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