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Oregon Business Association

Good Government

Upcoming meeting: Wednesday, April 23rd. “Casino in the Gorge” with Len Bergstein representing the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Wayne Shammel of Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians and Justin Martin of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.

Good government practices are the foundation for good public policy. OBA believes that good government is dependent not only upon public officials who are dedicated to the public interest rather than special interests, but also on processes that are open and accountable.

Revenue Stability and Adequacy

The process of government requires stable and adequate funding for basic public services–education, health care, public safety and transportation infrastructure. Oregon’s primary source of revenue - the state income tax - is subject to fluctuation in the economy. To increase both the adequacy and stability of the available revenue the OBA Good Government Committee joins the OBA Business and Economy Committee in recommending the following legislative action*:

  • Suspend the Corporate Kicker.
  • Establish a Rainy Day Fund.
  • Increase the Corporate Minimum Tax.

*Specifics listed in Business and Economy Legislative Agenda.

Legislative Process

Loss of public confidence in the legislative process has undermined the effectiveness of the Legislature. The increased impact of the initiative process and the influence of lobbyists have compounded the problem. OBA recommends reforms to increase the effectiveness of the Legislature and restore the public trust.

Specifically, OBA supports the following legislative action:

Elections

  • Enact or refer Open Primary to the electorate.
  • Refer elimination of the double majority requirement for public spending decisions to the electorate.
  • Support legislation to ensure that campaign contributions are not used for personal or legislative business.

Lobbying/Ethics

  • Require more frequent and timely reporting of lobbyist expenses.
  • Increase fines for violations of any ethics statutes.
  • Ban or strictly limit lobbyist-paid legislative travel and gifts.
  • Increase the funding for the Government Standards and Practices Commission (GSPC) to enable the agency to adequately enforce ethics and lobbying statutes.

Legislative Responsiveness

  • Change House and Senate rules that prohibit issues with nearly unanimous support from receiving a fair hearing.
  • Seriously consider the legislation proposed by the Public Commission on the Oregon Legislature to determine best options for frequency and timing of legislative sessions.

Judicial Compensation

Salaries of Oregon judges are insufficient to ensure the highly qualified judges that Oregon’s businesses need. Higher judicial salaries will help attract experienced and capable lawyers who will make good judges. Regardless of politics, ideology or current view of certain judicial decisions, Oregon needs experienced civil business lawyers willing to aspire to the bench.

Specifically, OBA recommends the following legislative action:

  • Increase Oregon judicial salaries to a level equal to the average of the states bordering Oregon.
  • Create an independent commission to periodically evaluate and adjust judicial salaries outside the political realm.
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