[CFR-Announce] 9 Important Issues in the 2005 Legislature Where Corporations Ruled

[Dan Meek]

The House Democrats just issued this list of 7 categories of issues in 
the 2005 Legislature where the corporations ruled and the public 
interest lost.

Time for political campaign contribution limits, perhaps?


Dan Meek
FairElections Oregon
800-939-8011
503-246-2906
www.fairelections.net
dan at fairelections.net



*Here's how they ran up the score in 2005:*

*First Inning: Tobacco Companies*

. House Republicans stonewalled HB 2940, which would have reinstated the 
voter-approved 10 cent cigarette tax to fund the Oregon Health Plan.
. House Speaker Karen Minnis personally killed SB 931, which would have 
required tobacco companies to sell "fire-safe cigarettes" in Oregon.

//*Second Inning: Drug Companies*

. House Republicans killed SB 329, which would have expanded the state's 
drug purchasing pool to let small business and individuals save money on 
their prescriptions.
. House Republicans killed SB 1011, which would have allowed victims of 
the drug Vioxx, and their families, to seek justice in court.
. House Republicans killed HB 2817, which would have required disclosure 
of the billions of dollars in gifts drug companies give to doctors.

*Third Inning: Insurance Companies *

. House Republicans killed HB 2837, which would have required health 
insurance companies to get public approval before they raise our 
insurance rates.
. House Republicans voted down SB 849, which would have required 
pharmacies and health insurance companies to make emergency 
contraception available to sexual-assault victims.
. House Republicans killed HB 2920, which would have required all 
insurance companies to get public approval before they raise our 
insurance rates.

*Fourth Inning: School Bureaucrats (not all favors for corporations on 
this one)
*

. House Republicans killed SB 639, which would have saved taxpayers as 
much as $100 million by creating a statewide health insurance pool for 
teachers.
. House Republicans voted down SB 766, which would have restricted 
payouts to retiring school administrators, the infamous "golden 
parachutes."
. House Republicans killed HB 3433, which would have ensured that tax 
dollars get to the classroom by limiting the amount of funds that can be 
spent on administration.

*Fifth Inning: Corporate Polluters*

. House Republicans forced passage of the polluter tax loophole in SB 
3041, which gives tax money to the worst polluters in Oregon simply for 
following the law.
. House Republicans used unconstitutional language in the Department of 
Environmental Quality budget to block steps that would reduce auto 
emissions.
. House Republicans prohibited state government from taking steps to 
reduce greenhouse gas emissions in HR 3.
. House Republicans weakened the provisions for pesticide-use reporting 
in SB 290, which protects consumers from the harmful effects of pesticides.

*Sixth Inning: Predatory Lenders and Ultra-Wealthy Tax Cheats*

. House Republicans gutted SB 480, which would have reformed the abuse 
of offshore tax shelters by the ultra-wealthy and the most powerful 
corporations like Enron.
. House Republicans voted down SB 545, which would have reined in 
predatory payday lending practices.

//*Seventh Inning: Corporate Tax Giveaways*

. House Republicans forced passage of HB 2332, one of the biggest tax 
giveaways in Oregon history. This shameless bill would have given away 
nearly $500 million, and would have required deep cuts to services in 
order to balance Oregon's books, such as elimination of Oregon's entire 
system of community colleges.
. House Republicans forced passage of HB 2542, a massive tax giveaway to 
out of state corporations.
. House Republicans forced passage of HB 2540, which would have let 
corporations off the hook for funding public schools.

*Eighth Inning: Abuse of Power
*

. Minnis changed the rules in the early innings of the session to give 
herself the power to fire the Chief Clerk of the House (the umpire).
. Minnis abused the rules in the middle innings of the session to stop 
legislators from challenging her with floor ammendments.
. Minnis changed the rules in the final innings of the session by 
preventing a majority of House members, of either party, from 
challenging her by moving bills from committees.

/House Republicans and Powerful Special Interests 23
Oregonians 0/

*Ninth Inning: Secrecy*

. Minnis embraced partisanship when she unilaterally broke up the 
bipartisan Ways and Means Committee. As The Oregonian recently reported, 
this allowed Minnis to secretly negotiate on behalf of the special 
interests, in backroom meetings, with only six other elected officials.