SALEM- In a Tuesday morning vote, the Senate shot down a bill to ban the chemical bisphenol A in baby bottles and sippy cups.

The bill, carried on the floor by Sen. Jackie Dingfelder, D-Portland, lacked just a single vote to pass in the legislature’s smaller body. Failing on a 15-15 margin, three Democrats voted with the Senate Republicans to oppose the bill.

The legislation, SB 1032, was narrowed from its earliest form, which included banning the chemical in cans as well as in bottles. This early legislation was strongly opposed by industry representatives who feared the ban would bring an end to the canned food business in Oregon. Following these concerns, the bill was tapered to include just children’s sippy cups and baby bottles.

Similar bans have been enacted already in Minnesota and Connecticut; and proposals reducing BPA have been proceeding in Washington, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.

Proponents of the bill believe the chemical is a danger to children, potentially causing early onset of puberty, liver abnormalities, diabetes, and some types of cancer. However, the bill’s opponents claim the chemical is not a real danger in small quantities, such as those amounts used to make bottles and cans.

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SALEM- Hundreds of citizen activists met on the steps of the state’s legislature Monday afternoon, calling for smaller government and less government spending.

Between 10 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon, rallies hosted by the activist groups Americans for Prosperity and Freedomworks drew a variety of participants and speakers, including many Republican Representatives, leaders of other organizations in the limited government arena, and business leaders from around the state.

The major topic of every speech at the event included the impact of the tax measures 66 and 67 (passed by referendum last month), the growing state debt, and a need for smaller government and new leadership.

Kristina Ribali, a business owner from Yamhill County, seemed to express the mood of the rallies’ participants best in her speech, saying, “Don’t you dare tell me that what you’re doing is for the betterment of my kids and then leave them with a national debt that cripples them. Don’t you dare take that freedom away from my kids.”

A number of state representatives were presented with a “Friends of the taxpayer award,” given by the Freedomworks organization. After receiving his award, Rep. Matt Wingard, R-Wilsonville, spoke to the crowd, saying, “Until we defeat the corrupt political machine that is running this state, they are not going to respect us.”

A smaller protest held by Stand for Children was occurring across the street from the Tea Party rally. These protestors, seen carrying blue umbrellas, were there to demand kicker reform and cost-effective education reform for the state’s schools.

SALEM- An amendment to guarantee health care to all Oregonians narrowly failed in a House floor vote Friday morning.

The amendment proposed by Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, would have put forth a constitutional amendment to be voted on by the Senate and then brought to the ballot for a statewide vote from the citizens. The legislation offered an amendment creating a state obligation ensuring that every legal resident of the state has access to “effective, medically appropriate and affordable health care.”

Thirty legislators, all Democrats, voted in favor of the bill. 28 legislators opposed it, including all Republican representatives and five Democrat representatives. The bill required just 31 votes to pass the House.

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SALEM- A bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in vehicles under 10,000 pounds moved from the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Thursday, following the release of a fiscal report finding the bill would cost between $2.1 and $2.3 million to implement.

The bill, introduced by Senate President Peter Courtney, would create a process for adoption and implementation of plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with recommendations from the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Oregon Department of State Lands and Development in the following session.

While changes to the original bill seemed to settle the nerves of its critics, a fiscal report released Thursday showed that the cost for implementing the plan would be upwards of $2 million, including the costs for five full-time employees at the Department of State Lands and Development and one employee at the Department of Transportation.

After debate on a number of motions to move the bill with a “do pass” recommendation, Sen. Floyd Prozanksi, D-Eugene, made a final motion to move the bill to the Joint Ways and Means Committee with no recommendation due to the high cost.

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]]> http://oregon.statehousenewsonline.com/2010/02/12/senate-committee-moves-2m-vehicle-emissions-reduction-bill/feed/ 2 http://oregon.statehousenewsonline.com/2010/02/12/rep-thatcher-tells-stories-of-businesses-leaving-state/ http://oregon.statehousenewsonline.com/2010/02/12/rep-thatcher-tells-stories-of-businesses-leaving-state/#comments Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:46:49 +0000 Sarah Ross http://oregon.statehousenewsonline.com/?p=445 SALEM- Rep. Kim Thatcher,R-Keizer, tells stories of businesses leaving the state after the tax increases passed last month continuing the trend of Republican remonstrances on the issue this session.

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SALEM- The House Committee on Consumer Protection and Government Accountability heard testimony Wednesday on a bill to establish a task force for instituting Core Functions of Government for the state.

The concept of establishing Core Functions of Government was used in Washington State to create state budgets using a system of government priorities.

The bill, proposed by Rep. Kim Thatcher, R- Keizer, drew overwhelming support from Republican and Democrat members of the committee and those activists and businesspeople who spoke in favor of it.

Rep. Jefferson Smith, D-Portland, urged his support for the legislation, saying, “If we can have some agreed-upon principles and priorities about what we can do, we can continue to move forward as a state, even past the ebbs and flows of political choices of voters from session to session, as we figure out what our priorities are, shared by all of our voters or very nearly all of our voters.”

Mark Higgins, a resident of Newberg, also spoke in favor of the bill, expressing a need for government to budget the way a family budgets: “In our family we have to put our needs over our wants. I believe every responsible family does that.”

Following the low revenue forecast announced earlier this week, Rep. Thatcher remarked, “this week’s revenue forecast is a good reminder of why we need to start prioritizing our spending in a different way, focusing on outcomes of programs rather than spending as we have been.”

Despite the positive testimony on the bill, the Committee’s Chairman, Rep. Paul Holvey, D-Eugene, passed on opening a work session for the bill, meaning that it will not be voted on by the legislative body.

“I don’t think I’m comfortable moving your bill. But I do think it’s a great conversation to have, and it’s a great task for this Committee to take on, and I think we can accomplish that without a task force,” said Holvey.

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BY JACOB SZETO

A Secretary of State Audits Division audit report questions if $1.46 million used by the Oregon Commission for the Blind was spent prudently or lawfully.

This audit was not random. It was initiated in March 2007 after the Secretary of State received allegations of mismanaged operations and misused funds. After substantiating several of the allegations, it was found that problems identified in several previous audits were still occurring.

According to the report, $61,000 was used for “purposes that did not always benefit clients and, in some cases, were not allowed by federal regulations.”

Recurring problems included questionable expenditures benefiting employees and non-clients, such as:

• $12,000 for a 7-day trip to the San Juan Islands for 21 participants, of whom only two were clients
• $19,000 for employees and non-clients to attend training and to participate in a healthy lifestyle pilot program
• $1,500 for 20 different food purchases with no documentation for business purpose
• $5,100 for a training and awards dinner in December 2006
• $3,100 for gift cards given to employees at the December 2006 awards dinner
• $1,300 for home internet services for six employees with no documented business purpose
• $600 for a gas barbeque

To put these numbers into perspective, consider that there are 49,919 blind people in Oregon. The Commission’s biennial budget was $15.3 million for 2007-2009 and served about 1,500 blind people in 2008. That breaks down to just over $5,000 for each person served per year, or 12 additional people who could have been served with the $61,000. This is especially relevant considering that the Commission now has a waiting list for services.

In addition to possible inappropriate expenditures, the audit report questions the purchasing process for $1.4 million spent on goods and services. State agencies have procedures for the procurement of goods and services to ensure optimal costs. For purchases over $5,000, generally competitive pricing processes must be followed. The Commission ignored these procedures, which may have resulted in less than optimal pricing.

According to the report, “The commission made some business decisions with little regard for established purchasing and planning processes and did not always ensure client purchases were necessary and reasonable.”

The audit report identifies several instances in which the client purchases were not “necessary and reasonable” and some in which they were excessive. Examples cited include:

• $5,000 for groceries for the staff, program materials and staff salary for healthy lifestyle classes
• $800 for a laptop computer for a client who already earned $70,000 a year, to work at home
• $700 for football jerseys to promote a clients’ coffee cart
• Leather jacket and two bottles of cologne for a client

A letter by the Commission in response to the audit report contests many of the findings and agrees with few. Specifically, the Commission argues that the healthy lifestyle program for the clients was justified.

The Commission states that many clients have “serious chronic health problems…which present significant barriers for these individuals to complete training or to work.” It is assumed that the program in part alleviates these barriers allowing clients to work and complete their training.

The Commission addresses the 7-day trip to the San Juan Islands by stating that they believe there is a direct correlation between work success and independent living, with participation in recreational activities. The Commission also notes that a deceased staff member donated funds specifically for the trip, but that donation does not include the $12,000 of public funds used for the trip.

Regarding $1,500 for undocumented food purchases, the Commission states: “We believe that each of the events…w[as] allowable under federal guidelines.” The Commission acknowledges the lack documentation and claims it is now certain that proper documentation is completed.

The Commission held a meeting with the Department of Administrative Services State Procurement Office to discuss its purchasing process. The commission states that after review, the Procurement Office did not find it necessary to implement any changes for compliance.

The Audit Division stands by their recommendations and findings, “The comments made in there stand” says Don Hamilton, Director of Communications.

Linda Mock has been with the Commission for 30 years and the agency administrator since 2000.  When asked if the audit report was a fair she stated “ I do not have anything to add to the responses found in the report and do not consider it appropriate for me to comment as to whether or not the audit reports are a fair representation.”

The committee is used to scrutiny. Since 1995, the committee has been subject to four audits. Three were initiated under specific recommendation or request and one under standard procedures.

In 1995 the Commission was subject to an audit because of a questionable loan to Blind Enterprises of Oregon, Inc. In this audit it was concluded that the Commission wasted $1.75 million and failed to “properly manage public money and assets entrusted to them.”

Four years later, the Legislative Assembly included a budget note recommending an audit of the Commission. This led to an audit in December 2000 by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. In this audit the Audit Committee found that “agency expenditures were questionable and that the Commission exercises virtually no fiscal oversight.”

The 2000 audit report has three pages of questionable expenditures. Examples include parties, meetings and trainings at McMenamins, with one event costing $8,025. Also cited in the report is a $321 reimbursement for the Governor’s Hoe-Down, $300 for a Gala Dinner and Dance in San Francisco, and $300 for an employee’s overdue parking ticket.

The latest audit report has demonstrated that the Commission did not learn from its past mistakes.  “We make recommendations with the hope that they will follow them,” says Hamilton.  Without the authority to enforce the recommendations hope is all they have.  For now it is up to the legislators and the Commission.

Related Articles:

Audit reveals questionable spending by Oregon Commission for the Blind by Amy Reifenrath, The Oregonian