When the tree has been taken down, the last of the turkey eaten and all the fruitcake thrown away, it will finally be time for Oregon’s legislature to meet again. Oregon’s Democrat-dominated legislature will convene Jan. 12, 2009.
However, with a tight budget, Oregon’s 90-member legislature is expected to shift its focus from new social programs to finance.
“Our agenda has definitely changed a lot,” said Senate Majority Spokeswoman Molly Woon. “The tight budget has changed the dynamic. Now it’s not, ‘what sort of programs do we want to create?’ It’s ‘what can we prioritize?’”
Although the final drafts of bills will not be discussed until the legislature reconvenes in January, many groups, including the Democratic and Republican Caucuses, Watchdog Oregon, Oregon Student Association, and Oregon’s chapter of the American Heart Association, have high hopes for proposals they would like to see become bills.
These items affect students and could be discussed in the legislature come January:
? GOP Communications Director Nick Smith explained the need for the Oregon Legislature to shift the state’s tax bracket upward to put money back into the hands of working families. However, Oregon relies heavily on income taxes for funding, and the state’s general fund, which primarily comprises income taxes, has been hit hard by the economic downturn.
“Any changes in taxes that may diversify the state’s revenue system will directly influence the University of Oregon and other state institutions,” OSA representative Tom Hojem said.
? With a tight budget, the Oregon University System will struggle to receive adequate funding. The OUS will make an itemized budget request. Gov. Ted Kulongoski will also make his budget request for higher education to the state legislature.
“The Oregon University System most likely won’t be getting the exact funding they asked for because the state revenue infrastructure has gone down so much,” Hojem said. “Regardless, one of the first things on the agenda will have to be getting funding for higher education.”
? The OSA hopes to see the Shared Responsibility Model of the Oregon Opportunity Grant expanded. The Shared Responsibility Model is the only state-granted, need-based financial aid program for post-secondary students in need of money for college. When students fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the Oregon Student Assistant Commission decides each case and allots money to students in need. Originally the OSAC wanted to double the amount of funds available for students, but a moderate increase, or none at all, is more likely.
? The Investment Earning Retention Plan would affect University finances by allowing the OUS to take the interest it earns on fees, tuition and housing and keep it on-hand rather than handing it over to the state’s general fund. The proposed plan would allow the OUS more flexibility in how and when it can use funds.
? Students who served on an OSA board, but not OSA members, asked to change the name of “student incidental fees” to “student activity fees” to more appropriately represent the purpose of the fees.
? On their 2009 Legislative Road Map, Republican Party members drafted an expansion of workforce development programs that would improve skills of employed workers, re-train unemployed workers and provide opportunities for apprenticeships in tradesmen professions for incoming workers to the field.
? Oregon’s chapter of the American Heart Association proposed an initiative that would tax consumers at least 50 cents per pack of cigarettes. The money raised would go toward health education and possibly child health care. Gov. Kulongoski is expected to dedicate 2.5 cents of the tobacco tax to improving public transportation.
“Look, it is a difficult economic time. Of course the governor and legislature are going to need to meet the needs of the population,” Alejandro Queral, director of advocacy for Oregon’s chapter of the American Heart Association, said. “It is just a political reality that not all of that money would go to health education.”
[email protected]