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Legislative Update
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October 2013
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NEW OREGON LEGISLATURE WEBSITE
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Comcast Newsmakers
Rep Thatcher was interviewed for this special program a few weeks ago which aired on local cable channels in Yamhill and Marion counties. Click Here to see the video.
Statewide Disaster Drill
October 17th
Are you prepared in case natural disaster strikes?
Click here to take part in the largest earthquake drill in state history.
Geologic Education Event October 13-19
The Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries has lot of information to share during Earth Science Week Click here to learn more.
Veteran's Day Events
Click here to go to a website in the weeks ahead for events being planned around the state for Veteran's Day November 11th.
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CONSUMER SERVICES
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New Beverage Recycling Center opened in the Salem area October 1st. Several local grocery stores will no longer have bottle and can recycling stations. Instead the
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Article 5 section 12 of the Oregon Constitution says the Governor may convene the state legislature into special session "on extraordinary occasions". Was that really the case this time around? I wonder.
Let me say upfront, I was not able to participate in the recent special session due to a previously planned family commitment. And I don't envy my colleagues who had to make the difficult decisions to resolve the issues on the table - everything from funding for our classrooms to genetically engineered seeds.
I was able to review some of the proposals up for a vote and heard from many constituents around the state who have a variety of viewpoints. While I may have supported some of the proposals up for a vote, I believe I would have voted "no" on all of them based on principle.
Think about it. The legislature spent nearly six months already this year hashing out many of the same pros and cons behind the bills brought forward in the special session. Where's the fire? Why did Governor John Kitzhaber feel it was necessary to bring legislators back to Salem for another bite at the apple?
This is the second time in less than a year the governor has called a "special" legislative session. Remember the "Nike Deal" last December? Now it's the "Grand Bargain." Is this how Oregon should be governed, one special session at a time? Bills changing by the minute, legislators being pressured behind closed doors in a very rushed process; what's next, the Columbia River Crossing Session?
Perhaps there should be more thorough discussions during legislative committee hearings to allow additional time for constituents to share their views with their elected leaders at the State Capitol during a regular session.
But the deal is done and there appears to be lots of support for what happened. In the end there was something for everyone to like and hate. See below for a brief summary of each new law that was adopted by the special session. And click here for a description of how these changes might impact your family or business.
Back to my initial point about "extraordinary occasions."
I support helping our students succeed and giving local school boards the resources they need to do that. During the 2013 regular legislative session, we approved a nearly 15% increase in K-12 education spending from the general fund and lottery dollars.
The Governor's proclamation calling lawmakers into special session read in part, "We have the opportunity to combine cost savings from reforms to the Public Employee Retirement System and new revenue to restore lost school days." Possibly. However, the additional $100 million set aside in the final package for public schools won't be available until the 2014-15 school year starts next fall. There are also potential legal challenges on the horizon which could put that funding in jeopardy.
I'm not sure the reforms made during the special session will help local schools in the months ahead. Plus, lawmakers could have waited until the February 2014 session to approve the money if the goal was to spend it a year from now. Again, what emergency was the session trying to solve?
I hope we can have a more comprehensive debate about school funding in future legislative sessions, looking at issues such as how we can minimize the costs of state regulations on schools and expand alternatives such as charter schools. I'm also looking forward to talking more about tax reform to assist small business owners and family farms, as well as discussing changes to PERS that might help add stability to the system for both public employees and taxpayers. I welcome your suggestions on these topics and others. Sincerely,
P.S. Included in my monthly newsletter is information about various government programs paid for with your tax dollars that you may want to know more about.
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Special Session - Grand Bargain?
Five measures were adopted by state lawmakers during the recent special session. Here is a brief summary and links to information on each. Click here for an analysis of all the new laws by the House Republican Office. 
House Bill 3601. Tax policy changes. Raises tax rate on certain "C" corporations,
and is intended to lower taxes on small businesses like some "S" corporations 
and LLCs. Eliminates all personal exemption credits for some upper income households (but this could add up to a large loss for a family with several dependents), removes the ability for some seniors to subtract medical expenses from their taxes, and increases the cigarette tax by
13 cents a pack. Click here for more details on HB 3601.
House Bill 5101.
Spending changes. Adds funding for the 2013-15 state budget (some in new revenue from the Grand Bargain, other money moved from reserves):
$100 million for K-12 schools, $40 million for higher education, $40 million for various senior services, and $20 million for mental health programs from the tobacco tax hike.
Senate Bill 861. PERS cost savings. Reduces the Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for retirees of the Public Employee Retirement System to 1.25 % for the first $60,000, 0.15 % for amounts above $60,000. The measure also provides supplemental payments for certain low-income PERS recipients. This legislation is expected to reduce the $14 billion unfunded liability by around $2 billion. Click here for more details on SB 861.
Senate Bill 862. PERS policy changes. This law takes newly elected legislators out of PERS in the future, eliminates the practice of "spiking" when health insurance payments are added into the final average salary calculation, and penalizes employees convicted of a work-related felony by removing employer contributions from their pension amounts. Click here for more details on SB 862.
Senate Bill 863. Genetic farming restrictions. This measure establishes that the responsibility for regulating seeds rests with the state and not local governments. Statewide policies could be established to address concerns about Genetically Modified Organisms in food crops. An ordinance being voted on next spring in Jackson County is exempt. Click here for more details about SB 863.
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Oregon Legislature
Gets New Website
The legislative assembly gave the State Capitol
a special present for its 75th Anniversary on October 1st -
a new website! www.oregonlegislature.gov
The old site has evolved over the past decade and needed to keep up with the times. On the new site there is a tab at the top called "Citizen Engagement" to help Oregonians find their way around the legislative process.
Another handy feature is a box right on the home page where you can enter your address to get contact information for the elected officials who represent you at the state and federal levels of government. There's even a link on the right side of the home page where you can click and provide suggestions on improving this new site.
Coming soon, are enhancements to the program, known as OLIS,
the Oregon Legislative Information System,
which helps people locate various bills and 
committee hearings.
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Patients Should be Patient With
Heath Care Reform in Oregon
Obamacare Health Exchange
Open for Business
You've probably seen billboards and TV ads, now you might want to check out the new website which went live October 1st to implement the new federal Affordable Care Act (ACA), so-called Obamacare. The website, www.CoverOregon.com is supposed to be a one-stop shopping location for individuals and small businesses to buy health insurance.
Cover Oregon is our state's version of a health insurance exchange that is required by Obamacare. The new law is complicated but here are a few interesting things to keep in mind. This new program is designed to help certain small businesses and individuals who buy their own insurance. Both groups may qualify for tax credits. Seventy-two different health plans are available for small group insurance customers and 102 plans for individuals in what is called a "managed market." That's where all plans offered meet the coverage specifications required by the ACA and the state.
The initial launch hasn't really been smooth sailing and during the first few weeks customers will be directed to work with one of the 3,000 trained insurance agents or staff at several non-profit organizations. You can sign up for health insurance under the program between now and mid-December in order to get coverage starting January 1, 2014.
Remember there are penalties on your income taxes if you don't have health insurance by the end of next year. For most people that means they have between now and March next year to make sure they are complying with the new law.
More than 350,000 people are expected to go through the new exchange in the first year, many of them eligible for financial assistance to pay for premiums and other costs. That includes people who make up to $46,000 a year, or a family of four earning up to $94,000 annually. Some families who qualify for the Oregon Health Plan or Healthy Kids program will also access coverage through this new website.
So who's paying for this new exchange? Taxpayers. Federal grant money totaling $245 million is funding the start-up costs just in Oregon. After that, in 2015, fees will be charged on insurers, who may pass that expense on to patients. And FYI, around $30 million is being spent on advertising and outreach efforts to spread the word about all these changes.
You probably have more questions than this newsletter can provide answers so for more details go to www.coveroregon.com or call 855-CoverOR  FYI -the 4-1-1 on CCOs and OHP Just over a year ago the state changed the way it provides medical services to low-income Oregonians. Due to changes pushed by the Governor and the legislature Coordinated Care Organizations (CCOs) now handle care for those clients on the Oregon Health Plan, the state's Medicaid program. There are now 15 CCOs up and running across the state with the goal of delivering health care more efficiently for patients and taxpayers alike. This year state lawmakers approved adding approximately 250,000 more people to OHP, a choice available to states under Obamacare, sometimes referred to as the federal Medicaid expansion. Federal dollars (provided by taxpayers) cover most of the additional costs, however state taxpayers will be called on to chip in more funding a few years down the road. As part of all these changes a new "fast track" enrollment process is now underway. Letters were recently sent to 260,000 low-income people by the Oregon Health Authority letting them know that if they qualified for food stamps they might pass through an express lane of sorts and be signed up for OHP without having to stop at Cover Oregon. If all these changes are giving you a headache, you're not alone. I'm not sure if it will help your headache or not, but try checking out the website www.health.oregon.gov or call 800.699.9075.
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Thoughts for Thatcher
How do you feel about the changes going on in health care policies and what should the state legislature do?
Click here to respond or email rep.kimthatcher@state.or.us
Feedback from last month's newsletter question:
What should the Oregon Legislature do to make our state more friendly for businesses and promote job growth?
Responses received:
- Oregon has the 2nd highest State income tax. If you want the middle class to save money for retirement, go to college, buy a home, reduce the State income tax.
- On the economy, get business pros to lay out what it would take to bring them to Oregon.
- We need more deals like the recent Nike deal that promotes business and new jobs.
- Efforts should be made to stop companies like WalMart from paying employees poverty level wages while the owners make billions in profits.
- Repeal the inheritance tax, the thought of leaving nearly half of anything over one million dollars to the state is disgusting.
- In construction, contractors should be surveyed state wide to determine if there are any jurisdictions that are making it hard for them to construct things. Particularly cities and counties that have far too much red tape to get routine permits and plans reviewed.
- Get rid of the min-wage laws.
- How about reducing some the bureaucratic paperwork and cost for people to start a business.
- Please work on repealing Measures 66 and 67. They deeply hurt small business, as you well known.
- It would help to see a list created by businesses in Oregon that identify the specific things they believe our state is currently doing that makes it hard for them to promote job growth. This list should then be evaluated to determine if the items on the list do indeed interfere with a business's ability to promote job growth.
- A more financially stable state government with less need for more taxes.
- To really revive Oregon's economy, send the Governor and all the Democrats to California on a extended 5 year hiatus, California could use the help..... That should work, when they get back they could take credit for Oregon's robust economy, at the Republicans expense of course.
- What can help business? First up: gov't has to stop asking the questions as to how it can spur growth or incentivise this or that. The people can take care of themselves.
- Regarding how to improve the job situation the easy theory is to get the State to allow it, not to create it. The difference between Oregon and Texas is that Texas allows them to create work for themselves. Their tax and regulation structure are far less noxious to creating and increasing the gamble that is business.
- Control minimum wage. The higher minimum wage goes the less people we can hire in our business.
- Changing Oregon's mandatory helmet law would open us up to become a premiere destination for motorcycle riders. We don't bring trouble, we bring hard earned cash. Let Those Who Ride Decide... and watch Oregon's small business economy grow huge for food, store, souvenir and hotel stops. I promise.
- Less restrictive laws & red tape.
- Reform the ACA (ObamaCare) and our State's CCO's to allow small and larger business's to shop around for the most reasonably cost effective health care insurance. Let's take the Health Care industry back to Free Market Capitalism.
- Reduce the size and debt of Government. This will show business that Oregon is serious about growing the private sector (where jobs are created).
- Our forest land needs to be opened up for logging, we should harvesting our trees instead of burning them.
- Make Oregon a "Right to Work" state. All that are, have a higher standard of living. The Chinese will not even build or buy a business if a state that is not a "Right to Work" state.
- Look at having county planning depts be more flexible in allowing farming land owners to use their land for value added business opportunities. Many farmers have their hands tied to only earning a living in one EFU accepted way but if they were allowed other opportunities for business on their farms then they could earn more plus pay more in taxes to the state WIN - WIN.
- Turn 50% of all Federal and State forests and lands over to the private sector. Georgia Pacific and Weyerhaeuser or private timber companies have an interest to keep forest Healthy ... government does not!
- Create tax free business zones in rural Oregon counties for 5 to 10 year periods.
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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 Court Street NE
Salem, OR 97301
www.oregonlegislature.gov/thatcher
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