point to as reason for Congressional action. The three Congressmen spent much time and energy in the last Congress trying to pass a plan to deal with the issues surrounding the O&C lands and other federal land management issues. While not successful in getting that legislation through Congress last year, they have raised awareness of the issue and continue to keep the issue in front of key Congressional panels.

Letter to Senator Wyden.  Letter to Representatives Hastings and Bishop.   

The bridge project once known as the Columbia River Crossing, now known as the I-5 Bridge Replacement, had a hearing in Salem this week.  

Sid Leiken, Lane County Commissioner and co-chair of the AOC Transportation Committee, testified before the newly created I-5 Bridge Replacement Joint Legislative Committee on Monday, February 11, 2013. He emphasized the importance of the bridge project for Oregon's economy, especially the flow of commerce. He placed on the record our concern that:

"...this project must not overshadow the very real needs that counties face with respect to bridge replacement and maintenance within our own bounds. AOC has grave concerns about funding the I-5 Bridge Replacement project over the long-term using federal revenues that could go to support improvement projects elsewhere in the state. Unless a longer term funding package is adopted in the next session, we could see significantly lower funding which would adversely impact projects around the state."

The hearing started at 3 p.m. and lasted until about 8:00 p.m. with both proponents and opponents registering their support and opposition. 

Co-Chairs Senator Lee Beyer, D-Eugene, Senator Bruce Starr, D-Hillsboro, Rep. Tobias Read, D-Beaverton, and Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, urged support for the bridge through passage of HB 2800. They are proposing to fund the bridge using unanticipated federal dollars from MAP-21 to pay the debt service over the next several years. County and city transportation allocations will not be used to fund the bridge. 

A larger funding package will likely be debated in the 2015 session which could include long term funding for the I-5 Bridge as well as enhanced funding for local projects. The co-chairs hope to have final action on the bill by the Legislature by mid-March in order for the State of Washington to act on a joint financing package.

SB 258 - deals with funding for the Woodburn, Baker County and Highway 26/Glencoe transportation projects.  

At the request of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), Senate Bill 258 moves $10 million from the Beltline interchange project in Eugene where the funding isn't needed to the Woodburn project. Both projects were part of the Jobs and Transportation Act passed by the Legislature in 2009. The Woodburn project needs the $10 million allocation because it did not receive a previously expected congressional earmark.

"This is a smart use of our financial resources," Senate President Peter Courtney said. "The Woodburn interchange project is critical to improving safety and traffic flow along I-5 in north Marion County. With this bill, we can make the upgrades without any additional state debt."

The bill was carried on the floor by Senator Bruce Starr (R-Hillsboro). The lawmakers said the Woodburn interchange is the gateway to some of the most popular annual community events and festivals in the state. The planned changes will ease traffic congestion that now takes place at peak periods of the year.

In addition, SB 258 moves surplus funding from one set of projects to another set in Baker County and instructs the Oregon Transportation Commission to move any leftover funds in the Highway 26/Glencoe project to the Highway 26/Shute Road project.

The measure now moves to the House for consideration.

There has been a flurry of activity around SB 331 over the past week. SB 331 would change the distribution of recreation vehicle license revenues from the current 65 percent for Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, and 35 percent for county parks to a 50 percent/50 percent split. The change is proposed because counties provide nearly half of all combined Oregon State Parks and county park campsites, yet receive only 35 percent of the funding. Further, county parks are facing significant and growing deferred maintenance projects. In 2015, the counties' share will drop further to 30 percent if no legislation is adopted.  

Thanks to help from Commissioners Mark Labhart, Will Tucker and Tony Hyde, we made good progress with support from our chief sponsors, Senator Betsy Johnson and Senator Chuck Thomsen toward an agreement with State Parks. SB 331 was heard by the Senate Rural Communities and Economic Development Committee on Thursday February 14. Linn County Commissioner Will Tucker spoke on behalf of counties regarding the need for the bill. County parks directors showed up in force with nine members giving heartfelt testimony while County College Commissioners listened to the Committee proceedings. We are tentatively scheduled to appear back before the Committee next Thursday, February 21, 2013.

Three bills supported by the Government Efficiency Task Force moved out of the House Consumer Protection and Government Efficiency Committee this week. Two of the bills, HB 2141 and HB 2142, have also passed on the House floor. These bills are essentially housekeeping fixes that repeal outdated statutes. The other bill, HB 2140, would allow counties and other local governments access to the Oregon Intermediate Term Pool. This pool potentially provides local governments with an avenue to earn more interest revenue than is currently available through the Oregon Short-Term Fund. HB 2140 was referred to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means for further consideration.