Senate approves
stalking legislation
■ NORTHWEST
SALEM (Al’) — Oragon would l» one
of (he majority of state* that have out
lawnd ''stalking" undttr a hill approved
unanimously Wednesday by a Senate
panel.
l he measure endorsed by the Senate
judiciary Committee. SH now goes to the full Senate and
appear* to have little or no opposition.
The measure is the result of a number of cases in which vic
tims. usually women, have been regularly followed or contact
ed by people showing obsessive behavior toward them.
The bill says stalking would be defined as repeated and
unwanted contact with someone "without legitimate purpose"
that causes the victim to be apprehensive about his or her safe
ly
The hill is supported by
the American Civil Liber
ties Union, associations of
district attorneys and
defense lawyers and the
stato Commission for
Women.
About two dozen states
have passed anti-stalking
laws
The bill allows n police
officer to issue a protec
‘Stalking la Ilka
pornography. It '*
hard to define, but
we know It when
we see it/
— Fred Avera.
Polk County district attorney
tivn order on the spot
directing someone suspected of stalking to stop The order
would he reviewed within three business days by a court,
which could extend the ban by issuing an order of its own.
Stalking would he a misdemeanor with maximum penalties
of one year in jail anil a $2,500 fine under the hill The samo
penalties would apply to violating protective orders.
A second conviction of any of those offenses would be a
felony carrying up to five years in prison and a $100,000 fine.
David Fidanque. executive director of the ACLU of Oregon,
said the measure fits the organization's goal that the kind of
activity that amounts to stalking is more narrowly worded than
the conduct needed to obtain a protective order This focuses
the law on the effects of the conduct rather than on the behav
ior itself, he said.
Fidanque said it would be easier to prove intent in a case in
which someone had violated a protective order than when no
order had been issued
Folk County District Attorney Fred Avera. representing the
district attorneys association, said stalking is the kind of behav
ior for which it is difficult to draft a criminal law.
"Stalking is like pornography." Avera told the committee.
“It's hard to define, but wo know it when we see it."
The measure also authorizes victims to file civil lawsuits
seeking protective orders and monetary damages against stalk
ers.
Legislators fight over parking
WASHINGTON (AP) — Like two drivers ready
to (.orne to blows over a parkin# space at a jammed
shopping renter. Sen John Mcflain and Rep. Peter
DeFaxio are mixing it up over free airport parking
for Congress.
McCain. R Aril. said Wednesday that DeFaxios
defense of the reserved, preferential spaces closest
to the terminals here has inspired McCain to
redouble his efforts to eliminate "separate hut
unequal treatment” of government officials
"In contrast to you. apparently. 1 think it is
desirable that the various special privileges and
perquisites offered to members of Congress have
come under intense scrutiny from the public and
the media." McCain wrote in a pointed letter to
DeFaxio.
"U the benefits we receive cannot withstand the
light of public debate, they deserve to be modified
or eliminated."
DeFaxio. D-Ore . said McCain has set his sights
on an "imaginary perk" to try to deflect attention
from last year's ethics probe into the senator’s
involvement in the savings and loan scandal.
"Here is a gentleman who has been up to his
neck in savings and loan problems that cost Amer
ican taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
Now he is leading the fight against the egregious
offense of congressional parking." DeFaxio said in
an interview.
McCain was not immediately available for a
response Wednesday, hut his spokesman returned
fire at DeFaxio.
Press secretary Scott Galley, who hails from Can*
by. Ore., said DeFaxio "has placed himself in that
rare status along with the spotted owl and Fidel
(iastro by his impassioned defense of the royal and
pam[Hired treatment of which a shrinking num
ber of members of Congress think they deserve at
the expense of the working people of this coun
try."
DeFazio. who makes at bast 25 round trips from
Washington to Oregon annually, said his free park
ing spot is cheaper to the government than getting
a travel reimbursement for a $40 cab trip to the air
port or forcing a staff member to drive him.
The controversy began in March when Rep. Dan
Glickman. D-kan . urged his colleagues to end the
preferential parking for members of Congress,
diplomats and Supreme Court justices at Wash
ington National and Dulles airports.
DeFazio responded with a memo that said the
limited flight schedule forces him to compress
meetings and occasionally miss votes on the
House floor.
"I suppose there are other options. I could trav
el home less like many senior members and lose
touch with my district." he said.
DeFazio dosed the memo with pointed sarcasm,
saying. "Yep. it's a real abuse, a real perk, it's
what's really wrong with Congress...
"Try a real reform or give track $30,000+ of your
pay like I do if you want to make a statement." he
said.
The $30,000 was a reference to the money
DeFazio and other members return to the Treasury
each year from a congressional pay increase they
opposed two years ago.
DeFazio followed up with a letter to McCain on
April 22.
"I urge you to set an example, drive yourself to
Dulles Airport, park in remote parking, pay for
your own parking, don’t take travel reimburse
ment. eschew the pay raise like I did. In short, get
real."
McCain said he has not accepted the pay raise.
He said he has been traveling to Arizona on a
weekly basis for 10 years and has used the free
parking, but wants to end the practice now.
Oregon breaks records with wet April
PORTLAND (AP) — If you
I hough t it was exceptionally wet
in April, even for Oregon, you're
right.
In downtown Portland and at
Portland International Airport, it
was the wettest April on record.
Downtown, where records
have been kept since the 1870s.
7 ‘16 inches of rainfall broke the
April record of 7.88 inches set in
1883.
At the airport, where the
National Weather Service has
had its official reporting station
since 1940, 5.26 inches of rain
fell, easily breaking the old
record of 4.72 inches set in
1955.
Above normal rainfall was
reported at locations across Ore
gon
In Eugene, 7.85 inches fell,
4.74 inches above normal.
Salem had its fourth-wettest
April on record with 5.64 inch
es. Normal April rainfall in
Salem is 2 42 inches.
Other rainfall totals included:
Pendleton — 1.85 inches. .81
inches above normal: Klamath
Falls — 1.58 inches, .89 inches
above normal; Medford — 1.83
inches, .67 inches above normal:
and Astoria — 8.95 inches, 4.35
inches above normal.
The weather service says the
90-day outlook colls for above
normal rainfall In Western Ore
gon and near-normal rainfall in
Eastern Oregon.
The drenched April still left
the Portland airport 3.46 inches
below normal for the water year,
which runs from Oct. 1 to Sept.
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