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The BulleTin • Friday, May 21, 2021 A7 Revenue Continued from A1 Elaine Thompson/AP file A sign is held aloft during an Indigenous Peoples Day march in Seattle in October 2017. Seattle is one place that has stopped recognizing Co- lumbus Day and instead turned the second Monday in October into a day of recognition of Native American cultures and peoples. Oregon Legislature approves bill to recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day BY SAM STITES Oregon Public Broadcasting The state of Oregon will recognize the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peo- ples’ Day in a bill passed this week by the Legislature. Beginning this year, Oregon would recognize that Christo- pher Columbus’ “discovery” of the Americas is historically inaccurate and unworthy of celebration due to his voyage opening the door to “heinous crimes against humanity.” HB 2526 passed the Ore- gon Senate on Tuesday 22-7. It was approved 50-5 in the House last month. Prineville Continued from A1 They tasked City Attorney Jered Reid with finding a le- gal mechanism the city could enact that would protect busi- nesses regarding executive or- ders and state regulations. What he found was the city was quite limited with what it legally could do, Reid said. “A city cannot nullify or void state law in any sort of way,” he said. The solution Reid devised, Resolution 1474, passed the council later that month with a 5-2 vote. The resolution states several specific findings, like that Crook County represented a minute portion of Oregon’s total coronavirus cases and that residents were making good- The bill, brought forth by the Legislature’s only Indige- nous lawmakers, Rep. Tawna Sanchez, D-Portland, and Rep. Teresa Alonso-Leon, D-Woodburn, aims to join 10 other states in recognizing the significant contributions Native Americans have made to the U.S., and more spe- cifically the contributions of Oregon’s nine federally recog- nized tribes to the culture of this state. “Back in 1937 Columbus Day became a federal holiday. While Oregon does not for- mally observe Columbus Day as a state holiday, it has been celebrated nationwide since 1971,” Sen. Majority Leader Rob Wagner said. “The state of Oregon will become the 11th state to formally recog- nize Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Our Indigenous people, lan- guage and cultures contribute incredible richness and vitality to the tapestry of the place we now call Oregon. It is time that we honor those contributions with formal recognition.” Wagner said he felt this type of honor was long over- due. Sen. Minority Leader Fred Girod spoke against the bill. Girod said that while this is a tough bill to vote no on, he felt it unnecessary to “trash” Columbus in the process. “I happen to like history. That was a very brave individ- ual that got in a boat to prove a theory that the world was round, and I just don’t think you needed to do that,” Gi- rod said. “I wanted to remove that part of this bill, and that wasn’t done. Therefore, I’m going to vote no.” Four Republicans, includ- ing Tim Knopp of Bend, joined all 18 Democrats in voting for the bill, which now heads to Gov. Kate Brown’s desk for her signature. faith efforts to stop the spread of the disease. Those findings could then be used to argue against a fine in an administra- tive hearing, such as one called by the Oregon OSHA for vio- lating COVID-19-related busi- ness regulations. Resolution 1474 also in- cluded a request for a judicial hearing to validate the resolu- tion. In late March, Reid met one-on-one over video with circuit Judge Michael R. Mc- Lane in a judicial review hear- ing. McLane issued his opinion upholding the resolution last week. That judicial approval is key to the resolution, Reid said. “In order for the resolution to have real validity in those administrative hearings I felt it was critical to have the circuit court validate it,” Reid said. Resolutions like Baker City’s include tart personal language vilifying the governor. Jose- phine County’s resolution, which is similar to the one in Prineville, was recently thrown out on judicial review by a Jo- sephine County circuit judge. Reid thinks this was because the language of the Josephine County resolution was too broad. Reid said the Prineville reso- lution was intended to be con- sistent with Oregon law, not oppose it. “The resolution wasn’t de- signed to be a political state- ment,” he said. “It was designed to be an actual legal tool to help our citizens.” But rather than rest on its laurels, Prineville’s council seems poised to debate the next spicy issue of the day. On Wednesday, the state an- nounced new Oregon OSHA guidelines regarding masks and vaccinations in a video conference. These new guidelines ap- peared to have already caused a stir in the community. “We do not live in Nazi Germany and having to show papers to be free is not Free- dom!” Beebe wrote on his Facebook page May 18. “I did not serve our Country to go through this and neither did all the Americans before me. Misuse and blatant disregard for the Constitution is not okay in my book!” e e A 25-year-old Wilsonville man pleaded guilty this week to spitting in a Tigard police officer’s face after being de- tained on suspicion of driving while under the influence. Washington County Judge Ramón Pagán sentenced Mi- guel Hernandez-Cuesta to three years’ formal probation and six months in the Wash- ington County jail after the guilty plea to charges of sec- ond-degree assault, aggra- vated harassment and driving under the influence of intox- icants. Pagán also ordered Hernandez-Cuesta’s driver’s license be revoked for life. On July 26, 2020, Hernan- dez-Cuesta fell asleep at the wheel of his car while placing an order at a drive-thru restau- rant in Tualatin, according to court documents. A store manager confronted Hernan- dez-Cuesta — who denied being under the influence. He pulled into a parking spot at the restaurant, where he fell asleep at the wheel again. Officers found Hernan- diz-Cuesta partially hanging out of the driver’s side door while the car was still run- ning, and they ordered him to get out of the car. The car rolled forward and nearly hit a law enforcement vehicle, of- ficials said. Hernandez-Cuesta then failed a field sobriety test and was arrested for driving under the influence. While being searched by an officer, Hernandez-Cuesta “coughed profusely,” said he had COVID-19 and spat in an officer’s face, according to a release from the Washington County District Attorney’s office. Hernandez-Cuesta had previously been cited twice for speeding, once for driving OBITUARY Wayne Coats May 11, 2021 Wayne Coats, 61, of Victor, Iowa died on Tuesday, May 11, 2021 in Metolius, Oregon. A funeral service will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, May 22, 2021 at the Smith Funeral Home in Victor. Live streaming of Wayne’s service will begin at 9:50 am on the Smith Funeral Home Facebook page. Celebrati on of Life in Bend will be June 12th, 2021. Memorial contributi ons may be designated to the Izaak Walton League of Iowa County and mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 485, Victor, Iowa 52347. Memories and condolences may be shared with Wayne’s family online at www.smithfh .com. e e pwong@pamplinmedia.com Indulge in Self Care Reporter: 541-383-0325, gandrews@bendbulletin.com Wilsonville man heading to jail after spitting on officer while claiming to have COVID-19 BY SAVANNAH EADENS The Oregonian That will be enough to boost state spending, without cuts, as lawmakers finish work on the state budget for the next two years. Meanwhile, that surge will result in an estimated $1.4 bil- lion — more than twice the amount projected back on Feb. 24 — going back to tax- payers next year in the form of “kicker” credits against their 2021 tax bills. The final figure will be determined in the Sep- tember economic and revenue forecast, but the share of tax li- ability is projected at 13.6%. For the average taxpayer with a household income of $67,400, the credit will be $636. For the median with house- hold income between $35,000 and $40,000 — half are above and half below that range — the credit will be $312. “I have never seen such a strong outlook,” State Economist Mark McMullen told members of the House and Senate revenue committees during his quarterly forecast on Wednesday. “There are a whole lot more resources available than when we last reported in March, and even more than we reported at the beginning of the session, when the budget was drafted. It’s quite a remarkable turn- around from a few months ago. “When the pandemic hit, we saw these massive job losses that blew a $2 billion hole in the budget. That hole was filled by the March forecast (on Feb. 24), and now we are past where we thought we would be even pre-pandemic.” Gov. Kate Brown proposed $25.6 billion in spending from the tax-supported general fund and lottery proceeds, the state’s two most flexible sources, back on Dec. 1. Legislative budget writers, bolstered by $2.6 bil- lion in federal aid from Pres- ident Joe Biden’s pandemic recovery plan, unveiled a framework for almost $28 bil- lion in spending on March 24. Brown said in a statement that the latest forecast, coupled with projections for the follow- ing two budget cycles, sets the stage for a better Oregon: “Our anticipated state reve- nues will allow us to fully fund our state agency base budgets, make investments prioritized by the Racial Justice Council, move forward with a $9.3 bil- lion school budget, fully fund the Student Success Act, and ensure no one is kicked off the Oregon Health Plan, among other things. “These investments will help Oregonians recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and move Oregon toward a future where equity is realized and all are equal.” Some Democrats want to spend more; Republicans say spending should focus on one- time purposes. Budget writers have already proposed to save some of the federal aid for the 2023-25 budget period. Senior economist Josh Leh- ner said what has helped prop up the economy in Oregon and other states is the massive federal spending during the pandemic, including payments to individuals and businesses. Biden’s plan gave $1,400 pay- ments to an estimated 95% of Oregonians. “It has been unprecedented outside of wartime,” Lehner said. “It has allowed house- holds and firms to keep their heads above water. It does not mean that some people hav- en’t fallen through the cracks — they have — and some busi- nesses have closed.” McMullen said economists have not seen the steep down- turn triggered by the onset of the pandemic — Oregon’s un- employment rate went from a modern-low 3.5% in March 2020 to a modern-high 13.2% the following month — and the equally speedy recovery. The April 2021 rate was 6%; it has hovered around that mark for a few months. McMullen said he still proj- ects it will be the fourth quar- ter of 2022 before Oregon returns to its pre-pandemic employment levels, still shorter than the seven years following downturns in 1980 and 2007. “Obviously, a lot of things can happen in two years,” he said. “But right now, we are on a pretty strong footing.” Unlike the Great Recession between 2007 and 2010, Ore- gon had built up general and education budget reserves, plus a big ending balance, that cushioned the latest downturn. They will be at $4.2 billion at the close of the current bud- get period June 30, but drop to $2.2 billion — slightly under 10% — in 2021-23. “I would implore that sav- ings going forward is a must,” McMullen said. under the influence of intox- icants and twice for driving with a suspended license. CALL TODAY TO BOOK YOUR SPA EXPERIENCE! HAIR•NAILS•LASHES•SKIN•BROWS 405 NE 3RD ST. 541-385-8060
