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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2019
Brown lays out her
goals for fi nal term
Governor gives
annual address
By AUBREY WIEBER
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Gov. Kate
Brown wants the state to
get ambitious about solv-
ing major challenges such
as homelessness, challeng-
ing legislators on Monday
in her S tate of the S tate
address before hundreds of
lawmakers, their families
and the public in a packed
state House chamber.
“For years we have
struggled to overcome the
impacts of recession on our
state revenue, to build up
adequate funding for our
education system, and
stabilize access to health
care,” Brown said.
But now there is oppor-
tunity, she continued.
The state is experiencing
rapid growth. New jobs
and ideas are being born
daily. Some are thriving,
but others have been neg-
atively impacted by this
period of prosperity, and
Oregon has the means to
step in.
Brown spoke on the
opening day of the 2019
Legislature after she was
sworn in for her fi nal term
as governor.
Before entering the
chamber, Brown was pre-
ceded by former governors
Ted Kulongoski and Bar-
bara Roberts, the Oregon
leaders Brown has leaned
on and praised most. The
BRAVO Youth Orches-
tra fi lled the large hall
with “Sir Duke” by Stevie
Wonder.
Then Brown took to the
fl oor and was sworn in by
state Supreme Court Chief
Justice Martha Lee Walters.
Her speech hit themes
she carried on the campaign
trail and underscored in her
proposed state budget for
the 2019-21 biennium. She
offered little new as she ral-
lied legislators to her cause.
Brown mostly received
applause from the crowd,
but at one point, after warn-
ing incoming legislators to
prepare for the dirty side of
politics, three people in the
audience stood and shouted
“stop the pipeline” before
being removed.
She did key in on home-
lessness, asking for quick
action out of the Capitol.
“Across Oregon, com-
munities large and small
are struggling with home-
lessness,” Brown said.
“This crisis is playing out
on our streets — and on our
sidewalks.”
Brown asked lawmakers
to quickly approve $20 mil-
lion in bonds to pay for 200
homes for the chronically
homeless. While Brown
was applauded at nearly
every pause in her speech,
this request received audi-
ble approval from only a
handful of the more pro-
gressive members of the
Legislature, such as state
Jaime Valdez/Portland Tribune
Gov. Kate Brown is sworn in Monday by Martha Lee Walters,
chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, during a ceremony
at the Capitol.
‘FOR YEARS WE HAVE STRUGGLED
TO OVERCOME THE IMPACTS
OF RECESSION ON OUR STATE
REVENUE, TO BUILD UP ADEQUATE
FUNDING FOR OUR EDUCATION
SYSTEM, AND STABILIZE
ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE.’
Gov. Kate Brown
Sen. Shemia Fagan, the
new chairwoman of the
Senate housing committee.
Most lawmakers remained
silent.
She endorsed legisla-
tion proposed by House
Speaker
Tina
Kotek,
D-Portland, Senate Major-
ity Leader Ginny Bur-
dick, D-Portland, and Sen.
Laurie Monnes Ander-
son, D-Gresham, that caps
rent increases each year at
7 percent for all rentals in
Oregon.
“Oregon families are
counting on us,” she said.
In a normal year, a huge
education spending pack-
age, cap and trade or a plan
to seriously tackle home-
lessness could defi ne a
legislative session. But in
2019, Brown is asking law-
makers to tackle all of them,
and more, while passing
new taxes to fund the new
initiatives. On Monday,
she worked to sell them on
the aspirational path she’s
outlined.
“The time is now. Our
future is in front of us. We
have to turn the corner and
make it a reality,” Brown
said in closing. “Together
we can build a better
Oregon.”
She also endorsed cen-
tralizing state contracts to
give Oregon more lever-
age in negotiations. The
idea came from Secretary
of State Dennis Richard-
son. Richardson found in
an audit released in Decem-
ber that a modernized sys-
tem could have saved the
state $1.6 billion from 2015
to 2017.
Brown also leaned on
Oregon’s youth to illustrate
why lawmakers should
back her goals. She talked
about a card she received
from 10-year-old Abner.
On one side, the Portland
boy drew an Earth suffer-
ing from climate change.
“‘Hot, hot, hot’ read
the caption,” Brown said.
“Europe was frowning.”
On the other side was
a happy, healthy planet.
He asked Brown what she
planned to do about the
climate.
Brown used it as an open-
ing to talk about her progres-
sive plan to combat climate
change — something sure to
be a focus for lawmakers.
She also brought up
Jacob Burris, a 17-year-
old from the Eugene area
with a chronic health condi-
tion raised by a mother who
waits tables to provide for
him.
Access to the Oregon
Health Plan has allowed
Burris to thrive despite the
challenges life has thrown at
him, Brown said. He designs
apparel for the Doernbecher
Foundation.
Brown touted her work to
expand the Oregon Health
Plan to serve more adults
and children. Giving them
health care allows them to
focus on other areas of their
lives, she argued.
In 2019, Brown wants
to continue that kind of
work by supporting hous-
ing for the homeless, Med-
icaid funding, better funding
schools and taking a strong
stance on climate change.
It’s all part of what she calls
“future ready” — her plan
to build the bedrock for the
state to grow on for decades.
The two boys — Jacob
and Abner — were in the
chamber as Brown spoke.
“Today we have a choice.
Are we willing to do the
work to make the dream
of a better Oregon come
true?” she asked lawmakers.
“We are. And Jacob’s story
should serve as an inspira-
tion to get this done.”
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