Dear friends,

As exciting as it has been to serve in the Legislature, nothing could compare to the joy, wonder, and privilege of becoming a new father. My daughter Evelyn was born last Wednesday, June 13th at 8:50 am. She and Liz, my wife, are at home and doing well. I have been so grateful for the good wishes that I have received from many of you as we begin this adventure. It certainly adds perspective to my work in Salem. It also means I'm considerably more tired!

Session could end any day now and you can tell down here at the Capitol. Bills are moving very rapidly through both chambers and there is a sense that everyone - legislators, staff, lobbyists - is ready to get home.

There is still considerable work to finish, however. While I have been spending as much time as possible in Portland, I've also been part of the scramble to accomplish several final goals and finish the session strong. In the last week, we've had one setback among several successes:

Healthy Kids: First of all, and disappointingly, the Healthy Kids Plan failed to pass the House for the second and third times, but it's still likely that voters will get a chance to pass the bill. Last Monday, I was present to see 3 more Republicans join the House Democrats and Rep. Vicki Berger (R-Salem) in voting yes on Healthy Kids. This time, the bill was in the form of a referral to voters that would raise cigarette taxes to cover nearly 100,000 uninsured Oregon kids. The bill received 35 of the required 36 aye votes. On Tuesday, while I was at the hospital for Liz's labor, the fate was the same. The Healthy Kids Plan received 35 votes once again. This probably marked the end of that particular path to the ballot.

Last Wednesday, the Senate passed a pair of referrals, one raising the cigarette tax and the other directing the funds to an insurance program for Oregon kids. Because these referrals are constitutional amendments, they require only a simple majority in the Oregon House of Representatives. Healthy Kids seems a lock to appear on ballots in a special election this fall.

The Legislature also has had some recent bright moments, as five notable bills have passed within the last several days:

Local development revenue for schools: Senate Bill 1036 adds a local option for school boards to implement an excise tax on construction in school districts to cover capital construction costs for schools. This bill marks the end of a nearly two-year struggle, led by Stand for Children, to bring Oregon in line with California, Washington, and other states in requiring builders to help accommodate new students.

Student free press: House Bill 3279 moved to the governor's desk to be signed into law. This bill, which protects the rights of student journalists, resonated with me as a teacher and as a college newspaper editor. As a co-sponsor, I testified on the bill and helped Rep. Larry Galizio and his staff shepherd it through the Legislature. With bipartisan support, student testimonies, and one of the more interesting floor debates of the session, it was fun to see this bill through from introduction to amendment and passage.

Expansion of the Clean Indoor Air Act: The Senate concurred on House amendments to SB 571, which expands Oregon's Clean Indoor Air Act by prohibiting smoking in bars and taverns, restaurants, bingo halls, bowling alleys, and employee lounges. It will reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, and benefit both employees and employers by reducing missed work days and decreasing health care costs.

K-12 Education budget: Last week, the House and Senate passed a K-12 education budget of $6.245 billion for the next biennium, an 18 percent increase. It's a real turnaround from the early school closures, reduced class offerings, and comic-strip ridicule of recent years, but there's still much work to do to stabilize school funding long-term. The school budget bills, HB 5019, HB 5020, and HB 5021, are headed to the Governor, and he'll sign them.

Should Health Care Be a Constitutional Right? On Friday, the House voted 32-27 to submit this question to voters in November, 2008. If House Joint Resolution 18 passes the Senate and is approved by a majority of voters, the Oregon Constitution would be amended to express that "health care is an essential safeguard to human life and dignity and that access to health care is a fundamental right." I voted with the majority on this bill, which has been championed over several sessions and a nearly successful signature-gathering effort by Rep. Mitch Greenlick (D-Portland).

Within the next eight days, session will come to a close. You can expect an email summarizing the accomplishments of the 74th Legislative Assembly and another chance to provide feedback. The interim is a time to prepare new bills for next session, as well as to continue working on issues that were left on the table. I will be appointed to interim committees with these goals in mind.

To celebrate the end of session and to bring members of the district together, I will be holding a second annual barbecue on Saturday, July 28th at 3 pm, at Laurelhurst Park Picnic Area A. I hope that you and your family will join my family and me for an afternoon at the park!

Be well,

State Representative Ben Cannon
900 Court St. NE, H-487
Salem, OR 97301
rep.bencannon@state.or.us
http://www.repbencannon.com
(503) 986-1446