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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 6, 1997)
Oregon to sue tobacco companies ■ CASE: Oregon is the 27th state to file suit against six major tobacco corporations By Landon Hall The Associated Press SALEM — Oregon will sue six major tobacco companies in an ef fort to recoup some of its Medic aid costs used to treat smoking-re lated illnesses, state Attorney General Hardy Myers announced Monday. But a lobbyist for tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds said Oregon is just jumping on a legal bandwagon al ready crowded with other states. He added that Oregon would see little money from any settlement after lawyers and the federal gov ernment are through with the case. Attorneys general in two other states — in Arkansas and Mon tana — also announced Monday they would file suit against the to bacco industry. With Oregon, that brings to 27 the number of states that have sued or intend to sue to bacco companies. “It’s a battle I think Oregon needs to be part of,” Myers, who took office in January, said at a news conference Monday. The tobacco industry is negoti ating a multibillion-dollar settle ment with various state govern ments. Myers acknowledged that an impending national settle ment, which could include a cap on future lawsuits by states, played a part in Oregon’s decision to sue. Mark Nelson, a state lobbyist for R.J. Reynolds, says it’s no sur prise Oregon is getting in on the act. During the negotiations, “it be came clear that a number of states were going to jump in on the law suits in an effort to try to preserve their place in the litigation line,” Nelson said. Asked if Oregon was “piling on” tobacco companies along with other states, Myers replied sarcastically, “It couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch.” Myers wouldn’t say how much Oregon would seek in its lawsuit, but he said the figure would be based on the amount the Oregon health plan spends each year on smoking-related illnesses, esti mated to be about $60 million. The state will hire a private law firm to handle the case on a con tingency basis. The firm would get a percentage of any settlement or damages awarded to the state. Nelson called the contingency idea “ludicrous.” He said the fed eral government — which pro vides Oregon with most of its Medicaid money — would get 62 percent of any settlement. Add in the lawyers’ standard cut of 33 percent, and that leaves Oregon with just 5 percent. Just because Oregon is suing the tobacco industry doesn’t mean the state won’t continue to make money from it. The state has $144 million of the Public Employees Retirement System fund invested in tobacco stocks, including $100 million in Phillip Morris. The entire PERS fund is $25 billion. The money is invested by private firms that are required by state law to get the highest returns possible. Michael Parker, a spokesman for state Treasurer Jim Hill, does n’t see the state suing an industry in which it has a financial stake as a conflict of interest. “We don’t invest in things that are socially social good or bad. fifi Smoking costs Oregonians a quarter of a billion dollars a year in medical expenses. Tobacco companies need to compensate states like Oregon which have picked up the cost of treating tobacco’s victims. —John Kitzhaber Oregon Governer -33 We invest in things that make money,” Parker said. Gov. John Kitzhaber said My ers’ decision to join the legal ac tion would serve the interests of Oregonians and Oregon’s chil dren. “Smoking costs Oregonians a quarter of a billion dollars a year in medical expenses,” Kitzhaber said. “Tobacco companies need to compensate states like Oregon which have picked up the cost of treating tobacco’s victims.” The companies that will be named in Oregon’s lawsuit are American Tobacco Co. Ltd., Loril lard Tobacco Co. Inc., Phillip Morris Inc., R.J. Reynolds Tobac co Co., United States Tobacco Co. and British American Tobacco Co. Myers said any settlement with the tobacco companies would in clude some restrictions on smok ing-related advertising. “We’re not going to have a deal unless we bring that to a stop in the most effective way we can,” Myers said. Myers said the lawsuit will be filed in about three weeks. Legislature pushing to reform term limit laws ■ MEASURE: The bill would place a potential change to Oregon’s term limits legislation on the ballot in this fall’s election By Charles Beggs The Associated Press SALEM — Oregonians will vote on legislative term limits again this fall if the House goes along with a measure passed by the Senate on Monday. No one spoke against the proposed ballot measure as the Senate approved it 19-8. House approval would put the measure on the ballot in November. In 1992, Oregon voters strongly passed a constitu tional amendment limiting the number of terms politicians can serve. The current measure would eliminate limits of six years in the House and eight years in the Senate, which amounts to three House terms and two Sen ate terms. But because it keeps the overall 12-year limit on legislative service, it keeps faith with the voters, said the sponsor of the measure, Sen. Randy Miller, R Lake Oswego. Three House terms do not really amount to six years’ service, Miller said, because legislative ses sions do not last all year. A representative would serve less than two years in session during that peri od, he said. The ASUO Executive offers new positions The ASUO Executive needs you. Applications are now being ac cepted for the 23 positions on the 1997-98 ASUO Executive Staff. In addition, applications are being accepted for two new positions that ASUO President-elect Bill Miner and Vice president-elect Ben Unger have created. The new positions are a pro ject coordinator and a graduate law staff member. In addition, the job de scriptions for many positions have been revised in order to further spec TODAY’S NEWS f J r J ■ r1 ify responsibilities. “There’s something for every body," Linger said. "We're hoping to get a good mix of people because the positions really vary." The new project coordinator will coordinate projects and events, Unger said. He gave the example of an intern this year who worked on projects like implementing the am phitheater and organizing ASUO sponsored events. By making this into an actual job, “large-scale pro jects can get the focus they need,” he said. All positions offer stipends, which range from $100 to $175 per month. Work-study positions are welcome to apply. Job descriptions and applications are available in the ASUO office in EMU Suite four. Applications are be ing accepted up until 5 p.m. Wednes day. — Compiled by Angie Suchy Applying Psychology to Real World Problems Department of Psychology, Summer Session, 1997 Join us for an exciting summer of Psychology! Our summer classes are small and are geared towards investigating real life issues. Course offerings indude: Sleep and Dreams • Domestic Assault of Women • Psychotherapies: Healing, Culture and Ethics • Origins and Prevention of Aggression Ana many otners. individualized courses are available by arrangement with the instructor for both undergraduate and graduate students. Several courses also fulfill social science, science and multicultural requirements. Register Now for Oregon Summer and Psychology For a complete course listing and more information, please visit our web page: http://dynamic.uoregon.edu/psych_summer/ J UNIVERSITY OF OREGON ATHLETICS MARKETING & PROMOTIONS DEPARTMENT INTERNSHIP POSITIONS AVAILABLE Apply now for a volunteer internship FOR THE 1997-98 ACADEMIC YEAR Gain valuable experience in: ♦Sports Marketing ♦Event management y< s>'ir"' a " ft ♦Advertising * | I mt''' f' M - % ♦Promotions ._ ii ♦Athletic administration ♦SPECIAL EVENT COORDINATION For lore information, call 346-5690 (M-F 8 am - 5 pm) .room 204. Application deadline: May 16th TUTOR A CHILD. THE PAY IS LOUSY. THE REWARDS ARE PRICELESS. Call the Washington Mutual One-To-One Hotline and we can connect you with an organization that can use your skills as a tutor. Make the call. And make a difference. Ob 1-800-433-0121 fashington Mutual One-to-One Tutoring Program FD1C Insured What is yellow, waxy and can sneak up on you? You can't see or hear it. You may even feel fine...but when your cholesterol sneaks up above a desirable level, it can put you at increased risk for heart disease. Controlling cholesterol is part of the wellness way of life. All it takes is making simple substitutions in the foods you eat, getting regular exercise, and controlling your weight. Free Cholesterol Screening Free to Currently Registered UO students! Tuesdays 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Stop by the Health Education Room or for more information call 346-4456. Brought to you by your University Health Center.
