May 20, 2013 eClips Weekend Edition

State Library eClips
* Oregon’s food processors think export markets in Asia hold untapped opportunity
* Clackamas County, ODOT agree to start design on Tolbert Overpass, but don’t appease suing business owners
* House action on Christmas tree fee may spur Obama administration to move on issue
* Is paid family leave the norm most everywhere else but U.S.? PolitiFact Oregon
* Ways and Means chairmen say Oregon budget will go forward
* With arrival of shad, say farewell to frustrations of salmon, sea lions
* Programs for addressing hunger in Oregon do work — Guest Opinion
* Promising ideas whet appetite for tax reform: Agenda 2013 — Opinion
* Protect life-or-death heart of Oregon family leave — Opinion
* Let’s collaborate to promote college affordability — Guest Opinion
* Tough Thursday in Salem; the news was too good — Opinion
* Blood drive set for Capitol
* Driver’s card protest planned
* Last furlough day is Friday
* Forest smoke panel to meet
* Wong: A closer look at the economics behind the state revenue forecast — Opinion
* Audit raps state over welfare; officials defend programs
* Bill would legalize medical pot retailers
* Timber country facing future of uncertainty
* Days of wine & grosses
* Initial tsunami cleanup funds on way
* Democrats say state budget will go forward
* At last, a rosy forecast — Opinion
* Armed Forces Day celebration observed at Capitol
* Greenlick and Monnes Anderson Differ Over Health Insurance Rate Review Changes

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OREGON’S FOOD PROCESSORS THINK EXPORT MARKETS IN ASIA HOLD UNTAPPED OPPORTUNITY (Portland Oregonian)

Oregon’s immense harvest moves through Norpac’s automated packaging plant with a metallic click and pneumatic hiss. Tray after chattering tray of diced carrots, corn, peas and green beans are carried along conveyor belts, through vats, into troughs and across scales.
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CLACKAMAS COUNTY, ODOT AGREE TO START DESIGN ON TOLBERT OVERPASS, BUT DON’T APPEASE SUING BUSINESS OWNERS (Portland Oregonian)

A Sunrise Corridor overpass the Oregon Department of Transportation is being sued to build might become a reality without a judge’s order.
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HOUSE ACTION ON CHRISTMAS TREE FEE MAY SPUR OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO MOVE ON ISSUE (Portland Oregonian)

Christmas tree growers fighting to win approval of a 15-cent-per-tree assessment to fund a marketing program got some good news this week from the House Agriculture Committee.
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IS PAID FAMILY LEAVE THE NORM MOST EVERYWHERE ELSE BUT U.S.? POLITIFACT OREGON (Portland Oregonian)

Family Forward Oregon and other advocates of paid leave descended on the state Capitol last week with a Mother’s Day message for legislators:

Want to be really mom-friendly?
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WAYS AND MEANS CHAIRMEN SAY OREGON BUDGET WILL GO FORWARD (Portland Oregonian)

The Democrats in charge of writing a new state budget said Friday theyre casting aside proposed tax increases and public-employee pension cuts and will begin advancing early pieces of a spending plan for the next two years.
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WITH ARRIVAL OF SHAD, SAY FAREWELL TO FRUSTRATIONS OF SALMON, SEA LIONS (Portland Oregonian)

Stupid salmon. Who needs them anyway…

It’s spring.
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PROGRAMS FOR ADDRESSING HUNGER IN OREGON DO WORK — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)

Today, too many Oregon families struggle to pay the rent and keep food in their cupboards. During times of economic downturn and hardship, we all might have moments of needing assistance. Fortunately, here in Oregon, there are safety net systems that help people meet their basic needs — to help them put a roof over their head or put food on the table.
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PROMISING IDEAS WHET APPETITE FOR TAX REFORM: AGENDA 2013 — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)

Some good ideas about tax reform actually exist in Salem. That was the hidden nugget of good news among the political posturing that surrounded the latest state revenue forecast last week.
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PROTECT LIFE-OR-DEATH HEART OF OREGON FAMILY LEAVE — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)

Work comes first, most of the time. You show up even if sick, tired and heartbroken; you grab an extra coffee and get ‘er done, because this is America, and that’s what people do.
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LET’S COLLABORATE TO PROMOTE COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY — GUEST OPINION (Portland Oregonian)

College students recently testified before the Oregon Legislature, and the pain of increasing tuition was clear on their faces, stressed from overworking, overborrowing and the constant worry that the next bill may be the tipping point.
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TOUGH THURSDAY IN SALEM; THE NEWS WAS TOO GOOD — OPINION (Portland Oregonian)

In John Kitzhaber’s first tour as governor, in the economically booming ’90s, the Legislature would wrestle over the budget for three months. Then the May revenue forecast would drop half a billion dollars out of the sky and everything would be solved.
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BLOOD DRIVE SET FOR CAPITOL (Salem Statesman Journal)

The Red Cross will hold a blood drive at the Capitol, the last for the 2013 session.
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DRIVER’S CARD PROTEST PLANNED (Salem Statesman Journal)

A Capitol rally is planned by critics of the Oregon law granting drivers cards to those who cannot prove legal presence in the United States and pending federal immigration legislation.
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LAST FURLOUGH DAY IS FRIDAY (Salem Statesman Journal)

Friday is the final day in the current budget cycle for many state offices to close and state workers to take unpaid furloughs.
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FOREST SMOKE PANEL TO MEET (Salem Statesman Journal)

The Smoke Management Committee will meet from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, May 23, in the board room of Building B at the Oregon Department of Forestry, 2600 State St., Salem.
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WONG: A CLOSER LOOK AT THE ECONOMICS BEHIND THE STATE REVENUE FORECAST — OPINION (Salem Statesman Journal)

While the attention of Oregon lawmakers and the public focused last week on revenue projections for the next two-year state budget, its worth pausing to look more closely at the economic forecast behind those numbers.
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AUDIT RAPS STATE OVER WELFARE; OFFICIALS DEFEND PROGRAMS (Salem Statesman Journal)

A recent audit from the secretary of state criticized Oregons public assistance programs, saying they were allowing too many people to benefit from federal programs for housing, health care and especially food.
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BILL WOULD LEGALIZE MEDICAL POT RETAILERS (Salem Statesman Journal)

-Oregon legislators call it step toward reining in abuses-

Oregon legislators are considering a bill to legalize and license medical marijuana retailers, calling it a step toward reining in abuses of the states 15-year-old effort to allow people to use pot for therapy.
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TIMBER COUNTRY FACING FUTURE OF UNCERTAINTY (Eugene Register-Guard)

-Once prosperous Oregon logging communities continue to struggle-

Jennifer Phillippis grandparents started producing lumber in this corner of Oregon timber country in 1922, when a man could set up a mill, log the trees within range of a team of horses and move the mill to a new stand when those trees ran out.
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DAYS OF WINE & GROSSES (Eugene Register-Guard)

-A new generation of customers and wine on tap add up to big sales-

Thank the 20-somethings who dont mind spending $7 for a glass of wine at dinner.
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INITIAL TSUNAMI CLEANUP FUNDS ON WAY (Eugene Register-Guard)

-Oregon is among those states receiving $250,000 as part of a gift from Japan-

Oregon and four other West Coast states affected by debris from the 2011 tsunami in Japan are about to receive an initial $250,000 each from a $5 million gift from Japan for cleanup.
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DEMOCRATS SAY STATE BUDGET WILL GO FORWARD (Eugene Register-Guard)

-Both parties are accusing each other of refusing to negotiate-

AT LAST, A ROSY FORECAST — OPINION (Eugene Register-Guard)

Nothing but blue skies? Not yet. But the clouds are clearing.

State economists presented the most optimistic revenue forecast in years Thursday, projecting $16.9 billion in taxes and lottery proceeds for the 2013-15 budget cycle.
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ARMED FORCES DAY CELEBRATION OBSERVED AT CAPITOL (Albany Democrat Herald)

May 17, 2013

Gov. John Kitzhaber recognizes Oregon National Guard airmen and soldiers who recently returned from overseas deployments during the Armed Forces Day celebration Thursday at the Capitol Mall in Salem. From are Tech. Sgt. Alan Baker, Senior Master Sgt. Cody Pemberton, Capt. Scot Berg, and Staff Sgt. Sarah Summers.
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GREENLICK AND MONNES ANDERSON DIFFER OVER HEALTH INSURANCE RATE REVIEW CHANGES (The Lund Report)

May 17, 2013

Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland, is moving to bolster Oregons rate review process, even as Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson, D-Gresham, continues to support a Regence BlueCross BlueShield provision that removed requirements from Senate Bill 413 that insurers notify consumers when they request steep rate increases from the state’s Insurance Division.
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