Eventually, voters may decide whether or not this experiment in annual sessions deserves repeating. My view is that, on balance, this month has been a mild success. We have dealt with emergent issues such as storm damage on the north Oregon Coast and foreclosure rescue scams. We have made budget adjustments in light of new priorities, including a significant investment in senior services. And we have resolved technical issues related to several bills we passed last year.

One of the highlights of my month was a visit from some of my students. They spent President's Day at the Capitol (see photo at right).

A Quick Update on Constituent Issues

Since the start of the session, we have received hundreds of emails in support of the following bills. Here is the good news, the so-so news, and the bad news about their fates as the Legislature prepares to close:

• Affordable Housing (Senate Bill 1092): Funding for $2 million toward a sensible plan for affordable housing has been approved by the Ways and Means Committee and is expected to pass both chambers.
• Farms to Schools Program (House Bill 3601): Funding was not set aside for a position at the Department of Education to work with Corey Schreiber (former Wildwood executive chef and notorious local foods proponent) at the Department of Agriculture. However, the bill passed unanimously, the position is in law, and this means that the funding will likely be found for the next biennium. Click here to find out more about the Farms to Schools concept.
• Full-Day Kindergarten (Senate Bill 1068): This bill has passed the Senate and is likely to pass the House today or Monday. I will support the bill but am very concerned about the fundamental unfairness of tuition-based full-day kindergarten. It's an issue we need to revisit in 2009. The Portland Tribune has a great op-ed on the temporary fix here.
• Greenhouse Gas Reporting (HB 3610): The lobbying effort by several natural resource-based industries, mentioned in my past newsletter, was successful in keeping this bill from the floor of the House. As a member of the Global Warming Commission and the House Committee on Energy and the Environment, I will be working to build coalitions, raise public and legislative awareness, and craft excellent policy in order to withstand this effort in 2009.

Here are a few recent articles on the work of the Legislature:

• The Oregonian's summary and the Statesman Journal's summary of the changes to the budget - each with a very different tone
• A great profile on Rep. Mitch Greenlick, Chair of the House Committee on Health Care
• An article on the mortgage reform bill and a blog post from The Oregonian's Jeff Mapes of the political maneuvering behind its passage

Yours sincerely,

State Representative Ben Cannon
1125 SE Madison, Suite 100B
Portland, OR 97214
rep.bencannon@state.or.us
http://www.repbencannon.com
(503) 236-3351