Today's Oregon News: February 22, 2012

It's a rainy Wednesday. The Oregonian Editorial Board has once again weighed in with strong words against Oregon House GOP leaders' efforts to block foreclosure protections for struggling homeowners, saying "If this Legislature comes up empty on foreclosure reform, it will be one of the great failures of the February session, one that will follow lawmakers wherever they go this election year."

Meanwhile, Bend TV station KTVZ published an article that is literally a word-for-word reprint of the Republican's press release on the foreclosure bills, citing "KTVZ.com news sources."

College students are standing up against rising tuition and declining state support. Tomorrow, OPB's Think Out Loud program will be dedicated to the legislative session: http://www.opb.org/thinkoutloud/

Foreclosures

EDITORIAL: Dying for help on the House
Oregonian
"The foreclosure legislation that swept through the Senate is replaced by an amended bill that doesn't meet the needs of distressed homeowners. Thousands of Oregonians battling to keep their homes have something in common with the foreclosure reforms tangled in the Legislature: They, too, are seeing their last days tick away in the House. It's frustrating to see foreclosure reform, one of Oregon's greatest public policy needs, wrapped up in politics and amendments, and seemingly going nowhere fast in a Legislature set to expire in a week."

BLOG: When it comes to foreclosure reform, the legislator from Sunriver is clueless and out of touch
BlueOregon
"Unreal. It seems that Rep. Gene Whisnant (R-Sunriver) is the guy standing in the way of meaningful reform on foreclosures. As the O's Elliott Njus reports, Whisnant wants to water down a bill that passed through the Senate with broad bipartisan support."

Whisnant works to save foreclosure aid bill
KTVZ
"Rep. Gene Whisnant (R-Sunriver) and Rep. Matt Wand (R-Troutdale) briefed House and Senate leaders Monday on an amendment to pending foreclosure legislation that would dedicate funds from the recent bank settlement agreement to provide direct assistance for Oregonians. 'Our amendment to SB 1552 expands homeowner assistance to include counseling and mediation services by using the Oregon Housing and Community Services agency to distribute dedicated funds from the recently announced bank settlement agreement,' said. Whisnant, Co-Chair of the House General Government and Consumer Protection Committee."

Higher education

Oregon college students call for an end to rising tuition, declining state support
Oregonian
"Oregon college students lobbied lawmakers in Salem and rallied on the campuses of Portland State and Eastern Oregon universities Tuesday against the increasingly painful price of a college degree. 'Investing in education is investing in our future,' said Adam Rahmlow, 24,  a junior and PSU student body president, during an afternoon rally on the campus park blocks. 'So why did the Legislature last year hold back money from higher education?' Faced with poor job prospects in a sputtering economy and rising debt, more Oregon students are questioning whether higher education remains a viable option. Two decades ago, they paid a fourth of the cost of their instruction and the state covered the rest. Today, students bear 61 percent of the cost."

With rising college costs, students fear higher ed out of reach
KATU
"The cost of college continues to climb and, according to the Oregon Student Association, community colleges have raised tuition rates 15 percent in the last five years. And students at Oregon’s seven state universities are paying 75 percent more than their peers paid eight years ago. The average cost of tuition and fees for Oregon students is more than $7,600. Add in other expenses such as housing, food and books, and the cost to attend a state university is more than $20,000 a year."

An unusual "pledge" from the Oregon Student Association
Statesman Journal
"Just before 1 p.m. Tuesday in the Capitol galleria, college students organized by the Oregon Student Association recited this pledge to the cadence of the pledge of allegiance to the U.S. flag: 'I pledge allegiance to the flag/ of the mighty state of Oregon/and to our colleges, for which we stand/one system, with shrinking budgets/with millions in debt and unemployment for all. No investment? No advancement!' The recitation took place just before the 1 p.m. start of legislative committees, many of which meet in hearing rooms adjacent to the first-floor galleria."

Other headlines

OSPIRG examines tax credits, sees little benefit
Willamette Week
"Approving tax credits is a little bit like continuing to drink after you know you've had enough—it seems like a good idea at the time but can be hard to justify in the cold light of sobriety. OSPIRG (the Oregon Public Interest Research Group) took a look a four tax-credit programs lawmakers have green-lighted in recent years and that will cost taxpayers $300 million in 2011-13. Below is a summary of what the credits yielded, according to OSPIRG's report. "BETC" refers to the Business Energy Tax Credit."

Murmurs: ODOT backlash and Schaufler unbowed
Willamette Week
"WW reported recently about the Oregon Department of Transportation program that has given Union Pacific—with billions in profits—state subsidies of $24.7 million to fix its own track under the lottery-funded ConnectOregon program (“Gravy Train,” WW, Feb. 8, 2012). Turns out it was news to legislators, many of whom were angered to learn that scarce state dollars were cushioning the rail giant. A half dozen House Democrats are now pushing for reforms: limited loans, not handouts, to for-profit rail companies. No word yet if the changes will come to a vote in the February session."

Employers could not discriminate against the unemployed under bill
Oregonian
"A bill in a House committee today would prohibit employers from advertising job openings only to people who currently have jobs. What? We had to scratch our heads on that one, too. But apparently, discrimination against the unemployed is a concern. The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 1548 last week. It states simply that employers and their agents cannot limit the unemployed from applying for a job or tell them they won't be considered. A violation carries a $1,000 fine."

Forecast: Funds for hospital cloudy
Register Guard
"As the monthlong 2012 legislative session enters the home stretch, the fate of continued construction funding for the proposed new state psychiatric hospital in Junction City remains unclear. To keep the project moving through next June and the 174-bed hospital on track to open in early 2015, lawmakers this session need to allocate $29 million in general fund-backed bonds, according to project administrator Jodie Jones. If lawmakers are to approve some or all of that, the effort probably would originate in the capital construction subcommittee of the Joint Ways and Means Committee, the Legislature’s budgeting arm."

Learning with less: As tests grow in importance, do students improve?
OPB News
"Oregon's governor is pushing a bill this legislative session that could put even greater emphasis on graduation rates and test scores. Some education advocates say schools are already focusing too much on tests, in response to shrinking resources. With that in mind, OPB's Rob Manning checked in with teachers and students as they recover from first semester finals. In this installment of our 'Learning with Less' series, he reports on the intersection of school budget cuts and high expectations in Forest Grove."

Marine reserves bill heads to Governor Kitzhaber's desk
OPB News
"A bill that creates three new marine reserves off the Oregon coast is on its way to the governor's desk. The Oregon House of Representatives voted 57-2 to pass the bill and ban fishing in a total of about 3 percent of the state's ocean. Senate Bill 1510 restricts fishing in three areas: at Cape Falcon, Cascade Head, and Cape Perpetua, on the north and central Oregon coast. Marine reserves are totally closed to fishing.  Adjoining protected areas will ban certain methods of fishing."

Final Oregon congressional results show nearly 52 percent turnout as Bonamici wins by 30,008 votes
Oregonian
"The official results for Oregon's special congressional election shows that turnout was just under 52 percent, which was lower than in recent statewide special elections. In January of 2010, 62 percent of voters cast ballots on two tax measures.  In November of 2007, 59 percent voted on ballot measures dealing with cigarette taxes and property rights. The final results of the 1st Congressional District race showed that Democrat Suzanne Bonamici defeated Republican Rob Cornilles by 30,008 votes, which is a margin of just over 14 percentage points."