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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The
76th Legislative Session adjourned at 2:45pm on June 30,
2011 after balancing the budget and finding agreement on both the state
and federal redistricting plans. It has been a tough session and Oregon's
budget still faces tremendous demands in providing services for
seniors, people with disabilities, and others struggling to make ends
meet. Because revenues for government services tend to lag behind
recessions and boom cycles, we will continue to see inadequate budgets
for schools and human services, even though businesses are finally
getting back on their feet.
Although some of our neighbors remain unemployed, many
factors signal an improving economy. Driving forces behind Oregon's brightening economic picture are
increasing growth in exports by Oregon
companies and the creation of over 16,000 jobs in Oregon in the past six
months. We have the seventh fastest job growth in the
nation. The state’s unemployment rate dropped a full percentage point and
nearly 2,500 unemployed Oregonians have earned National Career Readiness
certification for high-demand jobs. Companies like Solopower, Intel, U.S.
Geothermal, Facebook, Shimadzu, and Vigor Industrial have announced new Oregon plants,
acquisitions, jobs, and capital investment. Further, Standard and Poor's
boosted Oregon’s
credit rating to AA+ thanks in part to our fiscally sound budgeting. Oregon has also
been awarded Forbes top 10 ranking on the list of Best States for
Business.
As we move into the interim, I want you to know that I
will continue to focus on ways we can drive Oregon out of this recession by
investing in an educated and skilled workforce and increasing capital
access for our local businesses, while also lending a hand to families
who are struggling. We have to continue to search for better ways
to fund education in Oregon
as it is critical to our economy.
In this e-newsletter you will find:
- Access to Business Capital
- Strengthening Oregon’s Workforce
- Economic Development and Jobs Bills
- Investing in Oregon
- Summer Road Construction
- GG&CP Committee Summary
- Winery Legislation
- Health Insurance Exchange
- Redistricting
- Resources
Throughout the session I have tried to keep you apprised
of legislation I have been working on and about issues of general
interest; I hope this has been helpful and informative. As always, feel
free to share your comments, questions or concerns with me by phone, mail
or e-mail: (541) 344-5636 or rep.paulholvey@state.or.us
You can also become a fan on my Facebook
page where you can see instant news updates from the Capitol.
Respectfully,
Paul Holvey
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Access to Business Capital
Constituents
have told me time and time again that we need to remove barriers to loans
and increase access to capital for Oregon’s
small businesses. SB 494 will help local businesses by continuing the
Access to Business Capital Act. The Act provides Business Oregon (the
state’s economic development agency) more flexibility in administering
their development funds. Locally, Ninkasi Brewing has obtained a loan to
expand their bottling line, and they plan to create at least 17 new jobs.
If you own a businesses and are interested in applying for financing
through the Oregon Business Development Department check out available programs here.
A
concept to create a State Bank to invest in Oregon businesses was introduced this
session. This concept was refined in HB 3452 creating the Economic
Development Finance Authority. It would have provided better access
to public funds for Oregon
investment purposes. Unfortunately the bill was never brought to a vote
on the house floor. The legislature will continue working on this
concept during the interim and I have hopes that we can pass this policy
next session.
Strengthening Oregon’s Workforce
Oregon’s economic
health is fundamentally linked to the availability of a skilled
workforce. By integrating state resources and higher education
infrastructure with innovative new jobs programs, Oregon can tackle unemployment while
investing in the long-term skills and talents of state residents.
SB
175 helps our businesses meet their workforce demands while allowing
workers to get the skills they need to fill the jobs of our future. The
bill will create the Oregon Employer Workforce Training Fund, which will
help Oregon
businesses find cost effective ways to meet worker training needs while
increasing business competitiveness. Companies with similar needs can be
brought together to more efficiently leverage training dollars, rather
than each company investing separately. Matching funds from companies
would stretch this public investment and training would be provided at
times and places convenient to workers in order to increase participation
and completion.
The
bill also creates the Oregon Youth Employment Program, which will
help young people learn job skills through on-the-job experience. Currently,
Oregon
youth face an unemployment rate of over 30 percent and stiff competition
for entry level jobs. This program will provide critical work experiences
for youth while allowing them to earn high school and college credits,
become job-ready, and earn money to support themselves. Businesses
benefit by building their future workforce while gaining the
contributions of these young workers.
One
of the best ways to strengthen our workforce is to revitalize Career and
Technical Education (CTE) programs so students can develop the practical
skills that employers are consistently demanding. HB 3362 encourages
partnerships to provide CTE services to make sure Oregon’s workforce is prepared for the
jobs of the future. With the anticipated growth in numerous high-skill
industries in Oregon,
it is especially critical that CTE programs be enhanced to equip students
to compete for high-wage jobs in emerging and evolving high growth
industries, like renewable energy and health care. The CTE programs
will help foster homegrown businesses in Oregon and attract new businesses to
the state.
Economic Development & Jobs Bills
Urging
Congress to continue timber payments – HJM 25
Oregon received $230 million
in payments for 2008 from the Secure
Rural Schools
and Community Self-Determination Act, with schools receiving $33 million
of that money. Without congressional continuation of the Act, current
reauthorization of county payments ends with one final payment at the end
of 2011.
Cool
Schools – HB 2960
By improving energy efficiency in our schools, we can save scarce
education dollars, improve the classroom environment for our kids, and
create significant job growth in the energy efficient retrofitting
industry.
One
Stop Shop – HB 3247
Creates a centralized "One Stop Shop" for Business to get up
and running in Oregon
and makes it easier for business owner to renew necessary paperwork.
Farmers'
Markets – HB 2336
Supports small local farmers and the growth of famers' markets by
modernizing state laws regulating farmers markets and direct sales by
farmers to the public.
Green
Jobs – HB 2840
Expands the green jobs growth initiative to include an analysis of growth
factors and employment projections for green jobs in forest products
industries.
Special
Public Works Fund – HB 2069
Helps local communities access capital for infrastructure projects,
creating jobs.
Investing in Oregon
The PEW Center
on the States and the Rockefeller Foundation recently released a report
highlighting Oregon
for our thriving transportation and infrastructure investments.
They found that these projects have a high return on investment for
taxpayers, promote economic growth, and advance multi-modal mobility on Oregon roads.
The report, titled "Measuring Transportation Investments: The
Road to Results," also finds that Oregon lawmakers have been judicious
and fiscally responsible with taxpayer dollars. To read the PEW Center's full report go here
Summer Road Construction
In
related news, the summer marks the start of the heavy construction season
for state and local highway, road, street and bridge projects. The
Oregon Department of Transportation has released this year’s state
construction map, which illustrates all the work taking place over the
summer. The map is available online here.
General Government
and Consumer Protection Committee Summary
The House Committee on General
Government and Consumer Protection, which I co-chaired, tackled some
tough issues during the 76th Legislative Session. Here are some
interesting committee statistics:
There were 204 House bills and 37 Senate bills referred
to the committee. We passed out 94 bills and send 59 of them to the House
Floor for consideration. We held public hearings on 50 percent of
the bills and passed 39 percent of the bills referred to our
committee.
Notable
bills that came through my committee:
Increasing
Transparency - To prevent fraud and waste of public resources and to
ensure that Oregonians get the greatest return on our investment, the
legislature passed HB 2825. This bill will improve the transparency of
Oregon’s economic development tax incentives by requiring the Department
of Administrative Services to post information on the state
transparency website about who receives economic development tax
incentives, how much they received, and what the business did to receive
the incentive.
Buy
Oregon First – HB 3000 allows state
agencies to give preference to goods and services produced in Oregon when
bidding out contracts. This
bill will help Oregon
businesses by encouraging the development and growth of our local supply
chains, helping to create local jobs and revitalizing our state’s economy.
Achieving
Management Efficiency - HB 2020 will require state agencies to begin
moving toward an 11-1 employee to management ratio. This will save state
dollars and promote government efficiency by requiring all agencies with
more than 100 employees to review its management to staff ratios, as well
as the job descriptions for those positions.
Winery Legislation
Oregon is regarded
internationally as a leader in the production of fine wines. Our
wine industry has developed into one of our State’s most important
agricultural producers and fastest growing industries, but the statutes
that define our wineries have become outdated.
I introduced and chief sponsored HB 3280, updating
statute to reflect the growth and changing business models of Oregon’s
wine industry, while maintaining
the integrity of agricultural land use policy. HB
3280 has found balance by allowing some activities, such as a restaurant,
on large wineries where their primary purpose of agriculture and wine
production is well established and their size mitigates potential impacts
to surrounding areas.
I also helped pass SB 960, which would
allow farmers to supplement their farm income with secondary commercial
activities without threatening the underlying agriculture use.
Health Insurance Exchange
SB
99 sets the framework for a health insurance exchange, which is a central
marketplace for health insurance that provides one-stop shopping for
individuals and small businesses to compare rates and benefits among
plans. Consumers will be able to review plan options either through a Web
site or with the assistance of a community-based organization designed to
help individuals find the best insurance plan for their needs. The
Exchange will also allow qualified businesses and individuals to access
federal tax credits available in 2014 to help make premiums more
affordable.
Redistricting
For
the first time in a century, the Oregon Legislature reached agreement on
both the legislative and congressional redistricting maps with
the passage of SB 989 and SB 990. The maps are based on hours of public
testimony and they honor the statutory requirements to create districts
of equal population, while not dividing communities of interest. The
changes in districts will take effect in the 2012
election cycle. I am honored to have served on the Joint
Redistricting Committee that developed these proposals.
Some
of the changes to House District 8 include: a shift of the university
neighborhood East of Hilyard Street from District 8 to District 11, a
portion downtown North of 11th Avenue will mostly be shifted to District
13, some of the neighborhood around McCormick Elementary School and
Churchill High School will be shifted to district 14, a neighborhood
between West Amazon and Willamette Street in South Eugene will be shifted
to District 8 from District 11, rural areas around Creswell, Cottage
Grove, Walton, Elmira and Alvadore will be added to District 8.
For more details, look at
the redistricting maps. It has been an honor to serve these
neighborhoods and I look forward to serving the new neighborhoods in
District 8 in the future.
Resources
- How Do I… - Information
about how to contact a state agency or receive assistance from the
State of Oregon.
- Find Assistance - Need help finding
assistance? 1-800-SAFE-NET (1-800-723-3638), a project of 211info,
is a toll free number which connects Oregonians with helpful
resources in their local area.
- Health Insurance Resources – The Oregon
Department of Consumer and Business Services and the Oregon Health
Authority have created the Oregon Health Connect
webpage to provide consumers information about finding and selecting
health insurance resources.
- UO Events in Your Neighborhood – The
University of Oregon publishes a bi-monthly
newsletter containing events and
activities that may affect your neighborhood.
- Insurance Information – This Web
site provides easy to understand
information about insurance in Oregon. You can also track your
insurance provider’s rates and see if your provider is requesting a
rate increase.
- Oregon’s
Budget – The Oregon
Budget Widget let’s you take the
wheel and solve Oregon’s
budget crisis.
- Alert Me – Emergency personnel now have the
capability to call cellular phones in instances of urgency. Sign up here
so critical information can be relayed to you about emergency
situations that may require your immediate attention.
- Attn: Women and Hispanic Farmers and
Ranchers – The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeks
to compensate Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers who assert
they were discriminated against when seeking USDA farm loans between
1981 and 2000. If this applies to you click here for resources on how to file a claim.
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