The Oregon public employe., April 01, 2002, Page 5, Image 5

Special Session and Quality Services
As part o f our New Strength and Unity Plan, SEIU
Local 503, OPEU is working to improve health
security and support quality public services.
A view from the gallery during a special legislative session in February.
he first step in the fight for quality
public services must be the fight to
stop backsliding in the special session
because of the revenue shortfall. The rev­
enue picture is bleak because of ballot mea­
sures 5 and 47/50. There is a shortfall today
. and there is a shortfall in the next biennium
that will affect state and local government
and K-12 schools and community colleges.
■
Budget shortfalls notwithstanding,
the public has indicated that it wants quality
public services. Recent polling shows that
the public would be willing to raise taxes to
support services. For example, 87% of the
respondents would support new revenue for
services that allow low-income seniors and
the disabled to remain independent. New
revenue for temporary assistance to families
and food stamps for working families are
supported by 86% of the respondents. The
Oregon Health Plan should be supported
with new revenue if necessary, say 82% of the
respondents. 82% would support new
revenue for child abuse and prevention
. programs and other health care and assis­
tance for working poor. Services that treat
the mentally ill and keep them in a secure
residential setting should get new revenue
say, 81% of respondents.
The poll also shows that 80% of the
public (with only 15% disagreeing) believe it
is important to preserve a safety net for
people hit hard by layoffs and recession.
Whatever problems there are with govern­
ment services, they are not caused by those
who actually deliver the service (78%-20%);
it's "bureaucracy." An astonishing 63% (with
32% opposed) believe the kicker is a silly
budget practice and that the money should
be used to fill the shortfall. A similar margin
(61%-34%) believe that Measure 88 allows the
wealthy to deduct more
money paid in federal
taxes from state taxes,
should be delayed to prevent further cuts.
The special session is part of a larger
fight to turn the tide toward more support
for some, if hot all, public sendees. It is a
debate that will have ramifications for
many months. The Oregon State Legisla­
ture was in its second special session as
I The Oregon Public Employee was headed
for presstime.
Attempts to close a $845 million
gap in the state's-$12.3 billion budget in
the first special session which ended Febru­
ary 11 were unsuccessful when the Governor
vetoed the lawmakers' product because he
believed the cuts they made were too deep
and the one-time, stopgap revenue measures
they proposed were shortsighted and simply
created a bigger problem for the next bien­
nium and Legislature.
The Governor attempted to expose
jhe value of public service^ offered by state
and local governments and k-12 school
districts with two days of public hearings on
February 14 and 15. He was joined for most
of the two long days by Senate President
Gene Derfler and House Speaker Mark
Simmons. A few other legislators joined the
hearings for briefer periods of time.
During the week of February 18, the
state economist announced that tax collec­
tions continue to fall — leaving a $930
million shortfall.
An increase in the tobacco tax is one
o f the ways lawmakers are considering to
raise the money to close at least a portion of
the budget hole. While it is not the only
method of raising revenue being considered,
it is one with some support within the
Legislature and it raises about $106 million.
While many view it, with some justification,
as a tax on lower income Oregonians, it also
has the effect of lowering health costs by
reducing smoking while it provides income
for needed human services. Corporate tax
reform and delaying the implementation of
Measure 88 (mentioned above) are some
others.
As of March 1, it was still uncertain
how or when the second special session
would come to a close.
everal ballot measures of critical impor­
tance to SEIU Local 503, OPEU mem­
bers are racing to collect signatures
before the July 5 deadline.
2002 could b6 another year with a long list
of measures on the November General Elec­
tion ballot.
SEIU Local 503, OPEU has joined with
others who are part of the Voter Education
Project (see page 25) to reduce — if not
S
eliminate — many of the abuses associated
with initiative petition signature gathering by
requiring that payment by signature be
prohibited. Paying signature gatherers by the
hour would not be prohibited and such a
system is less open to abuse. The bounty now
on signatures rewards the gatherer for collect­
ing as many names as possible. That has led
to forged signatures and petitions full o f
signatures that were not properly witnessed,
along with other abuses. This election cycle,
the Voter Education Project has already
documented fraud and abuse of the system
and provided evidence to the Attorney
General's office. There have been arrests and
indictments of several gatherers. We believe
Bill Sizemore gets most of his signatures by
pay-by-signature. ;
Once again, Bill Sizemore has two measures
that, while targeted at public employees, should
be of critical importance to all Oregonians.
One, opposed by SEIU Local 503, OPEU
and others, would, as with other similar ballot
measure initiatives in past election years,
reduce drastically our ability to deliver a
message to the public about quality public
services and the work we do. Public employ­
ees and those who support public education,
quality public services, PERS retirement,
union rights, wages and benefits for the skills
and experience we bring to our jobs, would
have a harder time raising money necessary
for effective political campaigns.
Employees now have the deduction of
their dues and other worthy causes, without
the hassle of renewing it each year.
Sizemore's other measure would limit
income taxes, crushing government's ability
to meet the needs of the people. As Ballot
Measure 5 in 1990 impacted local govem-
continued on p a g e 6...
THE OREGON PUBLIC EMPLOYEE PAGE 5