community
march2
2017
3
Salem Report
By Representative Brad Witt
Ever since the
horrifi c attack on
our country on 9/11,
we in the United
States have been in
a watchful state. We
have also actively
defended our interests abroad with
counterattacks on those who would
harm us. On the front lines have been
the men and women of our armed
forces, and they have carried a heavy
burden for more than 15 years. When
they come back home, they are looking
for ways to “reenter,” and many times
that means reentering the education
system. Last session, I sponsored,
and the Legislature passed, a bill that
allowed veterans to have priority status
when applying for entrance into post-
secondary education. After consultation
with these institutions, this session we
are further defi ning this to also include
priority status for class availability.
There are other priority classifi cations,
including athletes, so it only makes
sense to offer the same thing to those
who have fought for their country.
I also sponsored a bill in 2016
that created a Women Veterans Health
Care Study, responding to concerns that
women vets were not accessing health
care services as anticipated. The study
shows that women experience a number
of barriers including a lack of providers
who are women, a lack of urgent care
outside the Portland area, and a general
feeling of invisibility within the system
even though they are the fastest growing
demographic. Illustrating this feeling of
invisibility, I would like to recommend
to you a remarkable presentation at the
Portland Art Museum featuring 20 por-
traits of Oregon women in the military.
The project is intended to shine a light
on women vets whose needs are too
often ignored or overlooked socially,
politically and legally. The “I Am Not
Invisible” exhibit will be unveiled Feb-
ruary 24th at 7:30pm.
Recently I had the pleasure of
meeting with some of the elected offi -
cials from the cities in my district. They
were here in Salem to take part in the
League of Oregon Cities lobby day.
They discussed some priority legisla-
tion that will be coming up soon cover-
ing the following topics:
• Property Tax Finance Reform - com-
prehensive property tax reform for all
Oregonians
• Restoring Recreational Immu-
nity - restoration of full recreational
immunity to landowners and their em-
ployees
• Transportation Funding - passage of a
comprehensive, multi-modal transpor-
tation infrastructure funding and policy
package
• PERS Reform - legislative options
that create savings opportunities
as well as potential new revenue
sources
The folks who came in to talk
to me were: Mayor Scott Burge
and Councilor Patrick Kessi from
Scappoose; Mayor Bob Brajcich and
City Manager Greg Hinkelman from
Clatskanie; and St. Helens Mayor
Rick Scholl. It’s always great to get
the local perspective on legislation
that may come before us.
Publisher and Managing Editor
Scott Laird
503-367-0098
scott@vernoniasvoice.com
Contributors
Karen Kain
Aaron Miller
Representative Brad Witt
Photography
Jessika Goodman
Karen Kane
Scott Laird
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