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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017
Health care provider
tax gets closer to ballot
By CLAIRE
WITHYCOMBE
Capital Bureau
SALEM — Legislation
designed to pay for Oregon’s
expanded Medicaid program
through a tax on providers and
insurers got a step closer to the
ballot Wednesday.
State Rep. Julie Par-
rish, R-Tualatin/West Linn;
Rep. Cedric Hayden, R-Fall
River; and Rep. Sal Esquivel,
R-Medford, filed paperwork
to start collecting signatures to
get a tax on health care provid-
ers on the ballot.
Oregon already assesses
certain urban hospitals 5.3
percent of net revenues in
order to help pay for the costs
of the Oregon Health Plan,
the state’s version of Medic-
aid, the federal program that
provides health coverage for
the poor and other qualifying
groups.
Legislation approved last
month would continue the
assessment, create a “true tax”
of .7 percent of net revenues,
create a new 4 percent assess-
ment on rural hospitals and a
1.5 percent tax on insurers.
Taxing providers allows
states to draw substantial fed-
eral funds to pay for Medic-
aid. According to the Kaiser
Family Foundation, all states
except Alaska had some kind
of provider tax in the 2016 fis-
cal year.
In Oregon, the provider
tax is expected to collect more
than $600 million in the next
two years, and to leverage
nearly $1.9 billion in federal
funds to pay for Medicaid.
Health care providers
receive a portion of the total
Medicaid funds in exchange
for providing care to Medic-
aid patients.
If the petitioners collect the
required 58,789 signatures in
about three months, the legis-
lation will “freeze” and parts
of it will not be implemented
as planned. The tax on insur-
ers, for example, would not
start on Jan. 1, 2018, as the
legislation outlines.
Parrish is critical of that
aspect of the bill, and said
Wednesday it amounted to a
“sales tax on health care” for
people who buy insurance on
the individual market.
Esquivel voted for the pro-
vider tax — the lone Repub-
lican to do so and a key vote
supplying the required three-
fifths majority approval in the
House.
Esquivel said in a pre-
pared statement Wednesday
that although he voted for
the provider tax, he was con-
cerned about recent initiatives
in health care led by Demo-
crats, such as mandating cov-
erage of reproductive health
services for Oregon residents,
regardless of immigration sta-
tus. That bill was passed by
the Legislature Thursday.
“I supported (the provider
tax bill) because I think those
who qualify under the federal
law should have a way to see
the doctor,” Esquivel said. “It
was a hard vote, but it needed
to be done. What’s ensued
since is a major overreach by
the House Democrats to drive
new costs and expand pro-
grams when we can’t fully
fund programs for our veter-
ans and citizens. That’s not
how those tax increases were
presented to me.”
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown,
a Democrat, signed the pro-
vider tax legislation Monday.
In a statement Wednesday, she
called it “critical to protect-
ing the health care coverage
of Oregonians and stabiliz-
ing the commercial insurance
market.”
“Any delay would jeopar-
dize the care of more than 1
million Oregonians who rely
on the Oregon Health Plan,
drive up costs of Oregonians
who buy their insurance on the
individual market, and limit
health care options for rural
Oregonians,” Brown said.
It’s not yet clear when the
tax could go to the ballot: the
House is scheduled to vote
today on when to hold the
election. Democrats are push-
ing for a January election to
decide the issue sooner, a
move that Parrish opposes.
Oregon House passes
anti-racial profiling bill
By PARIS ACHEN
Capital Bureau
SALEM — A bill aimed
at reducing racial profiling
during police stops passed
the House of Representatives
36-23 Wednesday.
The legislation received
broad support for its anti-pro-
filing measures but drew
controversy when Demo-
crats added provisions to
decrease penalties for felony
drug crimes and for certain
misdemeanors.
The Senate is set to vote on
the bill next.
House Bill 2355 “is a crit-
ical piece of legislation for
ensuring fair policing practices
and building trust between law
enforcement and the public,”
said Rep. Tawna Sanchez,
D-Portland. “This is an inter-
sectional approach to address-
ing the inequities in our crim-
inal justice system at every
level both on the ground in
everyday interactions with law
enforcement and in the court-
house through common-sense
sentencing reforms.”
Sanchez, who is of Native
American heritage, shared her
own experience during traf-
fic stops with police. She said
on multiple occasions, officers
pulled her over and without
asking her whether she knew
why she had been pulled over,
and inquired whether she had
been drinking.
The proposal requires
police to collect data on race
and other demographic infor-
mation during law enforce-
ment stops. The Criminal Jus-
tice Commission would have
the responsibility to analyze
the data to identify any trends
showing officers have singled
out people with specific qual-
ities such as the color of their
skin.
Another provision requires
training of police, including
veteran officers and leader-
ship, in concepts of bias and
implicit bias, the idea that peo-
ple unconsciously feel more
trust toward others who are
similar to them.
The Department of Public
Safety Standards and Training
would then assist law enforce-
ment agencies in stopping pro-
filing practices and develop
training programs to prevent
profiling, according to the
measure.
The bill also reduces the
circumstances under which
possession of a controlled sub-
stance is charged as a felony. A
task force assembled by Attor-
ney General Ellen Rosenblum
recommended the sentencing
changes. Members of the task
force found in their research
that people of color are dis-
proportionately charged with
drug-related crimes despite
statistics that show they use
drugs at about the same rate as
people who appear as Cauca-
sian, Rosenblum has said.
The bill reduces possession
of six controlled substances
from a Class B or C felony to a
Class A misdemeanor, unless
a defendant has a prior fel-
ony conviction, two or more
possession convictions, com-
mercial possession or amount
exceeds a certain threshold.
Rep. Andy Olson, R-Al-
bany, said he opposed the bill
because the change could fuel
other crimes such as property
crimes.
“It’s a very difficult bill for
me to vote no against because
I am 100 percent behind the
racial profiling part of it,”
Olson said.
Another provision reduces
maximum penalty for a Class
A misdemeanor from 365
days of imprisonment to 364
days. That change was meant
to prevent federal deportation
of legal immigrants who are
convicted of a Class A misde-
meanor and may be a refugee,
enrolled in school in the United
States, or are the spouses or
family members of a U.S. citi-
zen, said Speaker Tina Kotek,
D-Portland. A sentence of 365
days triggers mandatory fed-
eral deportation.
WORLD IN BRIEF
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump waves as he arrives to deliver a speech at Krasinski Square at the Royal Castle today in Warsaw.
Associated Press
Trump administration to sell
Patriot missiles to Poland
WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s defense minister says the
Trump administration has agreed to sell Poland a new batch of
medium-range Patriot missiles to upgrade the European nation’s
air defenses.
Minister Antoni Macierewicz made the announcement today as
President Donald Trump kicked off a day of meetings on defense
and energy initiatives.
The purchase deal is still to be signed.
Warsaw is seeking to raise its defense potential amid Russia’s
heightened military activity, some of it near Poland’s air space.
Macierewicz said the purchase could total some$8 billion
Trump says Russia likely hacked
but nobody ‘knows for sure’
WARSAW, Poland — On the eve of his first meeting with Rus-
sian President Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump questioned
the veracity of American intelligence about foreign meddling in
the U.S. election, arguing today that Russia wasn’t the only coun-
try that may have interfered.
“Nobody really knows for sure,” Trump said.
Opening his second overseas trip as president, Trump also
warned North Korea that he’s considering “some pretty severe
things” in response to the isolated nation’s unprecedented launch
of a missile capable of reaching the U.S. Though he declined to
offer specifics on the U.S. response, he called on all nations to con-
front the North’s “very, very bad behavior.”
As U.S. investigations into Russia’s meddling move ahead,
Trump is under intense scrutiny for how he handles his first face-
to-face session with Putin. U.S. intelligence officials say the unpre-
dictable Russia leader ordered interference in the election that
brought Trump to the White House.
Trump and Putin plan to sit down on Friday in Hamburg, Ger-
many, on the sidelines of an international summit.
US warns North Korea that
diplomatic window is closing
WASHINGTON — The United States warned Wednesday that
North Korea was “quickly closing off” the prospect of a diplo-
matic resolution to its provocations, as the Trump administration
launched a government-wide effort to identify options for con-
fronting Pyongyang following its unprecedented intercontinental
ballistic missile launch.
President Donald Trump and other senior officials dangled the
prospect of punishing countries that trade with North Korea — a
threat aimed directly at China, Pyongyang’s biggest benefactor.
In a tweet Wednesday morning, Trump questioned why the U.S.
should continue what he sees as bad trade deals “with countries
that do not help us.”
His message was bolstered at the United Nations, where U.S.
Ambassador Nikki Haley told an emergency meeting of the Secu-
rity Council that the Trump administration was eyeing penalties
against “any country that does business with this outlaw regime.”
She also raised the specter of military action, declaring that the
U.S. was prepared to use force if necessary.
“Their actions are quickly closing off the possibility of a diplo-
matic solution,” she said of North Korea’s leaders.
Some administration officials are still holding out hope of per-
suading China to ratchet up economic pressure on Pyongyang,
despite Trump’s increasingly pessimistic attitude toward Beijing.
Trump, who departed for Europe early Wednesday, is scheduled to
meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of
20 summit in Germany.
Police look into what prompted
deadly ambush of officer
NEW YORK — At the start of her midnight shift, Officer Mioso-
tis Familia was in a New York Police Department mobile command
post, writing in her notebook, when a gunman strode toward her.
She never saw Alexander Bonds coming before he shot her in
the head through the passenger-side window, killing her before
officers ultimately killed him, police said.
Police are investigating what may have prompted Wednesday’s
shooting, which Police Commissioner James O’Neill described as
an officer being “assassinated in an unprovoked attack on cops.”
“Officer Familia was murdered for her uniform and for the
responsibility she embraced,” O’Neill said in a message to offi-
cers Wednesday night. “For the NYPD, regularly achieving lower
and lower crime figures means absolutely nothing when one of our
own is brutally shot and killed.”
A 12-year NYPD veteran, the 48-year-old Familia had come
to police work later in life than most on a force where the aver-
age recruit is 26. She had been a nurse and medical assistant first,
according to her profile on the career site LinkedIn. A mother of
three who lived with her own mother in the Bronx, she felt a call-
ing to help her community, friends said.
Wounded Rep. Scalise
readmitted to intensive care
WASHINGTON — The Washington hospital where House
Majority Whip Steve Scalise is recuperating from a gunshot wound
says he has been readmitted to the intensive care unit.
MedStar Washington Hospital Center says the Louisiana
congressman is back in intensive care because of new
concerns for infection. Scalise was in serious condition Wednes-
day night.
Scalise and four other people were injured last month when a
gunman opened fire on a Republican baseball practice in nearby
Alexandria, Virginia. U.S. Capitol Police and other officers
returned fire and killed the gunman.
The congressman was struck in the hip and the bullet tore into
blood vessels, bones and internal organs. He has undergone several
surgeries and had been upgraded to fair condition.
The shooting in the Virginia suburb that critically wounded
Scalise and injured several others has forced members of Con-
gress to examine their security arrangements to determine if they
are sufficient.
Device thought to be WWII-era
bomb is actually time capsule
NEW YORK — Workers at a construction site dug up what
first appeared to be an unexploded World War II-era bomb but
turned out to be a time capsule from a nightclub that helped launch
Madonna’s career.
Police found the device Wednesday in the Flatiron section of
Manhattan and determined quickly that it was not dangerous. It
turns out the capsule was buried in 1985 by clubgoers and bartend-
ers from the club Danceteria. Former owner John Argento told the
Daily News of New York he bought it for $200 at an Army Navy
store on Canal Street.
“It was just an excuse to do a party,” Argento said. “We forgot
about it and went on to the next party.”
Madonna danced through Danceteria in the movie “Desperately
Seeking Susan,” and she performed there in real life, as did Billy
Idol, Duran Duran and many other ‘80s icons. The club closed in
1986.
“The city was exciting then — it was innovation, music, art,
fashion because kids could still afford to come to New York City
and get an apartment for $100 and the drinks were $2,” Argento
told TV station WCBS.
Argento, who now runs two clubs in New Jersey, said he can
hardly remember what was inside the Danceteria capsule.
“I was hoping the contents survived and I want to get them back
because a lot of people ask about it,” Argento said.
The police said Argento may be able to pick up the contents of
the capsule once they’ve been thoroughly searched.
Govt supporters storm Venezuela
congress, injuring lawmakers
CARACAS, Venezuela — Pro-government militias wielding
wooden sticks and metal bars stormed congress on Wednesday,
attacking opposition lawmakers during a special session coincid-
ing with Venezuela’s independence day.
Four lawmakers were injured and blood was splattered on
the neoclassical legislature’s white walls. One of them, Americo
de Grazia, had to be removed in a stretcher while suffering from
convulsions.
“This doesn’t hurt as much as watching how every day how
we lose a little bit more of our country,” Armando Arias said from
inside an ambulance as he was being treated for head wounds that
spilled blood across his clothes.
The unprecedented attack, in plain view of national guardsmen
assigned to protect the legislature, comes amid three months of
often-violent confrontations between security forces and protesters
who accuse the government of trying to establish a dictatorship by
jailing foes, pushing aside the opposition-controlled legislature and
rewriting the constitution to avoid fair elections.
Tensions were already high after Vice President Tareck El
Aissami made an unannounced morning visit to the National
Assembly, accompanied by top government and military officials,
for an event celebrating independence day. The short appearance
at the congress by top officials who have repeatedly dismissed
the legislators as a band of U.S.-backed conspirators was seen by
many as a provocation.
Syrian TV: At least 3 dead
in blast in central Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian TV says an explosion has gone
off in the central city of Hama, killing at least three people.
The state-run TV says today’s midday explosion went off in
a bus station in the city, which is controlled by President Bashar
Assad’s forces. It said the “terrorist blast caused a number of casu-
alties, including dead and wounded.”
Explosions in the city are rare.
Assad traveled to Hama and attended prayers at a mosque in the
city on the first day of the Muslim al-Fitr holiday late last month.