PAGE 4 WARM SPRINGS, OREGON MAY 13, 1977
Legislative Report By ..
E COOSH EEWA: Senator Ken Jernstedt,
District 28
Editorial
(The way it is)
^r'^ial Council
Rgenda
May 16 - Tribal Council Meeting, 10:00 a.m.
1. Realty
2. 2:00 p.m. - Bear Springs Memo of Understanding
May 17 - Tribal Council Meeting, 10:00 a.m.
1. Committee Appointments
2. Committee Duties and Responsibilities
3. Advisory Board for Group Home (per Health & Welfare
Committee memo dated 3-9-77)
May 23 - Tribal Council Meeting, 10:00 a.m.
1. Enrollments
2. 2:00 p.m. - OEDP Update Airport Master Plan
May 24 - Tribal Council Meeting, 10:00 a.m.
1. Minors Trust Funds
2. 2:00 p.m. - Projects and Goals for ‘78
May 30- HOLIDAY
May 31 - Tribal Council Meeting, 10:00 a.m.
1. Kah-Nee-Ta Monthly Report
2. Management Report on Judgement Monies
There continues to be a lot term increase in government ■
control of private business?
of flak around the Capitol
It is not the answer as far
between the Governor and
some members of the legis as I am concerned, and most
lature, especially two or three of the other committee mem
bers seem to feel the same
Senators. Most of it concerns
the Governor’s plan for a Do way. We do not want to see
mestic Rural Power Act, com the' state in the power busi
ness. We do not want to see
monly known as DRPA. This
bill is in our Senate ^Commit- the PUDS and co-ops come
tee on Environment and Ener under the jurisdiction of the
Public Utility Commissioner.
gy and has been there for
some time, despite the tre We do not think that Washing
mendous efforts of the Govern ton is going to give up any of
or and his staff to get it its cheap power to benefit
Oregon. In addition, most of us
moving. It has one of his
are against DRPA because it
highest priority items for this
deals with only the distribution
session.
DRPA would make the of power and makes no provi
state a public utility district, sion for stimulation of alter
allowing Oregon consumers to nate power sources that will be
receive preference Bonneville so desperately needed before
power. Although this plan the turn of the century.
The Speaker of the House
might give some Oregonians a
may
be about ready to come to
break on their electric power
bills it would not create more the Governor’s rescue, as he
energy. In fact, all this pro has announced that if DRPA is
posal does is share the short in fact stalled in the Senate, as
age of electrical energy. It similar bill will “very likely”
would introduce government in be introduced in the House.
This week our Environ
to the position of control,
where private enterprise now ment and Energy Committee
resides. The question that listened to more than three
needs to be asked is; will the hours of testimony as to why
momentary advantage of some our power problems should be
lower rates be worth the long tackled on a regional basis,
rather than Oregon trying to
make some temporary gains
on its own. Conservation can
be implemented better on a
regional basis and additional
power can be generated and
distributed more equitably on a
regional basis. Of course this
is more than a regional prob- (
lem—it is national, and also
extends across our borders.
But we should at least get
started on a regional basis.
The drought in Eastern
Oregon continues to be a maj
or concern and House Speaker
Phil Lang and Senate Presi
dent Jason Boe have joined in
a legislative effort to work on
drought related problems. A
Special House Committee on
Water Resource Problems has
been named by Lang. Unfor
tunately only one of the eight
members is from Eastern Ore
gon. This is also true of the
senators on the Trade and
Economic Development Com
mittee who are to work jointly
in an effort to coordinate all
legislative activities associated
with the drought. There are 29
bills in both houses dealing
„ with some aspect of the
drought. One of the jobs of this
special group will be to work
on those bills with dispatch.
...About Your Social Security—------ —:
A widower or a husband
can get monthly benefits on his
wife’s Social Security record
without proving dependency on
her under a recent decision by
the United States Supreme
Court.
Previously a man had to
prove he was dependent on his
wife to get benefits on her
records if she retired, became
disabled, or died after working
long after working long enough
in jobs covered by Social Se
curity. A woman did not have
to prove that she was depend
ent on her husband to get
benefits on his record.
Starting with payments for
March, 1977, neither men nor
women have to prove depend
ency. Husbands and wives can
get reduced Social Security
payments starting at age 62 or
full payments starting at 65.
Widowers and widows can
get payments starting at 60—or
starting at 50 if they are
disabled.
Men who think they may
be eligible under the court
ruling can get information
about applying for benefits by
calling or writing the Social
Security office in Bend, accord
ing to John Fullerton, Social
Security representative in Cen
tral Oregon.
“Social Security payments
may be affected by earnings,”
Fullerton noted. “You can earn
as much as $3,000 in 1977 and
still get your full Social Secur
ity payment. After $3,000 is
earned, Social Security pay
ments are reduced by $1 for
each $2 earned.
“That means that if your
A Report From Your Congressman
full Social Security benefit is
$225 a month, for example, you
could earn over $8,000 for the
year before your Social Secur
ity payment for the year would
be zero,” lie said.
A man already getting Soc
ial Security benefits may also
be eligible for payments on his
wife’s record under the Court
ruling, according to Fullerton.
“However, he can only be paid
an amount equal to the higher
benefit—not both benefits,” he
said.
The Bend Social Security
office is at 39 N.W. Louisiana
Avenue. The phone number is
382-6922, extension 276.
A leaflet explaining how
much people can earn and still
get Social Security checks is
available at the Bend Social
Security at 39 N.W. Louisiana
Avenue.
get full payment for any month
in which you neither earn over
$250 in wages or salary, nor do
substantial work in your own
business,” according to John
Fullerton, Social Security rep
resentative in Central Oregon.
The leaflet, called ‘If You
Work After You Retire, ex
plains that in 1977 people under
72 can work and earn as much
as $3,000 and get their full
Social Security retirement or
survivors benefit.
For earnings over $3,000,
Social Security benefits are
reduced by $1 for each $2
earned. “No matter how much
you earn for the year, you can
4 People“ age 72 and over get
their full Social Security bene
fits regardless of earnings,
Fullerton noted.
Copies of If You Work
After You Retire are free on
request at the Social Security
office in Bend or any Social
Security office. The phone
number of thé Bend office is
382-6922, extension 276.
it
Al Ullman
WASHINGTON, D.C. -
Oregon Congressman Al Ull
man reported recently that a
House sub-committee will hold
preliminary fact-finding hear
ings June 6 on two bills in
volving the Confederated
Tribes of the Umatilla Indian
Reservation.
The hearing, which will be
held in Washington, will be
limited to House bills dealing
with land consolidation and
inheritance and will not deal
with civil and criminal juris
diction.
Rep. Teno Roncalio, chair
man of the House Interior Sub
committee on Indian Affairs
and Public Lands, will preside
at the hearings.
The land consolidation
measure,' H.R. 2539, would
authorize the Secretary of In
terior to purchase, sell or ex
change tribal properties in or
around the northeastern Ore
gon reservation.
The legislation contains no
condemnation authority, but
S
'
would authorize dealings with w
willing buyers and willing sel
lers.
The other measure, H.R
2540, is a housekeeping mea
agi
sure that would bring inheri
tance laws governing the tribes
into conformity with recent
changes in Oregon state law.
Ullman said that Rep. Ron-
calio plans to hold additional
hearings on the two measures
after the proposals have been
studied further.
Written comments or re
_
quests to appear in person
should be addressed to Frank
Duchenaux, House Interior Construction on the tribal apartments began May 2 and by May 11
£ *
Subcommittee on Indian Af townhouse-style structures. WUlle Stacona eleans boards used to make "“Jf
fairs and Public Lands, Room
_______
.
construction site south of the rodeo grounds. Foreman Ben Anderton predicted that the prop\
421, House Office Building, \
out to RA chambers who brought you the Administration building, will be compl
Annex ^Washington, D.C.
October
008 E
20515.
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