NOTICES
EITC Available
Called “the tax break for hard-working people,” the Earned Income Tax
Credit is available to some individuals who don’t earn a high income. You
may qualify for the EITC on your 2000 tax return if you:
•
•
•
Earned less than $10,380 and have no qualifying child
J
Earned less than $27,413 and have one qualifying child
Earned less than $31,152 and have more than one qualifying child
For more information, contact the 1RS at 1-800-829-3676 or visit www.irs.gov.
Get Help In
Choosing an
Insurance
Company
Oregonians can learn how their
insurance company treats its
policyholders from the latest edition of
the “Consumer Guide to Oregon
Insurance Complaints.” The report,
published annually by the Oregon
Insurance Division, ranks insurance
companies from best to worst based on
the number of consumer complaints to
the division.
Complaint
statistics
give
consumers another way to measure an
insurance company against its
competitors. A smart shopper looks not
only at a company’s premiums and
financial strength, but also at its
complaint record, which is a good
indicator of customer satisfaction.
The latest report covers complaints
closed by the Insurance Division in
2000 in six major lines of insurance:
personal auto, homeowner, health,
health care service contractors, life, and
annuities. The Insurance Division
resolved 4,040 complaints in those lines
during 2000, compared with 4,128
complaints in 1999.
In addition to the complaint
rankings, the booklet includes tips
consumers can use to help make
informed insurance decisions and
save money.
A free copy of the booklet can be
ordered by writing to Publications,
Oregon Insurance Division, 350 Winter
St. NE, Room 440, Salem, OR 97301-
3883; or by calling 1-888-877-4894
(toll-free in Oregon). The booklet also
is available on the Insurance Division’s
Web site at www.oregoninsurance.org.
Do You Need
Flood Insurance?
Homeowners concerned about
flooding may want to look into buying
flood insurance, according to the
Oregon Insurance Division. That’s
because most homeowner insurance
policies don’t cover flood damage.
Larry Culbertson, Consumer
Assistance manager for the Insurance
Division, says that after a flood occurs,
his office frequently hears from
consumers who have filed flood claims
with insurers, only to learn their losses
weren’t covered.
“Many people don’t know that
coverage for flood damage is usually
excluded from standard homeowner or
business
insurance policies,”
Culbertson said. “But they can
protect their property by purchasing
flood insurance under the National
Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), as
long as their community participates in
the program.”
The NFIP recommends buying
flood insurance even in low- or
moderate-risk areas. Flood insurance
can be purchased from private
insurance companies and agents that
participate in the program. Coverage
is available for homeowners, renters,
and businesses.
Culbertson says consumers should
be aware that a 30-day waiting period
usually exists before flood coverage
becomes effective.
More information about flood
insurance, including cost, is available
from participating insurance companies
and agents, on NFIP’s Web site
(www.fema.gov/nfip), or by calling
1-888-FLOOD29.
OSU Forest Exhibit Seeks Images
Oregon State University Extension
Foresters are looking for images to
include in a traveling exhibit entitled
“Seeing the Forest: Supporting the
American Dream 2002/03.”
The exhibit’s objective is to make
Oregonians more aware of how their
personal decisions are tied to the forests
here and around the world. Most public
attention is directed toward forest
management practices, scrutinizing how
forests are managed and the effects of
that management on forest ecosystems.
Less attention is paid to how
consumption and demand for forest
products affects forests and the
sustainability of their management. The
OSU Extension Foresters wants to
examine the link between our
consumption and our forests and is
asking artists and viewers to consider
the effect of the American lifestyle on
forests in Oregon and around the world.
The exhibit will open on
Aug. 1, 2002, at the Oregon Trail
Interpretive Center in Baker City, Ore.
It then will travel to Springfield, Grants
Pass, Newport, and Corvallis before
moving to the state Capitol in Salem
in February 2003. The exhibit will
include supporting text, brochures, a
questionnaire, corkboards for visitors’
comments, and a publicity poster.
The submission deadline is
May 17, 2002. For more information,
contact Brad Withrow-Robinson,
Seeing the Forest Project, OSU Yamhill
County Extension, 2050 Lafayette
Ave., McMinnville, OR 97128;
503-434-7517.
Career Fair Focuses on
Agriculture, Natural Resources
A career fair and conference in Portland, Ore., will offer minority students
and professionals in agricultural and natural resources a variety of opportunities
for networking and professional development.
:
“Developing One Nation: Bringing Together Culture, Diversity, and
Technology,” the 17th annual conference of the National Society for Minorities
in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences, is scheduled for
April 4-^
Advance registration is encouraged, with information available at
503-244-4320. Information also is available at http://agsci.orst.edu/manrrs/
gen-info.html. Society membership is not required to attend the conference,
but registration fees are discounted for MANRRS members.
:
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Conference activities are designed to develop a partnership between
minority college students and professionals from academic institutions,
government agencies, and industry. A special “Junior MANRRS Program”
geared toward high school students also is planned.
Organizers expect about 900 people to attend workshops, tours, and
seminars during the three-day event, which will include trips to Mount St.
Helens, the Willamette River, the Columbia River Gorge, and other areas of
interest throughout the region. Workshops will cover a variety of subjects,
including trends in computer application in agriculture and forestland
management, internships, fellowships and scholarships, food science
marketing, grant writing, and dealing with racial prejudice.
MANRRS accepts membership from people of all racial and ethnic
groups working in agriculture and related sciences. The society works as a
springboard for career entry and advancement, and provides role models and
networking opportunities.
MANRRS also offers opportunities to students to enhance leadership,
organizational and public speaking skills, and to experience professional
critique of scholarly achievements.
The conference is supported by: Oregon State University; University of
Washington; University of California at Davis; U.S. Department of Agriculture,
Forest Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service; U.S. Department
of Energy, Bonneville Power Administration; and the U.S. Department of the
Interior, Bureau of Land Management, and Fish and Wildlife Service.
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February 2002
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Siletz News
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