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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 19, 2017)
Page 10A East Oregonian BILLS: Sex trafficking measure on the table Continued from 1A an unfunded mandate and passed a bill prohibiting the Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division from spending state money to meet the federal requirements. Oregon’s extension ends June 6 for Real ID enforcement, only days after the Legislature adjourns, and Hansell said state transportation staff reported no more extensions are coming. Oregon by 2020 will join the ranks of the non-compliant. “That’s where we are,” Hansell said. “I guess it’s a kind of game of chicken.” Hansell’s bill could end that game, but the bill does not force Oregonians to get a Real ID. “If they want the Real ID, they have the opportunity to get it,” Hansell said, “... and because it’s not mandatory, those who want it will pay the state to get the Real ID and help cut down the cost to the state.” Passing the bill could be tough, though. Plenty of lawmakers from that 2009 session remain in office. The Senate could also enact a rule to allow a Real ID process without a new law, Hansell said, but he did not know how likely that would be. He said coming from local govern- ment he understands the resis- tance to unfunded mandates, but Oregon’s lack of a Real ID law imposes hardships on its citizens. Barreto said even if the bill becomes law, the DMV lacks the ability to issue the Real IDs. He said he learned the division upgraded its computer system but did not anticipate having to meet this federal requirement. The situ- ation, he said, is frustrating, and the vehicle division should have planned better. “So here we are with a new program and we’ve got no way to get this thing on it,” he said. Without the Real ID, Oregonians could use pass- ports to get on planes, for example, but a new passport book costs $110, not including the cost of the photo. Barreto said he has a passport, but perhaps not all Oregonians could afford one. A couple of other proposals to remove the spending prohi- bition are on the table, but Hansell said SB 374 would not only overturn the old legislation but also direct the transportation department to set up the Real ID program. Hansell said he worked with ODOT staff to craft the bill’s language, and making the Real ID voluntary is the bill’s central component. Hansell’s second trans- portation bill seeks to help victims of sex trafficking. He said a pair of constit- uents who visited the East Coast noticed signs in highway restrooms providing help-line numbers for sex trafficking, and they asked him why Oregon’s restrooms don’t have those signs. “My staff began to research it, and we found out it’s against the law to put them up,” Hansell said. Senate Bill 375 would direct the state’s transportation and parks departments to allow informational signs about sex trafficking at roadside rest areas primarily along inter- states 5 and 84. The bill also would establish funds for each department that could accept public and private money to fulfill the bill’s mission. “We’ve got to do every- thing we can to stop the insid- ious advance of the sex trade,” Hansell said, and restrooms are one place victims can find information for help without pimps watching. And Hansell submitted SB 556, which creates a $250 fine for driving with a dog on your lap. “We have some pretty stringent laws about driving distracted and impaired,” he said. “... it just seems to make sense to me that a dog on your lap while you’re driving, which I’ve seen people do, could potentially be very distracting and cause an accident just as seriously as someone on their cellphone.” Thursday, January 19, 2017 OFF PAGE ONE Trump picks former Georgia gov to lead USDA WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump intends to nominate former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue to serve as agricul- ture secretary, according to a person familiar with the decision but not authorized to speak publicly before it is announced. Perdue, 70, would be the first Southerner to lead the Agriculture Department in more than two decades. He comes from the small city of Bonaire in rural central Georgia, where he built businesses in grain trading and trucking. The agriculture secretary job is the last Cabinet posi- tion for which Trump hasn’t named a candidate. Perdue is not related to or affiliated with the food company Perdue or Perdue Farms, the well-known poultry producer. Agriculture secretaries are often from the Midwest, where corn and soybeans dominate the markets. U.S. farm policy has long been favorable to those crops, and congressional battles over massive farm bills every five years often divide along regional lines. Southerners have pushed for subsidy programs that are more favorable to rice and cotton, which can be more expensive to grow. The last three agriculture secretaries were from Iowa, North Dakota and Nebraska. Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File In this Nov. 30 file photo, former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue smiles as he waits for an elevator in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York. said Thursday in a statement that he wants to talk to Perdue about “the unique interests of Midwest agriculture,” including trade and regula- tory burdens. “Nebraskans feed the world and our agriculture secretary needs to under- stand what we bring to the table,” Sasse said. Many farm-state lawmakers and agriculture groups grew concerned as Trump approached his inauguration without having named an agriculture secretary candidate. Earlier Thursday, Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley tweeted that he was frustrated with the process. “NEED Ag leader w dirt under finger nails 4farmers,” he wrote. Perdue began his political career as a Democrat in Georgia’s state Legislature in the 1990s. But it was after switching his allegiance to the Republican Party that Perdue made history. In 2002, Perdue was elected the state’s first Repub- lican governor since the end of Reconstruction more than 130 years earlier. Perdue’s victory over an incumbent Democrat completed Georgia’s shift to a solidly Republican state, ending generations of Democratic control of state government. Despite the seismic polit- ical change, Perdue showed little interest in pushing big programs or signature legis- lation during his two terms. Instead he focused on finding ways to save money while improving customer service by state agencies — such as reducing wait times for renewing driver’s licenses. He often referred to himself as Georgia’s CEO. “If I could choose my legacy it would be the epithet that he made government work,” Perdue told The Asso- ciated Press in 2010 before he left office. “That’s really what I’ve focused on. It’s not some big monument.” Critics accused Perdue of failing to tackle some of Georgia’s biggest problems, such as struggling public schools. Perdue didn’t rely only on his business acumen as governor. A devout Southern Baptist, he also found a place for faith in his admin- istration. In 2007, when a withering drought gripped Georgia and neighboring states, Perdue held a prayer rally in front of the state Capitol in Atlanta to pray publicly for rain. It was also Perdue who brought an end to Georgia’s longstanding conflicts over a state flag that featured the Confederate battle emblem. The controversial flag was replaced by lawmakers under Perdue’s Democratic predecessor, but the new design proved unpopular. Perdue insisted Georgia voters should pick the flag. A referendum was held in 2004, though Southern heritage groups were outraged that the options did not include the old flag with the Confederate symbol. FREEZE: Winter storm advisory stays in effect until noon Continued from 1A it was impossible for crews to keep the highways open with the equipment they had available. He said if people do try to drive, they risk being stranded with no one able to reach them for help. “We don’t want people to be involved in a crash, or stuck in blinding condi- tions,” he said. Interstate 82 was also closed for much of Wednesday morning between I-84 and the Oregon-Washington border. The freeway reopened in the afternoon to allow commuters to get home. Highway 395 was closed between Pendleton and John Day, as well as Highway 11 from Pendleton to Milton-Freewater and Highway 204 between Weston and Elgin. All three roads were reopened later in the day. Umatilla County closed all non-emergency offices for the day, including state courts. State agencies also closed their offices in Umatilla, Morrow, Gilliam, Sherman, Union, Wallowa, Baker, Wasco and Hood River counties. The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles shut down offices in Enterprise, Heppner, Hermiston, Hood River, La Grande, Milton-Freewater, Pendleton and The Dalles. The Morrow County Board of Commissioners postponed its Wednesday meeting from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., meeting in Boardman with a phone bridge into Heppner for residents who were unable to make the drive. A winter storm advisory is in effect until noon Thursday for parts of the Blue Mountains, including Meacham, Ukiah, Tollgate and North Powder. An additional 3 inches of snow may fall across the region, along with another tenth- inch of ice and 35 mph wind gusts. For the latest travel conditions, visit www.trip- check.com. ——— Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian. com or 5641-966-0825. MARCH: Event concludes at Prodigal Son with recap of AAUW activism Continued from 1A suffrage movement marched the day before President Woodrow Wilson’s inaugu- ration in 1913. The Pendleton march will go forth with the same spirit as the Washington, D.C., demonstration, said Andrea Mann, one of the organizers. “We believe that women’s rights are human rights, and human rights are women’s rights,” said Mann. Mann and thousands of other women (and men) hope to deliver a clear message to President Donald Trump that human rights must be respected, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, immigration status, gender expression, economic status, age or disability. Organizers espouse nonviolence and the need to attack forces of evil though not the evil- doers. Mann and about a dozen “We believe that women’s rights are human rights, and human rights are women’s rights.” — Andrea Mann, march organizer others, including two men, gathered at Great Pacific Wine & Coffee Co. on Monday to hone event details and make signs to carry on Saturday. The signs ran the gamut. “Equality for all.” “A Better America for America’s Children and Grandchildren.” “Climate Change is Real.” “We Are All in This Together.” At the Prodigal Son, members of the local American Association of University Women will offer a recap of what issues the organization has tackled over the past 100 years and talk about the importance of activism. At Sister’s Café, Mann said, the subject will be the history of civil rights. At the final stop at Great Pacific, local musician J.D. Kindle will lead the marchers in patriotic songs such as “This Land is Your Land” and “America the Beautiful.” Mann said leaders of both Republican and Democratic parties were invited to speak at the last stop. Mann said she will have sign-making materials at the Sister’s Café on Friday from 3-6 p.m. for those who wish to make placards for the march. ——— Contact Kathy Aney at kaney@eastoregonian.com or call 541-966-0810. 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