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Legislature gets mixed marks Area's freshmen are pleased, but the seniors say session's not getting the job done By PETER WONG SALEM -- Sen. Lenn Hannon of Ashland, Southern Oregon's senior lawmaker and the Oregon Legislature's senior Republican, has described this session as "a ship without a captain." Rep. Judy Uherbelau of Ashland, Southern Oregon's senior House member and its lone Democrat, said this session may be ahead of the last one statistically. But no real progress has been made, "except perhaps sideways." But Southern Oregon's first-term Republican representatives have a different view of the 1999 session, which passed the 90-day mark Saturday. Rep. Rob Patridge of Medford, a member of the Legislature's joint budget committee, acknowledges the frustration about the budget impasse. But he says his background and his committee membership enable him to do things not usually open to first-termers. Rep. Jason Atkinson of Jacksonville, the House's youngest Republican, said, "I'm right where I want to be." Though both houses have debated other issues this session, lawmakers agree the dominant issue at midsession remains the amount of state aid to Oregon's 198 school districts in the next two-year budget. Hannon, Patridge and Uherbelau said the political logjam will be broken only when there is an agreement on school aid -- and that may come only after the next forecast of state income in mid-May. School aid now constitutes the largest chunk of the state's $11 billion general fund, which consists largely of personal and corporate income taxes. With that issue still looming, here's a report card from local legislators at midsession: JASON ATKINSON Republican Theodore Roosevelt is a hero to Rep. Jason Atkinson, but in his first term, it's fair to say the Republican from Jacksonville shares Democrat Franklin Roosevelt's love of a good fight. "I've been joking with other members that if it's a controversial bill, it's bound to land in one of my committees," he said. "I am very busy, but I love it. I'm right where I want to be." As a member of the Business and Consumer Affairs Committee, Atkinson drew attention for his vote for a bill that lets businesses pay less than the minimum wage if tipped workers earn at least $10 per hour in wages and tips. The House has passed it. Among 25 first-term members, Atkinson is one of a handful with four committee assignments, double the usual number. His others are Water and Environment, General Government, and Rules. He also is an assistant majority leader, helping count votes and keep GOP members informed. As a bloc, the 17 Republican newcomers have made this session's 34-member Republican majority more conservative. True to form, Atkinson is among the most conservative of them. Though he is not their lead sponsor, Atkinson has signed on to proposals by social conservatives that would require notice to parents before teenagers under 18 can undergo abortions, and would define marriage and deny benefits to unmarried couples. He is the chief sponsor of House Bill 2795, which would set a 10-year sentence for use of a handgun in a crime, a 20-year sentence if the trigger is pulled, and life if the shooting results in injury or death. He has deplored increasingly partisan rhetoric in the House as "unfortunate," but he also was quick to criticize House Democrats who left the Capitol for a day to visit schools throughout the state. "It was shutting down government to speechify about raising taxes," he said. Yet Atkinson has a more moderate side. He supports more money in the state budget to hire more Oregon State Police troopers, and for the state university system to continue a freeze on undergraduate tuition and convert to per-student budgeting for the seven campuses. Atkinson, whose father is the state Republican Party chairman, is carving his own place in the House. "I have been around politicians for a long time, but it's definitely different to be a legislator," he said. "People ask me whether I am more or less idealistic now. I am 10 times more idealistic. Now I know how to fight for what I believe in, and it is even more important to let my voice be heard. I really put a high value on public service and believe good things can come from it. It sounds trite, but I believe it." LENN HANNON As a veteran legislator, Sen. Lenn Hannon says his 13th regular session is proving to be unlucky so far. The Republican from Ashland, a past master of the inside game, says he feels more on the outside this session. Sometimes he has voted with conservative Republicans, and sometimes with liberal Democrats, but Hannon has been on the losing side on many key bills. "This appears to be one of the nonproductive sessions I've served in so far," said Hannon, who under current term limits can return for one more session in 2001. "Other than budgets, the bills we are passing are so insignificant that it would not matter whether they passed or failed." One of the Senate's two senior members, Hannon usually makes his biggest mark on the state budget. He has been on all of the Legislature's six budget ubcommittees. As chairman of a subcommittee this session, Hannon can help shape state spending on transportation and economic development, which do not rely on the tax-supported general fund. He also sits on the subcommittee that oversees spending for state police, courts and prisons, which do. Hannon said his job is more difficult because Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber and Republican legislative leaders cannot agree on state aid to public schools. "The constant uncertainty is one of the most frustrating things for me," he said. Hannon headed the education budget subcommittee in 1997, giving him a role in the school-aid debate. But for the first time since he joined the budget panel in 1985, he is not a member of that subcommittee. His other assignment this session is the Senate Transportation Committee, which will review proposals to revamp the Oregon Department of Transportation and raise gasoline taxes and vehicle registration fees for highway projects. Hannon also has been unable so far to obtain a hearing for Senate Bill 529, which would require equal insurance coverage for mental illness and alcohol and drug treatment. An agent for Standard Insurance in Medford, he reversed his long opposition to state insurance requirements after he underwent treatment for alcoholism last year. But health insurers oppose the bill and Chairman Bill Fisher, R-Roseburg, has refused to set a hearing for it in the Health and Human Services Committee. Hannon usually does his most productive work late in a session. He still is optimistic that the Legislature can increase school aid without slashing other programs. Some moderate Republicans have floated the idea of paying off the state's millions in liabilities to federal government retirees and SAIF Corp. policyholders early. That move would drop the state below the "kicker" that triggers refunds of surplus personal income taxes. "To me, it is a prudent way of doing business, because if we do not pay our bills, the clock continues to tick and the interest costs continue to mount," Hannon said. "It is incredible that my legislative colleagues who say they are pro-business want to fund government like individuals who use their credit cards to balance their budgets. "The hammer drops on us next session, when most of those who advocate the return of the surplus are not going to be here. That is not the way to govern, but it is a consequence of term limits." JUDY UHERBELAU For Judy Uherbelau of Ashland, her third and final term in the Oregon House has been frustrating yet friendlier. As the only Democrat among the eight legislators representing Jackson and Josephine counties, Uherbelau is in the minority party in a Legislature whose majorities she sees as increasingly partisan. Uherbelau referred to what House Speaker Lynn Snodgrass, R-Boring, did a couple of weeks ago to her Republican predecessor as speaker. He lost his chairmanship of a budget subcommittee when he went public to propose more than Republican leaders have for state aid to public schools. "I think this session is more partisan," Uherbelau said. "Lynn Lundquist tried to advance the discussion about school funding, and you saw what happened to him. That does not and should not happen. This is what the process should be all about -- a lot of give-and-take discussion to reach a result for the best interests of Oregon." As she has during her previous two terms, which also were controlled by Republicans, Uherbelau has found herself on the losing end of many votes. But as one of 17 senior members of a chamber that has 25 newcomers this session, Uherbelau has played a formal and informal role in managing the work of the House. She is the top Democrat on the Judiciary-Civil Law Committee, which is headed by Rep. Lane Shetterly of Dallas, a relatively moderate Republican. She was the top Democrat on and he headed the same subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee two years ago. Her other committee assignment this session is Agriculture and Forestry. All this is in contrast to her situation two years ago, when she clashed constantly with the Judiciary Committee's more conservative Republican chairman, Rep. John Minnis of Wood Village, who departed because of term limits. Its high-visibility issue in 1997 was the referral of Oregon's physician-assisted suicide law that voters approved in 1994 and ultimately upheld in 1997. Uherbelau's panel this session will consider legislation on other divisive social issues. Among them are local authority to zone sexually oriented businesses, a definition of marriage that excludes benefits for unmarried couples, and a requirement for parents to be notified before teenagers undergo abortions. Uherbelau said as important as those issues may be, they take a back seat to how the Legislature resolves the 1999-2001 budget and the perennial question of state aid to public schools. She said she was amused by a progress report that Speaker Snodgrass issued last week on the number of bills both chambers have passed to date, compared with what they did the previous session. "We may be ahead numerically, but we have not done much substantially," Uherbelau said. "We had the sense in the 1997 session that we were moving ahead, tough as it was, but I think that is not the case this session -- except perhaps sideways." ROB PATRIDGE When a House committee opened a hearing last week on his proposal to give Oregon communities zoning authority for sexually oriented businesses, Rep. Rob Patridge won praise from unlikely allies. "He has spent a lot of time with a variety of groups to craft a bill that I believe this body should support," said Rep. Randall Edwards, D-Portland. "It took Representative Patridge to pull this together," added Portland City Commissioner Jim Francesconi. The first-term Republican from Medford has made a priority of the proposed constitutional amendment, which is a response to controversies in Medford and Portland about the location of Castle Superstores. It requires a referral by the Legislature and approval by voters. Patridge, one of 25 newcomers to the House this session, is also is one of just four first-term members on the Legislature's joint budget committee. The budget committee is the Legislature's most powerful, but its detailed work on agency budgets is done largely unnoticed in subcommittees. "I think it's really difficult to play in Ways and Means (budget) as opposed to a policy committee," he said. "It does not thrust you into the limelight. It is frustrating that when you look at some of these agency budgets, policy matters arise that are dealt with elsewhere. "But I have done things that have allowed me to be included in more things than you normally would expect of a freshman. I am able to do them partly because of my knowledge of the process." Like Hannon, Patridge said the Legislature will be able to resolve other agency budgets only when it decides the amount for state aid to public schools, the largest share of the tax-supported general fund. But he said a priority of his and others is to increase the number of Oregon State Police troopers by up to 100. Patridge has stuck to other priorities he outlined early in the session: Securing more money for road and transit projects, and also improving the efficiency and responsiveness of the Oregon Department of Transportation. Arranging a trust fund for tobacco settlement payments, interest earnings from which would go to health care, transportation for senior and disabled passengers, and low-income housing. Beefing up criminal penalties for repeat drunken drivers. The Legislature at midterm Action on House bills as of April 8: House bills introduced : 1999-1,775; 1997-1,888 House bills passed : House 1999-206; 1997-152 House bills passed Senate : 1999-83; 1997-63 Signed by governor : 1999-1; 1997-6 Action on Senate bills as of April 8: Senate bills introduced : 1999-1,415; 1997-1,290 Senate bills passed House : 1999-88; 1997-48 Senate bills passed Senate : 1999-253; 1997-203 Signed by governor : 1999-2; 1997-10 Source : House chief clerk. 1999 figures are for 89 days, 1997 for 87 days. Status of selected major issues: Budget: Legislative leaders have presented no overall framework for 1999-2001 spending. Charter schools: Both houses passed Senate Bill 100, which would allow formation of "charter schools" free of most state requirements, such as hiring licensed teachers. Governor has threatened veto. Minimum wage: House passed House Bill 2793, which would allow businesses to pay tipped workers hired after Jan. 1, 2000, $5.50 per hour ($1 less than the minimum wage) if they earn at least $4.50 per hour in tips. Senate Business and Consumer Affairs Committee has scheduled hearing April 16. Governor has threatened veto. Prison siting: Both houses passed Senate Bill 3, which would resite a 1,500-bed women's prison and intake center from the Portland metropolitan area to the Eastern Oregon community of Umatilla. Governor has threatened veto. Transportation: House committees are hearing bills to increase gasoline taxes and vehicle registration fees (House Bill 2082) and repeal weight-mile taxes for trucks (House Bill 3344). Taxes: Committees are considering governor's proposals to retain surplus personal income taxes known as the "kicker," and raise corporate income taxes for aid to public schools. Republican leaders have shelved plans for tax cuts. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA