Laurel Hines, my wife, had a great idea.
Use a tip line set up by Oregon Republicans hoping to find fraud in state government to report a serious wrongdoing: the walkout by GOP members of the state senate that's gone on now for about five weeks, while those legislators who aren't performing the duty they were elected to do continue to pull in their taxpayer-paid salary.
Here's a message that Laurel sent to some friends today.
Here is something you can do and go on record regarding the walkout by the Republicans. If enough people flood the tip line, it may get on the news, since the “tips” are public record.
If you, like me, are irritated by the Republican legislators making a mockery of democracy and holding up all legislation in our current state government by their illegal walkout, just because they don’t like the fact that voters voted for a Democratic majority, they convened an “oversight committee” with a tip line to supposedly investigate fraud by the Democratic majority. They have a tip line that anyone can call. I just called and gave this tip (below). I urge you to also call if you would like. They are wasting our tax money.
The number is 1-541-213-0201. Here is what I said when I got an actual person this morning:
“I do have a tip. I want to report eleven Republican lawmakers in our state who are wasting our tax dollars and making a mockery of our Democracy by their illegal walkout. I hope this gets investigated.”
The walkout is preventing important bills from being enacted that passed with bipartisan support in the House. As an Oregon Capital Chronicle story points out, many of those bills would benefit the rural areas that Senate Republicans claim to care about so much.
Here's some excerpts from "Democrats warn of lost opportunities as GOP-led Senate walkout persists."
Oregonians have much to lose if the legislative session ends by June 25 without a functioning Senate that can vote on bills, Democrats warned Tuesday.
The GOP-led Senate walkout is preventing votes on bills intended to benefit average Oregonians from urban Portland to rural eastern Oregon. Examples run the gamut: Bills held up by the walkout would reduce the risk of wildfires racing across rural Oregon, address the homelessness crisis as people camp in tents along city streets and keep health care coverage going for some of the 300,000 Oregonians estimated to lose their access to the Oregon Health Plan, as pandemic-era provisions that kept more people enrolled end.
...As the impasse continues, Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday urged Oregonians – and their Republican colleagues in the Senate – to consider what’s at stake.
For example, a $70 million rural economic development proposal faces an uncertain fate. That proposal, House Bill 3410, would help small farmers, the fishing industry, outdoor recreation, county fairs and other small businesses, said Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis.
Other bills would aid economic development at the Port of Coos Bay and bring broadband to rural communities, including a proposal that would pull in about $700 million in federal funding to improve broadband services.
But the bills in jeopardy go beyond money and the economy.
For example, House Bill 3211 would make it easier for Oregon to get $60 million in matching federal funding for new dams in Oregon that are vulnerable to earthquakes.
“If the dam fails, lives will be lost,” Gomberg said.
For example, in Newport the bill would help fix two dams that provide water for the coastal community of 10,000 people. Those dams would flood the city if they broke.
On the health care front, a stalled bill would help Oregonians who face losing coverage from the state’s Medicaid program. The proposal would create a “bridge plan” to help people who make too much to qualify for the Oregon Health Plan but cannot afford coverage on the marketplace. The state is now determining how many of the 1.5 million Oregonians who stayed covered because of the federal pandemic emergency still qualify for coverage.
Separately, House Bill 2395 would make naloxone kits that stop opioid overdoses available in public schools, buildings and for first responders to give to people for future use.
“This is going to save lives and give people a chance to recover and we must pass this bill,” said Rep. Travis Nelson, a Portland Democrat and nurse who attended the press conference in his scrubs.
On the education front, there are proposals to put $10.2 billion toward the K-12 state school budget and put $140 million toward early literacy programs. Separately, Senate Bill 283 would give 20% pay increases to teachers and classified staff who work in special education, support initiatives to diversify the educator workforce and guarantee more pay and benefits to substitute teachers.
“This is the legislation Senate Republicans are now holding hostage after we’ve worked together on it for months and months,” said Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland. “This is unacceptable. It’s time for them to join us and together, do our jobs.”
There also are wildfire protection bills that would help people navigate the tangle of homeowners insurance for claims and create programs to help communities and property owners reduce the risk of wildfires.
The bill to pull in $700 million of federal funds for expanded broadband services really hit home for me. My wife and I live in rural south Salem, just six miles from the city limits, but aside from horribly slow CenturyLink DSL that travels over ancient copper phone lines (download speed is just 6-7 Mbps) our only option was to sign up for Starlink satellite internet.
That's been great -- download speed is 86 Mbps at the moment -- but last I heard there was a waiting list for Starlink in our area since the satellites have a limited capacity. Plus, it costs $110 a month. I'd love to have a fiber optic option. However, CenturyLink will never bring it to our neighborhood without a federal subsidy.
Our story is common in rural Oregon where people are lucky to have even a single broadband option with decent speeds, and rarely have several viable options. If the Republican walkout kills Oregon's chance to get the $700 million, rural voters should keep this in mind at the next election for state legislators.
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