 | March 22, 2007 Newsletter |
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Legislative Update #7 - Environmental Forum Sat. @ Mt. Tabor
1. Environmental Forum with Representative Cannon this Saturday
Date & Time: Saturday March 24, 9-11 am - rain or shine.
Location: Mt. Tabor Park, Picnic Shelter A. It's on the north side of the park, near the amphitheater. (Directions to Entrance) (Park map)
Co-sponsors:
Oregon League of Conservation Voters
Citizens' Utility Board of Oregon
Oregon State Public Interest Research Group
Oregon Conservation Network
On Saturday March 24, from 9 to 11 am, Representative Cannon will host a House District 46 environmental forum at Mt. Tabor,
focusing on environmental legislation during the current legislative session and beyond. The public is invited and welcome.
The Oregon Legislature is considering a number of key environmental issues year. Renewable energy standards and Measure 37
reform are among the top priorities.
Already this session, the House has passed a biofuels mandate that will reduce dependence on foreign oil and jumpstart
Oregon's rural economy. Soon, the House Committee on Energy and the Environment will consider a renewable energy standard that would require
electrical utilities to ensure that 25 percent of power comes from renewable sources by 2025. A series of climate change-related bills is also in the
works.
The 2004 passage of Measure 37 and a subsequent wave of development claims have threatened Oregon's renowned rural and urban
planning system, and along with it the smart grouping of farms and residential density that makes our state special. The Legislature and the governor
are considering plans to restore fairness to the land use system this legislative session.
Oregon is well-positioned to be a leader in a cleaner, renewable economy, but it will require planning, diligence, and the
active participation of citizens in the public process. The forum on March 24 is a key piece of working through the details of legislation in the
2007 session and building energy for long-term environmental reform in Oregon.
Ben is honored to co-host this event with the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, the Citizens' Utility Board of
Oregon, the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group, and the Oregon Conservation Network.
As vice-chair of the Energy and the Environment committee and a friend of the outdoors himself, Ben is committed
to staying well-informed about the state's environmental challenges. The photo above is from Errol Heights, which Ben visited during a tour
of the Johnson Creek Watershed on March 3. On March 9, Ben and the Energy and the Environment Committee traveled to Bend for a field hearing on
renewable energy. Events like this Saturday's give Ben a chance to hear environmental priorities and concerns from constituents and share his
experiences as a Legislator working for Oregon's environmental health.
2. Other Events in the District
On Thursday March 29, from 7 to 8:30 pm, Ben will co-host a town hall on state revenue reform with Senators Ryan Deckert (D-Beaverton) and Avel Gordly (I-Portland), and
Representative Jackie Dingfelder (D-Portland). The town hall will be held at Warner Pacific College, just south of Mt. Tabor. More info here.
This past Saturday afternoon, March 17, Ben hosted a health care town hall, and Senator Ben Westlund presented a plan for
universal coverage in Oregon that state legislators are considering this session. The Oregon Health Fund Program, presented Saturday, has recently combined with Gov. Kitzhaber's Oregon Better Health Act. The legislation focuses on prevention, providing affordable,
high-quality, health care with a basic benefit for all Oregonians. Individuals and employers would have the option of purchasing additional insurance
to supplement basic coverage. Residents came out in numbers to fill the town hall on a sunny Saturday afternoon, demonstrating the public's
demand for extensive changes in the state's health-care system. (In the photo above, an area physician shares his thoughts on the plan.)
3. At the Capitol
Yesterday, Ben testified before the House rules committee in favor of HJR 43, a resolution that would give Oregon voters a
chance to allow Same-Day Voter Registration. The media have covered
the proposal heavily in recent days, and on Sunday The Oregonian
editorialized in favor of the resolution:
Oregon is stuck with a premature deadline that disenfranchises thousands of otherwise legal voters.
The main vulnerability of the state's election system is gone, too. Oregon has a sophisticated centralized voter
registration system that links all 36 counties. With a few keystrokes, county clerks throughout Oregon can verify voter eligibility and ensure voters
are not registered in more than one county.
Meanwhile, there is abundant evidence that Election Day registration would significantly increase voter turnout in Oregon.
The six states allowing same-day registration average nearly 75 percent turnout, compared with 60 percent for other states. The states that regularly
record the nation's highest turnout - Minnesota and Wisconsin - allow Election Day registration.
With its mail-ballot elections, Oregon's turnout is consistently good. But it could be much better with same-day
registration. Every election, in every county in this state, voters are turned away because they miss the 20-day registration deadline.
This shouldn't be a partisan issue - no elected official, of any political persuasion, ought to favor a law that does
nothing but suppress voter turnout.
As we have noted before, it is much easier to buy a handgun in this state than it is to vote. Oregon has an instant-check
system that will let you walk out of the store with a gun in a few minutes. But if you want to vote in an election, Oregon requires a 20-day waiting
period.
I always welcome constituents to contact the office and
set up an appointment to visit me at the capitol. We have also set up time every today and every Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30 pm for constituents to
visit without an appointment. I appreciate all the constituents who have shared thoughtful ideas by phone or email, through the
website dialogue, and in visits at the capitol and in the district. Please do continue to be in touch, and I will always do my best
to be responsive.
Best regards,
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
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