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A day at the Capitol
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| H&N photos by Ty Beaver - State Rep. Bill Garrard, R-Klamath Falls, asks a question about a piece of legislation during a meeting of the House Committee on Rules last week. |
Local representatives have a second home in Salem
By
TY BEAVER
H&N Staff Writer
Mary Botkin, a public employee union representative, is reviewing the state’s community corrections budget with the Klamath Falls Republican lawmaker. They talk until the bell tone warning lawmakers the morning session is starting rings.
Time is a valuable commodity in the Capitol, and state lawmakers take advantage of spare moments to review pending legislation, meet with constituents and delve into the issues that impact their districts.
The Klamath Basin’s representatives in Salem are no different, spending as much as 12 hours a day in the art deco-style building, working to represent and stay connected with their constituents in Southern Oregon.
“The people back home seem very distant after six months,” said state Rep. Bill Garrard. Garrard, 69, is a Republican from Klamath Falls serving his fourth two-year term.
Starting the day
Whitsett’s day starts at 6 a.m. The 66-year-old, one of 30 state senators, has served since 2005 and is starting his second four-year term.
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State Sen. Doug
Whitsett, R-Klamath Falls, meets
with Mary Botkin of the American
Federation of State, County and
Municipal Employees before a
morning session of the Senate.
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George Gilman, a 70-year-old Republican from Medford who represents Lake County and northern Klamath County, arrives at the Capitol about 7 a.m. So does Garrard. The two are among 60 state representatives.
House and Senate floor sessions that morning had packed agendas, typical of early June as the Legislature nears its traditional June 30 adjournment date.
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State Rep.
George Gilman,
R-Medford,
reviews a bill
that will be
coming up in one
of his committee
meetings. Up to
3,000 different
bills will be
proposed during
the average
legislative
session. About
1,000 will pass.
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During a session last week, senators considered bills on health care
and revising rules for the collection of petition
signatures, along with those that would regulate
outdoor lighting and the quality of olive oil.
The olive oil bill passed. Whitsett was one of three
who voted against it, though Democrat Rick Metsger
raised an issue.
“My concern with the bill is it does nothing to
reduce our dependence on oil,” Metsger said. Several
on the Senate floor laughed.
Committees
As the month wears on, afternoon and evening
sessions likely will become common, competing with
committee meetings. Most committees are done with
work now, with only a few, specifically those
dealing with the state’s finances and budget, still
meeting regularly. All three of the Basin’s
lawmakers sit on the Joint Ways and Means Committee
and serve on at least one of the related
subcommittees.
How those meetings go often depends on what’s being discussed.
A recent House Committee on Rules meeting, of which Garrard is a more senior member, had several light-hearted moments.
A Ways and Means subcommittee meeting Gilman attended had a different tone. Lawmakers criticized a budget reduction for the state’s Bureau of Labor and Industries that cuts 10 percent of its funding and personnel, including closing an office in Medford. Gilman objected to the bill, but it was still approved by the subcommittee.
“I just kind of question whether that’s wise or not,” he said of the Medford office closure.
Making time
The lawmakers also try to make time for constituents during the day, usually through phone calls, e-mails or face-to-face meetings.
In Whitsett’s office, staff help handle the dozens of phone calls and e-mails the senator receives daily.
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State Rep. Bill
Garrard, R-Klamath Falls, uses his
BlackBerry while in his office in
Salem. Letters needing his
signature, state budget documents
and other papers cover his desk.
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Garrard said he’ll adjust his schedule to meet
with a constituent, but meetings with lobbyists and
others often fall by the wayside if an afternoon
House session is scheduled.
Lawmakers finish the day in their offices, reviewing
paperwork and tying up loose ends. Many won’t leave
until after 7 p.m. Some won’t go home until 8 p.m.
Side Bar
On the agenda
Voter-approved legislation calling for tougher sentencing for some criminals and the construction of a train station for a northern Klamath County community top the priority lists of two Klamath Basin lawmakers.
State Rep. Bill Garrard, R-Klamath Falls, said he’s closely following legislation that could delay implementation of Measure 57, which calls for tougher sentencing for property and drug crimes.
Garrard said a group of lawmakers want to delay enforcing the new sentencing standards because of the state’s budget problems. He said he and others think the bill can be implemented slowly so Oregonians still benefit from it.
“I don’t want to lose the 39 state troopers we worked for,” he said.
State Rep. George Gilman, R-Medford, meanwhile is working to have a new train station in Chemult finally built. He said the project, part of a state transportation initiative, has been stalled.
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