P age A 7
T he P ortland O bserver • N ovember 30, 1994
Packwood Pushes For
Approval Of GATT
Sen. Bob Packwood, R-Ore.
joined in a press conference last week
with Vice President Al Gore, Sen.
Daniel Moynihan, D-N.Y., several
congressman and members o f the
business community to push for im
mediate congressional approval o f
the General Agreement on Tariffs
and Trade (GATT).
“After eight years o f difficult
negotiation, the U ruguay Round
Agreement, which was negotiated by
presidents Reagan and Bush and com
pleted by president Clinton, is just
two weeks away from being approved
by the U.S. Congress,” Packwood
said.
“The agreement cuts global tar
iffs by one third, tackles foreign ag
riculture subsidies that have hurt our
farm exports for decades, provides
greater protection for patents, copy
rights and trademarks o f U.S. entre
preneurs so they no longer will be
ripped o ff by foreign competitors,
and opens new markets for U.S.
banks, insurance companies, engi
neers and accountants which export
over $140 billion annually.
“Simply stated, this agreemen
is good for the United States, and it
good for Oregon. Also, for thost
who argue that the United States i:
giving away its sovereignty, there i:
nothing in this agreement that take'
away our sovereignty. If worse come
to worse, on six months notice wi
can get out o f the World T rade Orga
nization. So I hope that argumen
will be put to rest, and I am going t
do everything I can to see that GAT'
is passed at the end o f this month
“Putting Kids First”
Bv K evin W . C oncannon
New state laws and increased
productivity have dramatically
increased child support
collections
in
Oregon.
Legislators will consider new
proposals to strengthen state
enforcement.
The poorest people in America
are children and single-parent fami
lies, their poverty often worsened by
the fact that the absent parent is not
providing child support.
M orethan$580m illion in court-
ordered support is owed Oregon chil
dren. One begins to understand the
challenge when it’s understood that
many o f these parents never married
and, among children bom to single
parents, fewer than 15 percent re
ceive child support from the absent
parent.
The lack o f financial support is
often mirrored by an absence o f per
sonal, social and emotional support,
as well, which are vital to the healthy
development o f children.
A lthough Congress this year
failed to enact welfare reform, which
included stepped-up child support
enforcement, Oregonians can be as
sured that support orders here are
being enforced as never before. Even
tougher laws will be proposed to
legislators.
Two new Oregon laws gave us
powerful enforcement tools:
An occupational licensing law
that permits the state to revoke li
censes o f people in selected state-
licensed jo b s if they are more than
$2,500 in arrears. Already, 89 O re
g o n ian s (w ho c o lle c tiv e ly ow e
$880,000) have agreed to begin pay
ments.
A new employee reporting law,
requiring selected employers to re
port new hires within 14 days, result
ed in collections o f $1.7 million in
nine months. In the past, absent par
ents would move from jo b to job,
evading child support wage attach
ments.
These new laws - we will ask
them to be expanded to all occupa
tions - are bolstering vigorous efforts
that more than doubled collections
over a five-year period.
Besides expanding O regon’s
occupational laws, lawmakers are
being asked to merge the two state
child-support enforcement agencies
- they are in the Adult and Family
Services Division and Department
o f Justice - and to add employees.
The idea o f adding employees
surprises some people, but they are
even more surprised by the payoff:
For every $1 spent to enforce child-
support orders, $2,36 is returned to
the state treasury. We estimate that
this proposal would yield $33.3 mil
lion in additional support for chil
dren - beyond personnel costs - while
also returning $4.5 million to the
state treasury.
People often ask us about the
Maine experiment in revoking driv
ers’ licenses for nonpayment. We are
watching it closely, although the num
ber o f revoked licenses is still small.
Maine officials say they will also
answer the question o f whether the
law results in more unlicensed and
uninsured motorists.
W hatever the means o f collec
tion, the message must be this: If you
owe support, you owe it both to the
child who is your responsibility and
to the taxpayer who otherwise might
support your child through public
assistance.
By doing so, Oregonians will be
authentically “Putting Kids First” and
making individual investments that
will pay dividends for decades.
Kevin W. Concannon is direc
tor o f the Oregon Department o f
Human Resources, the state’s health
and human services agency.
NOVEMBER IS ADOPTION MONTH
Adoption agencies are celebrat
ing National Adoption Month in No
vember with special activities to bring
attention to the need for permanent
homes for over half a million chil
dren nationally.
G ive Us T his D ay, Inc. o f
Portland and N ew berg is one o f
the agencies in O regon c e rtifie d
to p la c e c h ild re n in a d o p tiv e
hom es. It is the only A frican-
A m e ric a n a d o p tio n se rv ic e in
O reg o n and one o f only 10 in the
n ation c e rtifie d to place A frican-
A m erican ch ild ren .
Churches and businesses are be
ing asked to support the effort. There
are hundreds o f children in Oregon
Southeast Precinct
Command Change
Volunteers
Needed As
Senior
Companions
M ariane H eisler, c u rre n tly the C ap tain in ch arg e o f the Fam ily
S e rv ic e s D ivision, will be p rom oted to C o m m an d er, and w ill
tra n sfe r to the B u re a u ’s S o u th e a st P recin ct on T h u rsd ay N o v e m
ber 17th.
D avid B utzer, who has been the P re c in c t C o m m an d er sin ce
July o f 1992, w ill take over com m and o f the F am ily S ervice
D ivision.
T here w ill be a p rom otion cerem ony at 10:30 am T h u rsd a y on
the 14th flo o r o f the Ju stice C enter.
If you are 60 or older, on
limited income ($767 or less) and
would benefit from a meaningful
experience, consider the Senior
Companion Program.
S en io r C o m p a n io n s are
matched with at-risk adults in Mult
nomah County private hom es
where they may be providing home
care after a hospital stay, monitor
ing activities o f daily living on
behalf o f their clients or provide
information and referral.
The rewards are numerous and
include up to a $200 tax-free al
lowance, daily meal, transporta
tion costs, paid time off and sick
leave.
If you or someone you know
is interested in devoting 20 hours
per week in helping others, call
Metropolitan Family Service a
non-profit, equal opportunity em
ployer at 249-8215 and learn more
about the Senior Companion Pro
gram or about other programs o f
the agency.
ENROLL
MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU
Tap mioTHt source oi *
Consumer
v
Information Center
consumer information
Department Source
CATALOG Send your name Pueblo. Colorado 810Ö9
•
and address to
*
>
A
• Experienced staff • Nutritious lunch/snacks • RN
• Diversity among children &. staff • Creative Movement Class
8 7 2 -2 4 0 0
Providence Child Center • 830 N.E. 47th Avenue
.
* •
LISCENSED IN OREGON SINCE 1975
Singles & Seniors, I can help you!
ADVERTISE IN
“1st Class Gaurantee”
A-ZEBRA
Lmb
call (503) 288-0033
EL r m l s
rcaltoa
George A. Hendrix
MBA, GRI, Broker
J.L.S. Lawn Service
The Bee Company, Inc.
GROCERIES AT
WHOLESALE PRICES
800 N. KILLINGSWORTH
(503) 283-3171
Bad’s
SWViCB
Speedy Service
Friendly Call
For Quote
heating oils
Best Cash Prices
104 NE Russel
Portland, OR 97212
282-5111''
Q
■ac.-str'
Realty Inc.
300 NE Multnomah, Suite #16
Portland, Oregon 97232
(503) 230-1390 • (Res.) 287-6837
Q u e stio n s a b o u t
n
\* .
RECYCLING?
?
W e h ave
ANSWERS.
(and free refrigerator m agnets!)
Painter
Metro Recycling Information
249-1719 or 778-9360
M ETRO
Family Owned and Operated in
N. Portland tor over 38 YEARS!
FALL
Ages 214 to 6
M o n d ay - Friday • 7 a.m . - 6 p.m .
The largest paper money ever issued was the one kwan note of the Chinese Ming dynasty issue of 1368 to 1399.
It measured nine by 13 inches.
Estimates
FOR
P rovidence M ontessori S chool
OObscrucr
“By shopping the Bee Co. before
your regular superm arket, you
are putting money in your pocket!
We may not have everything you
are looking for, but what you do
find you will sav e a minimum of at
least 20% OFF regular prices!
Canned and packaged, Frozen
Food, Deli, Detergent and Pet
Food, and much much more! That
is why it pays to STOP Here First!
We are open Mon-Sat. 9:00-5:30
p.m. Food Stam ps Welcome!”
NOW
NEW! M o rn in g H a lf'd a y M ontessori Class
(Ebe
office: 503-335-0263
pager: 503-940-7721
who do not have parents or whose
parents are unable to care for their
children.
Give Us This Day has proven
that youth can be stabilized and
helped with supportive family ser
vices. The organization needs re
sources to increase its capacity to
help youth
4712NE 66th Ave
Portland OR 97218
234-3000