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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 8, 1997)
International &ay of Cultural Reconciliation You are invited to join speakers from the African American, Chicano, East Timorese, Japanese, Japanese American, Jewish, Native American, Palestinian, Romany (Gypsy), Vietnamese, and Vietnamese American communities in presenting testimony and sustaining a dialogue to re-examine our historic relationships, and consider sharing our collective home and its limited resources in ways that transcend cultural imperialism and genocide. Friday, May 9, 1997 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. EMU Fir Room University of Oregon Campus For more information contact the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies at 541-346-4816 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. Measure 49 would amend 17 ■ LAW: The proposed bill addresses issues concerning inmate-produced goods By Jennifer Schmitt Community Editor Parts of the 1994 Measure 17, which requires inmates to work full-time, have come into conflict and are now the focus of this elec tion’s Measure 49. Measure 17 was passed by vot ers in 1994, but the measure did not take into account how to de fine full-time employment and it does not comply with the federal rules for selling inmate-produced goods across state lines, said Jim Lockwood, public affairs director for the Department of Corrections. Measure 49 fixes many of the problems that have popped up as a result of the first measure. “These are all unanticipated is sues that are common sense but we have to make sure we’re doing things according to the law,” Lockwood said. “We’re just trying to take some of the kinks out of the hose.” One flaw in Measure 17 is that it doesn’t comply with federal laws regarding inmate compensa tion for work that is sold across state lines. Under Measure 17, the earnings inmates receive must go toward the prisoners’ housing, health care, court costs, and rehabilita tion costs. These costs can eat up most, if not all of the inmates’ MEASURE 49 ■I WHAT IT DOES: Measure 49 modifies the existing state prison work program requirements in the Oregon Constitution. ■ THE CHANGES INCLUDE: • Permitting the state to continue to operate and expand Oregon’s prison industries by bringing them into compliance with federal laws for out of state commerce. • Emphasizing no inmate has a right to a job or to participate in work, on-the-job training or edu - cational programs. • Modifying the definition of full time employment to include time spent on security measures and transportation of inmates while they are participating in work or on-the-job training. SOURCE: Statewide Special j Election Home page j salaries. According to federal law, for products sold outside of the state inmates must be able to keep at least 20 percent of their salary for their own personal use. Mea sure 49 would change the pay scale to meet the federal require ments for goods sold out-of-state. Through interstate and interna tional sales of inmate products such as blue jeans and ftirniture, the state prison system makes ap proximately $600,000 a year, Lockwood said. “The opportunity for Oregon to make money on the inmate work program is enhanced if we can market beyond our state’s mar ket,” Lockwood said. “Face it, you can only sell so many pairs of jeans in the Oregon. ” Money made from the sales of the inmate products is put back into the inmate work program to put more inmates to work. If the measure does not pass, the prod ucts made by inmates will be sold in to in-state clients only. Measure 49 also redefines the term “full-time work.” The mea sure would allow security check and transportation times to be in cluded as part of the inmates’ eight-hour work day. As the law currently stands, corrections staff members are working overtime while conduct ing security checks and transport ing the inmates to the job sites. “Right now we have to run staff over eight hours a day in order to get the inmates to work an eight hour day,” Lockwood said. Measure 49 also emphasizes the idea that inmates are not guar anteed a job in the work pro grams. At least one lawsuit has been filed by an inmate who claimed he had a right to a job, Lockwood said. “One reason this was brought to the legislature is because we didn’t believe voters wanted in mates to be able to sue the state for a job,” Lockwood said. “Some in mates say they have a right. We don’t think they do.” Cuts: Courts unlikely to overturn measure ■ Continued from Page 1 three percent a year, but taxpayers will be getting less of a rebate than under Measure 47, he said. The measure would have cut taxes by approximately $1 billion over two years. Measure 50 will cut an es timated $800 million. Some people also are con cerned about the lack of public hearings and discussion regard ing the measure. “Everything has happened so fast,” Ramsdell said. “Most of the legislators haven’t even read the whole thing. There should have been hearings and more discus sion about it.” Measure 50 “cleans up” a lot of the mistakes in Measure 47, Beyer said. The first step in the process was to exclude rural hospitals from the Measure 47 cap. MEASURE 50 ■ WHAT IT DOES: Measure 50 restructures Measure 47 and is designed to correct the technical and legal problems of the mea sure. It also sets a limit on the amount assessed property values can increase each year and re quires a vote for any increase to the tax base. “Rural hospitals rely heavily on the property tax base,” he said. “Without funding, these hospitals would have to close down and in some areas this is the only form of medical service for people.” Although they were strongly opposed to Measure 47, the Ore gon Public Employees Union is supporting Measure 50 as a way to solve some of the problems sur rounding the “cut and cap” mea sure, said Sue Bettine, University chapter president. Bettine said she believes there needs to be an alternative to Mea sure 50, such as tax reforms that shift the burden of taxation off the poor and onto the shoulders of the rich. Some people who voted against Measure 47 and are against Mea sure 50 argue that the state should wait and see what the courts de cide regarding the constitutionali ty of the measure. But Beyer said he thinks that is a big risk to take. “Looking at the history of the courts in this state, there is a re luctance on the part of the courts to overturn the will of the voters,” he said. IS Career Opportunities Looking for a career, not just a job? Fireman’s Fund is looking for Associate Systems Engineers who want to solve business problems, not just apply technology. We seek people who are eager to grow and learn and who can demonstrate initiative and ownership. Fireman’s Fund leads the insurance industry in utilizing high technology and state-of-the-art computer systems in every aspect of our business. As an Associate Systems Engineer, you will work at the Home Office in Novato, California, 30 miles north of San Francisco, near California’s wine country. Following a three month structured training program you will work in a team environment with Business Analysts and other Systems Engineers to develop automated solutions to complex business problems. You will work closely with our business partners and be able to see the impact of your work. A We are seeking bright, energetic people and prefer a Bachelor’s degree in MIS or Computer Science but will consider other degrees. We require a 3 0 GPA and two semesters of the same procedural language (C, C++, COBOL, etc.). For additional information, please join us for pizza and refreshments at an information session Monday, May 12, from 6-7:30 pm, in EMU Cedar C. To schedule an interview on May 13, please sign up in the Career Center. Check out our web site at www.the-fimd.com. Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D Fireman’s Fund Ever the Dragon May 9,10, 15, 16,17, 23, 24 8 pm Robinson Theatre UT Box Office 346-4191 EMU Ticket Office 346-4363 Benefit Matinee . Womenspace. May 10, 2 pm on* CLAuiriros
