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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2019)
in other words april18 2019 3 Salem Report By Representative Brad Witt We are now halfway through the 80 th Legislative Assembly and over the past two weeks the pace of activ- ity has been intense due to legislative deadlines. In Oregon, laws are created through the committee pro- cess. Concepts are suggested by agen- cies, elected ofocials, stakeholder groups and individuals, drafted into bills, dis- cussed in committee, and then amended to meet the needs of Oregonians. This session I have been working on some very important Public Safety issues. Some of the highlights include: " HB 2085: Dam Safety. Oregon9s poli- cies relating to dam construction, safety, and removal were established in 1929, and this bill works to update those rules and standards. The new bill was crafted by the Water Resources Department with input from stakeholders including cities, counties, environmental organiza- tions, and farm and private dam owners. The bill was approved unanimously in committee and now moves to the House for a vote. Stakeholders have already made commitments to further improve- ments to the bill as it moves through the Senate. " HB 2289: School Safety Task Force. This bill will establish an eight-member legislative panel to review school facili- ty safety features such as alarms, entries, communication, shelters, physical barri- ers, and trainings for staff, students, and emergency responders. I sponsored this legislation because I believe the safety of our young people is paramount. The bill was referred to the Committee for Student Success by Speaker Kotek. " HB 2566: ATV Registration. Oregon currently has no registration for all ter- rain vehicles. I have heard from property managers like Bureau of Land Manage- ment, Oregon State Forestry, the U.S. Forest Service, and others that the lack of registration creates an enforcement problem. When ATVs are taken into restricted areas and damage public and private lands they are difocult to trace. Another problem is the theft of and sub- sequent sale of stolen ATVs. Because the legal ownership is hard to establish, many ATV dealers don9t allow an ATV trade-in on a new purchase. While HB 2566 won9t become law this session, there is a work group forming to address these problems and the ATV registration issue. " HB 2980: Pesticide Reporting. This would extend the Pesticide Use Report- ing System (PURS) from June 30, 2019 to June 30, 2029. PURS collects, orga- nizes, and reports information on all cat- egories of pesticide use in Oregon. HB 2980 was heard in the House Commit- tee on Agriculture and Land Use and received support from farmers, environ- mental groups, and workers, and after a unanimous committee vote was referred to Ways and Means for funding. " HB 2565: Emergency Management Department Funding. The Oregon Of- oce of Emergency Management is the lead entity for coordination of state- wide emergency response efforts. Coun- ties throughout the state lack the funds to hire personnel at the local level. I introduced this bill to appropriate $3.6 million from the General Fund to issue grants to counties to hire emergency management personnel. The bill re- ceived a unanimous committee vote in the House Committee on Veterans and Emergency Preparedness and moves to the Ways and Means Committee for funding consideration. " HB 2286: College Scholarship Fund for Fallen Public Safety Ofocers. A col- lege scholarship fund exists for children of public safety ofocers killed or dis- abled in the line of duty. Currently the program is funded by 10% of civil for- feiture proceeds. HB 2286 redirects that money from the Oregon 529 College Savings Account to a higher education qualioed tuition savings program of the Oregon 529 Savings Network, thereby saving administrative costs. This was approved by the House Committee on Judiciary, received a unanimous Floor vote and is now scheduled for a Public Hearing April 17 in the Senate Commit- tee on Judiciary. While it9s a busy time in Salem, I9m looking forward to getting home to the district for some of the local cel- ebrations. April 20 is a big day in Co- lumbia County, starting at 9:00 am with the mEGGa Egg Hunt at the Columbia County Fairgrounds. What a fun event for the kids! I always enjoy seeing their excitement and enthusiasm and meet- ing up with friends and neighbors. Also that morning at Heritage Park, the Scap- poose Parks Earth Day Festival begins at 10:00 am. After the winter we9ve had, this is a nice way to celebrate spring in Columbia County and I hope to see you there. Email: Rep.BradWitt@oregonlegisla- ture.gov Phone: (503) 986-1431 Address: 900 Court St NE, H-374, Salem, OR, 97301 Website: http://www.oregonlegislature. gov/witt Publisher and Managing Editor Scott Laird 503-367-0098 scott@vernoniasvoice.com Contributors Chip Bubl Korina Buehrer Nancy Burch Tobie Finzel Aaron Miller Karen Miller Shannon Romtvedt Representative Brad Witt Photography Scott Laird Vernonia9s Voice is published on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. One year subscription (24 issues) $35 Vernonia9s Voice, LLC PO Box 55 Vernonia, OR 97064 503-367-0098 Want to advertise? Have an article? Contact: scott@vernoniasvoice.com Special Districts Election, May 21, 2019 Special District Elections will be held May 21, 2019 for all of Columbia County. Besides director positions that are up for election, there are two measures (5-273 & 5-274) for voters to decide on. All active registered voters in Columbia County (approximately 38,500) will receive a ballot tailored to their residential address. More election details and candidate olings (there is not a voter9s pamphlet for this election) can be found at www.co.columbia.or.us. The main mailing of ballots for Columbia County will begin May 1. Overseas and out-of-state ballots will be mailed at an earlier date. Verify registration/absentee voting The last day for a new voter to register to vote in this election is April 30. Residents that will be out of state may request absentee ballots by either: " Submitting an Absentee Ballot Request Form to the county elections department. " Updating the voter9s registration infor- mation. Voters can review and update their registration information at www. oregonvotes.gov by clicking the <My Vote= tab. " Contacting Columbia County Elections via email (elections@co.columbia. or.us). Returning voted ballots Ballots must be received by the county FULL SPORTS PACKAGE! Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-7 “BIKER FRIENDLY” " 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 clerk no later than 8:00 pm on May 21 - postmarks do not count. The United States Postal Service has stated that ballots could take up to 5-7 days to reach county elections ofoces once they are put in the mail. It is advised that if you cannot put your ballot in the mail before May 16, you should plan on returning your ballot to a dropsite. Drop sites for the election will be as follows: Columbia County Court House Elections Department 230 Strand, St. Helens 24-hr Drive-up Drop: Lower parking lot Clatskanie Library 11 Lillich St. Mist-Birkenfeld RFPD 12525 Hwy 202 Rainier City Hall 106 B St. West Vernonia Public Library 701 Weed Ave. Scappoose City Hall 24-hr Drop Box 33568 E. Columbia Ave Public Certiocation Test The Public Certiocation Test of the tabulating equipment for the Special Election will be held on Tuesday, May 14. The testing will begin at 10:00 am in the County Elections Dept. The public is welcome to attend. Cedar Side Inn Full Dish Sports Package Big Screen, featuring Pac 12 games Taco Tuesday from opening until 9pm 3 hardshell or 1 softshell $4.25 EVENTS Ladies’ Night every Thursday 6pm-close Sat, April 27 Texas Hold ‘em " Free Pool " Free WiFi " Specialty Pizzas Fri - Sat 11 AM - 2:30 AM " 503-429-9999 Check our Facebook page for daily specials and upcoming events 756 Bridge Street, Vernonia 503-429-5841
