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A Day in the Life of OBA at the Capitol

One particularly eventful day in Salem, OBA representatives simultaneously championed two important legislative issues that if successful, will forever improve Oregon’s long-term prosperity. These two issues were building Oregon's Rainy Day Fund and Initiative Reform.

At a hearing in front of the Senate Finance Committee, OBA’s Vice-President of Legislative Affairs, Marion Haynes, was among a panel of business community delegates who provided testimony in favor of a proposal to reform Oregon’s Kicker Laws and establish a long-term plan to fund the state’s Rainy Day Fund.

Along with Marion, OBA Board Chair Mike Morgan of Tonkon Torp and OBA Member Dave Vernier of Vernier Software led the testimony in support of Senate Joint Resolution 21. (Click here to listen to Mike's and Dave's brief and powerful testimony.) The proposal uses a portion of future Kicker resources to be put aside and exclusively reserved to build the state’s Rainy Day Fund.

Across the street at Willamette University, while Marion, Mike and Dave were advocating on long-term fiscal reform, OBA representatives Andi Miller and Jef Green participated in a leadership summit organized by Willamette University Center for Law & Government. The summit, Reforming the “Oregon System”: The Initiative, Referendum and Referral in the 21st Century, brought together citizen advocates, legislative leaders, business executives and constitutional scholars to engage in a discussion which included statutory reforms to Oregon's initiative process and possible constitutional avenues of reform.

Public officials on both sides of the aisle agree that the current initiative system is costly and divisive. It also impairs the ability of our elected leaders to govern effectively and creates a form of ballot box budgeting that makes crises more difficult to deal with. It is important that lawmakers and community leaders work together on both these near-term issues as well as those that face the state in the years to come.

It is not unusual for OBA to have spokespeople rallying on multiple fronts when it comes to our state's long-term prosperity. Whether it is in the capitol hearing room or the boardroom, we appreciate the support of our member businesses, all of whom share a common commitment toward our goals of livability and economic vitality for all of Oregon.

OBA Presents at City Club of Portland - March 27th

City Club of Portland Friday Luncheon: Restoring Integrity to Oregon's Initiative System

On Friday, March 27, Melody Rose, professor of political science at Portland State University, will discuss what Oregonians can learn from initiative systems in other states. Ryan Deckert, president of the Oregon Business Association, will explain why a coalition of leading business, labor and good government groups are all clamoring for initiative reform. And Rep. Larry Galizio , D-Tigard, will discuss how a bipartisan "indirect initiative" plan might restore integrity to the initiative system while simultaneously enhancing voter choice.

Oregon's Initiative System is an integral part of the state's political process, providing recourse to Oregonians when legislators are unwilling to take action on critical issues. However, making law by ballot leaves few opportunities for effective compromise, often negatively impacts the state's financial health and sometimes burdens the constitution with essentially statutory material.

Placing initiatives on the ballot has also become a big business, with out-of-state interests spending considerable money on efforts to gather initiative petition signatures and influence the outcome of state elections. Friday's discussion will be part of an important opportunity to help move the state forward in terms of good governing.

Tickets are going fast! To register, click here. Lunch is $16 for members; $20 for non-members. To reserve a table, call 503-228-7231 x100.