It's been a great week for Oregon education and the environment:

First, a 2007-09 K-12 education budget of $6.245 billion passed a Ways and Means subcommittee and is on the way to the floor. This level of funding will allow Oregon's public schools to take a small but important step toward restoring some of the cuts made during and after the last recession.

Oregon's school funding programs are deeper than this budget will correct, however, dating back to the passage of Measure 5 in 1991. That is why a real solution includes reforming Oregon's revenue system - a system that subjects the state to dramatic revenue swings, holds corporations to a lower level of accountability, and fails to provide adequate revenue to meet the state's needs.

The Legislature has taken partial steps in the right direction by establishing the state's first rainy day fund through a one-time suspension of the corporate kicker. There remains a great deal of work to be done, and I hope you will help me by submitting your thoughts through the online dialogue.

Second, both chambers have now passed one of this session's truly historic pieces of legislation: the Oregon Renewable Energy Standard. This law will require electrical utilities to ensure that 25% of their electricity was generated from renewable sources by the year 2025. It will also help make Oregon a leader in the production of wind, solar, tidal, geothermal, and biomass energy. It has been heartening to see farmers, investors, and environmentalists bridge rural-urban and Republican-Democrat divides to support renewable energy in Oregon. (The picture on the right is me speaking to the Renewable Energy Standard on the floor of the House. You can click here to see the text of my speech.)

Third, both chambers have now passed an update to another historic piece of legislation: the Bottle Bill. This update adds water bottles to the list of beverages that can be returned for deposit. It also creates a task force to look into further expansion of the Bottle Bill, which I hope will include raising the deposit and adding even more containers. If you missed it, here is a link to a previous newsletter that explained the saga of the Bottle Bill update in much more detail.

On a rather different note, I remain very concerned about the degree to which Oregon's health and human service needs may continue to go unmet under the proposed 2007-09 budget. Despite a healthier economy, we are not much closer to restoring some of the more than 100,000 Oregonians who were cut from the Oregon Health Plan during lean years. A similar story can be told about other programs that help support Oregon's most vulnerable population, from mental health and alcohol and addiction services to early childhood care, senior assisted living, and foster care. This is a consequence partly of the Legislature's determination to make significant new investments in education (these are the types of challenging decisions we face). But it is also partly the result of voter mandates such as prison-building (driven by Measure 11), the kicker law ($1.2 billion will be returned to individuals this year), and the 3/5 supermajority requirement for new revenue.

Finally, to end on an upbeat note, the E-Waste Bill passed the Senate unanimously this week, after passing the House unanimously a couple of weeks ago. This will lead to the establishment of a statewide electronics recycling program in a way that encourages our manufacturers to take responsibility for the environmental consequences of their products. I view this bill as an heir to the original Bottle Bill and a companion to the Oregon Renewable Energy Standard as all three have put the public interest ahead of what benefits a few.

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

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