Labor has short agenda for legislative session in Salem
SALEM — No workers’ rights leg-
islation is up for discussion in the spe-
cial session of the Oregon Legislature
that began Feb. 4. But that doesn't
mean unions are going to sit out the
month-long experiment with annual
sessions. A handful of issues to be
voted on would impact union mem-
bers and working people.
A bill to reform mortgage industry
lending practices is the session’s top
priority for the Oregon AFL-CIO [See
related story below]. And trade union-
K
ists will also be watching bills that ad-
dress crime, health care, and the
state’s response to global warming.
The Legislature is working to craft
a response to a tough-on-crime ballot
measure submitted by former Repub-
lican gubernatorial candidate Kevin
Mannix. The Mannix measure would
increase penalties for property crimes,
burglars and drug dealers, but it would
take away discretion of judges and
prosecutors, and mandate a new round
of prison building that could sap the
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state's ability to take care of its other
priorities. Estimates are that Mannix’s
measure could add 4,000 to 6,000 in-
mates to the state prison system, and
cost taxpayers $128 million to $200
million a year. The American Federa-
tion of State, County and Municipal
Employees Oregon Council 75, which
represents corrections officers and
other public employees, is on board
with a compromise put forward by
Oregon district attorneys that would
be tough on repeat offenders but more
lenient with first-time offenders and
would stress counseling and rehabili-
tation for those whose crimes were fu-
eled by drug addiction. The bill would
be referred to voters in November as
an alternative to Mannix’s measure.
Last year, the Oregon AFL-CIO
backed a proposal to expand health
coverage to Oregon children by rais-
ing the cigarette tax. But voters re-
jected it. Now, the Legislature is con-
sidering HB 3614, which would
expand the rolls of an existing kids’
health program to thousands more
children; it will come down to
whether lawmakers think the state can
afford the $15 million a year extra.
Labor will also be watching as law-
makers hash out more details of a state
response to climate change. Major
state legislation isn’t expected until
2009, but a bill being considered this
month will direct state agencies to
gather information about the state’s
emissions of greenhouse gases.
“We can’t bury our head in the
sand and not worry about global
warming,” said Oregon AFL-CIO
President Tom Chamberlain. “We
want to be sure we’re incentivizing
[new green] industries, but also that
those industries produce good jobs for
Oregonians.”
The session is scheduled to end by
Feb. 29.
AFL-CIO backs mortgage reforms
SALEM — Following the lead of
the national AFL-CIO, Oregon’s state
labor federation is joining consumer
groups in pushing for state-level mort-
gage reforms to put a stop to lending
practices that have put many homebuy-
ers at risk.
At a Feb. 1 meeting of the Oregon
Senate Commerce and Labor Commit-
tee, Oregon AFL-CIO Secretary-Trea-
surer Barbara Byrd testified in favor of
Senate Bill 1090. SB 1090 would pro-
hibit lenders from making home loans
if they don’t think borrowers will be
able to make payments. It would also
put a one-year limit on pre-payment
penalties, require that all fees, rates, and
payment amounts be clearly disclosed,
and ban loan fees of over 5 or 6 percent.
Backers have a Web site — www.re-
sponsiblehomebuying.com — to ex-
plain the details. The bill is sponsored
by Sen. Ben Westlund (D-Tumalo), a
Democrat who is running for state
treasurer.
But mortgage industry professionals
packed the room, and protested that the
reforms would put them out of business
and curb lending to low-income home-
buyers. By the following week, it
looked like the bill was in trouble and
would end up being watered down. In
an amended bill, the loan fee cap was
dropped.
No Republican has said they’d sup-
“The goal should be
home ownership and
stability for homeown-
ers in danger – not pro-
tecting the credit in-
dustry.”
port the reforms, so the bill’s backers
need Democrats solidly on board to
pass the bill. Among Democrats report-
edly opposed to the bill were Betsy
Johnson in the Senate and Mike Schau-
fler in the House (where Democrats
have only a one-vote lead.) Westlund,
who began politics as a Republican,
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hopes to get some Republican votes for
the bill.
Westlund aide Stacey Dycus said
part of the problem is that lawmakers
don’t have enough time to learn about
the bill because it’s being introduced in
a special 30-day experimental session.
As of press time, the bill’s backers were
still hopeful that they can get the votes
to pass some mortgage reforms, just not
all of them.
Still, leaders of the Oregon AFL-
CIO expressed surprise that reforms
would have any trouble given the cur-
rent mortgage industry meltdown. The
United States may be in the beginnings
of a full-blown recession sparked by fi-
nancial crisis in the mortgage industry.
More than 12,000 Oregonians could
face foreclosure in the next two-and-a-
half years, according to the General Ac-
counting Office. And nearly half of
homeowners with adjustable rate mort-
gages are expecting to have to cut back
on everyday expenses like groceries,
clothing, and gasoline when their pay-
ments increase — according to an
AFL-CIO-commissioned national sur-
vey by Peter D. Hart Research Associ-
ates.
“The goal should be home owner-
ship and stability for homeowners in
danger – not protecting the credit in-
dustry,” says Oregon AFL-CIO Presi-
dent Tom Chamberlain. “Lenders
should be expected to offer consumers
the loan that is best for the consumer,
not the one loaded with the most fees
and ‘pieces of the action’for the lenders
and paperwork processors.”
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