USDA waivers would
ease complex food-
stamp reporting.
State seeking
information about teen
abstinence programs
The state Department of Human
Services is seeking information
about teen education programs that
emphasize abstinence from sexual
activity.
The formal request, circulated
by DHS’s Adult and Family Ser
vices Division, seeks abstinence-
only curricula that can be offered in
addition to an existing program
called Students Today Aren’t Ready
for Sex, or STARS.
STARS now is available to at
least some sixth-graders in 31 of
Oregon’s 36 counties.
The 1999 Oregon Legislature set
aside $151,000 from the STARS
budget and asked state officials to
find out about other abstinence-only
program s as alternatives or to
supplement STARS, which has re
ceived positive evaluations. Offi
cials say other programs might al
low communities to supplement
STARS by reaching different age
groups or delivering programs
through organizations other than
schools, for example.
“We intend to find out what other
programs are available so that local
communities will have a broader
choice o f abstinence programs to
offer as part of comprehensive ef
forts to prevent teen pregnancies,”
said Sandie Hoback, AFS adminis
trator. Information about other pro
grams is sought by Oct. 8.
Proposals will be evaluated by a
broad-based group that includes
DHS, state Commission on Chil
dren and Families, Oregon Depart
ment of Education, Oregon Center
for Family Policy, county health de
partments and others.
Hoback said programs are being
asked to describe such things as the
age group being targeted, how so
cial and media pressures are ad
dressed, research and evaluation
results, and how programs meet fed
eral requirements and state guide
lines.
Oregon has 10 guidelines for such
programs including teaching accu
rate medical and scientific informa
tion; promoting the healthy benefits
o f abstinence (rather than shame
and fear); helping youth develop
decision-making skills; respecting
cultural, ethnic, and religious dif
ferences; and having community and
professional support.
Hoback said the legislative Emer
gency Board, which meets between
biennial sessions, will be asked in
December to release the $ 151,000
in state funds for such programs,
which presumably would be sup
ported by federal and other funds as
well.
The first such programs might be
introduced by early 2000, she said,
and could be offered through
schools, boys and girls clubs,
churches or other local sponsors.
Organizations wishing to know
more may call Larry Shadbolt at
(503) 945-6072.
Conyers Criticizes GOP
For Failure To Act On
Police Misconduct
Attending a meeting of the Con
gressional Black Caucus on the sub
ject of police brutality Rep. John
Conyers. Jr. chastised the Republi
can controlled Congress for failing
to act on the growing epidemic of
police brutality.
Conyers added“ . .. Police miscon
duct is a manifest issue.. .The ener
gies of Congress should be focused
on the adoption of legislative priori
ties that address the substance of law
enforcem ent m anagem ent and
strengthen the current battery of tools
available to sanction misconduct.”
Police misconduct is growing dra
matically. For example: Last De
cember in Pittsburgh, a police of
ficer shot to death a black motorist
who had slowed down and peered
through his side window while ob
serving a drug arrest. In Riverside,
California, a policeman in her car at
a gas station who had been called to
come to her aid shot Taisha Miller -
a 19-year-oldblackwoman-to death.
In February, Amadou Diallo, a West
African immigrant, was shot41 times
in the vestibule o f his Bronx apart
ment by four police officers.
In response to the problem of po
lice misconduct, Conyers will be
gathering data and mustering sup
port at the meeting in support of two
new bills, which he has introduced in
Congress.
The first bill, titled the Law En
forcement Trust and Integrity Act of
1999, and adopts an innovative ap
proach to the dilemma of police mis
conduct. Rather than focusing on
episodic incidents, this legislation
targets hiring and management pro
tocols much farther up the chain of
causation that can stop incidents of
misconduct long before they occur.
The bill also strengthens federal
prosecutorial tools with demonstrated
effectiveness at sanctioning miscon
duct. This bill seizes upon the op
portunity to initiate reforms that
would restore public and account
ability to law enforcement.
H R. 2656, introduced by Con
gressman Conyers would initiate the
reforms necessary to restore public
trust and accountability to law en
forcement.
The otherbill which Conyers will
be gathering support for is commonly
known as the “Driving while Black"
bill. The bill, H.R. 1443, is an at
tempt to address the problem o f ra
cial profiling by police and is offi
cially titled "The Traffic Stops Sta
tistics Study Act of 1999.” It would
require the Justice Department to
conduct a nationwide study of racial
profiling by acquiring data from law
enforcement agencies regarding the
characteristics of persons stopped
for alleged traffic violations and the
rationale for subsequent searches.
In support of H.R. 1443, which
has received the endorsement of the
White House as well as forty-six
other Representative, Conyers has
September 29, 1999
'Portland ®bseruer
Page A3
programs designed to get officers on
the street. Now, lawmakers must be
just as willing to support pro grams
designed to train and manage them
after they get there. If the Republi
cans won’t act on these issues now,
they will face the consequences next
November.
It may soon becom e e a sie r
for low -incom e people to o b
tain food stam p b en efits in O r
egon.
The federal gov ern m en t has
taken the first step in g ran tin g
the O regon D epartm ent o f H u
man S ervices w aivers to fe d
eral Food Stam p P rogram rules
that w ill reduce com plex re
porting req u irem en ts.
“ Food stam ps are a v ery im
p o rtan t tra n sitio n a l p ro g ram
and we w ant people to be able
to use the p ro g ram ,” said Jim
N eely, deputy a d m in istrato r o f
D H S’s A dult and F am ily S e r
vices D ivision, w hich o p erates
the program . “ This is the first
step in m oving food stam ps in
the d irectio n we b eliev e the
program should g o .”
U nder the w aiv ers, re fle c t
ing som e re c o m m e n d a tio n s
made at DHS public forum s in
M ay, fe d era l o ffic ia ls g ave
co n d itio n al approval to:
D isre g ard the v alu e o f a
h o u seh o ld ’s first v eh icle for
elig ib ility pu rp o ses, re p lacin g
the federal stan d ard o f lim it
ing v alu e to $ 4 ,6 5 0 b e fo re
counting value as a h o u seh o ld
asset.
A llow a standard sh e lte r al
low ance, part o f the co m p u ta
tio n fo r d e te rm in in g fo o d -
stam p e lig ib ility , to reduce the
need for docu m en tatio n o f ac
tual shelter costs. Allow a stan
dard m onthly m edical allo w
ance for sen io rs and people
with d isa b ilitie s, also an e lig i
b ility criterio n , sim plifying the
program by d ecreasin g re p o rt
ing and v e rific a tio n re q u ire
m ents.
M ore than 106,000 O regon
h o u seh o ld s receive food stam p
b e n e fits, now d eliv ered e le c
tro n ic a lly , av eraging $147 per
h o u sehold.
E lig ib ility for the program ,
p re d o m in an tly fin an ced by the
fed eral g overnm ent, is d e te r
m ined based on a co m bination
o f incom e, assets and fam ily
size.
F ed eral o ffic ia ls estim ated
the cost o f the changes at $66.5
m illion over the next five years,
and N eely said O regon was
ask ed to illu stra te how these
co sts can be o ffse t. He said
one o p tio n w ould be to d is re
gard the value o f the first v e
THE LARGEST, HOST COMPLETE RETAIL FABRIC STORE IS THE WEST
September 28 through October 12,1999
PRINT SALE!
A IL P R IN T S
30% OFF
C o u p o n S p e c ia lll
said that the “legislation will allow
us to ascertain the extent such profil
ing is occurring on a nationw ide ba
sis, help increase police awareness
of the problem, and determine if any
border response is warranted. If our
citizens are to trust our justice sys
tem it is imperative that all forms of
discrimination be eliminated from
law enforcement. The Traffic Stops
Statistics Act of 1999 will help give
Congress the tools to assess and un
derstand a dangerous form of such
discrimination - racial profiling in
traffic stops. I welcom e the
President’s support for this initiative
and look forward to working with
him to see that it is signed into law.”
Conyers concluded “Congress has
been enthusiastic about supporting
Sale includes: Calicos, Home Dec
(Drapery and Upholstery ) • Special
Occasion • Rayons • Children's Wear
• Active Wear • Flannel Prints
$0.00*
3 year old Carl Conyers (youngest
so n o f C o n g re s s m a n John
Conyers, Jr.)
Place: D exter, M ichig an, Family-
R ecreational C am psite
Phone Connection
h ic le fo r h o u s e h o ld s th a t
agreed to p artic ip a te in em
ploym ent and train in g a c tiv i
ties, which p resum ably w ould
re d u c e th e n e e d fo r fo o d
stam ps.
T he old ru le s so m e tim e s
forced people to ch o o se b e
tw een food stam ps and a r e li
able car to get to w ork as w ell
as im posing onerous re p o rtin g
re q u ire m e n ts th a t r e q u ir e d
som e people to take tim e o ff
w ork, N eely said.
I f state and federal food-
stam p o ffic ia ls reach a g re e
m ent, he said, it is p o ssib le the
new ru le s co u ld be im p le
m ented by late this year or early
next.
Fe6
• OUTERWEAR FLEECE
SOLIDS & PRINTS
• FAKEFUR
• DENIM 6 o z .- l 4 o z .
C R E D IT C H EC K S
D E P O S IT S
TURNDOW NS
*
30% OFF
L im ite d T im e O nly
C onnections in 2-3 days
Qv
BE SURE TO CHECK OUR STORE FOR "MANAGER’S SPECIALS"
•Discounts do not apph to pmioush discounted or marked down items 9 2K99 thni 10 1299
Simply Cellular & Telephone ,
3939 NE Martin Luther King Blvd
j
2 8 0 -8 0 0 0
|
‘ 1st month must be paid in advance;
ce; valid thru 1<V15/99-us west areas
I
RETAIL -WHOLESALE
184
r
N
/
Jz
1
/
&
■ü
c
STAHh a
STREET1
RETAII H OI RS
M( IVI Rl 9 IK l a m 1) ( K ipin
NATI Rl )AV 91 li lainopin
SIVDAY KlUUam-'pii)
7 0 0 S.E. 1 2 2 n d A ve.
P o rtla n d , O R
ViHOI.ES.AI F HOI RS:
Visit our website at
www.fabhcdcpot.com
YK )Y-fRI “ VEmi-Y Sipin
SAintlLAA 'idtkun-Spn)
SIMMY IImiam-apni
2 5 2 -9 5 3 0
1-800-392-3376
--------------- “T
It just hit. W ith o u t w arning, the winds raged
through nearby cities and towns that morning last
spring, toppling trees, tearing off roofs, ripping down
power lines.
And the 7 a m. to 4 p.m. shift had started out so
normally for Irene Bowen and Birgit Schulz, two
customer service employees at Pacific Power's
k Customer Service Center. They had taken the
I
usual number of calls, answering questions
" about things like new service, payment
arrangements and energy efficiency.
Around noon, the storm struck and suddenly
the phones lit up like a video game. For the next 12
hours, Irene, Birgit and their fellow customer serv ice
professionals logged even' customer call so that line
crews could be dispatched quickly. They updated
callers on the progress, checking the status of work for
them. They also gave advice about what to do until the
power was back on.
As the power was restored, the crisis subsided.
Many of the Customer Service Center's employees
had been at their workstations for 17 hours. And the
There was no call before the storm.
day's volume at the Customer Service Center had
reached a near-record breaking 12,000 calls, with more
than 94 percent of them answered within 45 seconds.
Irene and Birgit alone had handled an amazing 300
calls each!
But they weren't counting. "These aren't just calls,
they are people who need help and I'm concerned
about them So I just stayed on the line and kept
going!" said Birgit.
Irene Bowen, Birgit Schulz and the team at the
Customer Service Center Real troupers. In and out of
a storm.
You can reach us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Just call 1-888-221-7070.
# PACIFIC PO W ER
A PacifiCorp Company
Making it happen.