‘Workfare’ accord goes to vote
SALEM (API Nearly
three vearx after Oregon vot
ers passed a "workfare" pro
gram. it lias gone nowhere
But that t otild < hange if law
makers buy a heavily rev ised
version of the pilot program, which is aimed at
replacing welfare witli work
On the day after the 1990 general ele< (ion. Gm
Barbara Roberts tle< la red Measure 7 "dead on
arrival" even though it had passed with 58 pen out
of the vote
However. Roberts and sponsors of the workfare
proposal now have rent bed no ord on a reworked
version, which is on its wav to the full House (or
a vote.
The measure in its original form would have sus
pended all welfare, food stamp and unemployment
benefits in the sis pi lot counties when- the program
would have a trial run.
Employers volunteering to hire the former pub
lic assistance recipients would not hav e had to pay
more than 90 pert ent of minimum wage Money
front the suspended government programs would
be shifted into a fund to pay the w ages
Proponents sa\ the plan is intended to get peo
ple off welfare and put them into job training that
involves actual work for employers
But Roberts and other Measure 7 opponents said
it was too drastic in its effet ts on people dependent
on government aid And they argued that federal
officials never would grant rule waivers needed
to allow the project to go ahead
Welfare, food stamps and unemployment are
mostly federally financ ed. so states have to seek
exceptions to rules il they wont to make major
changes in a program
The new bill is a major overhaul of Measure 7 and
addresses "fundamental deficits" in the voter-passed
version, says Kevin Concannon, director of the state
Department of Human Resources.
Among the flaws in the original measure, lie
said, was that it would have cut off some assistant e
as health insurance to people who would have
ended up with fewer overall benefits even though
Ihi’v went to work
The revised measure i ontinues Mod it -lid anti
child t an* jwyments for people who got jobs tinth'r
the program
They also would have to !«• paid .it least the stale
minimum wage, now S-i 75 an hour
'it’s a more humane program and I think a l*e!ter
idea of what the voters wanted." Com an non said
lie said the state also plans to seek federal per
mission to allow d to pass along all t hild support
it ret overs for parents on welfare
f ederal regulations allow just 550 a month of
amounts recovered to go to parents The rest offsets
welfare aid and i osts of the rei overs prograin
Roberts supports the new plan Iks ause it lietter
recognizes needs of people who would go into the
program, said Kerrs Barnett, the governor's legal
counsel.
"Measure 7 was punitive Harnett said "Under
the original program, a mother faced losing welfare
if she did not take a stihmmimiini wage jolt It was
giving her a i hoice between two impossihle alter
natives "
The effort that put the measure on the ballot hs
initiative petition svas led In e\e< utives of (eld
Wen. a Klamath falls based wood products i one
pons
"We think the bill is maintaining the basil prim
ciples of Measure ’ said Bill farts a senior vii e
president based at the iiimpanv's Vancouver.
Wash plant
"Our real e\t itemeiit mnv . to see it imple
intuited." he said "We tfiink this has the poten
tial to change the whole approach to reforming
welfare "
The revised plan still has detr.u tors in the l eg
islature
Some s.n business would fare too well under the
bill. IIB24.V1. hs getting free help without paving
anything.
"I do not oppose employer incentives to hire
people hut lor the slate to pay the full load is a
question." said Rep Dave Mi.Teague. I) Mil
waukee who voted again.st the measure in a House
committee
Three charged in Diet Pepsi incident
PORTLAND (AP) — Three
Oregon residents who claimed to
have found syringes in Pepsi tans
were charged Monday with mak
ing false statements
According to court documents,
two of those charged said their
claims were made as jokes. The
third person admitted he too was
lying when he made the claim
Cheri Bishop, 22. of Hillsboro;
James Robison. 19, Portland, and
John VVaudbv. 21. Portland, are
to appear before ll.S Magistrate
John Jelderks Tuesday If con
victed. they face a maximum
penalty of five years in prison
and a $250,000 fine.
Court documents showed
Bishop said she made the claim
as a joke on her husband and
that Waudby also said his claim
was a joke Robison also admit
ted to lying, court documents
said.
More than 50 cases of alleged
tampering with Pepsi or Diet
Pepsi cans had been reported as
of last week As of Friday, there
had been more than a dozen
arrests or confessions of false
reports
Bishop said m an interview last
Wednesday that she had noticed
two syringes in the bottom of a
glass of Pepsi her husband had
poured for her.
"It's really sad to think, about
the sk k people in sim lety nowa
clays.” she said at tlie time
U S Attorney Jac k Wong said
mu h false c laims are no laughing
matter.
"You're scaring the public It's
c ertainly disruptive to line soc i
ety." he said. " There's a tremen
dous ec onomic cost to Pepsi and
to the federal government We
have to go out and investigate all
of them bee ause they could he
potentially serious."
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