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Chamber, legislators confer over the air By dani dodge Budget and energy issues were the hot topics of conversation Friday at the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County�s first teleconference with Southern Oregon state lawmakers. But Sen. Lenn Hannon, R-Ashland, cautioned chamber folk not to get too riled up over the governor�s proposed budget cuts for state police and seniors. He noted that he and the other co-chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee are currently working on a budget that reflects legislative priorities. "The governor only presented a blueprint on his priorities," Hannon said. "Now it�s up to the Legislature to change it and modify it and make it a better product and put it out for final approval." The teleconference was held at 7:30 a.m. in a conference room at Gold River Distributing in Medford. On the Medford side of the phone were 18 community and business leaders sitting around a conference table. On the Salem side, in addition to Hannon, were Rep. Rob Patridge, R-Medford, Rep. Alan Bates, D-Eagle Point, and Rep. Cherryl Walker, R-Murphy. The conferences between community leaders and state legislators will continue through the legislative session. The site was chosen because of the videoconferencing capability in the conference room, but on Friday the link to Salem wasn�t yet working. Chamber representatives said they expect the video link to be working by next Friday�s meeting. The session began with legislators describing their committee activities and ended with questions from those around the table. Medford City Councilman Sal Esquivel asked the legislators if the coming deregulation of energy in Oregon will mean the same problems that have occurred in recently de-regulated California. Bates � who will be in hearings for that issue next week � said he�s been assured that Oregon won�t have the same crisis when deregulation takes hold here. But he wasn�t willing to make any promises until he�s studied the issue more thoroughly. "The legislation passed last year was significantly different than in California," Bates said. "There are safeguards that should keep us out of trouble." Others in the chamber group asked about cuts to a local job program and Oregon State Police. Hannon re-emphasized that the budget he and the other co-chair are writing will try to restore some of the cuts. But it�s not going to be an easy legislative year when it comes to money. He noted that the governor already had departments and agencies take the "fluff" out of their budgets. "If you want to restore funding for senior citizens, what are the trade-offs required?" Hannon asked. "(The governor) said, �These are my priorities.� Now it�s in the Legislature�s hands. "It�s up to us to determine the level of funding and our priorities and mesh the two together." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.