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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 29, 2017)
A8 State Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, March 29, 2017 Senate passes bill to raise smoking age to 21 By Paris Achen Capital Bureau The Oregon Senate Thursday passed a bill to raise the smoking age to 21. If the House concurs, Oregon would become the third state in the nation to prohibit the sale of tobacco to people younger than 21. “This is pure and simple a pub- lic health bill,” said the bill’s chief sponsor, Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, D-Beaverton. The bill passed 18-to-9, with all Democrats and two Republicans, Sens. Jackie Winters of Salem, and Sen. Bill Hansell of Athena, voting in favor. Winters and Democrat swing vote Sen. Betsy Johnson of Scappoose changed their votes. A Republican, Rep. Rich Vial of Scholls, co-sponsored with Stein- er-Hayward. Both lawmakers have said they lost loved ones to tobac- co-related diseases. Sen. Alan Olson, R-Canby, ar- gued the bill looked like the work of a “nanny state.” “I appall smoking,” Olson said. But the senator said he felt people have the right to make that choice for themselves. Sen. Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, said people who are old enough to serve in the military ought to be able to decide whether they want to smoke. He said the law change would create a new illicit market for people between the ages of 19 and 21. Steiner Hayward, who is a fami- ly physician, retorted that states have prohibited people younger than 21 from drinking alcohol and that alco- hol is less addictive than tobacco. Recent research, including some from the U.S. Surgeon General’s Of- fi ce, shows that brains under age 26 are more susceptible to addiction. The legislation would impose fi rst-time civil penalties of $50 for clerks and $500 for managers who sell to minors. “We made a conscious decision not have criminal penalties because we know that tobacco companies tend to target low-income communi- ties who can least afford it,” Steiner Hayward said. Taking 18- to 20-year-olds out of Advocates, legislators seek more money for veteran services By Claire Withycombe Capital Bureau Oregon veterans’ groups have been up in arms since the governor’s budget re- duced allocations to the Or- egon Department of Veter- ans’ Affairs from the state’s general fund and backfilled it with most of the lottery fund dollars set aside for veterans’ services by a vot- er-approved ballot measure. Now they’ve brought their concerns to a Legis- lature busy trying to fill a $1.6 billion shortfall. Ballot Measure 96 amended the state’s consti- tution to allocate 1.5 per- cent of state lottery net pro- ceeds to direct services for veterans. Advocates have been vocal about what they say is a need for more support — such as for veterans’ ser- vices officers, who help re- turned veterans sign up for federal benefits. Byron Whipple, a vet- erans’ services officer in Union County, told legisla- tors last month that in his area of northeastern Ore- gon, veterans face problems accessing travel to get med- ical care. In February, community members housed a 75-year- old veteran with dementia for five days because local agencies could not arrange services for him sooner, Whipple wrote in testimo- ny to the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Transpor- tation and Economic Devel- opment. “We do not have local missions and shelters that certain cities and counties have,” Whipple wrote. “We do not have the extra tax dollars to fund these emer- gencies. Last November, we did have hope.” In December, Gov. Kate Brown released a budget that decreased the amount of general fund dollars for veterans’ services from $10 million to $2 million, pro- voking the ire of veterans’ advocates, who said that the ballot measure was intended to supplement, not supplant, current state funding for veterans. The Governor’s Office said in a statement this week that at $19.8 million, the governor’s budget reflected the intent of Measure 96 by increasing the overall budget for the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Although $19.8 million would be a near doubling of funding for veterans’ services in the next budget cycle, veterans groups’ say it’s not enough, and that the governor’s plan may meet the letter, but not the spirit, of Measure 96. The co-chairs of the Joint Ways and Means Committee, the legislative budget-writ- ing committee, proposed $23.5 million in combined lottery and general funds for veterans’ services as part of their preliminary spending framework in January. Some legislators have called for boosting the amount higher still. State Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, is one of them. Evans acknowledged in a statement Thursday that state legislators were facing an “extraordinarily difficult budget environment.” “Now we have to find a way to increase funding to a level where we can do some real good for the men and women we’ve sent into harm’s way, while also strengthening our schools, providing quality health care and investing in other criti- cal services,” Evans said. Freshman Rep. Ron No- ble, R-McMinnville, wants to bump the amount of mon- ey the veterans’ services program gets by amending the agency’s funding bill, bringing the total to about $30 million for veterans’ services. Noble says he wants to obey the will of the voters. According to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office, 83 percent of Oregon voters voted in favor of Measure 96. However, according to the nonpartisan Legisla- tive Fiscal Office, the mea- sure did not require that the amount of money allocated to veterans’ services in the general fund be maintained. “There’s nothing in the Love Your Smile bill that says you cannot supplant the dollars,” No- ble said. “But I think that’s, I’m going to be blunt, I think that’s just a chicken way out.” Noble did not have spe- cific proposals Thursday as to where he’d cut back else- where in the state’s general fund to increase veterans’ services. He said the state could be more efficient, and that he is preparing to provide more details at future meet- ings of the Ways and Means Subcommittee reviewing the ODVA budget, of which he is a member. Supporters of more fund- ing, such as Noble and State Rep. Julie Parrish, R-Tuala- tin/West Linn, argue that an up-front investment in di- rect services will bring more revenue to the state down the line by increasing the amount of federal benefits Oregon’s veterans receive. They claim it will also less- en the burden on other areas of the state budget, such as health care and housing. Parrish was behind the legislative proposal that was referred to voters, and said in a phone interview Thursday that it was not her intention to backfill a lower general fund budget with the lottery funds. Furthermore, she believes the state has the resources to pay for the veterans’ services that advocates want. She said she was work- ing on a bill to curtail the costs of healthcare for public employees. “We have the money,” Par- rish said, “We’re just not holding state agencies ac- countable for how we’re spending it.” We offer monuments of unsurpassed quality. Order your monument by April 15th. Granite • Bronze Choose from many beautiful styles in assorted sizes. Say it in Stone Preserve it Forever.. . 241 D Canyon Blvd., John Day 541-575-0529 driskillmemorialchapel.com L EGISLATIVE B RIEFCASE Irrigators criticize $100 water rights fee proposal A proposed $100 annual fee on all Oregon water rights has met with criticism from irrigators who say it would contribute to already mounting fi nancial burdens. Farmers overwhelmingly testifi ed against House Bill 2706, which aims to raise money for water management, during a March 22 hearing before the House Committee on Energy and Environment. Members of the Klamath Water Users Association, for exam- ple, are already paying steep costs to comply with the Endangered Species Act and engage in water rights adjudication in the region, said Dave Jensen, a farmer and representative of the group. For irrigators with multiple water rights, the bill would cap total fees at $1,000 a year, while municipalities could pay up to $2,500 a year. The money raised would pay for the administrative, technical and fi eld duties performed by the Oregon Water Resources De- partment, which oversees 89,000 water rights in the state. The bill would effectively impose a discriminatory tax on ir- rigators and other water users, said Curtis Martin, a rancher and chair of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association’s water resources committee. Opponents also argue that electricity costs have continued ris- ing, adding to the cost of pumping water, and irrigators would have to pay the management fee even if they didn’t fully use their water rights. House Bill 2705, a companion proposal requiring the instal- lation of water measurement devices at irrigation diversions, also drew objections from irrigators at the hearing. Complying with the requirement would be expensive and the Oregon Water Resources Department doesn’t have enough staff to analyze the new information anyway, said John O’Keeffe, president of the Oregon Cattlemen’s Association. “Additional data for the sake of data does not solve any prob- lem,” O’Keeffe said. It would be more realistic to ensure that watermasters — who can already order water measurements when necessary — are properly equipped to do their jobs, he said. Installing water measurement devices also isn’t practical for farmers who rely on fl ood irrigation and divert water directly from streams onto fi elds, according to opponents. Farmworker housing operations tax credit progresses A proposed tax credit to compensate farmers for half the operational costs of providing worker housing has made some headway in the Oregon Legislature. Senate Bill 1, which is supported by a coalition of agricul- ture and housing groups, has moved out of the Senate Commit- tee on Finance and Revenue. The impacts to Oregon’s revenues and budget from SB 1 have yet to be determined. While the bill will now move to the Joint Committee on Tax Credits, which includes members of both the House and Senate, it was referred out of the committee without recommendation as to its passage. It’s common for the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue to move bills without a recommendation at this stage, since various tax credit proposals must still be prioritized, said Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, the committee’s chair. Under Senate Bill 1, farmers would be able to obtain tax cred- its for half the amount of repairs, maintenance, insurance and other costs associated with farmworker housing during the year. Oregon lawmakers consider banning livestock discrimination Maintaining Smiles in Grant County since 1979 Offering Preventive & Resorative Care, Crown & Bridges, Dentures and Partial Dentures Serving Grant County Since 1937 the legal market would result in an es- timated loss in tobacco tax revenue of $1.6 million every two years, accord- ing to a projection by the Legislative Revenue Offi ce. An increase in the tobacco tax proposed by Gov. Kate Brown could offset some that loss. In 2015, Hawaii became the fi rst state in the nation to raise the smok- ing age to 21. California followed suit last year. An additional 210 cities and counties, including New York City and Boston, have similar laws. Dr. Norm DeJong DDS, MPH, PC Melanie DeJong RDH 132 Front St Prairie City 541-820-4369 • 888-820-4369 www.prairiecityoregon.com MyEagleNews.com An incident of prejudice against pigs near the state capital has Oregon lawmakers contemplating a broader prohibition against livestock discrimination. A landowner in West Salem is facing a prohibition against raising pigs on properties smaller than 10 acres due to a spe- cies-specifi c regulation by Polk County’s government. The dispute has caught the attention of Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, and Rep. Brian Clem, D-Salem, who have pro- posed a bill that would ban county ordinances that generally allow livestock but forbid certain animals. “It’s weird to exclude one particular species,” Evans said during a March 23 hearing on House Bill 3016. The Association of Oregon Counties opposes HB 3016 due to its “all or nothing” approach to local livestock regulations, said Mark Nystrom, policy manager of the Association of Or- egon Counties. Recognizing our Local Dentists on Virginia McMillan, DDS, PC 150 Ogilvie Dr. John Day 541-575-0550 We cater to cowards! www.johndaysmiles.com