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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (May 16, 2019)
in other words may16 2019 3 Salem Report By Representative Brad Witt House District 31 While my duties as the District 31 State Represen- tative keep me at the Capi- tol during the week, it is always great to return home on weekends to visit with neighbors, friends, and constituents. The last weekend in April was a busy one, I spoke at a career day at the St. Helens- Yankton Arthur Academy, joined U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley for a tour of the Oregon Manufacturing and Innova- tion Center in Scappoose, attended Sen. Merkley’s Columbia County Town Hall, and then enjoyed the 24 th annual Spring Garden Fair at St. Helen’s High School. As we move into the final two months of the 2019 Legislative Session, bills are continuing to work through the chambers, and some are becoming law. HB 2236 allows farm tractors to operate on state highways that have speed limits or posted speeds of more than 35 miles an hour and is now in Governor Brown’s office awaiting her signature. I sponsored this legislation because of the important role of agricul- ture in House District 31 and the State of Oregon. Currently, Oregon law adheres to Federal standards requiring low-speed vehicles be equipped with the same safety features as a passenger vehicle or truck before they can operate legally on a highway. HB 2236 now exempts trac- tors from the low-speed motor vehicle standards. I heard from many constituents whose farming operations require them to use a highway to move tractors from one place to another. In some instances, the farm property that was formerly con- tiguous was divided to build the high- way they now need to access to move their farm equipment. I believe we must do everything possible to support our ag- ricultural producers. Between 2012 and 2017, we lost 13,289 acres of Columbia County farmland, or 23.5% of all farm- land in the County. Agricultural produc- tion has always been an important way of life in Columbia County, and I think it’s important to support our farmers and ranchers. I was happy to see overwhelm- ing support for HB 2236 in the House and unanimous support in the Senate. Registered voters are receiv- ing their mail-in-ballots for the May 21 Special District Election. Voters will be asked to decide on candidates running for School District Boards of Education, Rural Fire Protection Districts, Port Commissions, 9-1-1 Communications, Parks and Recreation, Libraries, Water Districts, and other local governing bod- ies. I commend all candidates who have come forward to offer their names for consideration. These Special Districts impact the quality of our lives and pro- vide vital services to our communities. It takes commitment and a willingness to serve others to file for office and to step up and fill these important positions. Please take the opportunity to review your ballot, learn about the candidates, and vote by the May 21, 2019 deadline. Recently Governor Brown signed HB 2286 establishing a scholar- ship program for children of public safe- ty officers who are deceased or disabled in the line of duty. The funds come from 10% of civil forfeiture proceeds and scholarships are for the cost of tuition and fees for four years of higher educa- tion. I sponsored this legislation because of the important work and ultimate sac- rifices public safety officers make in all our communities. I was pleased and proud to see that HB 2286 received unanimous support in both the House and Senate Chambers. The House Chamber took up the issue of mandatory vaccinations as HB 3063 came to the floor for a vote. The best science and medical technology years ago enabled much of the world to begin controlling the spread of mankind’s long standing, widespread, and highly infectious diseases such as smallpox, polio, and rubella. This was accomplished through vaccines. I voted in support of HB 3063 because I remember a time before vaccines, a time when polio was a much- feared disease. We lived with the very Bonamici Bulletin By Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici Thank you to every- one who joined me at my town hall meet- ings in McMinnville, Portland, Astoria, Gas- ton, Hillsboro, and Clats- kanie. Town hall meet- ings are at the heart of our representative democracy, and the stories and insights you shared with me will inform my work on your behalf in Washington D.C. Listening to You About the Housing Crisis In every community I represent, people express concern about the lack of affordable housing. Everyone deserves to have a roof over their heads, but in- comes have not kept pace with housing costs. More than 1/3 of Oregonians now spend more than 30% of their income on housing. The toll on families and com- munities is devastating, resulting in a deep human cost as well as lost econom- ic opportunities for individuals and busi- nesses. I’m holding a series of listening sessions to learn more about what the housing crisis means for our communi- ties, and to identify solutions. There are two bills I’m already working on that will help. One would create roughly 3 million deeply afford- able homes and cut rents by about 10%. Another would address chronic home- lessness through funding for McKinney- Vento Homeless Assistance Grants, new special purpose Housing Choice Vouch- ers (Section 8), and case management services. Providing more resources for housing is important, and it’s going to take all of us working together to make sure every one of our neighbors has a home. Standing Up for LGBTQ Kids and Families In a majority of states today, there are no clear protections for LGBTQ individuals in education, employment, housing, and health care. We cannot accept the status quo in which an individual’s basic civil rights are recognized in one state, but then evaporate when they cross state lines. The bipartisan Equality Act is our opportunity to affirm that this continued on page 14 real possibility of contracting polio, and its life-changing and sometimes deadly consequences. That is why it has saddened me greatly to see the revival of mumps and measles to record levels of contagion. In the United States, vaccinations made it possible to declare the eradication of smallpox in 1949, polio in the 1980s, measles and mumps in 2000, and diph- theria and rubella in 2004. But a few years ago the vaccination rates began dropping and here we are again, facing outbreaks. A false and widely debunked re- port from the 1990s that linked autism to the MMR vaccine, salacious reports about vaccine adjuvants, and a well-doc- umented anti-vaccine social media cam- paign led by Russian internet trolls to disrupt our society and our social fabric, have all combined to stoke fear about the efficacy of vaccines. Vaccination rates are dipping everywhere. In House District 31 there are schools with fewer than 80% of vac- cinated students. Science tells us that rates of 95% are necessary to prevent outbreaks. In the interest of public health and safety here in Oregon I support- ed HB 3063. 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 Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici Chip Bubl Korina Buehrer Tobie Finzel Superintendent Aaron Miller Shannon Romtvedt Trish Smith Captain Will Steinweg Representative Brad Witt Photography Scott Laird Vernonia’s Voice is published on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. One year subscription (24 issues) $35 Vernonia’s Voice, LLC PO Box 55 Vernonia, OR 97064 503-367-0098 Want to advertise? Have an article? Contact: scott@vernoniasvoice.com FULL SPORTS PACKAGE! 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