STATE
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
A9
Who’s paying for Republicans’ protest of cap and trade?
Questions remain
on fines, how
walkout was
financed
By Aubrey Wieber and
Claire Withycombe
Oregon Capital Bureau
When Republican sena-
tors fled the state in June to
avoid voting on controver-
sial legislation, they were
gone for nine days.
They drove or flew out of
state, stayed in hotels or cab-
ins, and otherwise lived out
of sight.
Most went to Idaho,
though Sen. Fred Girod,
R-Stayton, told the Oregon
Capital Bureau he was in
Texas. A spokesman for Sen.
Dennis Linthicum, R-Klam-
ath Falls, said he was on the
East Coast attending a con-
servative conference.
Some legislators and lob-
byists remaining in the Cap-
itol speculated that the 11
senators would tap their
political campaign accounts
to cover their travel costs.
That doesn’t appear to be
the case.
And they also so far hav-
en’t faced the $500-a-day
fines threatened by Senate
Democrats that would likely
total $3,500 for each. Senate
President Peter Courtney’s
staff said Friday he still
intended to bill the absent
senators, but shared no firm
plan for doing so.
Senate
Republican
spokeswoman Kate Gillem
said the threat of fines now
“looks like a bluff.”
Sen. Herman Baertsch-
iger, the Senate Republican
leader, questioned the legal-
ity of imposing fines. He
said outside attorneys have
been hired to look into it.
“I have a feeling this is
going to get complicated,”
Baertschiger said.
There was talk about the
fines being deducted from
senators’ pay.
“The fines shall be col-
lected by forfeiture of any
sum that becomes due
and payable to the absent
member, including sal-
ary and per diem,” Sen.
Ginny Burdick, D-Portland,
said on the Senate floor
June 20.
But now Senate Dem-
ocrat leaders say they will
send invoices.
The Oregon Capital
Bureau reached out to the
11 senators by email and
phone, and five responded:
Baertschiger, and Sens.
Cliff Bentz, Alan Olsen, Bill
Hansell and Kim Thatcher.
Bentz said, if he ever gets
a bill, he will decide what
to do. Olsen said, if he gets
one, he’s not paying it.
When the Legislature
is in session, lawmakers
receive $149 a day for liv-
ing expenses. The traveling
Republicans still collected
that money while they were
absent, according to Legisla-
tive Administration.
All said they used their
own money to pay for travel
and confirmed they haven’t
been fined yet.
Sen. Brian Boquist,
R-Dallas, did voluntarily pay
$3,500 in fines and said he
did so to set up a legal chal-
lenge to such punishment.
Baertschiger said he
never advised the caucus
to use personal funds but
believes each senator did so
on their own.
When asked if he was
exploring reimbursements
for those senators, such as
through campaign funds,
Baertschiger said, “No, I
think we’ve just all agreed
to pay for it with personal
money.”
Bentz, from Ontario,
agreed there was no directive
on how to pay for expenses,
but said the caucus is look-
ing into reimbursement.
“The only thing that was
really said was save your
receipts in case there is a
reimbursement
opportu-
nity,” Bentz said. “I know
people are looking into it,
but I know the safest thing
was for me to pay out of
my own pocket, so that’s
what I did. I haven’t decided
whether I will ever ask for
reimbursement.”
Justin Brecht, a policy
analyst for Senate Repub-
licans, said the caucus has
asked outside attorneys and
the state Government Eth-
ics Commission about that
issue.
Since the circumstances
surrounding the walkout are
unprecedented, this was new
legal ground, Brecht said.
“It’s still kind of a legal
question we haven’t had
answered about how one
could go about that,” Brecht
said.
Bentz said he drove about
1,000 miles, paid for six
nights in a motel and had to
feed himself.
“These expenses are
real,” he said. Bentz said
he’s received “dozens” of
reimbursement offers. He’s
turned them down, and
hasn’t yet calculated his
expenses.
The
Oregon
Capi-
tal Bureau inspected cam-
paign spending reports for
all 11 senators, and found no
instance of them charging
walkout expenses to their
campaigns, which are
largely funded by outside
contributors.
Two
GoFundMe
accounts were set up to
assist the senators with their
expenses. “Encourage the
Walking Senators” received
nearly $40,000, according to
its online site. The other got
$950. However, lawmak-
ers might violate state law
by accepting that money,
Brecht said, so the money
wasn’t touched. The larger
account posted an update
July 5 saying it stopped tak-
ing donations and instead
directed donors to a website
still taking donations. The
site said donations would
fund opposition to the kind
of cap-and-trade legislation
that triggered the Republi-
can walkout.
About a week ago, the
GoFundMe page said the
money originally raised
for the senators would be
given to a political action
committee. The Stand With
Our Senators PAC also has
about $40,000 in it, though
it’s not clear if it’s the same
money. There is little match
between donors identified
as giving to the GoFundMe
account or to the PAC. The
GoFundMe received more
than 700 contributions,
mostly small and by individ-
uals. As of Friday afternoon,
the political action com-
mittee listed 70 contribu-
tions, largely from construc-
tion and timber companies
— both industries opposed
to the cap and trade pro-
gram — and a $5,000 dona-
tion from former Rep. Knute
Buehler.
GoFundMe
creator
Carol Williams of Silver-
ton and the committee trea-
surer, Lori Piercy of Rain-
ier, couldn’t be reached for
comment.
In addition to the travel
expenses, Senate Republi-
cans are also potentially fac-
ing the daily fines.
The Oregon Constitution
allows fewer than a quorum
to “compel” the other mem-
bers to return, but doesn’t
explicitly mention fines.
A manual on legislative
procedure says members
can “inflict such censure or
pecuniary penalty as may be
deemed just” when a mem-
ber is absent during the ses-
sion and “a sufficient excuse
is not rendered.”
Construction bill divvies up hundreds of millions to projects throughout the state
Bill funds housing,
building repair and
medical treatment
for incarcerated
youth
By Claire Withycombe
and Aubrey Wieber
Oregon Capital Bureau
Government
agencies
across Oregon will go on
a run of remodeling pub-
lic buildings and erecting
new ones under legislation
recently approved.
House Bill 5006 is a
checklist of big-ticket con-
struction projects from Til-
lamook to Condon costing a
total $528 million.
The money comes from
lottery and other bonds
and $33.7 million from the
federal government. That
money will go to fund proj-
ects on National Guard
bases and aviation facilities.
About $200 million will
go to tackling the state’s
housing crisis.
About 14,000 Oregonians
are homeless, according to
the U.S. Interagency Coun-
cil on Homelessness. And as
of 2016, about 298,000 Ore-
gon renters were “cost bur-
dened,” or paying more than
30 percent of their income
toward rent and utilities,
according to the Oregon
Center for Public Policy.
Lawmakers
approved
$150 million in bonds to
build about 2,100 units
of affordable housing for
low-income
Oregonians
through the Local Innova-
tion Fast Track, or LIFT,
program. Specific projects
haven’t been chosen yet, but
the program is designed to
prioritize rural communi-
ties with fewer than 25,000
people and communities of
color.
The Legislature also
approved another $50 mil-
lion for about 500 units to
house low-income people
who have disabilities or are
chronically homeless.
Those units will be in
the form of permanent sup-
portive housing, which pairs
housing with support ser-
vices such as health care.
The bill lays out about
$65 million to pay for main-
tenance, code compliance
and to enhance safety and
accessibility at public uni-
versity buildings, as well
as a $12.7 million project
to build a rapid toolmaking
center on the site of the Ore-
gon Manufacturing Innova-
tion Center in Scappoose.
Lawmakers are also dis-
tributing about $24 million
for projects at community
colleges.
Some of that money is
allocated for community
colleges in rural areas to
develop local workforces in
health care, agriculture and
Oregon Capital Bureau
House Bill 5006 is a checklist of big-ticket construction projects costing $528 million.
other industries.
At Klamath Commu-
nity College, for example,
the bill approved $3.9 mil-
lion for that college to build
an apprenticeship and indus-
trial trades center that will
put its trade programs in
one place. The center will
have space to train electri-
cians and plumbers, as well
as students studying fire sci-
ences and emergency medi-
cal operations.
And Treasure Valley
Community College will get
$4.9 million to build a facil-
ity to train nurses and other
health care workers.
The state Department of
Administrative Services had
$24 million carved out in HB
5006 to buy a former Micro-
soft building in Wilsonville.
It’s something the state has
had its eye on, DAS spokes-
woman Liz Craig said.
The building comes with
office, warehouse and labo-
ratory space.
Right now, a specific pur-
pose isn’t outlined.
“We believe the build-
ing could solve a num-
ber of space needs for vari-
ous agencies, including lab
space and secure storage,
in a central location,” Craig
said.
DAS expects to decide
whether to buy the building
by the end of the year.
While some dollars
go to fund new projects,
much of the funding will
improve existing buildings.
The Oregon Youth Author-
ity received $6.4 million to
fund four projects, the bulk
going to upgrading medical
and dental clinics at the Til-
lamook Youth Correctional
Facility, MacLaren Youth
Correctional Facility and
Oak Creek Youth Correc-
tional Facility.
Right now, the Oak Creek
and Tillamook facilities
don’t have space for a dentist
to come in, so youth have to
be taken off campus for den-
tal work. An expansion of
the facilities will allow den-
tists to come on-site, agency
spokeswoman Sarah Evans
said.
The expansion of the
medical clinics at Oak Creek
and Tillamook will provide
quicker access to services.
At Oak Creek, the space is
currently so tight that it lim-
its how often doctors can
come visit.
“Both are just so small,”
Evans said. “If you look at
an exam room, you don’t
even have room to fit a doc-
tor, nurse and a youth all in
the room at the same time.”
MacLaren will get $1.8
million to upgrade its infir-
mary, clinic and pharmacy.
Evans said these services
were in an old building, and
the new one will be better
suited to dealing with sick
people.
“If you walk into a place
that’s cold, old and run-
down looking, it’s not going
to make you feel better,” she
said.
Several Salem buildings
are getting upgrades through
the Oregon Military Depart-
ment. Almost $10 mil-
lion is dedicated to improv-
ing Army Aviation Support
facilities in Salem and Pend-
leton. The buildings will be
seismically retrofitted and
receive backup generators.
The Oregon Supreme
Court building will get a
seismic upgrade, along with
other renovations and ener-
gy-efficiency
upgrades,
using $28 million in state
funds.
The Oregon Depart-
ment of Corrections got
more than $47 million to
upgrade radios, cameras and
building maintenance. The
department is also going to
use $1.6 million to upgrade
the software it uses to track
inmates. The software now
in use today was devel-
oped in the 1980s, accord-
ing to testimony submitted
to the Legislature, and is the
black-screen-green-font sort
of software now mostly seen
in decades-old movies.
Hello Grant County,
We are working on our coupon
book, but it’s not too late if you
would like to submit a coupon.
Remember, it’s free and great
advertising to our visitors. If you
don’t want to submit a coupon or
your business isn’t conducive to
coupons, you can submit a small
ad. We will be including a listing of
all our Chamber members. If you’re
interested, please call the office.
I hope everyone had a nice 4th of
July! It was hard to decide what to
do, there was so much going on! It
looks like July is going to be a busy
month!
There are several events
scheduled:
July 13-14 – Carl Schnabele
Memorial Roping
July 18 – Special Presentation –
“Chinese Tunnels” Myth or Reality?
– Grantville Theater
July 19 – The John Day Invitational
Swim Meet
July 20 – Grant County Steer Jackpot
July 25 – Special Presentation –
May 1887, What Happened? –
Grantville Theater
July 26–28 – District Swim Meet
The Fairgrounds is also having the:
July 27 – Whiskey Gulch Gang Derby
July 27-28 - Prairie City Fiber Fest
Don’t forget the Farmer’s Market
every Saturday!
The Chamber Board will meet
Thursday, July 18, at 10:30 a.m. at
the Chamber office. The monthly
luncheon will be held at 12 p.m. at
the Outpost. This month’s speaker
will be Kurt Renstrom from
Johnson Benefit Planning. He will
be sharing information about the
health insurance available for small
businesses through the Bend
Chamber of Commerce.
Enjoy the beautiful weather!
Tammy Bremner
Manager, Grant County Chamber
of Commerce
130578