Laura Smit Emerald
Withney Workman (center), 6, and her classmates listen to their teacher read a story at the Child Care and Development
Center. A new bill will help parents pay for child care and tuition by receiving one of the 250 grants available each month.
Child care
continued from page 1
mary supporters of the bill, said
state funds will help cut the wait
ing list almost in half and provide
more families with child care.
“Cutting the waiting list in half
wouldn’t solve the problem of stu
dent parents not being able to af
ford health care, but it would be a
step in the right direction,” said
Joell Lester, the OSA interim exec
utive director.
EMU Child Care Coordinator
Dennis Reynolds said that even
with a student discount, the stu
dents who bring their children to
the EMU Child Care and Develop
ment Center are still paying $155 a
month for daycare for children
younger than age three. Any other
daycare would cost $700 a month
for children of the same age, he
said.
“This bill will help parents a
lot,” Reynolds said.
The bill is sponsored by State
Rep. Jackie Winters, R-Salem, who
has been working with the OSA
and the Oregon Commission for
Child Care on getting the bill to the
House floor. This is the second
time through for this bill, which
did not make it to the House floor
for a vote during the 1999 legisla
tive session.
Billy Dalto, a legislative aide to
Winters, said that no legislators op
pose the bill for ideological reasons.
“The only problem with passing
it is the cost,” Dalto said.
Dalto said the bill is an enhance
ment, meaning no money was
added to the program in Gov. John
Kitzhaber’s budget for the year.
It A lot of students now
have kids, and this is a
way to provide them with
the means to an education
and care for their children.
Vicki Walker
state representative,
D-Eugene
Kitzhaber did add $50,000 in state
generated revenues to the $1.9 mil
lion that is funded by the federal
government, and he plans to add
another $500,000. But supporters
of the bill say this is not enough,
and that the bill is needed to boost
funding for student parents.
“The governor’s additions
would bring the funding to $2.3
million, but the bill requests at
least $3.8 million,” said Marc
Overbeck, the executive officer for
the Oregon Commission for Child
Care.
Legislators such as state Rep.
Phil Barnhart, D-Eugene, and state
Rep. Vicki Walker, D-Eugene, sup
port the bill and hope the funding
can be provided.
“The age of students has
changed over the years,’’ Walker
said. “A lot of students now have
kids, and this is a way to provide
them with the means to an educa
tion and care for their children.”
Barnhart, who said he has sup
ported the bill since he first heard
about it and plans to sign on as a
co-sponsor, also wonders about the
funding issue.
“The key problem is: Can we
find the money in our tight budget
to support this bill?” Barnhart said.
Lester said the legislative budg
et is particularly tight this year,
and the revenue for March was
$100 million less than the Legisla
ture anticipated.
“It’s always a challenge — the
legislators have to sort through so
many bills with a limited amount
of money available,” Lester said.
Despite the financial strain,
Lester said this bill would lead to
future generations of better-educat
ed and better-employed Oregoni
ans by helping student parents af
ford their college education and
related expenses.
Overbeck said as each grant spot
is filled, a spot on the waiting list
is also filled, and the demand for
grants continues.
“We hope to have affordable
child care for all families by the
year 2010,” Overbeck said. “By ex
panding the Student Block Grant,
it gives us a further piece of the
mosaic.”
Hearing
continued from page 1
measure. The senators said the mea
sure's wording violates the authority
of the Programs Finance Committee,
the senate and a law created by the
U.S. Supreme Court less than a year
ago. During the hearing, Sen. Mary
Elizabeth Madden will represent her
self and the other four senators.
Jarrett White’s grievance against
Brooklyn and Nair accuses the two
of using ASUO phones to make
campaign calls, and Steven Lock
field filed a grievance against the
Elections Board for an error involv
ing a senate seat position.
Although no decisions will be
made today, Chief Justice Rob Ras
chio said the final outcome should be
known by April 2. The court’s deci
sions will ultimately determine
which candidates and measures will
appear on the ballot in spring term’s
general election. Raschio said the
court,.which .is made up .of four jus
tices after Justice Richard Jameson’s
resignation last week, wants to use its
time to review the cases thoroughly.
“We have a little more time than
we thought we had,” he said. “We
all want to make sure we make the
right decision.”
C C We all want to make
sure we make the right
decision.
Rob Raschio
chief justice,
ASUO Constitution Court
n
Each of the hearings will have a
slightly different format, but all pe
titioners and respondents will have
the chance to present their cases
and to answer rebuttals by the other
parties. Hearings could run between
one and two hours, and possibly
longer.. . , ___
Stephanie Chaney, the Elections
Board publicity coordinator, said
she hopes the hearings will ensure
that the next election held has a
“speedier” and “cleaner” outcome
and will eliminate confusion for
students and candidates.
Although some people have been
concerned about the election’s post
ponement, Justice Alan Tauber said
the delay is necessary to ensure all
the parties involved get their due
process.
Tauber added that he hopes no
one leaves feeling as though they
had an unjust trial.
“We hope that at the end of the
process, everyone feels like they got
a fair say and hearing,” he said.
The court will also exercise its
discretion to hear other interested
parties who may submit Amicus
briefs, written arguments support
ing one side. Briefs will be accept
ed only for the grievances filed
against the Elections Board and
MC.C until 4 p.m. today.
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