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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 10, 2005 Freshmen lawmakers learn to play the legislative game By DON JEPSEN for the Mail Tribune SALEM — When Rep. Sal Esquivel, a Medford Realtor, was confronted by a reporter who wanted to know why his group health insurance bill benefited only members of his profession, the first- term Republican legislator was momentarily at a loss for words. Esquivel said he told the reporter that was not the case. His measure allowed all independent contractors represented by nonprofit associations to band together and seek health care coverage. That’s how it passed the House on a unanimous vote. What Esquivel did not know was that a Senate committee working on House Bill 2722 had scaled it back to cover just Realtors. A work group that included representatives from the insurance industry was responsible for the amendment. "I was being dumb and stupid," Esquivel said. "I knew some minor amendments were coming, but not this." Welcome to the closing weeks of the Oregon Legislature, where the normal process of getting bills passed is sometimes turned on its head. Advertisement At this stage of the game many legislators who find their bills buried in committee look for ways to get them to the floor. A favorite tactic is the "gut and stuff" ploy — taking a bill that already has passed one chamber and substituting the member’s legislation in the opposite chamber. But that can be risky, as Sen. Doug Whitsett, R-Klamath Falls, serving in his first session, has discovered. Whitsett, whose district extends into Jackson County and includes Eagle Point and Shady Cove, was frustrated over the lack of action on his utility rate bill. With Klamath Basin irrigators facing a 1000 percent increase in electric rates when their low-cost contracts with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation expire, Whitsett introduced a measure to phase in the increases over a seven-year period. Whitsett resorted to the gut and stuff ploy. He found a bill relating to utility rates that had passed the Senate and was now in the House, and persuaded the committee chairman to substitute his measure. The Republican-controlled House then passed it unanimously and sent it back to the Senate, which is run by Democrats. The Senate refused to concur, putting the bill into a conference committee of House and Senate members. However, the conference committee has yet to meet, which leaves Whitsett wondering if he made the right decision. Adding to his apprehension is the possibility the Senate conferees will insist in adding an amendment to increase low-income energy assistance from $10 million to $15 million. The Citizens Utility Board is seeking the hike. If successful, that would kill the bill in the House, which views the amendment as a tax hike. "My original bill was languishing in committee," he said. Whitsett asked himself, "Would it have been wiser to be more patient, or would it have been foolish to be more patient?" The Klamath County veterinarian concedes that if the CUB amendment is added to the rate phase-in for irrigators, his proposal is in jeopardy. "In my opinion, with that amendment it will be very, very difficult to get it out of the conference committee," he said. "That doesn’t surprise me as much as it discourages me." Added Whitsett, "Maybe the process needs to be changed." At first, Esquivel was irate over the end-run on his proposal, but he doesn’t think it will affect his legislative career. "I guess it could be a liability for the people that don’t know me," he said, adding that he isn’t too concerned. The Medford legislator plans to run for re-election, and his first priority in 2006 will be to get HB 2722 amended to include all eligible independent contractors. The Senate passed the bill and the House concurred. It now goes to the governor who is expected to sign it. Don Jepsen is a free-lance writer living in Salem. 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 dvd-r helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Home Equity Loans Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Canadian Pharmacy Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Air Purifiers Advertisement s