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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 31, 2016)
12A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, MAY 31, 2016 Lobbying cash spent in Oregon, 2007-15 A wide range of entities, from hospitals and nursing homes to utilities and the governor’s office, reported spending more than $251 million on lobbying Oregon lawmakers and other state officials from 2007 through 2015. $35.9 (All sectors, millions of dollars) million 33.9 31.1 29.8 27.2 26.8 25.6 21.2 19.9 Up 31.7% from 2007 NOTE: Totals not adjusted for inflation. 2007 ’09 ’11 ’13 2015 Source: Oregon Government Ethics Commission Hillary Borrud and Alan Kenaga/EO Media Group Lobbying: State receives an F grade on disclosure Continued from Page 1A estate interests that reported spending a total of $27.3 mil- lion on lobbying during the same period. Unlike several other states including Idaho, Oregon does not require lobbyists to dis- close the specifi c bills or exec- utive branch actions they seek to infl uence. Oregon lobbyists are only required to disclose food, drinks and entertainment purchased for a specifi c law- maker or other state offi cial if the cost exceeds $50 on a sin- gle occasion, and lobbyists do not have to report individual expenses reimbursed by their clients . Until this year, the only way to know how much lob- byists and their clients were spending to entertain state offi - cials was to request a copy of the paper reports fi led with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. The agency launched a new electronic fi ling system for lobbyists late last year, but that system is not displaying certain spending details due to technical glitches. Even if the system were working correctly, however, it would likely provide only a small sample of lobbyists’ activi- ties. Of the $35.9 million in reported spending last year, only $93,189 was explained in detailed reports. An F grade These minimal reporting requirements contributed to Oregon receiving one of the lowest rankings in the nation for transparency in lobbying activity. Last summer, the Sunlight Foundation evaluated how all 50 states track spending on lobbying and created a score- card ranking the states. The foundation awarded Oregon an F grade, meaning lobby- ists and their clients face fewer disclosure requirements than in most other states. Most of Oregon’s neigh- bors received higher grades, from an A in California to a C in Idaho. Emily Shaw, a senior ana- lyst at the Sunlight Foundation who was involved in the proj- ect, said the goal was to eval- uate how much information states collected about lobby- ists’ specifi c activities and the costs of those actions. “People should be able to fi nd out who has come to infl u- ence their laws,” Shaw said. “That’s not to say there needs to be any particular restriction on lobbying in a particular sit- uation. But for good public awareness of what’s happen- ing in these processes, we need good information about what lobbyists are doing, and when.” Pete Quist, research direc- tor at the National Insti- tute on Money in State Poli- tics in Montana, agreed that it is important for states to require lobbyists to disclose more about how they infl u- ence lawmaking. The institute is collecting information about state-level spending on lob- bying across the nation. “The lobbying piece isn’t analyzed as much in the media as it should be,” Quist said. “What we see a lot of public discus- sion about is the campaign contributions.” Resisting disclosure Oregon lobbyists have resisted efforts to require them to disclose more details of their work, most recently in 2015 when they won pas- sage of a bill that allows them to avoid reporting spend- ing to lobby other lobbyists, for example to build a coa- lition for or against an issue. The 2015 bill — which eas- ily passed both chambers of the Legislature and was signed into law by Gov. Kate Brown — extended the disclosure exemption through mid-2017. Dan Meek, a public inter- est attorney and co-chair of the Independent Party of Oregon, said this exemption is a major reason the public cannot fi nd out how lobbyists use much of the money their clients report spending. Still, Meek said he remains more concerned that Oregon has no campaign con- tribution limits because polit- ical donations do not have to be reported as gifts, even if they are connected to lobby- ing efforts. “Lobbying regulation in Oregon is really of secondary importance because it can be so easily evaded,” Meek said. The extension of the lob- bying reporting exemption last year provided another exam- ple of how lobbyists avoid revealing their impact on Ore- gon’s laws. Lobbyist Marla Rae, who previously served on the Ore- gon Fish and Wildlife Com- mission and worked for the state Department of Justice and former Gov. Ted Kulon- goski, advocated for the bill during legislative hearings on behalf of the Capitol Club of Oregon, a professional orga- nization for lobbyists. How- ever, the Capitol Club did not report spending any money on lobbying last year and Rae does not appear to have regis- tered to lobby on behalf of the group. In an email, Rae explained the Capitol Club did not have to report spending any money on lobbying because she vol- unteered her time to advo- cate for the bill. Rae wrote that she did not spend enough time working on the issue — the threshold is 24 hours in a quarter — to trigger the state’s requirement to register as a lobbyist for the group. Bill Cross, the Legislative Committee chair for the Cap- itol Club, said the group still wants a permanent reporting exemption for lobbying other lobbyists, partly because it is burdensome for lobbyists to track the information. “I’m sure we’ll be pursu- ing some sort of way to adjust that because the value of that information just doesn’t seem apparent to us,” Cross said. Hundreds of bills Cross said it would also create a lot of work for lob- byists — with minimal bene- fi t to the public — if lobbyists were required to report all the bills or executive actions they work to infl uence, because he sometimes tracks hundreds of bills during a legislative ses- sion. At the moment, no one is advocating for expanded lob- bying disclosures in Oregon, Cross said. “I’m not aware of any issues, I guess, that have evolved in the last four or fi ve years where other organiza- tions have said, ‘Wait a min- ute, we really need to reform our lobbying disclosure laws because of problems with cor- ruption or something. ” The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. Lyra Fontaine/The Daily Astorian American Legion 168 commander Dan O’Reilly and other veterans raise their hands in salute during the playing of taps. ‘Liberty is not free’ In Cannon Beach, a day of gratitude and remembrance By LYRA FONTAINE The Daily Astorian CANNON BEACH — Flowers in hand, families and veterans gathered on Fir Street Bridge Monday to remember those who lost their lives serv- ing the country. The American Legion Post 168 has organized a Memo- rial Day ceremony in Cannon Beach since the 1970s. “Today is a time to pause and refl ect on just how much we owe others,” Post C ommander Dan O’Reilly told the crowd. “Liberty is not free. Our sons and daughters have answered the call again and again. They have done this without regard for sex, race or religion. We are the melting pot. This is what makes us strong. Many have given their all ... for the freedoms we enjoy.” This price, he added, has been paid in all corners of the world. “We must be watchful that our leaders never commit our valuable resources to a cause that’s not necessary, because again, freedom is not free,” O’Reilly said. “The playing of taps tells those who have pre- ceded us to rest, for their day is done. Rest in peace, my brothers and sisters. We have the watch. We have your legacy.” He ended his oration with the U. S. Marine Corps motto “Semper fi delis,” or “Always faithful.” Cannon Beach Community Church pastor David Robinson led a prayer honoring fallen vet- erans. “May they rest in peace and may your perpetual light shine upon them,” Robinson said. Robinson issued a plea for justice for the oppressed and peace for all peoples so mili- tary sacrifi ce will not have been in vain. “And may we never fail to remember the awesome cost of the freedom, which we enjoy here on this bridge and in this fi ne city,” Robinson said. While taps were played, O’Reilly and those who served the country, whether retired or on active duty, raised their hands in salute. Others in the crowd placed their hands over their hearts. Following the bugle call, families stepped forward to toss fl owers into Ecola Creek from the Fir Street Bridge to remem- ber loved ones who died in service. Memorial Day: ‘Most of the guys are silent’ Continued from Page 1A “Yesterday, I walked out on the beach and I looked at the ocean and the sand and I realized I owe a debt to 1,355,000 million Ameri- cans who gave up their life so I could stand on that beach,” said Michael Heuvelhorst, an offi cer of the Seaside Elks Lodge. “I just can’t imagine what it would take to repay that debt.” The liberty Americans enjoy — to celebrate the national holiday, to spend time with their loved ones — was paid for by those who gave their lives fi ghting for the country. “We need to remember this not only today, but every day,” Heuvelhorst said. Col. Michael Becker, from the Camp Rilea Armed Forces Training Center, gave a brief history of Memorial Day, which he called “Amer- ica’s most solemn holiday.” “This day is observed on the last Monday of May,” he said. “It is the day we set aside in which we give honor to the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.” The history is important, Becker said, to understand its signifi cance. He urged the audience to share with their children “what this day is all about.” The event was capped by the traditional wreath-laying ceremony. Standing atop the Broadway Bridge and accom- panied by First Vice Com- mander Brad Moore, Greg McCollum, of Seaside, laid a wreath in the Neawanna Creek in memory and celebra- tion of his father, Jack McCol- lum, who served in the Korean War and died in November. Although Jack McCol- lum received a Bronze Star and was proud of his ser- vice to the United States, “he was a very quiet individual,” and kept silent regarding his memories of the war, Greg McCollum said. “Most of the guys are silent,” he added. To have the life and service of his father, who was a mem- ber of the Seaside American Legion, remembered during the Memorial Day service was “overwhelming,” McCollum said. “It’s very special,” he said. The ceremony also included the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America,” by Kayla Vowels, and “Amazing Grace,” by Maureen Boggs, a member of the Seaside Amer- ican Legion Auxiliary. Instead of an opening prayer, Post 99 Chaplain Jeanie Peterman shared lines from the war poem “In Flan- ders Fields,” which is written from the perspective of those who died in confl ict. Milligan: He’s in custody at Two Rivers Correctional Institution Continued from Page 1A Burton ruled on two of the central issues in the case, both of which, in different ways, deal with statutes limiting the windows of time in which claims may be fi led for dam- ages stemming from injury or sex abuse. The defense had argued that the $5.5 million law- suit was subject to the Ore- gon Tort Claims Act, which requires claims against gov- ernment agencies to be noticed within six months of the alleged injury and fi led within two years. In this case, the crimes occurred in 1998, and the claim was not fi led until 2014 because — accord- ing to the plaintiffs — J.M. had repressed the memories of the abuse. However, the plaintiff had countered that a different pro- vision of Oregon law should apply, which allows victims of child sex abuse until the age of 40 to fi le claims. One of J.M.’s attorneys, Dennis Steinman, said his client was only 30 when the claim was fi led. Burton ultimately ruled in favor of the Oregon Youth Authority . In a phone interview , Stein- man said the decision creates a “disconnect” in the law. “The net effect of the judge’s ruling is that if a child is abused by a church or the Boy Scouts or some other pri- vate entity, you have until you’re 40 years old to bring the claim, but if you’re abused by a public entity, you have this very short window to fi le,” he said. “And if you’re 5 years old, you may not even real- ize that you were abused until you’re 30.” The second issue con- cerned differences between Oregon and U.S. case law in regard to a federal statute com- monly used to bring claims of alleged civil and constitutional rights violations. Steinman said that fed- eral case law has established a tighter window for when a plaintiff discovers the claims, but he and his fi rm had argued the court should use a differ- ent discovery standard that was established by the Oregon Supreme Court. But Burton decided that her decision was bound by federal case law. That means J.M. had only until his 19th birthday, in 2002, to fi le his claim. Steinman said he could not comment on whether they would appeal, citing attor- ney-client privilege. The initial complaint alleged that, on two separate occasions during the plaintiff’s fi rst month at MacLaren , Mil- ligan ordered J.M. to accom- pany him to the laundry room. Once there, Milligan forced the plaintiff to perform a sex act on him and sexually assaulted him, the complaint alleged. The complaint also said Milligan grabbed J.M.’s throat, told him to keep his mouth shut because no one would believe him and threatened to break his neck. “Plaintiff lived in fear that Milligan would sexu- ally assault him again during the time that p laintiff was at MacLaren,” the complaint read in part. J.M. was released from MacLaren in September 1999. The petition said J.M. blocked out the abuse after being released, and the mem- ories did not begin to resurface until 2012, when news broke of the sex abuse scandal at Penn State University involv- ing Jerry Sandusky. Milligan is currently in cus- tody at the medium-security Two Rivers Correctional Insti- tution in Umatilla. W A NTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A Contact: Steve Axtell • 360-430-0885 or John Anderson • 360-269-2500 C COOKING CAMP FOR LET’S COOK! KIDS Monday, July 11 th through Friday, July 14 th 9 am to 12:30 pm ◆ Class includes morning snack and lunch Limited to 10 students, age 7 and up $ 100 for the Week er Scholarships t s i g Re Now! at Available no northcoastfoodweb.org