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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2013)
Street roots 5 Feb. 1, 2013 ijM SfSîïi BONAM ICI, from page 1 S.B.: Yes, I am on two committees. I am on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee and Education and Workforce. Each of these committees has subcommittees. So in Science, Space, and Technology I am the ranking member on the Environment subcommittee. We will be looking at the science of climate change, marine research and a lot of environmental issues. I’m very excited to dig in on these issues. Then there is Education and the Workforce Committee. I am on two subcommittees there. One is Higher Education and the other is Workforce Protections. So in Higher Education, I hope we will be looking at ways we can expand access to higher education for all Americans. Especially things like supporting Pell Grants, which really is a key to quality of life in our community and crucual in rebuilding the economy. The Workforce Protections subcommittee has jurisdiction over things like worker safety, the Fair Labor Standards Act, Family Medical Leave Act and a lot of protections for workers. There are some migrant worker protections that are covered in that subcommittee as well. So I hope to continue my record of supporting worker’s rights through that subcommittee work. Also, in the education committee, I am very interested in K-12 education and making some changes to No Child Left Behind. I.B.: Gun violence? S.B.: Just before I came back to Oregon, a hearing on gun violence prevention that was one of the more moving hearings I’ve ever sat through. The superintendent of Newtown, Conn, was there, along with the mother of Gabe Zimmerman, who was the staff of Representative Gabby Gifford, who was killed in Tuscon, a chief of police from Minnesota and the Mayor of Philadelphia, who chairs the National Conference of Mayors. They discussed the need for gun violence prevention, which I support. It’s comprehensive and complex, but I support more access to mental health care and universal background checks. In Oregon, we passed background checks at gun shows through an initiative, but most states don’t have that. And so, somebody who can’t pass a background check at a store can just go to a gun show or online and buy a gun. So we need a universal housing as it is essential to rebuilding our bring these different communities together background check. economy. towards a shared vision? That seems like a pretty likely thing, and I hope, we can pass it. That will be the first I.B.: Portland and M ultnomah County S.B.: It’s a good thing to have such a step in keeping guns out of the hands of have complained for years that the rest o f the diverse district because it really inspires me people who shouldn’t have them. region, specifically Washington County, has to learn about not only urban and suburban One thing to keep in mind is that all of not been doing enough to fu n d homeless and communities, but also about rural, these proposals are going forward. So the housing services and capital projects for agricultural and coastal issues. I have a ban on high-capacity magazine clips is on affordable housing. How does the region move really broad perspective about how these those magazines that are sold in the future; forward with a more coordinated plan to tackle policies impact different areas. it’s not like the government is going to these issues? I was in a small town in Yamhill County come and take them (guns) away from last night. Here I am in Portland today. It people. S.B.: I know that there are advocates really gives me the opportunity to think Representative Mike Thompson (CA), a working together effectively. I think we have about how these policies will impact my Democrat, who is heading a task force, is a an excellent community of advocates for low- entire district. hunter. He goes duck hunting and is income housing. There is homelessness I think that the divide is smaller than a forbidden by law from having more than throughout our state and we need to make lot of people think. Wherever I am in the three bullets in his magazine. He is hunting sure that we are having a conversation and district, the number one issue is, how do we ducks, but someone can walk into a theatre creating resources for housing and rebuild the economy and what policies will in Aurora with a hundred rounds in a homelessness. best do that, whether it be better education magazine. It doesn’t or housing or getting make sense. more capital to One thing to keep in mind Is that all of these proposals I am hopeful about businesses and are going forward. So the ban on high-capacity magazine many of the measures, streamlining but particularly the clips is on those magazines that are sold in the future; it's regulations. Those background checks. things don’t have rural- not like the government Is going to come and take them That being said, we urban divide. (guns) away from people. can’t ignore the need There are a lot of for access to mental things in common, health care and policies and interests, de-stigmatizing mental health. That’s why state and federal policy is for those communities. I really enjoy going important. I hope that the state legislature out to talk with my constituents and hearing I.B.: That's my next question. Part o f the does what it can. I will work at the federal from them. And I do hear a lot of common conversation coming out o f the Newtown and level to make housing a priority. We need to themes. other shootings is the lack o f mental health make sure that housing is part of the stability in the US. Oregon has long had an conversation. It’s a good investment. We I.B.: What can we expect in Oregon over the underfunded mental health system — what’s spend a lot of time responding to crisis, let’s next decade? the answer? work on preventing those crisis situations by investing in education and housing. S.B.: I am really proud to be from Oregon S.B.: We have to make sure that mental and I constantly talk about Oregon as an health care is accessible, available and that I.B.: Should Oregon move forward with example. We are ahead of a lot of other we de-stigmatize it. It’s critical that we fund legalizing marijuana? states. A couple of examples are health care mental health programs. We have a lot of reform and the Coordinated Care work to do moving forward. S.B.: I think we should be looking at how Organizations that are really expanding Washington and Colorado are implementing access to health care with the goal of driving down costs. We are ahead of the policy. It’s illegal at the federal level, but not I.B.: How do we solve the federal government’s lack o f housing resources for curve on this. at the state level in those states. There is a local communities? conflict there. I think we should be watching We are ahead in our appreciation of those two states as examples to see what creativity and innovation. We have lots of S.B.: We need to keep having a they do right and what they do wrong. When really creative people here who have lots of we put it in front of the voters, which I conversation about the importance of innovative ideas that are going to be a big housing. I used to work at Legal Aid in assume will happen, we will have a lot more part of our future. information to go on. We will see how they Eugene. You realize that people don’t We have a beautiful state with our do, especially with Washington being so choose to be struggling or fall into an transportation and land-use planning. We close. have done a lot here to make this a very unfortunate set of circumstances. livable state. I think Oregonians can look Housing is an essential part of stable life forward to a decade of continuing to tackle I.B.: Your district covers a lot of ground, and getting people transitioned back to the important issues and encouraging creativity, from Astoria to Portland and Beaverton and workforce. I’ve always been an advocate for while expanding on our economy. It’s going then south into Yamhill County. Much o f the affordable housing and will continue to do to continue to be a great place to live and conversation around the country seems to focus so. We need to continue to have the work and raise a family. on an urban and rural divide. 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