A Rural Issues Update

By Senator Floyd Prozanski
District 4 - South Lane & North Douglas Counties

Some people believe that the difference in ideology between mostly "red" rural areas and mostly "blue" urban areas produces inevitable gridlock. I disagree. Even though there is a rural-urban divide in parts of the state, it is not fatal. Most Oregonians share common values.

Some of these values include quality education for our children, addressing the methamphetamine epidemic, and ensuring basic health care to all Oregonians.

In the current climate of revenue shortages, rural school districts in particular, face unique challenges. Speech and language therapy, physical therapy, and specialized care for autistic students are too expensive for many school districts to cover on their own. Federal law requires that students receive these services, so smaller rural school districts depend on county wide Education Service Districts (ESD) to fill in the gaps. I oppose SB 415 because it would reduce funding to ESDs and cut important programs in rural areas. Rural schools also rely on the Small School Supplement Fund (SSSF), which was created in 2001 to provide funds for districts with at least one small high school. It provided $5 million in the 2003-05 biennium, but the fund is currently set to sunset this month. I support extending the SSSF.

Methamphetamine abuse affects all of Oregon, but hits rural areas particularly hard. Prevention, treatment, and enforcement resources are all sparse in more isolated rural communities. These communities also have fewer citizens to notice properties being used to cook meth, and more open spaces that allow meth cooks to dump toxic waste. While passing new laws will not alone solve these problems, the legislature is moving forward with many proposals to address the epidemic. SB 907 and HB 2485 will give law enforcement and government agencies better tools to deter meth use while also improving the treatment options.

The lack of access to quality affordable health care has also reached crisis proportions, especially in rural areas. SB 781, sponsored by Senator Morrisette, would dedicate revenues from the cigarette tax to provide a rural health safety net. The bill would enhance emergency medical services in rural communities, provide these communities with technical and financial assistance to develop services in isolated areas, and allocate funds to the Office of Rural Health for grants. SB 781 is currently in the Senate Budget Committee, but we are working with our leadership to pass the bill.

In the wake of the passage of Measure 37, land use policies are also of enormous importance. The voters have now twice indicated dissatisfaction with Oregon's land use system. However, I do not believe that voters intended to entirely dismantle protections of our farm and forest lands. We have worked very hard this session to reach a satisfactory compromise to give land owners greater rights over their land without damaging the quality of life we all cherish. This compromise has been elusive. I believe that Oregonians would be best served by a special session of the legislature to solely address land use laws.

Contact Info:

Senator Floyd Prozanski
State Senate - District 4
900 Court St. NE. S-319
Salem, OR 97301
Phone: 503-986-1704
Email: Senator Floyd Prozanski
Web: www.leg.state.or.us/prozanski/home.htm