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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 24, 2017)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Wednesday, May 24, 2017 $8B transportation package would strip House approves governor’s ability to appoint ODOT head tighter tracking By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM – Legislators on a joint committee to craft a trans- portation package plan to propose shifting authority to appoint the director of the Oregon Department of Transportation from the governor to the Oregon Transportation Commission. “If you are going to have entity with fiduciary responsi- bility, they need the ability to appoint the CEO,” said Committee Co-Chairman Lee Beyer, D-Eugene. Under the proposal, the five- member commission would appoint the director “in consulta- tion with the governor.” The proposal is one part of a transportation package that would raise about $8 billion over the next 10 years to pay for projects to relieve congestion and maintain roads and bridges. The 14-member committee met over the last two weeks to refine points they wanted to include in the legislation, which legislative counsel is in the process of drafting. Lawmakers emphasized that their agreement for the first draft of the legislation did not necessarily indicate their support for all of the provisions. Many of the finer points will be hashed out after the first draft is completed. Co-chairwoman Rep. Caddy McKeown, D-Coos Bay, estimated the first draft would be finished by May 31, with public hearings scheduled afterwards. The money for the plan would come from a combination of hikes in the gas tax and registration and license fees, tolls and new taxes on payroll and purchases of new vehicles and bicycles. The legislation also would require a for medical marijuana about $800 million per year in additional transportation funding. The money would come from increases in the gas tax and vehicle fees and a set of new taxes over the next 10 years, including: • Gas tax increase from 30 cents to 44 cents. • Tiered increase in title and registration fees, with higher increases for fuel-efficient vehi- cles, which pay less in gas taxes. • Statewide payroll tax of one-tenth of 1 percent to pay for mass transit. • Tolls to be determined. • Bicycle excise tax of 5 percent. • Dealer privilege tax of 1 percent on new vehicle purchases. The state spends about $1.3 billion a year on transporta- tion system maintenance and upgrades. This proposal would bring that amount up to about $2.1 billion. The committee’s co-chairs have estimated a vote on the package could happen as early as mid-June. website where taxpayers could follow the progress and budgets of projects in their area and create an independent staff for the OTC, which sets policy for ODOT. Tammy Baney, OTC chair- woman, earlier this year asked Gov. Kate Brown for a separate staff and for more involvement in the appointment of the ODOT director. The plan identifies a few specific projects to ease conges- tion, but other projects would be prioritized by the Oregon Trans- portation Commission. Specific projects would: • Add lanes on Interstate 5 near Portland’s Rose Quarter from Interstate 84 to Interstate 405. • Add northbound and south- bound lanes on Highway 217 through the Portland metro area. • Widen Interstate 205 to six lanes from Oregon City to Staf- ford Road. • Widen and seismically rein- force Interstate 205’s Abernethy Bridge. The plan raises an average of By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM — The Oregon House of Representatives Monday passed a bill 51-to-7 that requires medical marijuana to undergo the same tight-looped tracking as the recreational product. “The core purpose of this bill is to make sure that we eliminate the illegal market by enhancing tracking and other associated things that will prevent diversion from Oregon’s legal mari- juana sector to the illegal market,” said Rep. Ann Lininger, D-Lake Oswego, co-chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Marijuana Regulation. The effort to pass the reforms took on more urgency after the Trump admin- istration indicated it could crack down on marijuana commerce in states where the drug has been legalized, committee members have indicated. The requirement is the most signifi- cant of several tweaks the bill makes to Oregon’s marijuana regulations. The Senate passed the bill 23-to-6 on May 10. Under existing law, medical producers, processors, wholesalers and retailers have to self-report to the Oregon Health Authority how much marijuana they have. The bill requires all of that product to be tracked with a bar code or computer chip that follows the plant from a seedling to its final product. The bill exempts medical marijuana cardholders and home growers from the tracking requirements. The legislation also requires: • OHA to create an electronic database to track medical marijuana cardholder activity and to share that information with the Department of Revenue and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. • Adding two commissioners to the OLCC from Eastern Oregon and Western Oregon. • Financial disclosures to the OLCC by people with a financial interest in a marijuana business applying for a license. • OLCC to pursue disciplinary action against a former licensee even if the license has been revoked or suspended. (OLCC previously did not have that enforcement authority over former licensees.) Dems: Medicaid concerns haven’t derailed provider tax talks By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — Two key Demo- cratic legislators maintain that concerns raised last week by the secretary of state about the state’s Medicaid population have not affected negotiations over a possible tax on health care providers. The so-called provider tax aims to raise between $575 million and $600 million to cover part of the state’s costs of expanding the pool of people who qualify for Medicaid, the federal government’s health care coverage for the poor and other needy groups. It allows the state to receive matching federal funds. A private work group of legislators and others involved in health care is hashing out the details. Last week, Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson released a memo saying that the state, more than three years after expanding Medicaid under the federal Affordable Care Act, has not verified everyone covered by the Oregon Health Plan still met the criteria. It’s unclear whether about 115,000 of the 1 million Orego- nians on Medicaid are still eligible, Richardson’s memo said. Of that group, about 14,000 people are in the process of being removed from the plan for not responding to the state’s inquiry; 17,000 people are undergoing analysis; and by the end of the month, the Oregon Health Authority says it will know whether the remaining 84,000 people require further analysis. The state received a series of passes on performing annual eligibility determinations until mid-2016. The Oregon Health Authority blames old data systems and the failure of an attempted health insurance exchange called Cover Oregon as the source of the prob- lems processing eligibility data. Speaker of the House Tina Kotek, D-Portland, and Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, D-Beaverton, who is a co-chair of the legislative subcommittee that handles OHA’s budget, said Monday that the issues raised last week have not affected negotiations on the provider tax. Oregon already taxes certain hospitals and long-term care providers, but the new tax could include insurers and coordinated care organizations, Steiner Hayward said Monday. Coor- dinated care organizations, or CCOs, are the regional networks of health care providers for Oregon Health Plan patients. Steiner Hayward, a family physician, said people involved in provider tax talks — including legislators on both sides of the aisle, representatives of hospi- tals, insurers and CCOs — were already aware of the eligibility and enrollment problems at the Oregon Health Authority. “I don’t think the audit alert has affected anything,” Steiner Hayward said. She argued that while some providers could lose money, that depends on how the tax is structured; and maintained “there’s no downside” for the state when it comes to a provider tax, as it would help pay for the cost of expanding Medicaid coverage to more people, which she contends is good policy. “I really think the entire state benefits when as many Orego- nians as possible have access to insurance,” Steiner Hayward said. State Rep. Julie Parrish, R-Tualatin/West Linn, argued last week that the eligibility problems were important in context of the provider tax discussions. “Before we talk about raising $575 million as part of a package for health care in this state, if there are people who are not eligible, and we’re using those numbers as part of the eligibility, then I think we have a problem,” Parrish said, “Because who is picking up the tab for hospital provider taxes, and insurance taxes, and CCO taxes? It’s the actual taxpayer.” Parrish said in a phone interview Monday that she was not part of the private work group hammering out the tax. She maintained that the costs of the tax would be passed down to individual buyers of health insurance on private market. Kotek said Monday that the Oregon Health Authority was reassessing its caseload, so the budget lawmakers pass by the end of session would not be based on old eligibility numbers. Didn’t receive your paper? Call 1-800-522-0255 before noon Tuesday through Friday or before 10 a.m. Saturday for same-day redelivery 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. 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Single copy price: $1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: • call 541-966-0818 • fax 541-276-8314 • email news@eastoregonian.com • To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: email community@eastoregonian.com or call Tammy Malgesini at 541-564-4539 or Renee Struthers in at 541-966-0818. • To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit www.eastoregonian. com/community/announcements • To submit a Letter to the Editor: mail to Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. • To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com Copyright © 2017, EO Media Group REGIONAL CITIES Forecast TODAY FRIDAY THURSDAY Partly sunny, breezy and cooler Partly sunny with a shower 67° 45° 68° 47° Pleasant and warmer SATURDAY SUNDAY Plenty of sunshine Mostly sunny PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 78° 52° 83° 53° 88° 57° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 75° 46° 73° 48° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 86° 72° 95° (2001) 52° 49° 23° (1903) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date 0.00" 0.93" 0.96" 9.14" 5.54" 6.07" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE Yesterday Normals Records HIGH LOW 92° 74° 101° (1951) 48° 49° 30° (1964) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date 0.00" 0.43" 0.83" 6.31" 4.23" 4.82" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today New First May 25 June 1 90° 55° 93° 58° Seattle 62/50 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 84° 52° Full 5:15 a.m. 8:30 p.m. 4:53 a.m. 7:12 p.m. Last June 9 June 17 Today Spokane Wenatchee 62/46 68/49 Tacoma Moses 63/44 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 71/49 60/44 60/46 63/43 73/46 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 62/46 69/50 Lewiston 74/48 Astoria 68/49 60/47 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 64/49 Pendleton 60/37 The Dalles 73/48 67/45 68/47 La Grande Salem 63/42 65/45 Albany Corvallis 67/44 68/45 John Day 65/38 Ontario Eugene Bend 76/47 66/42 68/35 Caldwell Burns 72/42 68/32 Astoria Baker City Bend Brookings Burns Enterprise Eugene Heppner Hermiston John Day Klamath Falls La Grande Meacham Medford Newport North Bend Ontario Pasco Pendleton Portland Redmond Salem Spokane Ukiah Vancouver Walla Walla Yakima Hi 60 64 68 66 68 60 66 65 73 65 76 63 60 80 59 62 76 74 67 64 69 65 62 62 63 69 73 Lo 47 36 35 48 32 37 42 41 48 38 34 42 39 46 45 48 47 47 45 49 33 45 46 37 48 50 46 W sh pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc c pc pc pc pc sh pc pc pc pc c pc pc NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Thu. Hi 65 62 67 62 65 56 71 67 75 64 72 62 60 81 59 62 70 74 68 74 70 72 65 60 72 69 75 Lo 49 36 39 48 36 39 46 43 46 41 39 41 39 50 46 49 50 47 47 53 37 49 47 38 51 51 48 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W pc pc pc pc pc r pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 93 84 74 76 83 72 77 77 80 72 77 Lo 63 73 54 56 56 55 58 58 57 53 69 W s t s s pc pc pc pc s s c Thu. Hi 86 82 77 77 81 63 81 76 77 67 75 Lo 56 74 55 57 56 51 58 58 53 52 67 W s r c s pc r s pc s s sh WINDS Medford 80/46 (in mph) Klamath Falls 76/34 Boardman Pendleton REGIONAL FORECAST Eastern Washington: Partial sunshine today. Thursday NW 4-8 NW 6-12 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. Coastal Oregon: Winds subsiding today with clouds and sun; showers around across the north. Eastern and Central Oregon: Partly sunny and cooler today; pleasant in central parts and near the Cascades. Western Washington: Mainly cloudy today. A couple of showers; only in the morning at the coast. Today WSW 10-20 W 10-20 2 5 7 7 4 2 8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. Cascades: Cooler today with times of sun and clouds; a couple of showers across the north. Northern California: Times of clouds and sun today. Partly cloudy tonight. Clouds and sun tomorrow. 0-2, Low 3-5, Moderate 6-7, High; 8-10, Very High; 11+, Extreme The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num- ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection. Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017 -10s -0s showers t-storms 0s 10s rain 20s flurries 30s 40s snow ice 50s 60s cold front 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low National Summary: Rain will soak areas from the Midwest to a large part of the Southeast states today. Storms can be locally severe in southern Georgia and the Florida Peninsula. Most other areas will be free of rain. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 111° in Palm Springs, Calif. Low 22° in Aspen Springs, Colo. NATIONAL CITIES Today Albuquerque Atlanta Atlantic City Baltimore Billings Birmingham Boise Boston Charleston, SC Charleston, WV Chicago Cleveland Dallas Denver Detroit El Paso Fairbanks Fargo Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Jacksonville Kansas City Las Vegas Little Rock Los Angeles Hi 89 73 63 70 79 72 72 64 80 71 62 71 80 81 70 96 62 68 86 83 65 79 65 102 69 75 Lo 59 56 56 57 46 54 44 52 64 56 51 59 60 52 58 72 38 48 72 62 55 62 45 76 50 57 W s t pc pc t sh pc pc t r sh r s s r s c s pc s r t pc s sh pc Thur. Hi 87 71 66 72 64 74 67 56 78 64 67 68 92 73 68 97 53 68 85 91 67 81 76 95 79 66 Lo 54 58 60 56 44 57 47 52 60 56 51 56 75 45 54 70 35 49 70 74 54 56 60 68 64 57 W s sh t t pc s pc r sh sh pc sh s t sh s c pc sh pc sh pc s s s pc Today Hi Louisville 67 Memphis 69 Miami 92 Milwaukee 58 Minneapolis 66 Nashville 69 New Orleans 77 New York City 69 Oklahoma City 71 Omaha 69 Philadelphia 72 Phoenix 107 Portland, ME 65 Providence 67 Raleigh 69 Rapid City 76 Reno 86 Sacramento 79 St. Louis 69 Salt Lake City 86 San Diego 70 San Francisco 68 Seattle 62 Tucson 103 Washington, DC 72 Wichita 69 Lo 57 54 78 50 51 55 60 56 51 48 56 76 48 52 62 48 53 52 54 53 61 54 50 70 60 50 W r c t sh pc sh pc r s pc pc s pc r r s pc pc sh t pc pc c s pc pc Thur. Hi 69 77 88 62 72 74 83 62 85 77 70 99 60 60 75 68 79 76 77 70 67 68 69 97 74 81 Lo 58 64 76 50 58 56 68 57 64 58 59 71 48 54 58 42 49 51 61 53 61 54 52 65 59 62 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W sh s t pc s pc s r s s t s r r t pc pc pc pc t c c pc s t s
