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62 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, May 27, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Britt Festival Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Biz Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 3, 2002 Speaker stands firm on bond plan Oregon House leader Mark Simmons says he’ll seek a vote today on his budget proposal By DANI DODGE Mail Tribune SALEM — Although he admitted he lacked support Monday, Oregon House Speaker Mark Simmons said he will call for a vote today on a $250 million bond measure and nearly that much in cuts to balance the state budget. "I think it serves all of us to move this forward," said Simmons, a Republican from Elgin. "I will continue to work on the votes." Simmons needs 31 votes to push the bill through the House, and among the minds he likely will need to change for his bill to pass are those of Medford Republican Rob Patridge and Murphy Republican Cherryl Walker. But Walker and Patridge said they can’t be pressured. "Go ahead, turn up the heat," Patridge said. "The bonding package as referred is a ridiculous solution and provides no assurance in light of the severe cuts that education, public safety and human services will have to take." Both Patridge and Walker said they are concerned that Simmons’ bill (House Bill 4070) cuts too deeply into vital state services. Walker said she believes voters would reject it, leaving the state even worse off. Both said they favor a plan proposed by Cedar Mill Republican Bill Witt that would garner $50 million to $75 million from the state’s common school fund, $50 million in bonds and a three-year income tax increase of about 4 percent that would raise nearly $300 million this biennium. Simmons wouldn’t commit Monday to allowing a vote on Witt’s plan. "I really don’t believe ... we should be increasing taxes at this time," he said. The Legislature is trying to deal with a $482 million budget deficit caused by the state’s economic downturn. Under Simmons’ plan, $250 million in bonds would be paid back by cigarette taxes over six years. The majority of the money would go to education. At a budget committee hearing Monday, members of the public decried Simmons’ bill. "There’s a rumor out there that it’s this way or the highway and I hope that isn’t true because our children deserve better," said Ozzie Rose, executive director of the Confederation of School Administrators. "I encourage you to act as legislators and do what needs to be done: Focus on some kind of borrowing, some kind of cuts and some kind of revenue." Janna Starr, executive director of the Council on Developmental Disabilities, called what the bill does to seniors and the disabled "unconscionable." After the hearing, committee member Susan Morgan, R-Myrtle Creek, said, "It’s always heartbreaking to hear about the human side of the impact of public policy, but the bottom line is we are in an incredible fiscal crisis. ... It’s very difficult to go back to a district with the highest unemployment in the state and tell them I’m helping them by raising their taxes." Simmons said he’s merely trying to avoid across-the-board cuts of $482 million, which would occur if the House doesn’t come up with another solution. Simmons doesn’t believe there’s support in the House for a tax increase. "We don’t have a lot of good choices right at this point," Simmons said. "But (this bill) is the best of the alternatives before us." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s