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SUNNY Temp: 66 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Friday, August 1, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend July 17, 2003 Bates challenges grant policy He is concerned about committee co-chairmen refusing health grants By DON JEPSEN for the Mail Tribune SALEM — Rep. Alan Bates plans to challenge a policy that allows the co-chairmen of the Ways and Means Committee to turn down requests for federal grant money. Bates said he was particularly concerned over two health-related grants dismissed by Rep. Randy Miller, R-West Linn, and Sen. Kurt Schrader, D-Canby. One, for $325,000, would establish a pertussis (whooping cough) immunization program for adolescents and adults. The other, for $6 million, would establish local obesity control programs in five counties, including Jackson County. Bates sent a letter to members of the budget panel Wednesday seeking support for a rule change that would require all members to decide which grants the state should pursue. The Ashland physician and Democrat serves on Ways and Means. "Grants, like appropriations, would be assigned to a subcommittee for review and then returned to the full committee for final evaluation," Bates said. Advertisement The pertussis immunization program is particularly critical, Bates said, because of the high number of whooping cough cases in Jackson County. Lane County also is experiencing a severe outbreak. "Jackson County has had a very high rate of infection in children," Dr. James Lace, a Salem pediatrician, told a news conference Tuesday. Health statistics show that up to 12 percent of children in Jackson County are not inoculated "for whatever reason," he said. Overall, Oregon is experiencing an outbreak of pertussis that is twice the rate of the national average. The Ways and Means co-chairmen also denied a $6 million grant over the next four years for local programs to reduce the incidence of obesity, a leading cause of diabetes, heart disease and asthma. The funds would go to Jackson, Benton, Coos/Curry and Deschutes counties — roughly $375,000 each annually — to develop prevention strategies. Rep. Jackie Winters, R-Salem, who chairs the Human Resources subcommittee of Ways and Means, plans to pressure the co-chairmen to reverse their decision on the two grants. Bates admitted he was taking a risk in proposing the rules change. "There go the rest of my bills," he quipped, half seriously. In all, the co-chairmen have denied grant application requests totaling some $20 million. That has stirred a controversy among other legislators and social service and environmental advocates. At the news conference protesting the cuts, Hilary Abrahamson, a lobbyist for the Nature Conservancy of Oregon, said the state has lost out on more than $6 million in grant money to protect environmentally sensitive areas. Most of the land acquisitions through the federal Forest Legacy Program are on the Oregon Coast. "No one has ever heard of a state turning down federal funds for this," she said. Don Jepsen is a free-lance writer living in Salem. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times