Laws change insurance benefits
Uy FETER MEAD
Of the Emerald
An act of Congress may spare
Oregonians from a new state law
requiring auto safety inspections.
But 37 other state laws that
went on the books Jan. 1 look like
they're here to stay.
The law requiring safety
inspections, passed as Senate Bill
898, was passed to satisfy federal
standards At present, the federal
government can withhold 10 per
cent of the highway construction
funds appropriated for Oregon
this year, unless the state adopts
a program of mandatory safety
inspections for passenger
vehicles.
The federal government singled
out this state and three others—of
the 19 without mandatory
programs— for possible san
ctions.
News of this came to the state in
August. But state officials have
delayed specific measures to
comply with the law because bills
in the U S. House and Senate may
change the law. SB 898 makes no
specific provisions for
implementing or enforcing a
program of inspections.
A bill has passed the U S
Senate that would reduce the
federal sanctions on states not
complying with the inspection
laws. If this bill becomes law, the
federal government could only
withhold 50 to 100 per cent of the
State Safety Grant, a much
smaller amount than the 10 per
cent of the highway construction
funds it can now withhold.
The House has passed a bill
that would delay any federal
sanctions until 1977. That bill calls
for Conoress to redraft hiqhway
safety requirements, based on
recommendations to come on
Dec. 31 from a report the
Secretary of Transportation would
prepare.
Both bills now go to joint
subcommittees, composed of
members in the House and
Senate, who will consider the bills
and may send them to both
chambers for final approval.
"We will probably not do
anything more to even propose (a
plan for safety inspections) until
we find out how they’re doing on
the legislation in Congress,” said
Veneta Howard, information
officer for the State Motor
Vehicles Department.
Among the other new laws,
several change state
requirements for insurance.
One law, passed as House Bill
2301, requires protection for
babies, at the moment of birth,
from all policies and health service
contractors. Most already make
that coverage, though some cover
babies only for the first two weeks
or 30 days.
Co-sponsor Mary Burrows, a
Republican from District 41, said
‘ one pediatrician told me there
were some parents who would
never be out of debt from paying
for uninsured illnesses of
infants.' Burrows said support for
the bill was so strong "it just went
zinging through the House.”
Another new law, passed as SB
220, requires some coverage for
the treament of alcoholism by
every policy of group health
insurance.
Motor vehicle insurance
requirements went up, and that
may send the cost of premiums up
$8 a year for Eugene-area
residents, according to Deputy
Insurance Commissioner Jim
Crouch.
The new law, passed as HB
2995, increases minimum
insurance standards from
$19,000 one person—$20,000
one accident to $15,000 one
person—$30,000 one accident.
That amount of coverage
should satisfy needs of accident
victims in 93 to 94 per cent of the
accidents on the highway, Crouch
said. But if you are unfortunate
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enough to get into an accident
with a family with four or five kids,”
he said, protection in that amount
would be far too little.
In the savings and loan field, HB
2721 became law. For the most
part, it revises old legislation. One
change students may want to be
aware of, however, is that a
savings and loan association can
make service charges on an
account of $25 or less, that has
been dormant for over two years,
if the account holder is first
notified.
Even the University ad
ministration got some help from
two of the new laws. HB 2339 and
SB 273 revise and change old
state laws concerning rules and
procedures the University must
follow in making contracts.
Procedures on construction
contracts is the subject of HB
2339. This law requires a notice of
bidding be advertisied in at least
one trade paper of statewide,
general circulation any time any
public body will be taking bids on
projects estimated to cost more
than $50,000.
A public agency must also
determine if an improvement it
plans to do itself, with cost
estimated over $50,000, could be
done less expensively by a private
contractor.
Dist. 40 Rep. and University
law Prof. David Frohnmayer said
the law "will smooth some of the
operating procedures” in
construction contracting. It will
also help the University get the
best benefit of cost and services,
Frohnmayer said.
-Increased efforts’
IFC gives SUAB boost,
grants budget increase
The Student University Affairs Board (SUAB) received a
$3,500 boost in its 1976 budget from the Incidental Fee
Committee (IFC) Monday. The SUAB is the students’
representative on the University senate, and had requested a
$4,390 increase.
IFC chairer Jamie Burns attributed the increase to the
SUAB’s improved performance since last year.
We recognize that their efforts and energy have tncreasea
quite a bit in the last year,” Burns said. “Hopefully by putting more
money into the board, energy can be transformed into efficiency.”
Most of the increase is allocated to raise salaries of the 14
SUAB members from a token $10 a month to $40 a month.
The IFC's main argument with the funding proposal centered
on the SUAB’s Information and Grievance Center. The center,
established this fall to act as a focal point for student complaints,
has received less input than expected.
To invigorate the center s efficiency, the SUAB requested
that the volunteer directorship be funded with a $75 monthly
salary. Chairer Dave Walsh stated that in a recent campaign for a
volunteer director, no one applied.
IFC, however, vetoed the paid director on the grounds that
first year programs are traditionally unfunded and must first
demonstrate their value by voluntary student participation.
In other action, the IFC approved an additional $350 for the
Survival Center to increase office efficiency and to bring noted
environmentalist David Brower on a speaking engagement.
The committee also allocated $270 for the UFW Solidarity
Committee to bring UFW vice-president Philip Vera Cruz to
lecture to history, sociology and economics classes.
The IFC will meet with the EMU board at 2:30 p.m. today to
discuss establishment of a $25,000 building repair reserve fund.
The fund would give the University increased bargaining power in
an upcoming state-wide meeting on establishment of a common
building reserve fund for all Oregon colleges and universities,
according to Burns. If a state wide fund is approved, Burns said,
the larger schools may have to pay disproportionate fees.
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