NORTHWEST
Saturday, April 29, 2017
East Oregonian
Lawmakers push
colleges to respect
diverse community
Oregon joint
tax panel starts
work next week
By PETER WONG
Capital Bureau
SALEM — The Oregon
Legislature’s
discussion
about tax changes —
including whether
there will be a new
form of taxation for
business receipts
— is about to go
public again.
The
Legisla-
ture’s
presiding
officers
on
Thursday formally
appointed a joint
H o u s e - S e n a t e Smith
committee — all
of them members of the
standing tax-writing commit-
tees for the 2017 session —
and the committee has set its
first two meetings.
At 8:30 a.m. on May 2, the
committee will hear a presen-
tation from Paul Warner, who
as legislative revenue officer
is the Legislature’s chief tax
analyst.
Warner and his staff
have been working with a
small bipartisan group of
lawmakers behind the scenes
looking at business tax alter-
natives.
At 8:30 a.m. on May 4,
the committee has planned a
general discussion.
Sen. Mark Hass, a
Democrat from Beaverton
and co-chairman of the joint
committee, said he hopes
something will emerge from
the process.
But he also said progress
will hinge on majority
Democrats and minority
Republicans setting aside
some of their political divi-
sions stemming from the
2016 short session and the
Measure 97 campaign that
ended in defeat last fall.
Measure 97, which voters
rejected by a 60 percent
majority, would have levied a
2.5 percent gross receipts tax
on businesses with Oregon
sales
exceeding
$25 million annu-
ally.
The
next
two-year
state
budget
cycle,
which starts July
1, has a projected
gap of $1.6 billion
between spending
and
anticipated
income.
A
joint
committee, if legislation
emerges, would allow for a
single set of hearings instead
of separate hearings in
each chamber. Also, a joint
committee is not subject to
the same deadlines that apply
to most legislation in the
session, which is scheduled
to end in early July.
It is possible that the
committee could prepare a
ballot measure for referral to
voters later this year.
Senate members in addi-
tion to Hass are Democrats
Chuck Riley of Hillsboro
and Kathleen Taylor of
Milwaukie, and Republicans
Brian Boquist of Dallas and
Herman Baertschiger Jr. of
Grants Pass.
House members are Rep.
Phil Barnhart, D-Eugene,
panel co-chairman; Demo-
crats Barbara Smith Warner,
Diego Hernandez and Rob
Nosse, all of Portland, and
Pam Marsh of Ashland, and
Republicans Cliff Bentz
of Ontario, Knute Buehler
of Bend, Mark Johnson of
Hood River and Greg Smith
of Heppner.
BRIEFLY
Skeletal remains in
Idaho badger den
are from 2 children
lands. The case is pending
in Cowlitz County Superior
Court.
BOISE, Idaho (AP) —
Idaho authorities say experts
examining what was initially
believed to be one child’s
remains found in a badger
hole turns out to be the
remains of two children.
The Elmore County
Sheriff’s Office tells the
Idaho Statesman in a story
on Monday that initial
estimates are that one child
is 3 to 5 years old and the
other 4 to 9.
Workers with the Idaho
Department of Fish and Game
found the remains on April 15
protruding from a grave being
used as a badger den.
Elmore County Sheriff
Mike Hollinshead says the
remains could have been
there for up to two decades.
He says archaeologists
determined the remains
aren’t from Oregon Trail
emigrants or part of a Native
American burial ground.
Man menaces
Hispanic driver,
jumps on hood
Noise, traffic,
fishing are impacts
of coal project
SEATTLE (AP) — A
new environmental study
says a coal-export terminal
proposed in southwest
Washington would have
major impacts on local
communities, access to tribal
fishing sites and rail safety.
Millennium Bulk
Terminals-Longview is
proposing a terminal along
the Columbia River near
Longview to handle up to
44 million tons of coal a
year. Coal would arrive by
train from Montana and
Wyoming to be loaded on
ships for export to Asia.
The review released
Friday by the Department of
Ecology and Cowlitz County
analyzed 23 environmental
issues and found 19 where
there were negative impacts.
Ecology Director Maia
Bellon says all of those issue
are concerning, but especially
the impact on people’s
health. Millennium CEO Bill
Chapman called the study a
“strong step forward.”
The review will be used by
agencies in deciding permits
required for the project.
Meanwhile, project
developers have sued the
state after they were denied
a sublease for state aquatic
AP Photo/Greg Wahl-Stephens
Gaggle guard
Kim Giroux helps herd a gaggle of geese down a sidewalk past
heavy traffic across the Ross Island Bridge in Portland on Tues-
day. All made it safely across.
SALEM (AP) — Members of the Oregon
House of Representatives on Wednesday
discussed the state’s racist history and
continuing discrimination as they approved a
bill that would promote inclusiveness.
The measure, which passed by a 45-15
vote and now goes to the Senate, aims to have
universities and community colleges achieve
“cultural competency,” which it defines as
responding respectfully and effectively to
people from all walks of life. They would
need to provide oversight for cultural compe-
tency standards, provide training for staff,
establish goals and report on progress.
Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon, a Democrat
from Woodburn and one of the bill’s spon-
sors and the first immigrant Latina in the
Oregon House, hugged Rep. Janelle Bynum,
D-Clackamas and the only African-American
in the House, after the vote.
During often emotional arguments by
lawmakers for and against the bill, Bynum
referred to Oregon’s original constitution
that prohibited black people from residing in
the territory. She said she was reminded of
that by the huge mural of white settlers that
hangs at the front of the chamber.
Rep. Diego Hernandez, a Democrat from
Portland, recalled how, when he was playing
ultimate Frisbee in college, a school staffer
used a racial slur to suggest that since he was a
minority he wear light-colored clothing so he
could be more easily seen by his teammates.
Hernandez said he didn’t believe that person
meant harm by the comment, but that such
cultural insensitivity could leave lasting scars.
Walden backs bill cutting pre-existing coverage
By JEFF MAPES
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Oregon
Congressman
Greg Walden indicated
Thursday he supports the
latest version of the Repub-
lican bill that would repeal
and replace Obamacare.
The GOP lawmaker’s
support for the bill comes
even though the new bill
would allow states to drop
certain protections for people
with pre-existing health
conditions.
Walden repeatedly told
constituents at town halls
earlier this month that he
would not support legislation
allowing insurers to hike
costs on sick patients.
Critics of Republican
attempts to come up with an
alternative to the Affordable
Care Act — often called
Obamacare — say Walden’s
EO file photo
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden
talks about the work he
has done in Congress at a
town hall meeting in Feb-
ruary at the SAGE Center
in Boardman.
support doesn’t square with
his promises on pre-existing
conditions.
Patrick Willard of Fami-
lies USA, a Washington,
D.C., advocacy group, said
Walden claims to “support
protecting people with
pre-existing
conditions”
but then pulls “a bait-and-
switch.”
Walden
spokesman
Andrew Malcolm said in an
email to OPB that Walden
supports the latest version
of the bill, which was
worked out in negotiations
with the House Freedom
Caucus. Members of that
caucus played a big role in
denying House leaders the
support they needed to pass
an earlier version of the bill
in March.
Malcolm did not respond
to requests for explanation
why Walden is supporting
a bill that many see as
weakening provisions the
congressman has previously
described as crucial.
In an April 13 town hall
in The Dalles, Walden said,
“We’re not going back to
the days when [insurers]
could underwrite you, say,
‘Oh yeah, we’ll cover you.’
It will just be so expensive
you can’t afford it. That
is not a plan I’m going to
support.”
Willard, of Families
USA, said that under this
new version of the health
care bill, Oregon could
continue to offer a full range
of protections for those with
pre-existing conditions.
But he added it could turn
into a “race to the bottom” if
many states decide to waive
those protections.
Several supporters of the
new version of the bill insist
it will still provide needed
protections.
Rep. Tom
MacArthur, R-N.J., who
worked out the provisions
of the new version with
members of the freedom
caucus, told CNN it will
protect “vulnerable people”
while giving more flexibility
to states.
PORTLAND (AP) —
Police in Oregon arrested a
man who they say threatened
to kill a woman while calling
her a “dirty Mexican.”
Court documents show
the victim reported the attack
Tuesday night. The woman
told Portland police she just
left work when a man started
taking pictures of her and
her license plate. She said he
yelled “America deserves
better” and jumped on her car.
He then grabbed a bottle
from his car and used it to
bang on her window while
making the threat.
The man allegedly caused
more than $1,000 damage
to the woman’s car before
driving away.
A witness took down the
license plate of the man’s
vehicle. Police arrested
the suspect, 35-year-old
Joseph Leineweber, when
he showed up in court on an
unrelated allegation that he
harassed a pastor.
Leineweber is charged with
criminal mischief, intimidation
and menacing. Court-
appointed attorney Kami
White did not immediately
return a phone message.
Ex-city recorder
receives plea
hearing extension
ISLAND CITY (AP) —
A former city recorder in
Oregon accused of abusing
her governmental power
has received a three- to
four-week extension for her
plea hearing.
The Observer reported
Thursday that Judy Rygg’s
attorney requested the
extension because a plea
offer from the district
attorney’s office had been
late and includes more than
1,000 pages of evidence.
The plea hearing has
been rescheduled for May
23. Rygg has been charged
with eight felony counts of
first-degree theft, nine felony
counts of computer crime, a
misdemeanor count of second-
degree theft and one count
each of first-degree official
misconduct and tampering
with public records.
Page 11A
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