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Task force will visit here Legislators appointed to hear seniors� concerns By Dani Dodge Seniors, you don�t need to go to Salem to have your issues heard. On Saturday, the Legislature will come to you. Well, eight of the members anyway. "We can sit in the Capitol and hear stories, or we can go out and listen in the community," said Rep. Rob Patridge, a Medford Republican. "I think it�s better to go into the community, especially because many of these people are too fragile to travel and their caregivers barely make minimum wage and can�t just bring them up." In February, House Speaker Mark Simmons, an Elgin Republican, appointed eight representatives � Republicans and Democrats � to the newly created Legislative Task Force for Senior and Disabled Funding. On Wednesday, the task force began a series of seven public hearings around the state to listen to what senior and disabled Oregonians have to say about possible cuts to their services in the state�s budget. Wednesday�s meeting at a Eugene community center drew 200 people. It was so crowded that not everyone could fit in the room, and people were pushing up against the windows from the outside to hear what was going on inside, said Patridge, a task force member. Saturday�s hearing will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Orchards Assisted Living Center, 1018 Royal Court, Medford. It is the only hearing scheduled in the Rogue Valley. Seniors should take the opportunity to speak directly with legislators, said Don Bruland, the director of senior and disability services for the Rogue Valley Council of Governments. "I think people showing up will make a difference," Bruland said. "The Legislature believes it�s an area of concern. They are coming to listen." The task force winds up its listening tour on March 21 in Hood River. Patridge said task force members will share what they hear on the tour with their colleagues in Salem, which could eventually change the funding picture for seniors in the state. In his budget, Gov. John Kitzhaber had cut many senior services in order to fund a new program aimed at giving first-born children a healthy start in life. Those cuts included restricting Medicaid to only the most ill, decreasing payments to assisted living facilities, and cutting Project Independence, a program that helps seniors stay in their own homes by providing help a couple of hours each week. A budget developed by the Senate Ways and Means Committee co-chairmen restored a portion of the funding, like getting Project Independence up to 50 percent of its funding back. But Simmons said his goal is to continue to fully fund Project Independence. The restoration of that project and other senior services is estimated at $30 million to $35 million. A bleak budget forecast in early March didn�t shake Simmons� resolve, said his communications director, Trish Conrad. "He remains confident he�ll be able to fund his priorities for senior and disabled services," she said. "The March forecast hasn�t changed his priorities." Neither Simmons nor Patridge, though, are suggesting any definitive cuts to restore other programs. "The budget is $1.2 billion more than the last legislative session," Patridge pointed out. "I�m not saying I know where the cuts are, but it�s a matter of priorities � not making new programs, and helping those who have the most need." 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 � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.