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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 2017)
in other words october5 2017 3 Bonamici Bulletin By U.S. Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici Fall is off to a busy start. I visited Earl Boyles Elementary School, which is nationally recognized for its excellent work to bridge the gap between early childhood education and the early grades, and read aloud to children at the Beaverton Library. After unidentified immigration officers stopped a US citi- zen and his wife in Hillsboro, I called on ICE to explain the outrageous actions of their officers, investigate what happened, and apologize to the family. Finally, as wildfires raged across the state, I joined with my colleagues to call for additional firefighting resources and a long-term so- lution to the flawed fire funding mecha- nism. Here are more details about what I’m working on in Oregon and Washing- ton, DC: Standing Up for Affordable Health Care Access to health care is a right – not a privilege for the wealthy. Orego- nians have said loud and clear that they want Congress to improve the Affordable Care Act, not take away coverage from millions of Americans. Recently, Senate leadership attempted once again to pass another version of TrumpCare. The Gra- ham-Cassidy proposal failed to protect people with pre-existing conditions and threatened essential health benefits like mental health care and maternity care. Thanks to the thousands of people who reached out to their Members of Con- gress, Graham-Cassidy did not get a vote. Congressional leadership must listen to Americans and turn their focus to expand- ing access to affordable health care. Engaging in Democracy Town hall meetings are a great way for me to connect with and hear from the people I’m honored to repre- sent. In North Plains, Tualatin, Yamhill, and Columbia City, community members shared concerns about protecting the Af- fordable Care Act, keeping our country safe, protecting the environment, and getting to the bottom of the Trump cam- paign’s ties to Russia. I’ve held dozens of town hall meetings since I’ve been in Congress, and this year I’m glad to see so many people attending for the first time. Our democracy is stronger when all of us participate. Thank you to everyone who has attended so far, and please join me for town hall meetings in Portland and Can- non Beach in October. Protecting Your Personal Information Consumers deserve the peace of mind of knowing that their personal fi- nancial information is secure. The breach at Equifax has threatened the safety and financial security of many consumers. Equifax’s delay in disclosing the breach, and reports of senior executives selling stock are inexcusable. Further, it is unac- ceptable that the company attempted to use binding arbitration clauses to prevent victims from accessing justice in a court of law. As an advocate for stronger con- sumer protections, I know that we must do more to protect personal information and hold financial institutions account- able. If the Equifax breach affected you, I encourage you to review infor- mation from the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau and the Oregon De- partment of Justice to learn how you can protect yourself. Giving Dreamers the Opportunity to Succeed The Trump Administration’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) pro- gram sends a message to the rest of the world that our country has lost its humanitarian spirit and inclusive val- ues. I’ve met many ‘Dreamers,’ hard- working young adults whose parents, searching for a better life, brought them to the United States as young children. Dreamers deserve a chance to succeed. I’m encouraged by the bipartisan sup- port in Congress to take action and pro- tect these young people so they can con- tinue living their lives in the only coun- try they’ve ever known. I’ll keep press- ing Congressional leadership to bring the Dream Act up for a vote. You can find more updates about my work around NW Oregon and in Washington, DC on Facebook, Twit- ter, Instagram, and YouTube. You can also contact my Oregon and Washing- ton, DC offices with questions, com- ments, or for assistance with a federal agency at https://bonamici.house.gov/ contact. Publisher and Managing Editor Scott Laird 503-367-0098 scott@vernoniasvoice.com Contributors Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici Stacey Lynn Aaron Miller Representative Brad Witt Photography Scott Laird Want to advertise? Have an article? Contact: scott@vernoniasvoice.com One year subscriptions (24 issues) $35 Vernonia’s Voice is published on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. Vernonia’s Voice, LLC PO Box 55 Vernonia, OR 97064 503-367-0098 www.VernoniasVoice.com Salem Report By Representative Brad Witt This September the Legislature held another 3-day preparation period for the approaching session in February 2018. All three of my committees lis- tened to important and interesting tes- timony that I would like to share with you. Foremost among the presentations was an up- date on the progress of fire suppression in Oregon. We heard some fascinating statistics, including the cost at that time of $340 million, which includes all partners, state, private, tribal, and federal lands. Although more than 77% of all fire starts were human caused, light- ning strikes to date have exceeded those of the entire 2016 fire season. In the last week of July and the first week of August alone there were over 10,000 lightning strikes. The number of fires on ODF protected lands consumed approximately 42,000 acres, but 95% of the fires were kept to 10 acres or less. We have approxi- mately 10,000 firefighters from all over our state, Wash- ington, California and the National Guard to thank for that. Thank you firefighters, especially those from Dis- trict 31, for pitching in! Nevertheless, in the face of over 190,000 acres burned (includes federal and private lands), 19,000 residences threatened, 10 residences and 20 structures destroyed, and over 7,500 people evacuated from their homes, we have our work cut out for us going for- ward. As legislators, we will be continuing to inves- tigate the impact of federal land management on our state, the impact of current forest practices, and how we can create more resilient forests that are less susceptible to the ravages of fire. We also learned that ODOT has been working hand in hand with the Department of Forestry to assess damages to roadways, bridges and tunnels, particularly through the Gorge. Although I-84 is once again open in both directions, anyone using that route should log on to Tripcheck.com to make sure that landslides and/or falling trees have not caused detours or delays. Finally, just a word to the wise on a re- cent change in the law regarding “distracted driving,” in other words, driving with any kind of communica- FULL SPORTS PACKAGE! Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-7 LIVE MUSIC • Specialty hamburgers • 8 Draft beers & mixed drinks • 5 Craft beers on tap • Pool tables & satelite TV • Free Wi-fi • Beer & Kegs to go Sun - Thurs 11 AM - Midnight • 733 Bridge St, Vernonia Sat, Oct. 7 DC Malone & the Jones Sat, Nov. 4 DC Malone & the Jones “BIKER FRIENDLY” Fri - Sat 11 AM - 2:30 AM • 503-429-9999 tions device in your hand, your lap, or the seat next to you. As of October 1st, drivers may not hold a phone in their hands unless they are stopped on the side of the road or parked in a parking spot. Stopped at a red light or in traffic doesn’t count. You may use a hands-free device, such as a built-in blue tooth or a device mount- ed on your dash, but only to activate a preprogrammed function such as GPS, limited to a single touch or swipe. The Legislature actually began tightening the laws in 2013 when the Department of Motor Vehicles reported a 30% rise in the number of roadway departure fatalities linked to distracted driving. Following a Court of Appeals decision in 2015, and the report from a task force formed to study the issue, the statutes were again revised in 2017 in HB 2597B. The penalties will be significant, with the first offense set at $260, the second offense would be $435 and a third offense within 10 years could be a mis- demeanor with six months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. A special note to parents: Drivers under the age of 18 are not allowed to use any kind of mobile device, even those built into the car. 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