March 2012

KATU-TV in Portland
recently aired a series of stories on sex offender laws in Oregon and interviewed Rep Thatcher on some of the bills she is working on.

Click here for more

IMPORTANT LINKS

You Can Make a Difference in the Oregon Legislature

Rep Thatcher's Legislative Website

Now that the dust is starting to settle from the brief but fast-paced February legislative session I wanted to provide an update on what happened from my perspective. This was the first real annual legislative session in an even-numbered year under the change in Oregon's constitution approved by voters in 2010. As many predicted the focus would be on making sure the state budget was balanced and it was huge challenge considering new estimates showed there would be $340 million less revenue than earlier expected. Luckily, we did not have to close any prisons or make drastic cuts to other critical state services like school funding or programs for low-income seniors and people with disabilities.

I serve on the legislature's Joint Ways and Means budget committee and it was not an easy task. To learn more about how the budget turned out click here to read more from our Committee Co-Chairman, State Representative Dennis Richardson (R-Central Point).

As you may have seen in the news, there are still a large number of Oregonians without a job, many seeking state services. That's why I had hoped this recent legislative session would take significant steps to make our state a better place for the private sector to grow. Sadly, that did not happen and I wrote about this in a recent newspaper commentary. (click here to read more) One of the measures that did pass, was promoted as a way to improve our economic development policies at the state level. I spoke out against House Bill 4040 on the House Floor because I felt it was just another mechanism for government intervention into our free market system where all too often we see bureaucrats and politicians picking winners and losers. (click here to see transcript of the floor remarks)

There were a few pieces of legislation adopted during the February session you may be interested in and you can click here for a partial list. One bill followed closely by a young constituent of mine was Senate Bill 1575 to crack down on protests at funerals. Ryan Ripp, a McNary High School Student, testified in favor of changing state law last year and he learned a valuable civics lesson along the way. (click here to read more)

Each legislator was allowed to introduce two bills in this short session. I was able to get an important measure passed to protect the privacy of Concealed Handgun License holders, but not as successful when it came to enacting the E-verify employment screening program for state agencies. Read below for details on both bills.

In the months ahead I plan to once again reach out to citizens who are interested in our state government to see if there are positive changes we should be working on for the 2013 legislative session.
I encourage you to attend one of my upcoming town halls, March 20th in Keizer or March 21st in Newberg, and let me know your thoughts or look at the bottom of this newsletter under "Thoughts for Thatcher".

Sincerely,

Signature

3rd Time Is a Charm for CHL Privacy opbinterview

After passing the Oregon House of Representatives in 2009 and 2011,
a new state law to protect private information about Concealed Handgun License (CHL) holders was finally adopted by the Legislature and is now waiting for Governor Kitzhaber's signature. House Bill 4045 was amended by the State Senate to allow for limited disclosure of this information to the public in some circumstances. It is not the ideal bill Representative Thatcher originally proposed, but it was the best language she could get and without this new law there was a good chance the Oregon State Police would release the records of 160,000 current and former CHL holders to two large newspapers. If you're interested in an interview Representative Thatcher did with the Oregonian when this bill appeared to be dead mid-way through the session, click here. If you want to hear a lively debate about firearms legislation including Representative Thatcher's bill, click here, for an interview on OPB radio broadcast live from the Capitol which included Senator Ginny Burdick (D-Portland) pictured above.

Legal State Workforce Bill May Return in 2013

House Bill 4052, which would have required all state agencies in Oregon to use the federal E-verify employment screening program so they could have another tool to use when trying to provide a legal workforce. That measure did not gain enough support to get a hearing during the recent legislative session. However, Representative Thatcher is committed to bringing back this concept in the 2013 legislative session to help ensure the rule of law is respected and minimize the impact of illegal immigration in Oregon. See below for comments from our newsletter readers on the E-verify issue.

A new national poll shows nearly 80% favor laws that require employers to electronically verify the immigration status of their new hires. And one interesting development is a new service provided by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service called Self Check, which allows job applicants to confirm their work eligibility status, see whether there are any discrepancies in their records, and find out how to fix them before searching for a job. Click here to see the new program.

DMV Office Changes DMV

The Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division (DMV) office near you may be closing or changing hours of operation. Some of these changes have already happened, others may come this spring impacting several offices around Representative Thatcher's legislative district including branches in McMinnville, Woodburn, Sherwood, and South Salem. One of the changes might be moving to a Monday through Friday schedule. The agency is asking Oregonians to use the agency's online services more often. If you'd like to give DMV your thoughts on these changes you can email David House at david.j.house@odot.state.or.us or contact the Salem Metro Area
DMV phone number at (503) 945-5000.

regpaperwork Good Government Measures

A new report just out shows Oregon's efforts to provide taxpayers with more transparency in state government are now ranked among the top-ten in the country. The Annual Follow Money report by the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG) gave the Oregon Transparency website www.oregon.gov/transparency a "B+" up from a "B-" the year before. Representative Thatcher was instrumental in creating this site which was launched in 2010.

Prior to launching the site the state had a "D" grade. In the 2011 legislative session Thatcher was able to get more features added to the site to provide information about economic development tax incentives and public meeting notices. During the February legislative session, the Joint Audits and Information Technology Committee, which Representative Thatcher Co-Chairs, held a hearing on the transparency website and received suggestions for improvements.

In other government reform news, Representative Thatcher was recently appointed to the State and Local Government Efficiency Task Force to look for ways to help services and agencies operate better for less money and avoid duplication. The Task Force was created by the legislature in 2009 and revised in 2011 to explore a number of issues including elections, human services, natural resources, education, and criminal justice.

An additional effort underway at the state level is the Governor's Regulatory Streamlining and Simplification Project. It's a mouthful to say, but the intent is to help make it easier for businesses to deal with regulations and permits in an effort to foster a friendlier climate for job creation in Oregon. You can click here to read more about this project. An online survey is also underway and you can particpate by clicking this link with responses due by March 21st.

Thoughts for Thatcher

How do you feel about the outcome of the February 2012 Legislative Session and what issues do you think still need work in the 2013 Session?

Click here to respond or email rep.kimthatcher@state.or.us

Feedback from last month's newsletter question:

With Oregon's unemployment rate still over 9% do you feel it is important for state government to use the best available tools to hire workers who are here legally, such as the E-verify system?

Responses received:

I whole heartily agree that E-Verify must be passed and only legal workers allowed to work in Oregon. This should also include any trucking crossing into our state so as to exclude any foreign firms or illegal drivers.
E-Verify will do a lot to help our economy and the state budget. We don't want to be a magnet for those leaving other states that have imposed E-Verify.
With the U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling that states CAN require E-Verify and with an estimated 100,000+ illegal aliens working in Oregon, there's NO EXCUSE not to do this.
The US does not have an illegal alien problem, it has an illegal employer problem. If we do not hold employers accountable for hiring only legal workers, then it will not matter what else we try.
It is important for all employers, government and private, to use a reliable system to verify an employees legal status.
Employers must assume a lot of the responsibility for the proliferation of illegal and undocumented workers in this country. E- Verify is one tool that can help them do that. But why stop with just state government employers?
I completely agree with E-Verify. This is long past due for our legal citizens.
Yes I think E-verify should be used by all employers not just tax sponsored jobs. In fact we need to use it to get a voter registration card. Voter fraud is a serious issue that threatens our country.
The idea of the federal government having information on every person and getting more is worrisome to me. It would be better for us to risk illegals than to give the government more centralized information on every living being in our state. There are ways to do a better job without the government getting to keep the results of the check.
Absolutely! E-Verify is only the start of what I feel appropriate to join the workforce LEGALLY.
Yes, of course the use of E-verify is important. Most other issues can be corrected and adjusted in the future, but as we accumulate a critical mass of illegal aliens, the state is permanently altered and lost. Look no further than California for an example.

If you want to contact Rep Thatcher's office you can send an email to: rep.kimthatcher@state.or.us or call 503.986.1425

Write to Rep Thatcher at:

900 SE Court Street NE
Salem, OR 97301

www.leg.state.or.us/thatcher