Street Roots •
Feb. 10-16, 2017
Page 3
E d ito r ia l
Tina Kotek talks poverty, tenant protections
treet Roots had the chance to ask Oregon legislator
and Speaker of the House Tina Kotek some questions
this week about poverty and the 2017 legislative session,
which began Feb. 1. Here are her written responses.
S
Isra el Bayer: How are you m aintaining your sanity
given the political climate we fin d ourselves in?
Tina Kotek: I’m trying not to
read too much national news.
We’ve got such a long to-do list
here in Oregon, I’ve been able
to put almost all of my energy
By Israel Bayer
into the work here. That said,
I’m ready and willing to
respond when Oregonians are
threatened by unjust policies coming out of D.G.
D IR E C T O R 'S
DESK
Israel Bayer is the
executive director o f
Street Roots: You can
reach him at
israel@streetroots.org
or follow him on
Twitter @israelbayer.
I.B.: The revenue forecasts fo r Oregon spell out clear pain for
poor and working class Oregonians around our state - with
a possible $1.8 billion deficit projected. Is there a silver lining
somewhere on the horizon or should we all be prepared for. the
worst?
T.K.: I need your readers to help us create the silver
lining. Oregon is 50th in the nation for corporate taxation,
and it is time to change that. Go to oregonlegislature.gov
to find out who your state senator and state
representative are, and let them know you’re concerned
about the impact that budget cuts would have on poor and
w o r k in g -c la ss Oregonians. W ith all of t h e in c r e a s e d
resources framework provides an opportunity to scrutinize
agency budgets for savings, ensure we can meet our
constitutional obligation to balance the budget, and
encourage legislators and the public to wrestle with the
difficult choices that our current resources create.
In the weeks ahead, we want to hear directly from the
public about what their priorities are. The budget-writing
committee is kicking off a seven-city, statewide town hall
tour on Feb. 10. In order to make long-term, game
changing investments in our schools, health care and
critical services, I believe that we need business tax
reform. Whether you agree or disagree with that, we need
Oregonians from around the state to share their priorities
for the state budget now and going forward.
I.B.: Affordable housing programs around Oregon have been
underfunded fo r so long it feels like we’re never going to get to
a place where we are actually scaling up our investments to
prioritize meeting the needs o f Oregonians facing a housing
crisis. W hat I mean by that, is it feels like every year in
Salem housing advocates and elected officials spend an
enormous am ount o f energy to get what feels like peanuts
compared to the investments needed to support local
communities. Is this perception real? W hat will it take to
convince our current governor and future governors to
prioritize affordable housing the same way we prioritize
education and transportation?
T.K.: First, I’ve got to say th a t G overnor Brown has been
a champion for affordable: housing. She helped lead th e
effort to create L IF T , a n a f fo rd a b le h o u s in g p r o g r a m t h a t
h e l p s f in a n c e t h e c o n s t r u c t io n o f a f f o r d a b l e f o r
inw-incom e hot^ehoidS<Tbe fibst
cre a te a b e tte r fu tu r e ^ fo r ^ O r e ^ o ^ ^
a w ard ed in Jan u ary , w hich will h e lp build 12 p ro je c ts th a t
w ill p ro v id e 9 6 5 O re g o n fa m ilie s w ith a p la c e to call h o m e .
Still yo u ’r e rig h t - w e h av e to fig h t really h a rd , an d
o fte n for sev e ra l y e a rs in o rd e r to m ake any p ro g re s s on
I B • W hat is the answer in the short-term to fix Oregon s
revenue shortfalls and what are the long-term solutions?
» On Ian.19, oUr chief budget writers released a
mework for the current, two-year budget^w le th a t»
hin the bounds of current law revenues. This existing
o f gindm ^ was.,
contact Managing Editor Joanne Zuhl at
503-228-5657, joanne@streetroots.crg.
We ask that ail submissions include the
author’s name and contact information,
if available.
: ' :
'
I
l
See KOTEK. page 12
•
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