Government Relations Office of the President Portland State University www.pdx.edu/gov-relations

NOV/DEC 2012 GOVERNMENT RELATIONS UPDATE As Mayor-elect prepares for his inauguration, he is LOCAL RELATIONS busy hiring his staff to transition into the Mayor’s office in January. He announced in early December that he hired Gail Shibley as his Chief of Staff. Shibley, a native Oregonian, is a former State Representative, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the US Department of Labor, and most recently the Public Health Administrator for the Oregon Health Authority. In the coming weeks we will see more staffing announcements as Hales and Shibley build their team.

We are losing two strong advocates for PSU on the Portland City Council, Mayor Sam Adams and Commissioner Randy Leonard. Commissioner Leonard was not only a PSU alumnus, but a champion for PSU on the council. Although Mayor Adams was not an alumnus, he definitely was a strong ally of PSU and worked hard to make sure the city of Portland was supporting the university. We encourage everyone in the PSU community to reach out and thank these two individuals for all their support and service to the City of Portland.

In addition to Mayor-Elect Hales (above right), we welcome Commissioner-Elect (bottom right) to the council. PSU will continue to work closely with all the members of the City Council and look forward to significant collaboration in the future.

PSU, city offer grants to support communities, environment MARK YOUR The Community Watershed Stewardship Program (CWSP) - a partnership CALENDARS! between Portland State and the city of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services - provides grants of up to $10,000 for community projects that manage stormwater, restore natural habitat, remove invasive species, and create more open Dec 22, 2012 - Jan 2, 2013 spaces in neighborhoods across the city. PSU Winter Break Closure

This is one of the many ways the university partners with the City of Portland. January 14 Specifically, this program is looking for ways to connect more directly with Swearing-in Day @ Capitol city residents. To find out more about this great partnership and amazing opportunity go here. January 15 - 17 Organizational Days for the City Commissioner Dan Saltzman (right) is the 2013 Session @ Capitol head of the Portland Bureau of Environmental January 26 Services. More information on Commissioner PSU Legislative session training Saltzman and his work can be found here. and preview day

February 4 Legislative Committees Begin

March 6 PSU Day @ Capitol Go Viks! GOVERNMENTRELATIONSUPDATE NOV/DEC 2012 STATE RELATIONS

Portland State students visit Capitol, meet legislators and seek opportunities Professor Richard Clucas of the Political Science Government Relations would like to thank all of the Department of PSU is conducting a senior capstone students, legislators, legislative staff, and others at the project this year entitled Engaging Democracy. As Capitol for an incredibly exciting and entertaining day! Professor Clucas sees it, “One of the most pressing problems in American politics today is that the public feels increasingly distant from elected leaders. To many reformers, the health of the nation’s democracy can only improve by getting more young people involved in politics.” The Engaging Democracy capstone will seek to address this problem by having students assist Oregon legislators during the 2013 legislative session in Salem, where they will help handle the broad range of responsibilities placed on legislative staff. During classroom times, students will learn about the position of legislatures in American politics and the character of Oregon politics. The substantive work will come from the student’s experiences as an intern this upcoming legislative session.

On December 12th, the Government Relations office Directly above: Director of State Government Relations Debbie Koreski speaks with PSU students during part of their hosted those students interested in the capstone on a tour of the Capitol building. Top of page and directly below: visit to the Capitol. For most of these students, it was Representative Margaret Doherty sits down for a discussion their first time in the Capitol, and the day provided with the students about her political experiences, and potential them with a lot of new information and some exciting internship opportunities in the session. opportunities. The students were able to tour the Capitol and learn some interesting historical facts about the building itself, as well as the legislature in general.

The day included visiting the Governor’s office and staff, watching a Senate floor session, and speaking with legislators and legislative staff who have close ties to PSU about their experiences in politics and upcoming internship opportunities. The afternoon concluded with watching a portion of a Joint House and Senate Higher Education Committee hearing.

Representative Margaret Doherty (D - Tigard, District 35), PSU alum, was especially engaging as she sat down with our students and answered their questions and shared stories about her experiences prior to and at the Capitol.

| www.pdx.edu/gov-relations | 2 GOVERNMENTRELATIONSUPDATE NOV/DEC 2012 Vikings in the Legislature Following the November elections, Oregon’s state legislature saw a shift in the partisan split within the House of Representatives, as the Democrats gained four seats and a majority with 34 representatives to the 26 Republicans, breaking the even split of the 2011 session. The Senate, on the other hand, maintained its 16-14 split, continuing the Democratic majority.

Another constant in Salem was the presence of Portland State University Vikings holding elected office. Below you will find a list of legislative leadership in the Senate and House, as well as the senators and representatives who share PSU connections and were either re-elected or newly elected on November 4th.

For more information on our Vikings in the legislature, or to find your representative and senator, go here.

PSU in the Oregon Senate Senate Leadership: President Designate – (D - Salem) President Pro Tempore Designate – (D - SW Portland) Majority Leader – (D - SE Portland) Republican Leader – Ted Ferrioli (R - Eastern Oregon)

Senate President Pro Tempore Ginny Burdick Senator Rod Monroe D - Portland, District 18 D - Portland, District 24

PSU Home District BS History, 1966 BS Elementary Education, 1968 MS Teaching, History 1969

Senator Richard Devlin Senator Chip Shields D - Tualatin, District 19 D - Portland, District 22

BS Administration of Justice, 1976 MSW Social Work, 2003

Senator Jackie Dingfelder Senator D - Portland, District 23 R - Hillsboro, District 15

PhD Candidate, Public Policy and Administration BS Political Science, 1991

Senators serve 4 year terms 15 seats were up for election

2013 Session = 16 Democrats/14 Republicans 2011 Session = 16 Democrats/14 Republicans

| www.pdx.edu/gov-relations | 3 GOVERNMENTRELATIONSUPDATE NOV/DEC 2012 PSU in the Oregon House of Representatives House Leadership: Speaker Designate – Tina Kotek (D - NE Portland) Speaker Pro Tempore Designate – Chris Garrett (D - Lake Oswego) Majority Leader – Val Hoyle (D - Eugene) Republican Leader – Mike McLane (R - Central Oregon)

Representative Jeff Barker Representative Mitch Greenlick D - Aloha, District 28 D - Portland, District 33

BS History, 1969 Adjunct Professor, Sociology and Social Work

Representative Deborah Boone Representative Alissa Keny-Guyer D - Cannon Beach, District 32 D - Portland, District 46

BS Psychology, 1979 Former Oregon Solutions Program Manager BS Art and Painting, 1979

Representative Margaret Doherty Representative Betty Komp D - Tigard, District 35 D - Woodburn, District 22

BS Speech Communication, 1973 EdD Candidate, Continuing Administrator License

Representative Representative Carolyn Tomei D - Portland, District 43 D - Milwaukie, District 41

PhD Candidate, Urban Affairs and Communication BS Psychology, 1971 MSW Social Work, 1973

Representative-Elect Joe Gallegos Representative-Elect Jennifer Williamson D - Hillsboro, District 30 D - Portland, District 36

BS and MSW Social Work, 1972 and 1973 PSU Home District Former PSU Staff member

Representative-Elect Representatives serve 2 year terms D - East Multnomah County, District 49 All 60 seats up for election each cycle

PhD Urban & Public Affairs, 2004 2013 Session = 34 Democrats/26 Republicans 2011 Session = 30 Democrats/30 Republicans

| www.pdx.edu/gov-relations | 4 GOVERNMENTRELATIONSUPDATE NOV/DEC 2012 FEDERAL RELATIONS

A message to Congress on the fiscal cliff: Don’t stall Oregon’s economic recovery*

Oregonians are frustrated. While we’re moving out direction -- less opportunity for students to go to college, of the recession, albeit slowly, there’s now another ax fewer degrees and reduced numbers of jobs going to hanging over our economic prospects: the “fiscal cliff.” Oregonians. These radical, across-the-board cuts have very serious consequences that directly affect Oregonians. We need Oregon’s public universities are proud that our faculty Congress to act now. With only weeks until these rank in the top 10 nationally of colleges and universities draconian cuts take effect, Oregon and the nation require awarded federal research grants. OUS and OHSU faculty immediate action. and physicians are using federal science, health and other grants to make discoveries that are saving lives, driving Oregon’s congressional delegation has been working innovation in companies that create jobs, and helping hard to ensure that the serious consequences for Oregon all of Oregon’s industries, including traditional ones, are communicated to their colleagues in Washington. thrive in a changing environment. Federal grants pay for For higher education, it means that the Oregon the faculty, staff and students who work on the research, University System would lose more than $33 million and they create jobs that flow into other Oregon in student financial aid and in research grants annually. businesses of all sizes, which provide related services and Oregon Health & Science University stands to lose equipment. If the fiscal cliff occurs, this funding will $27 million in federal funding for critical research and disappear immediately, forcing more Oregonians into the patient care. This combined $60 million loss would unemployment line and impacting important research undercut Oregon’s already fragile economic expansion that improves many aspects of our daily lives and work. and adversely affect thousands of Oregon workers and businesses. The fiscal cliff will affect real people in Oregon. We’ve already been at the bottom of the recession’s cliff and In the case of Oregon’s college students, the fiscal cliff we’re just climbing out. Inaction will cut the rope again, will affect their ability to stay in school. Thousands setting Oregon back from the recovery we need to of low- and moderate-income students across the continue. state receive federal work study aid and supplemental educational opportunity grants to help cover their tuition We urge Oregon and the nation’s leadership to costs. These will be cut without congressional action. immediately agree on a balanced and phased-in approach Our neediest students have run out of other options to managing the nation’s fiscal crisis. Please do not allow to pay for college; they are working, taking out loans a lack of agreement to result in an even more immediate, and often juggling the needs of their families while also consequential fiscal crisis. Oregonians need our national doggedly working on getting a degree. Time will run out leaders to step up and meet this challenge. for them if the fiscal cliff becomes a reality. Michael Gottfredson, Ed Ray and Wim Wiewel are the Many will simply become another statistic: students presidents of the University of Oregon, Oregon State who dropped out of college with no degree, lots of University and Portland State University, respectively. Joe student loan debt and no credential to help them find Robertson, president of Oregon Health & Science University, work. At a time when the state is committed to the 40- and George Pernsteiner, chancellor of the Oregon University 40-20 educational attainment goal to drive economic System, also contributed to this commentary. growth, this would be a move in exactly the opposite

*Originally published by - column can be found here.

| www.pdx.edu/gov-relations | 5 GOVERNMENTRELATIONSUPDATE NOV/DEC 2012

113th Congress Senator Wyden at the 10th Annual Oregon Senator Wyden Moves Up in Leadership, Leadership Summit; picture and story and Senator Merkley Joins Powerful Senate available here. Committee

Oregon fared very well in committee assignments announced recently by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Senator gained additional clout, assuming the chairmanship of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and moving up two slots to the number four position on the powerful Finance Committee. Wyden also will retain his number three position on the Intelligence Committee and continue to serve as a senior member of the Budget and Aging Committee.

Senator Jeff Merkley also came away with a plum assignment, gaining Oregon’s first seat on the Appropriations Committee since former Senator Mark Hatfield retired in 1996. In addition, Merkley will continue to serve on the Banking Committee.

Visit Senator Merkley’s official site here.

Contact Government Relations, Office of the President, Portland State University

Debbie Dorris Koreski Mary Rae Moller Jason Lawrence

Director of State Director of Local and Federal Graduate Assistant of Government Relations Government Relations Government Relations

503.725.5040 (office) 503.725.9818 503.309.5617 (cell) 503.725.2672 (office) [email protected] 503.725.4499 (fax) 317.727.8615 (cell) [email protected] [email protected]

| www.pdx.edu/gov-relations | 6