With the November 6th Election coming up and Veterans Day shortly after, it's important for all of us to recognize the men and women who've sacrificed so much in order for the rest of us to have a democratic process in the US and the right to vote. I want to make special mention of a young soldier from my legislative district, Ryan Hill, who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country and has now received special recognition from the military. See story below.

"The men and women who serve in our military have won for us every hour we live in freedom, sometimes at the expense of the very hours of the lifetimes they had hoped to live"
                                        - Bob Riley, former Alabama Governor

In the last newsletter I mentioned legislation I'm working on to protect the credibility of our elections process. Casting a ballot is one of the most important ways we, as citizens, can change the laws and policies that govern our lives. We live in a society that is governed by the rule of law. However, there are those who unfortunately choose not to follow the law.

One such example is the recent push to encourage people who are in our country illegally to come to Oregon and stay here by providing them with a special state driver's license. Look for my commentary in this week's Keizer Times newspaper on the subject. I also wanted to mention a couple of other factors that overlap this discussion.

I worked hard to see that Oregon driver's licenses were only being issued to people who had proper legal status because there were concerns about public safety and other issues. State transportation officials say there has not been an increase in the number of uninsured, unlicensed drivers causing accidents since new eligibility rules took effect nearly five years ago.

The federal REAL ID Act of 2005 requires states to ensure that illegal immigrants are not getting driver's licenses and take other steps. However, Oregon is one of a handful of states that not in full compliance with the Act. In 2009 legislation was passed which said Oregon would not follow the Act unless the federal government paid for implementation at the state level.

So, if nothing changes in Congress between now and January 15th under federal law, if you want to get on an airplane or enter a federal building you won't be able to use an Oregon driver's license for identification. You'll have to use other forms of ID.

There is also a question about the federal government's new deferred action program for young adults who were brought to the US by their parents and are currently not citizens. Under the new program they are issued essentially permits to allow them to stay in the country. Despite earlier news reports, Oregon's DMV is currently reviewing these permits to see if these individuals now have "legal presence" and can be issued a state driver's license.

An informal advisory group is currently working with Governor John Kitzhaber on possible legislation for next year which could potentially allow illegal immigrants to get some kind of "driving only" provisional license. I would not support this concept and will try to keep you posted if such a proposal comes forward. Please share your thoughts at the bottom of this newsletter.

During this election season a lot of discussion has been around the economy. Click here for an interesting map showing which states have seen the most job growth and how they fit into the national political landscape. Here in Oregon the economy continues to have a hard time recovering.

According to one report Oregon had the largest number of job losses since the peak of the recession in 2009. Our unemployment rate is hovering around 8.7%, still above the national average.
 

I've mentioned this before but it's troubling to see the largest sector for jobs in Oregon being government; perhaps due to the demand for services to help low income families. I should also mention property tax bills were just delivered to mailboxes around the state, in many areas market values are down but the amount owed is up.

The economic conditions play a huge role in how lawmakers prepare for the 2013 legislative session. I predict once again, the amount of tax revenue expected to come in to the state will not be as much as many had hoped or expected and the legislature will have to find ways to prioritize spending so that the most critical areas have adequate funding. Details to follow in the next newsletter so stay tuned. 

                                          Sincerely,