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About Appeal tribune. (Silverton, Or.) 1999-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 2021)
2A | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2021 | APPEAL TRIBUNE Oregon Capitol closed to public until March Address: P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309 Phone: 503-399-6773 Fax: 503-399-6706 Email: sanews@salem.gannett.com Connor Radnovich Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Legislative committee hearings will be virtual and the Oregon State Capitol building will be open to only authorized personnel for at least the first two months of the 2021 session to protect against spreading COVID-19, according to a plan released Thursday. The Capitol will stay closed to the public until Marion County enters the "lower risk" category as defined by the Oregon Health Authority and Gov. Kate Brown. Currently, the county is in the "extreme risk" category. The earliest changes could be seen is March, dependent on the number of coronavirus cases. More than 1,550 Oregonians have died from COVID-19. “We do not want our actions at the Capitol starting this month to make matters worse," House Speaker Tina Ko- tek, D-Portland, said. "In fact, we want to model best workplace practices so the people’s work can get done safely.” Various changes to the ways the Leg- islature conducts business are expected to be made. h Floor sessions will be rare, with daily sessions of the Senate and House of Representatives not occurring until April. h The galleries in both chambers — normally reserved for the public — will be utilized for voting to expand the space between lawmakersto abide by social distancing guidelines. h Members will be allowed only one legislative aide on-site, with other aides and interns working remotely. h Face masks will be required, cer- tain hallways will be one-way only, no communal food will be available, eleva- tors will have occupancy limits, hand sanitizer and masks will be available, and the basement café and Capitol Club office will be closed (the latter at least until the public is allowed into the build- ing). "The seriousness of what the Oregon Legislature is about to try is very, very great," Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, said. "Because of this virtual issue, because of the threat of violence, because of disease ... this is a new way of governing that we are going to at- tempt." The stated goal of the plan is to bal- ance the safety of those in the building with transparency of process, opportu- nity for significant public participation and ability to complete the Legislature's work. Kotek said the mostly remote session does present the Legislature an oppor- tunity to innovate in ways it should have done for some time. For example, more emphasis will be placed on seeking input from around the state by allowing for the public to submit audio and video testimony to committees for the first time and ex- tending the public record for all public meetings by 24 hours. A public outreach campaign will also be established so people better under- stand the legislative process and how to participate, whether remotely or in-per- son. Courtney promised the Legislature's work would still be accessible to the public. “Every session, Oregonians make their voices heard on issues they care about. We need these voices," he said. "This plan will make the legislative process more accessible to Oregonians across the state.” Republicans have voiced their de- Web site: www.SilvertonAppeal.com Staff News Director Don Currie 503-399-6655 dcurrie@statesmanjournal.com Advertising Westsmb@gannett.com Deadlines News: 4 p.m. Thursday Letters: 4 p.m. Thursday Obituaries: 11 a.m. Friday Display Advertising: 4 p.m. Wednesday Legals: 3 p.m. Wednesday Classifieds: 4 p.m. Friday News Tips The Appeal Tribune encourages suggestions for local stories. Email the newsroom, submit letters to the editor and send announcements to sanews@salem.gannett.com or call 503-399-6773. Classifieds: call 503-399-6789 Retail: call 503-399-6602 Legal: call 503-399-6789 Missed Delivery? Call: 800-452-2511 Hours: until 7 p.m. Wednesdays; until 3 p.m. other weekdays To Subscribe Call: 800-452-2511 $21 per year for home delivery $22 per year for motor delivery $30.10 per year mail delivery in Oregon $38.13 per year mail delivery outside Oregon Main Statesman Journal publication Suggested monthly rates: Monday-Sunday: $22, $20 with EZ Pay Monday-Saturday: $17.50, $16 with EZ Pay Wednesday-Sunday: $18, $16 with EZ Pay Monday-Friday: $17.50, $16 with EZ Pay Sunday and Wednesday: $14, $12 with EZ Pay Sunday only: $14, $12 with EZ Pay To report delivery problems or subscribe, call 800-452-2511 To Place an Ad Published every Wednesday by the Statesman Journal, P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309. USPS 469-860, Postmaster: Send address changes to Appeal Tribune, P.O. Box 13009, Salem, OR 97309. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID: Salem, OR and additional offices. Send letters to the editor and news releases to sanews@salem.gannett.com. sires to have the building more open to the public for the session, saying the risk of coronavirus does not outweigh the need for a transparent legislative process. Courtney and Kotek said they expect Republicans to raise these concerns when the rules for session are taken up for a vote on Jan. 11. The Legislature will open its 2021 session Jan. 19. The state Constitution requires sessions in odd-numbered years last for a maximum of 160 days, which would take the session to the end of June. Reporter Connor Radnovich covers the Oregon Legislature and state gov- ernment. Contact him at cradnov- ich@statesmanjournal.com or 503- 399-6864, or follow him on Twitter at @CDRadnovich. Goals Rep. Raquel Moore-Green, R-Salem Continued from Page 1A Rep. Raquel Moore-Green will serve in her first "long" legislative session this year, having been appointed to repre- sent House District 19 in July 2019, after that year's session had already conclud- ed. She will introduce a bill that would create an Oregon Cleanup and Beautifi- cation pilot program within Oregon Cor- rections Enterprises. The program would provide addi- tional opportunities for adults in custo- dy to work and gain skills they could use in a career after release, Moore-Green said. She will also have a bill that would create a Kidney Disease Prevention and Education task force that would create a statewide plan to raise awareness of kidney disease and the importance of early detection. “The onset of COVID-19 has magni- fied the importance of understanding the impact that preexisting health con- ditions play in our overall health," Moore-Green said. the state's emergency response system, which was widely criticized following the Labor Day fires where many resi- dents reported not receiving any notice of the encroaching wildfires. The bill would also establish the State Fire Marshal as an independent state agency and task the department with establishing guidelines for wildfire buffer zones that produce defensible spaces. lowed in the building were encouraged — and later required — to wear masks and socially distance. Committee hearings were held over video conference and streamed on the Legislature's website. Legislative leadership is expected to release their plan for how they will man- age the 2021 session on Monday. The state Constitution requires that legislative sessions in odd-numbered years last for no longer than 160 days. Here's a look at Salem-area legisla- tors' bills: Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem A man rides a bicycle past newly installed cement blocks placed outside the Oregon State Capitol Building in Salem on Wednesday, Dec. 30. CONNOR RADNOVICH / STATESMAN JOURNAL tions. Sen. Deb Patterson, D-Salem Senate President Peter Courtney will be making another run in 2021 at a bill that would allow community colleges and public universities to merge. So far, the idea has not gained much public traction among higher education ad- ministrators. The concept would allow a commu- nity college and a public university to merge after submitting a detailed plan to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission. Courtney said mergers would give people more access to higher education. “This would be the kind of change that shows we mean it when we say we want people to get educated,” Courtney said. He also plans to introduce a bill that is intended to remove some of the barri- ers to building affordable housing op- Newly elected in November 2020, Sen. Deb Patterson has not had long to propose bills for the upcoming session. She was also made the chair of the Sen- ate Health Care Committee, which she said is going to take up a majority of her time. But one bill she will have would ex- tend SNAP benefits — also known as food stamps — to include personal hy- giene products. She is proposing an additional $10 per month per person that could be used on items such as toilet paper, tooth brushes and soap. These items are es- sential and should be covered by gov- ernment assistance, she said. "They should have a way to purchase those if they need help," Patterson said. Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth With the specter of 2020 and its cas- cading crises still hanging over us, Rep. Paul Evans' top priority in 2021 is to re- form the state's emergency manage- ment structures and systems. He is introducing a bill that would es- tablish the Oregon Department of Emergency Management as a new inde- pendent state agency, vested with au- thority over public health emergencies, quarantines and massive wildfires. The new department would oversee Brentano Continued from Page 1A The 68-year-old Brentano was ap- pointed to the Board of Commissioners in 2003 and won election in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016, some without opposi- tion. He opted to not run for re-election in 2020. In his years as a commissioner, Bren- tano put in great effort in areas like pub- lic works, public safety, parks and waste management, an industry he worked in for 30 years. In 2014, it was revealed by Canadian media that Marion County’s solid waste burning facility in Brooks had been in- cinerating the bodies of aborted and miscarried fetuses through a medical waste agreement with a company in British Columbia. “We ran back to this building and within two hours we stopped the move- ment of those babies,” Brentano said. Among the challenges he faced in his time on the three-person board was when Courthouse Square, which was completed in 2000, was condemned in 2010. He was part of the task force that in- cluded citizens like Gene Pfeifer of Sil- verton that worked to renovate the al- Rep. Bill Post, R-Keizer Following a similar bill introduced in the 2020 short session, Rep. Bill Post is introducing a bill that would regulate products using kratom, sometimes used for managing chronic pain or recre- ationally. The Food and Drug Administration says there is no evidence of kratom be- ing an effective or safe treatment. Post's bill would disallow anyone un- der the age of 21 from purchasing kra- tom products and set penalties if kra- tom products are produced or sold while contaminated with dangerous non-kra- tom substances. He will also be re-introducing a bill that would allow behind-the-counter sales of products containing pseudoe- phedrine, such as Sudafed. Post said this change would lower some health care costs. Reporter Connor Radnovich covers the Oregon Legislature and state gov- ernment. Contact him at cradnov- ich@statesmanjournal.com or 503- 399-6864, or follow him on Twitter at @CDRadnovich. Support local journalism by sub- scribing to the Statesman Journal. ready failing building, and it was re- paired and reopened in 2014. Other new buildings were added, such as one for the juvenile department and a public service building within the county’s existing budget. From his background as a volunteer emergency technician, Brentano brought an experienced perspective to public safety. “This type of pandemic was exactly what was on Sam’s worry list,” Carlson said. He said he will spend much of his time in retirement fishing – something he frequently does now – and with fam- ily. Brentano identifies with the western novels of Louis L’Amour. He likes that the good guy always won and saw a rep- resentation of himself in the heroes of those novels. “This person rides for the brand, and that means loyal. The other is that per- son could be someone to ride the river with, so that’s someone who’s steady and dependable and resourceful,” Bren- tano said. “I think I like the stories be- cause I think that’s who I am and if it’s not, it’s who I want to be.” Bill Poehler covers Marion County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@statesmanjournal.com or Twitter.com/bpoehler.